Yes, the false wall was a secondary idea becasue I have always wanted to to do an in wall tank build. So since I didn't have a house large enough or should I say a suitable wall area to do it, this was the next viable way to go. The poor man's in wall aquarium build, but hey once the wall is up no one will know the wiser. I won't tell, if you don't....
lol- I don't think anyone could say it's a "poor man's build"...well, maybe PacuMom but not many others. Looks very nice! The false wall is the practical way to go. The guy I bought my tank from remodeled the entryway to his house to accommodate an in-wall setup. It was a load bearing wall, so he had to make some serious reinforcements (huge beam) in order to have a 10'x4' viewing window. He had to have a structural engineer come out, get permits...the whole 9 nine yards. Unfortunately he lost his job and had to sell the house. I'm sure potential buyers were wondering why there was a huge 10' viewing window looking into a small room with a small utility sink and a drain on the floor (yeah, he broke up his slab foundation to install a drain...the dude went all out!). I think your setup will look just as good and it won't hurt the resale value of your house.
In regards to painting the room, do you already have a color in mind? From the pix I've seen, a light color will probably flow better with the rest of your house, but a dark color would really make the tank "pop."
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