Hey everyone, new member, Nathan here from Portland OR.
I have an addiction and the addiction is African Cichlids. Here is the issue, and plan. The issue is we have 3 tanks in our family room (125, 120 and 55), and its just completely overtaken the room. Also sick of the electric bill of running 6 heaters, 4 FX6s and 2 Eheim 2217s not to mention powerheads and 5 hours a week doing Water Changes. I am wanting to build a 750ish gallon plywood tank and move the fish from the 125 and 55 into it and get rid the the 120 with the Mbuna. The new tank will be a Lake Tanganyika with 10 Frontosa and a mix of Julies, Calvus with maybe a few dozen shell dwellers to fill things out. I plan on converting the existing 125 gallon into a sump/refugium. The room is approx 13'6" wide, so my thoughts are making the tank 13'L 3'W and 30" tall. The plan would be to wall it in with a false wall made with plywood. I am not worried about the sump access, but with the tank basically going from wall to wall, access into the top of the tank is going to be a challenge. Oh, forgot to mention, the TV in the room will need to be on the false wall directly above the tank. So I have a couple ideas.
Idea 1, make 2 sections of false wall above the tank and to the side of where the TV will be hinged so I can access the tank. This would be the easiest, but there will be about 4 feet directly behind the TV where access into the tank for cleaning etc. would be a real challenge.
Idea 2 do the same as idea 1, but make the center section hinged as well to access the center of the tank. Obviously this has challenges too since the TV is mounted here.
As far as viewing panel. I plan to have it 12'x24", but the two options I'm debating between 1 big panel of 12'x24" or doing 2 6'x24" panels with the divider/brace in the middle. Obviously 1 large window would be optimal, but I think I would need to be 1" thick glass which would cost a ton.
Im sure many of you have done something similar, so any advice would be appreciated.
I have an addiction and the addiction is African Cichlids. Here is the issue, and plan. The issue is we have 3 tanks in our family room (125, 120 and 55), and its just completely overtaken the room. Also sick of the electric bill of running 6 heaters, 4 FX6s and 2 Eheim 2217s not to mention powerheads and 5 hours a week doing Water Changes. I am wanting to build a 750ish gallon plywood tank and move the fish from the 125 and 55 into it and get rid the the 120 with the Mbuna. The new tank will be a Lake Tanganyika with 10 Frontosa and a mix of Julies, Calvus with maybe a few dozen shell dwellers to fill things out. I plan on converting the existing 125 gallon into a sump/refugium. The room is approx 13'6" wide, so my thoughts are making the tank 13'L 3'W and 30" tall. The plan would be to wall it in with a false wall made with plywood. I am not worried about the sump access, but with the tank basically going from wall to wall, access into the top of the tank is going to be a challenge. Oh, forgot to mention, the TV in the room will need to be on the false wall directly above the tank. So I have a couple ideas.
Idea 1, make 2 sections of false wall above the tank and to the side of where the TV will be hinged so I can access the tank. This would be the easiest, but there will be about 4 feet directly behind the TV where access into the tank for cleaning etc. would be a real challenge.
Idea 2 do the same as idea 1, but make the center section hinged as well to access the center of the tank. Obviously this has challenges too since the TV is mounted here.
As far as viewing panel. I plan to have it 12'x24", but the two options I'm debating between 1 big panel of 12'x24" or doing 2 6'x24" panels with the divider/brace in the middle. Obviously 1 large window would be optimal, but I think I would need to be 1" thick glass which would cost a ton.
Im sure many of you have done something similar, so any advice would be appreciated.
