# My Aquarium Wall Project



## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

So I've been keeping fish for about 15+ years, and recently decided to do two things I've always wanted... 1.) Trade in the fish for plants, and B.) put the tank into a wall...:-D
The tank is an Oceanic Systems 46g Bow Front tank, which I thought would look especially good in the wall! The plan is that the bowed side of the tank is in my bedroom, with the side edges flush with the walls, so only the bow sticks into the room. On the backside, in my studio, the tank will stick through the wall..shelves, cabinets, the works.

I'm gonna be using some existing equipment, and creating some DIY gear too.

I've got a few days of work behind me so far, so let me go ahead and put up a few pics...
1.) Bedroom wall
2.) Drywall gone
3.) Header, Stand
4.) Bedroom wall

Who else has done this? Any suggestions of things that you did that worked out well, or didn't?

This will take some time for sure, but I'll post more as I go!

-Josh


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

This looks like a great idea. You will have enough access from the studio side to do the tank maintenance, so that solves the major problem I see with built-in tanks. Is the tank deep (front to back) enough that you will have room for lights over the tank in the studio?


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Yup, the sides of the tank are 12" I think. I've got a Catfish Lighting 192w fixture that will be over the tank on the studio side. I'm gonna build a hood over the top to hide it though. I'm gonna make the hood tall enough that there is no trouble with getting into the tank for maintenance.


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## Amazon_Replica (Nov 24, 2007)

looks great so far, good idea. I'm jealous already lol...
Be careful with the drywall dust, looks liek there might be some on the rim of the tank.
I dont know what that does to water but cant be good hehe.
The framing looked good, do you have electrical nearby or did you run an outlet while you had it exposed?
My wife says you should consider painting that bedroom wall darker to emphasize the tank more


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Thanks! I'm really excited to get the tank into the wall!!

Good call, I hadn't noticed, but then again, the dang dust is everywhere...
In the cabinet there's a GFCI outlet to supply the equipment, and I also hung a flourscent lamp to light the cabinet up.

Thanks for the suggestion on the paint, I've been wondering how the existing colors would work with the tank.


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## HydroBot (Apr 26, 2006)

LOOOKING GOOD! Can't wait to see it when it's done. I did this back in the 80's with a 30 gallon all glass and people always had possitive comments. The only problem was putting it back to normal when it came time to sell that house, not that big a deal though. Hope to see more pics when you're finished.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Yea, what to do when I sell is an issue... I keep telling myself that I have a good plan in mind for that, but we'll see!! Fortunately, I plan on staying for a few years.


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## Amazon_Replica (Nov 24, 2007)

hehe charge `em more for the fancy aquarium that comes with the house :-D


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

On the bedroom side I would consider firing out the wall to match the bow and adding wainscot to the wall from the bottom of the tank down. I think that would really accent the tank along with the darker color above.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Actually, thats exactly the plan! I meant to put a pic up last night but didn't get around to it. I made a curved panel that matches the tank, out of bead-board that I think will look really good, and the detail of the bead-board should look a bit nicer than just plain plywood.
I'll be home at lunch in a bit, I'll try and put a pic up then...
Thanks!


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Here's the pic:


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You are doing a very nice job on that! You mentioned removing it if you ever sell the house - I wouldn't do that at all. In fact you could buy a new correct size tank and leave it with the house just to make the house show better. Or, abandon the whole installation to the buyer. This is a small expense to make the house sell better.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Front panel installed (in that last pic, the hammer was holding it in place!)
I'm planning on remaking that piece, after i bent it, it didn't quite fit right, plus the piece had some surface damage that I didn't notice when I bought it.

Is there a better way to add pics than to do them as attachments?? I seem to be quickly using up my space!!

-Josh


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Just what I was thinking. Looks good.

you can use a site like Photobucket to host the pics and then use a link to the pics using the insert image button on the tool bar.

I can't tell from the pic but does your bead board tuck under the shelf the tank will sit on? 
are you going to run the bead board on the rest of the wall? if so you could use a chair rail and die it into the shelf for a nice clean look. I might also try the real bead board instead of the plywood, the beads are more defined and produces a more bold look. the reason I say this is I have a bunch of the plywood bead board in my new kitchen and the surface texture still looks like fir plywood. But it is a lot easier to work with.

Which ever way you go this is going to be a very nice addition to your house. keep the pictures coming.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

I didn't know there was an alternative, the plywood beadboard was all I saw at Home Cheapo...
I actually use the curve of the shelf to wrap the beadboard around and it is attached to the shelf, not tucked under. I do plan adding trim around that top edge to hide the top of the plywood.

I hadn't thought about doing beadboard for the entire wall, but that is a good idea, one that I will think about, thanks!

-Josh


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Check at Home Depot, the beadboard comes in boxes like flooring, it's about 3" wide strips and would probably do the radius cleanly. If they don't have it try other lumber stores. If you tuck it under the shelf and do the rest of the wall you could make the shelf look just like the chair rail. It would have a very clean look.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Ahh, thats why I didn't see it... I'll check it out, thanks. Does it still make much of a difference if it's painted?


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Both will work, fir plywood is not smooth on the surface and the grain shows when it's painted, it is rotary sheared plywood, which means they cut the veneer on a big lathe and peel the log down giving the big swirling grain patterns seen on raw plywood. on the bead board the grain patterns cover several "boards" instead of each board having it's own grain pattern. the issue is compounded by the fir being soft so you can't sand out the grain. the soft areas sand down more than the hard areas and actually make it worse.

A good quality veneered plywood will be strait sheered, meaning that the veneer is sheared off of the log like it would have been sawed into lumber, then your grain is strait like sawed lumber. unfortunately this is getting harder to find all the time.

The difference is in the final finish and you should use whichever fits your needs. I am very picky and things like bad joinery and mismatched grain and texture bug me to no end. 

Brian


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Ordinary dry wall material, gypsum board, sheet rock, will bend more than enough to cover that curve. If you get 3/8 thickness it bends even easier. Then you can use dry wall taping compound to fill cracks and any imperfections and paint it the same as the wall. It is also dirt cheap!


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

So I remade the panel & installed it, bent the baseboard molding and installed it...
Using wood filler to blend the curved part of the molding with the existing.
and put a first coat of paint on the panel.

There's gonna be trim up both sides of the panel and over the edges of the aquarium opening, and also along the shelf to cover the top of the beadboard and the tanks plastic trim. Color of that is TBD, I'm thinking maybe a slightly darker green??

hope to have this side done pretty soon and the be able to focus on the back side. Thats gonna be more work, I'm doing a bunch of shelving, cabinets, etc back there...

-Josh


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Well, I have the trim work on the front side pretty much done, just need to paint it. For the paint, I'm thinking of that darker green sample on the left side there. The pictures make it somewhat difficult to see the bow well, but at the top, the bow is open to the room, and i plan on having some plants growing out there.

I have the equipment cabinet somewhat setup now, and I'm working on the shelving and stuff that goes around the back side of the tank.

I plan to paint the glass where it is inside the walls... suggestions??

Thanks!
Josh


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Looking good, for the painted glass I have had good success with black latex plus it comes off really easy with a razor blade if you decide to go clear again later.


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## geministudios54 (Mar 27, 2005)

*bpimm is right about the latex. Great for coming off in the future. I've had great success with 'spraying' as opposed to brushing on paint. I've always chosen black paint for the background colour but I found a dark blue-almost purple paint to be quite a surreal colour for a planted tank.
Are you closer to posting any pics during the tanks setup and completion? Love to see the final product. Very nice!! Jeff*


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## lildark185 (Jul 7, 2006)

Good looking project so far. I think the dark green sample of paint is a bit too dark though.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

I'll post some more pics when I get home tonight. I've painted the trim that darker green color, I think it looks pretty good... I like the idea about the dark bluish for the glass, will probably go up to the store later on and have a look through their mistints...
Right now, most of the wood work on the backside of the tank is completed, hope to finish up the hood in the next day or two, then will be time to flood the tank and get to work!!

Thanks!
Josh


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## longbowaj (Nov 25, 2007)

Are you waterproofing the are at all? Just thinking a small spill could be hard to clean up, especially if water got under the tank.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

The exposed wood is all getting a coat of Kilz, with a mold/mildew preventation additive. The surface that the tank sits on will probably have a couple holes through it, into the cabinet below. The cabinet where all the gear is will probably be lined with plastic, and eventually, will have a drain that goes outside...


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Ok, here is the front side painted (aside from the baseboard trim..), and a couple shots from the back side, the equipment cabinet, and the shelves along the right side of the tank. These are between the tank and the door into the room.
I'm working on the hood now, you can see the top of it in those pics...

-Josh


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That really looks good, a professional job. If I had a good place for that I would try it myself. It is going to be more difficult than usual to clean the front glass, but that's about the only problem I see with it.


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Vey Nice Job Josh, its looking really good.



hoppycalif said:


> ..... It is going to be more difficult than usual to clean the front glass, but that's about the only problem I see with it.


I am also running a DIY Aquarium wall and for the issue of cleaning the front glass that hoppy mention I use a floating Magnetic Azoo brush, so you just go around and "attracks" the brush.


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## Amazon_Replica (Nov 24, 2007)

Pat yourself on the back, well done. Looks great. How much do you want for the house lol j/k


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

hoppycalif said:


> That really looks good, a professional job.





mulita said:


> Vey Nice Job Josh, its looking really good.





Amazon_Replica said:


> Pat yourself on the back, well done. Looks great.


Thank you very much!! I'm no Norm Abrahms, but I'm pretty happy with the woodworking so far. I did have to scrap my first attempt at that curved shelving unit and start over though..



Amazon_Replica said:


> How much do you want for the house lol


Lemme at least finish it, then we can talk real estate!:-D

Was out of town for the weekend, but I expect to wrap up the woodwork in the next day or two, then be time to pick a stain color, right now I'm leaning towards something darker, maybe walunt-ish...


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...ok, the moment I've been waiting for!
There is still a bit of work to do to finish trimming it out, and obviously lots of work IN the aquarium, but, I'm at least to the point where I have a tank in the wall!
The stained wood is in my studio, the curved front of the aquarium is in my bedroom.

In order:
The equipment cabinet below the tank.
A detail piece that I created to accent the side of the tank. This is the view as you walk into the studio.
Studio side, cabinet and hood open.
Bedroom view. (walls look almost white... they arent, its actually a few shades lighter than the green of the trim.
Studio side, all closed up..

I'm pretty excited to get to this point, now the fun begins!! :-D

-Josh


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

This whole project just leaves me speechless! Great design, great job.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

That really turned out great. Your attention to details makes it very classy. I'm looking forward to seeing this planted.


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## joshjv (Oct 6, 2004)

Thanks for the kind words! I'm pretty happy how this all turned out, especially given my lack of woodworking skills...

I'm looking forward to plants too!! Unfortunatly the budget committee is restricting the budget to stock the tank, given the cost of building it in... I'm keepin my eyes open in the sale forum though for any good deals i can find to get it filled up!

-Josh


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