Planning an In-wall Tank

Everyone who has a marine tank knows that it requires at least a minimal amount of planning. Thorough planning can prevent loss of time and money due to changing equipment, buying new/better equipment, redoing plumbing, making numerous trips to the hardware store (which inevitably happens regardless of how much planning we’ve all done :D), etc.

Preparing for an in-wall tank, generally speaking, takes even more planning. Most but not all in-wall tanks tend to be on the large size. I’m guessing (pure speculation on my part) this is because if you have the time and money for a large tank, you have the time and money to cut out a wall in your house. I’m currently planning for a large in-wall tank. I’m going to convert a spare bedroom into a fishroom. The inlaws will be informed during the first stages that they’ll be sleeping on the couch from now on. Fishrooms are practically the definition for any in-wall project. A fishroom gives you a place to put all the equipment that ends up above, behind, and next to a standard tank configuration. Hiding all equipment allows for the “picture frame” viewing. The in-wall tank I’m planning will be my third tank. For the first two, I used a spreadsheet to organize costs and tasks. I’ve already created one for the in-wall project.

The spreadsheet consists of costs for aquarium equipment and place of purchase broken down by “area”. This includes:

1. Tank, Stand, Canopy
   Refugium
   Sump
2. Skimmer
3. Pumps
   Return
   Closed Loop
   Powerheads
4. Reactors
   Ca++
   Kalk
   Carbon
   Phosphorus
   Nitrate
5. Lighting
   T5, VHO, PC, MH
   Ballasts
   Bulb Types
6. ATO
7. Controllers
8. Heaters
9. Chiller

Beyond the costs of a standard tank, an in-wall tank can and will incur costs of demolition, electrical (new wall outlets), plumbing (tapping into existing home lines for RO/DI and waste water hookups), and reconstruction of the viewing wall(s) of the fishroom itself. The fishroom is carpeted at the moment, so that will also have to be removed and the concrete sealed. Unless you’re familiar with building construction, you’ll need the assistance of someone in either the construction field or home inspection, or someone similar to ensure the viewing wall isn’t a load bearing wall. If it is a load-bearing wall, plans must be made to support the wall during the demolition phase until the final bracing is in place. Additional wiring, if necessary, should only be added by a licensed electrician because of fire hazards and code regulations.

Plans should also be made for removing/moving existing wiring that obstructs the viewing hole(s). While fire isn’t a problem with less than adequate plumbing, flooding is a major concern. After having problems with leaky PVC outside a wall, there’s no way I would try it inside a wall. After the tank is in place in the fishroom, you need to have ideas in mind to “clean up” the hole that was made in the wall. Generally this is accomplished by installing molding of some type. Keep in mind that all this demolition and construction will be extra costs that should be added into the spreadsheet, unless you’re savvy enough to do it yourself.

Moving the tank into the fishroom is a major concern if you have a large tank. Any tank 180G (6’ tank) or smaller would probably be considered a fairly standard move, since tanks of this size are moved into different areas of a house all the time. Tanks larger than 6’ pose a greater challenge, especially if they are also wider than a typical 24”. I had to cut holes in the entryway to my kitchen to get my custom 225G into place and it’s not an in-wall. To move a large tank, you need to plan on having plenty of manpower. Commercial glass suction cups are what I consider standard equipment for a large tank. I’ve even looked into an engine hoist and moving straps to lift my in-wall up to the viewing hole so it can be pushed through, because it won’t fit through the doorway to the fishroom.