Aquarium installed in wall?

Question

I'm wanting to install an aquarium in my wall that connects my living room and bedroom so that you can see it from both sides. Someone I used to work with did this in his home and I've tried to contact him for help but he has moved out of state and I can't reach him. I don't have a clue where to start. If you have ever done this and have any ideas, tips, etc, please share. Thanks!

Answer 1

I just finished one that is visible in my eat-in kitchen section and then again on the other side to my family room... it's fairly easy to construct but remember that water is 10 pounds per gallon so build the framing so it will hold the weight of the full tank plus about 10% to be safe...
To start you just need to bang a hole in the wall and cut out the drywall opening to the size you want and in the location you want.
Then you can also see the existing framing that you need to re-route and strengthen.
My wall is about 12" thick (ex-exterior wall: family room is an addition) and I put a 36 gallon tank in it. It's got a curved front (family room side) and a flat back (kitchen side) and I access the top from the family room side; through a couple of cupboard doors I put above the tank. The curved side opening is taller than the kitchen side. The kitchen side I used window trim to frame it in like a picture and the other side has the doors, electrical, etc. all hidden but accessible over the top of the tank. I wish I could send you pictures but...

Answer 2

Certain things here will be obvious, such as providing adequate support for the total weight, and easy access to clean, drain and service the acquarium. What's not so obvious is more important.

A wall-effect acquarium is often much taller than a tank on a stand, and wider as well, and you can't use ordinary glass for such a project. The forces applied by water are surprisingly strong, and the greater the distances in either direction (height & length of the glass face) the more critical the problem becomes. You will have to engineer both the glass and the framework to handle the pressures.

I once designed a 4' high x 8' wide x 1' thick wall tank, and it required 3/4" thick tempered plate glass to have a decent safety margin of strength. This is not cheap stuff; it has to be custom made as glass cannot be cut once tempered. It also needs the edges to be ground before tempering, because it will be under constant stress in the application, and any tiny fault left in the edge will become a stress riser (starting point for cracks) in the tempered glass.

You will need to decide on size first, then call a good commercial glass company and see if they can help you engineer to meet the stress demands of your project.

If possible, locate a person capable of designing and engineering the whole thing, and get a set of drawing and specifications.

Answer 3

many things must be consider before doing this project. I installed a 125gal tank in my living room wall only visible from the living room. I first consider install the tank in a wall that could be seen from two different rooms but many factors came into play. A standard interior wall is usually 41/2 inches thick and the average tank size width is 1 foot or greater so u can only get the tank to be flush with one wall. filtration has to run on the tank, need to determine where to put it. Remote pumps are even wider than your standard wall so they become difficult to hide. I know when i did this the last thing i wanted to see was the filtration and hear the noise caused by aeration pumps and filtration pumps running. If the wall is load bearing micro lambs are ur best bet for support. my tank is in a load bearing wall and weighs over 1200 pounds I ran sistered micro lambs above and below the tank you want the tank in the wall with little clearance.
my tank has been in the wall for 5 years now and hasn't moved a bit I have less than a 1/4 inch clearance on the top and sides of tank. doing this can be very rewarding, family and friends never stop talking about it. they become a great conversation piece.
This can get expensive depending on how extreme u wish to go. good luck

Answer 4

OK. I'm a carpenter for over thirty years and I,ve always wanted to do the same thing but unfortunetly I work on every one eles house instead.
First, find out if it is a bearing wall. If it is then you will have to install a header,which is a beam support over the top of the opening.There's several ways to go about this,determine the length of the tank then add 4" to that this will be your rough opening.that will give you 1 1/2" on each side for your trimers which will support your header.do the same for vertical measurement also.You wil probbly have to cut dry wall out all the way to the floor and ceiling there's another way but it's to indepth.Cut your header the length of your rough opening.Your header thickness should be no less than a 4'x8" If the span is over 6' go to a 4"x12" assumeing that your wall is 2"x4" construction (typ). Your king studs go all the way top to bottom plate and are fastened to both sides of you header your trimmers are cut to fit underneath the header.Now you will have to remember that your header will be dropped down to eye level it depends where you want to have the finished elevation of the tank.After you installed your header measure tank and allow head room for top of tank.
For the sill, you will have to cut diagonal braces on a 45 degree that will angle down towards the studs this should be a 2"x12" and should be fastened securly to the studs the deapth of the tank will determine the length on these.Theres alot more to it.You can e-mail me if you have any ?[e-mail] luck maybe I'll get mine done one of these years before I die.

Answer 5

First you must find out if the wall your going to put the hole in is load bearing, that means does it support the weight of the roof.
If it is load bearing the hole needs to be engineered. Like a window or door or any other opening it needs (the hole) to be supported. This is called a header. When you cut your hole the size of the header needs to be figured in along with the size of the aquarium and bottom support.

Answer 6

I actual have in reality put in a tank in a wall. Mine even nonetheless became into fairly with the tank in a closet showing interior the direction of the wall into the subsequent room. the main glaring undertaking you're transforming into is appropriate help for the tank. It needs an exceedingly corporation, point and robust base on which to sit down down. the 2nd undertaking you will face is the place to conceal the clear out etc that usually sits on the decrease back of the tank. the ideal thank you to resolve the matters are to equipped a cupboard which will center up interior the wall. Basicall you may desire to construct a field a pair of million foot taller than the tank and a pair of million foot wider than the tank. set up the field interior the wall with appropriate helps under it the two insoide the wall and on the wall. (which contain solid shelf brakets on the wall) place tha tank on one end of the field and use the different end to conceal the clear out, wiring and so on in the back of a cupboard door. additionally set up cupboard doorways above the tank to conceal the extra desirable top of the hollow. you will desire this area to appropriate shelter the tank. until you're very accessible with methods, i might recommend you hire a cupboard maker, have them come on your place and clarify what you desire to do to them. they could be waiting to devise the thank you to attach the physique interior the wall and the doorways to the physique so as that it would be alluring from the two factors. be valuable to rigidity to them how plenty the tank weighs (determine 10 pounds per gallon for this)and the improtance of appropriate help. it fairly is not going to be chreap to do it right, yet can seem fairly great as quickly as finished. ideal of success with the undertaking!

Answer 7

you will need to frame the same asthe width of the tank plus qadd for sheetrock only remove the existing sheetrock in the effected area the wall needs to be built out to accomodate the tank size and allow for sheetrock a little tricky if you havent a clue

Answer 8

not sure but let me know how you make out...not to split hairs but water is 8.1 lbs. /gal.

Answer 9

that sounds AWESOME
i would love to do that!
good luck