Hi! I'm new here!

[KateV]

Hi, my name is Kate, I'm new here, but not new to keeping fish. However, I have been away from fish keeping for nearly 15 years now, so I am probably way behind the curve when it comes to new developments and techniques I guess.
When we moved house nearly 15 years ago, I had to pack up my last aquarium and gave my fish away to my local store. Anyway, when we moved in to our new house I knew exactly what I wanted to do. There is a lovely alcove next to the chimney breast in the living room, perfect for an in the wall setup, so that is my plan. I have a bow front tank that will fit perfectly. All I need to do is build up a sliding shelf to put it on, to allow me access for cleaning and feeding etc. All teamed up with an external heater and filter setup in the cupboard below. So, if anyone has any ideas or tips, they would be most gratefully appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[MattW]

Welcome to the forum

 

[emeraldking]

Nice to have you aboard...
An in the wall set up is one of my favorite tank set ups there is... Unfortunately, I don't have that possibility at home. So, I do envy you...

 

[fishorama]

Welcome Kate!
Souds like a nice set up. What fish are you planning?

 

[KateV]

Welcome Kate!
Souds like a nice set up. What fish are you planning?

I've not quite decided yet, I've usually had a mix of community fish in the past, sometimes with a pair of angel fish or a betta. But I'm definitely open to suggestions.

 

[TNG]

Welcome to TFF.
I’m sure many members will be interested to see how you tackle the sliding shelf for the tank. If the tank weighs well over 50kg then the sliding mechanism may involve serious mechanical design.
Please post some photos when you have it all set up.

 

[Archerfish]

Welcome!

 

[Magnum Man]

Welcome... my tanks were built in, & were parked for more than 20 years... all have held water that I began restarting almost 2 years ago...

 

[KateV]

Welcome to TFF.
I’m sure many members will be interested to see how you tackle the sliding shelf for the tank. If the tank weighs well over 50kg then the sliding mechanism may involve serious mechanical design.
Please post some photos when you have it all set up.

Well, my plan is to weld up a metal shelf frame from probably 1" box tube to support the original cabinet shelf. This would be supported on 4 heavy duty drawer runners rated at 120kg per pair, so 240kg for 4, way above what would be needed for the tank. These in turn will be bolted to another welded 1" box frame fitted in to the alcove in the wall and fixed to the brickwork so there is no chance of it tipping. This frame will become the cupboard underneath for the filter and heater and so on.
That's the plan anyway, what do you think? Doable?
Its all in the planning stage at the moment and will probably not be finished until early next year.

 

[TNG]

Well, my plan is to weld up a metal shelf frame from probably 1" box tube to support the original cabinet shelf. This would be supported on 4 heavy duty drawer runners rated at 120kg per pair, so 240kg for 4, way above what would be needed for the tank. These in turn will be bolted to another welded 1" box frame fitted in to the alcove in the wall and fixed to the brickwork so there is no chance of it tipping. This frame will become the cupboard underneath for the filter and heater and so on.
That's the plan anyway, what do you think? Doable?
Its all in the planning stage at the moment and will probably not be finished until early next year.

That sounds like a good project.

A problem to overcome is fixing the metal frame to the floor to stop the whole thing from tipping. You weld the drawer runners to the frame (which will work) but bolting the frame to the brickwork could be a problem as the frame could pull out from the brick when the drawer with the tank on it is in a fully extended position. Unlike concrete, brick has very poor tensile strength, the bolts could simply pull out of the brick.

It all doable though. Using a lot of long bolts may work, although I would only want to try it if it’s a small tank.

 

[KateV]

That sounds like a good project.

A problem to overcome is fixing the metal frame to the floor to stop the whole thing from tipping. You weld the drawer runners to the frame (which will work) but bolting the frame to the brickwork could be a problem as the frame could pull out from the brick when the drawer with the tank on it is in a fully extended position. Unlike concrete, brick has very poor tensile strength, the bolts could simply pull out of the brick.

It all doable though. Using a lot of long bolts may work, although I would only want to try it if it’s a small tank.

Plenty of heavy duty wall anchors at the back and sides should do it. Then I'll sit on the shelf. I'm pretty sure I weigh more than the full tank!