What Do I Do With The Tubes And Wires?

[Lisa67]

I'm setting up a 125 gal tank which is 6' long and 18" wide. I've decided that instead of putting the back of it against the wall I want it to jut out from the wall (so one of the 18" sides would be against the wall). This would make the fish and decor visable from both sides of the tank. Obviously I can't use a background. I'm looking for advise on minimizing the appearence of the tubes and wires from the filters and heaters. I have a fluval canister filter which will be in the cabinet (but there are the visable tubes) and also a "hang-on-back" filter which I also planned to run just to keep a spare filter ready if needed. There are also two heaters.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Tomorrow is the big fish-moving day!

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Lisa, I have never done it, so am not speaking from experience. However if it were me, I would try to get all the cables and pipes to one end of the tank, and then get the appropriate sized conduit(available in a range of colors) and glue it to the outside of the tank. You can then encapsulate everything in the conduit, and it should look neat. You will be able to buy it at somewhere like Home Depot.

 

[onidrase]

Make sure your room can handle 125 gallons of water (about 1400 pounds) jutting into the center of the room rather than just being against a wall, too. From what I understand, having the tanks against the wall also helps support the weight.

 

[mishmash]

Make sure your room can handle 125 gallons of water (about 1400 pounds) jutting into the center of the room rather than just being against a wall, too. From what I understand, having the tanks against the wall also helps support the weight.

The important thing is to make sure the joists of the room are supporting the weight. This means the tank has to lay across several joists rather than along one, or worse, in between them.

 

[CrazyAirborne]

I have a 4ft tank jutting into a room, so i had to deal with this. It would really help to get an inline heater (assuming u have an external, which u should with a tank that big). I use a Rena Smart heater, with it acting as the intake tube, so Its positioned in the corner nearest the wall. Then I made a extra long spray bar, so i could send it across the top of the tank to the other side (opposite the intake). It works fine, and there is nothing u see that takes away from the tank. Also I have a circulation pump on the far end of the tank, and ive just ran the cord along the top of the tank, on the inside, all the way down to the end of the tank near the wall, then let it come out in the same place as the filter tubes. its all pretty easy once u start actually setting it up.

a pic for reference. the light cord could be routed behind the light stand, and then u wouldnt really see an cords. I did have to extend a few cords tho so i had more room for routing them.

 

[BigC]

IMO Everything will have to go down the edge of the tank nearest the wall, perhaps using one piece of white drain pipe and all pipes and wires channelled down this to the cabinet side wall (which you may have to drill with a pad saw)
Regards
C

 

[CrazyAirborne]

oh and i found that my fish appreciated (and it helps for hiding) a black background on that one side that is against the wall. In my pic above, u really cant see much

 

[Tolak]

A 125 gallon as a divider cries out for sump filtration. I'd set up the return leading to some undergravel jets, diverting a bit towards the surface where it enters the tank.

 

[BigC]

Excellent call T....
Would take a bit of work drilling the tank bulkheads & pipework....but would be worth it in the long run.
Even the heater can be kept in the sump
here is a small sump I created for my saltwater nano

Regards
C

 

[Lisa67]

Thank you all for some great ideas. When I get it set I'll post some pics. To those who were concerned about the floor being able to support the tank weight...I'm putting it in my finished basement on a concrete floor. I was too worried about the same thing to put it upstairs. Thanks again!

Crazyairborne, your tank is beautiful.