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180g inwall build journal

17K views 58 replies 28 participants last post by  ikuzo 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, now that I've finally finished the paint & trim, here's the progress from the beginning. The tank is built into the middle of a large room, to divide the space between the master bedroom and home office. Note: don't build the stand until you have the tank. I was going to build a custom 7 foot tank, and built the stand first. Custom tank in the dimensions I wanted would have run almost 2grand more than I spent on the 6 footer.
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Here's the end result. Running since October '07
 

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#5 · (Edited)
PVC pipes & valves are for water changes. The T-off is from the filter return, which leads to the laundry sink via the soffit for the heating ducts, which originally ran above the tank anyways, and made for a natural division in the room before I put the tank wall in.
The FX5 is plenty powerful enough to drain the tank in a hurry. The light canopy lifts up to allow better access if I need. The timers & power strip are mounted high on the wall just below the ceiling.
 
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#8 ·
It's unfinished on the back side. I'm not sure if I'm going to close it in or not. I like the ambient light that spills into the office at night, but I might still finish around it. I'm just glad I'm finally finished the 'bedroom' side.

BiscuitSlayer- Thanks. I built the trim that way so that it sits tight against the glass. Lighting is 8x40watt T12's, and 3x25watt cf spirals. No CO2, & so far no ferts.
Thanks for all your comments. Now I've got to finish painting the rest of the room ('70's wood panelling) crown molding & baseboard, & do something about the old 86g in the background.
 
#7 ·
sick lid -

Thats awesome man. Very well executed. The tank looks fantastic, and you did a good job finishing it up to make it look nice (on the wall). What are you using for lighting? You said posted this in the low tech forum, so I am interested in your specs with regards to co2/no co2, fertilization, etc.
 
#14 ·
Thanks Tom & Seaserpent.

Hiya ash!
It's amazing how much better it looks from simply adding the trimwork.
I've still got my 3 original boesmanis in the old 86. I've got 5 of their juvies in the 180, and 15 fry in my 32g, almost big enough to trade in at the lfs. Once a month I pull plants outta the 86 into the 32, and wait for fry to show up. The adults just eat them in the 86.

Ikuzo, I almost didn't do it on the corner. The only reason I did it that way was I thought the borders would be too narrow, and would look funny if I kept it on the face wall. The wall on the right of that 'hallway' couldn't be moved, as it contained a structural post. Initially I wanted a 7foot tank, I was going to put it on the right, against the structural post, and have the hallway on the far left into the office. I'm quite pleased at the way it turned out, as it makes the tank look much bigger.

Biggest PITA? Trying to 'scape from the back. Ugh.
 
#15 ·
I should also mention another major point with this set-up, it is critical that water quality and quarantine protocol is maintained, because in order to catch a sick fish in this tank (from the back only where the plants are the thickest), you'd pretty much have to destroy the 'scape. I made that mistake. Once.
 
#23 ·
Chad..you know how it goes..15 gallon turns into a 32, then an 86 which is huge compared to the 15. Then you get to the point that your house choice is dictated by the size of tank you want.
Vadim... my wife is almost as fanatical as I am... she's just glad she doesn't have to do anything to it.
AZFishkid... the corner was not what I initially planned- I wanted a longer tank flush on the face only, with the doorway on the left. Glad I did it this way.
Nate McFin Great build thanks for sharing! Nice drywall work as well though a some 1/4 round would look nice along the ceiling to finish it off. Is this a stick built home or manufactured?
The tank and scape are beautiful and just pop with its location.
I should really get some fresh pics up. Crown molding and baseboard was finished about a month after my last post. Truly did finish off the look. Stick built, on concrete slab.
lauraleellbp Any update on this? 2 year old thread...
Ha, you know what's funny? I saw the thread title and thought 'Sweet! Someone else has a 180 inwall- I gotta check this out!' I was somewhat disappointed to see my own tank. I've had a sudden multiple mortality this last week see here . All happy and thriving for 2 years prior to that.
You know, it's time for a major rescape anyways. Plant wise, I'm down to java fern, moss, and tiger lotus. Big plec ate everything else. Still pretty heavily planted, just boring now. I'm on holidays in a couple weeks, so I'll do something to it then. Thanks for all the comments everybody. The kick in the pants (read: motivation) I needed. Thanks!
 
#27 ·
I just discovered this today. Really a beautiful tank installation, unlike any I have seen before.
Thanks Hoppy. I'm still awestruck at how beautiful it turned out, installed on the corner like that.
After 2 years of living with it, what would you do different if you started over? And, how has it been doing maintenance on it?
You hit the nail on the head. I can't for the life of me figure out how to get that 'wow' factor of a flush mount without sacrificing ease of maintenance, which on this tank is indeed brutal. Pruning is trial and error, mostly error. I'm down to mostly java fern and moss now. Lotus was easy to keep, until my plec discovered a taste for it. Catching a fish is impossible. If I were to do a tank this size again, inwall like this, it would be mostly hardscape. I imagine a narrower tank, maybe 12 inches front to back would be easier, but it really is difficult to stay on top of, without falling in. This is where the miniature mermaid would come in handy. Accessibility from the front would mean giving up the clean sexy look of this type of install. And my apologies for neglecting this thread:icon_redf
 
#28 ·
I like the placement of the tank and the new drywall and wood trim makes it look so fresh and clean. The tank looks very nice as well with a good volume of plants, is the tank viewed only 2 or 3 sides?

With all the paneling in the other room you could have made a removable panel above the tank to deal with maintenance.

Did you ever find the motivation???
 
#29 ·
Wow, that really is amazing! Must look fantastic in real life. What fish do you have in there now?

I am planning a 6 foot tank and would appreciate you sharing a plumbing diagram and/ or pictures. I would also like to create a semi-automatic WC system plumbed into my canister.
 
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