Anybody Have An "in-wall" Aquarium?

[nmcturner]

I would love to someday have an aquarium that is in the wall between 2 rooms. Does that have to be built when the house is built or is that something that can be done on an existing house? Approximately how much does a project like that run? I'm thinking 5 feet long, the width of the wall and probably 3 feet high.

 

[kribensis12]

I dont have one, but i would think they would run around 2000 dollars when finished becasue of the mantnece needed to put it in and everything.

 

[MasterDrummer]

As far as needing to be built with the house or not, it depends whether the wall is a load bearing wall or not. If it is than you probably can't cut a hole in it to put your tank. But if it isn't a load bearing wall you could probably do it.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

I've seen tanks inserted into walls with overhang into the next room (usually like a garage) to allow for easier maint. and greater width of the tank. Remember that most interior walls of houses really aren't very thick at all...maybe 6 inches? That's not really wide enough for a good tank so there will have to be some overhang somewhere...especially so you can actually get into it! (Unless you build a swinging panel that you could open up in the front like some wooden canopies have).

It can definitely be done in an existing house, but depending on what you want to do it can a medium to major project. First you'd have to make sure you won't be cutting through a load bearing wall, firewall, or be putting it in the route of any household plumbing. You'd have to remove drywall, remove and reinforce a portion of the internal wall framing, reroute electrical wires, etc. Plus you'd want to take every procaution make sure that any evaporation or possible leaks won't cause damage / rotting / molding inside the walls.

 

[roseK]

i was just going to ask how you would clean something like that, but there you go

 

[dcfeeiv]

when i was little before we moved we had a fw tank sunk into the wall and next to it a sw tank
i dont know if the tank was there or we put it into the wall

 

[Squidman]

i dont got one but i thonk they are awsome and i want one!

 

[BINKSY]

HI, even if it is a load bearing wall, a hole still can be cut in it, but you will need a concrete lintel or even maybe a steel RSJ at the top of the hole to take the weight, this would normally sit in the wall either side of the hole around 6 inhes, and is put in before the hole is cut. This is work that needs to be carried out by somebody who knows what they are doing.

Cheers Gordon