Advice On Custom Fish Tank

[kalasinga]

Hi guys,

I'm new on this forum, so firstly hi to you all!

I need some help on a design issue I have been having - I have a wall that separates two rooms in my house. The wall has a window cut out (but no window was ever installed, so its just a big square hole).

I have been thinking of installing a fish tank in that space, which I think will look pretty cool.

My questions are as follows:
- since the ledge of the opening is only about 5 inches wide, will fastening a shelf onto that ledge be sufficient to hold the weight of a 55-60 G tank?

-How would i go about hiding all the cables, etc around the tank?

-has anyone done something similar to this before?


This was just my idea - i'd be happy to hear from anyone out there who might have a better idea.

Cheers guys

 

[stang1]

Sorry, can't help with the problem but welcome to the forum!

 

[kalasinga]

Sorry, can't help with the problem but welcome to the forum!

thanks buddy

I'm sure someone will be able to help me out a little!

 

[SkiFletch]

to the forums.

Anyway you could take pics for us?

Any way you slice it you're gonna need access to the studs of the wall (means ripping out drywall). Installing a ledge COULD work if you used big enough timber and braced with angled timber down to your wall studs. Remember, a 55g tank is going to weigh on the order of 600-800 pounds by the time equipment, water, substrate, rocks, decor, etc are all installed. Thats a lot of weight and most of it is carried by the long sides of the tank, so merely tacking on a plywood board would NOT work. Also, a tank that big might not work if the wall is not a load-bearing wall. If its out in the middle of space in your house, I'd advise against a tank that size.

All that being said I've seen some GORGEOUS in-wall window tanks before

 

[InaneCathode]

Speaking of load bearing. If that wall is load bearing i wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole to be honest.

 

[thefirethief]

Why not build a cupboard into the wall under the tank for your equipment and cables? Obviously its a bit more complicated than 'build a cupboard' but its the only realistic solution I can think of unless you run everything down from an upstairs room.

The logistics of all this is beyond me but it will be interesting to see if you go for it or not. Good luck!

 

[Neal]

The only way I can see this working is to use a strong kitchen worktop, and put 3 poles on each side of it. 2 at the front of each side, and 1 in the middle(ish) part, like a triangle. So really, it's the poles that are holding it up, but looks like it's on the window.

Neal

 

[ox5477]

I like the cabinet idea myself. I think thats the best way to go besides ripping out the wall and rebuilding it. And as inanecathode said, I wouldn't mess with load bearing walls unless you really know what your doing, could have some serious probs on your hands if you don't tear down/re-build that wall. Also, leaving the tank cantilevered is not a very confident design, especiialy with no outlying supports.....bad idea . Yes, if you used beefy enough supports it could work, but if your going to do something like that, might as well take the extra time and effort to make something that looks nice.

I can see it now, build two sides to the cabinet and maybe even bookshelves around and it could be quite stunning. This a good idea and might actually be even better than breaking a hole in the wall and bulding a seperate fish room like Melev did with his 280G reefMelev's Reef. wow... the wheels are turning