New Project. 55 Gallon in wall

[TinyGiant]

Well i got it in my head a little while ago that it was time for a real tank. something bigger. Its been about 3 years since i've had a good sized tank.

 

I purchased a brand new 55 gallon marineland tank (black trim and sealant, tempered on all glass)

 

I spray painted the ends black so i couldnt see through them.

 

I started this project yesterday and will be able to finish it tomorrow and start filling the tank up

 

 

I My dining room had an entrance from the kitchen and from the side of the livingroom. The walk through was 53" so i figured a 55gallon would be nice since its 49" wide and would stick out 3" on both sides of the wall.

 

this was my original mock up for the design.. but decided to stray from it a bit and make it look more like just part of the wall. Its possible that i might add doors to the stand at some point.. but probably not. I really like the clean look.

 

here was sunday when i had the tank in the house finally (ordered at the LFS i work at)

 

 

 

Here was the stand structure:

 

Here was when i put the drywall up and the top flap on the livingroom side:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/wall2.jpg

 

Rough Drywall on the dining room side

 

all mudded up with custom picture framing work :

 

[SpringFever]

looks fun! I will also have an in-wall some day...

 

Are you running a sump? It doesn't look like it from your post. It would be a shame to have a bunch of equipment sitting in such a killer tank.

[TinyGiant]

I am not running a sump. Just a skimmer or two on the sides. I will probably grab a remora nano and if i can squeeze it in.. fit one on each side. I painted the sides of the tank black so you cant see beyond the glass. The only thing you will see will be the intake. I plan on sticking a power head on each side anyways.

 

I didnt want to worry about flooding and such and topping off the sump all the time. The wife and I will be plowing all winter and it usually makes for some busy times.

 

I am all about low maintenance systems

 

If i decide i want a sump or something like that I will probably put a strong shelf above the tank and run a small refugium above it or something along those lines.

 

The tank is tempered on all panes so i cant drill it Otherwise i probably would have at least drilled the tank for the future if i wanted to do a sump. But i think the two prizm skimmers or remora nanos should be fine.

[TinyGiant]

all painted

 

[TinyGiant]

muhahaha... sand and rocks

 

 

[bruce922]

Looks great so far!

[TinyGiant]

thanks .. cant wait till i get it all running.

 

I need to order a bunch of LEDs for it .

 

if you look at my 5.5g nano adventures link in my sig it shows the lights i will be using.

 

I will have 12 blue 3wLED and 12 cool white 3W LED..

 

should look awesome. A friend has a par meter.. so if we get some low readings i plan on adding two 4ft T5 to the mix. Or i might just weigh the cost of getting even more LED for the tank.

 

if a 4ft t5 is like 40w i might as well as 13 more LED

[GiantBen]

Pretty cool. How tall is it? I'd prefer not to have to bend over too much, but then again having to get a stool/ladder to maintain it would make me neglect it. I keep my BC29 much cleaner with an open top, because I don't have to take the lid off

[TinyGiant]

i was smart this time around setting it up. I measured the distance from my armpit to the floor and made sure the top of the tank was just below that measurement. The bottom of the tank is 32" from the ground. and the tank is 20" tall... I am 6'1"

 

 

its gonna be super easy to clean I have a flap for access on both sides too. So i can get every angle possible. Or tag team the tank cleaning with my wife

[glennr1978]

The wife and I will be plowing all winter and it usually makes for some busy times.

 

 

Your tank looks cool, btw.

[TinyGiant]

 

 

half full of water!

 

well a little more thank half

[TinyGiant]

So i had this skimmer that i got with a live rock deal the other day and decided to grab a venturi rio 600 to try and power it.. the skimmer was too tall i found out quickly.. for the pump to keep up.. So i took a saw and a heat gun to it and made myself a stubby skimmer. Took me a try ot two to get the internal tube height correct to start getting some useable foam.. but low and behold.. Skimmate!

 

[TinyGiant]

here is how it looks this morning

 

 

that stubby skimmer is working awesome. The short water column makes a tight cyclone of air bubbles and is making for perfect skimate. Too bad it should be used in sump due to the nature of my quick mod. would make a sick skimmer for someone with a small setup with a sump.

 

 

i put three of my LED lights on it just so i could see in the tank. Its nice being able to use the optics on the lights, unlike on my 5.5g

[jayiNH]

looks good, who local has the par meter?

[TinyGiant]

the cloudy pic was from last night after i added the nano contents to the new tank. The live sand made the water a cloud of detritus. But.. the skimmer has calmed it down and its starting to look nice. I have Florida beach sand in the tank which is taking a while for the white cloudiness to go away.. but i'm liking where its going.

 

 

the rock piles arent my final design I am waiting to get a few more pieces of rock so i can build two solid nice shaped towers.

[disaster999]

i would definitely opt for a non tempered tank, drill it and add a sump to hide the skimmer.

 

have you thought about what the humidity and salt water might do to your dry wall and wood in that almost enclosed area?

[TinyGiant]

I am going to put a prizm on the side, the skimmer in there is just there temporarily.

 

the top of the access flaps are open so it's not sealed at all. I've setup other tanks with similar desings and have had no issues.

 

 

this tank is all about low power usuage. 66w of LED lights, koralia powerheads, small prism skimmer and a heater. Using a large return pump would drive up operating costs.

 

i've thought this through alot actually

[TinyGiant]

been a while now.. here is a picture of the tank

 

[pmemmer]

nice!

[fote03]

Looks good tiny

[Erics5.5]

Man, the color of those led lights is really nice. Count me in on them- I'm going to put in my order for 2 dozen (split between white and blue) in the next week or so. I'll keep you updated!

[TinyGiant]

another update!

 

New Pictures!! The tank is now 11 months old.. almost to 1 year!

 

tank video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zackb911]

Good job, its looking great!