In-Wall Setup Preparations

JokerGirl · 03/15/2007, 03:47 PM

We've been doing some renovations in our bedroom and have decided that we're going to turn our tank into an in-wall setup since it's in the perfect spot to do it. The main thing that has sparked us into doing this is because we're going to build a larger sump and it'll never fit in the stand, and also because the stand appears to be starting to bow from the weight of the tank.

We plan to start all this within the next week or so, so I figured I'd find out if anyone had any suggestions I havn't thought of yet.

We're planning to at least have the stand portion built and in place in a day since we're obviously going to have to move the tank/stand to set the new one up. I'm rather nervous about disturbing the tank, but since the stand is bowing something has got to be done and an in-wall will look a lot better.

I plan to get several food grade plastic bins to drain about half, if not more, of the water into these and setup a few powerheads to keep some flow. From there I'll transfer the corals and all the rock except for the large base rocks buried in the sand into the bins. This should lighten the tank up enough that we can quickly move the stand out of the corner and reposition the tank back onto the stand so we can start piecing together the new one in the old one's place. I don't have many fish right now, a couple damsels, a kole tang, a bi-colour blenny, and an orange spot goby whom I havn't seen for over a week. I don't see any way to get them out without causing a ton of stress on them, so I might leave them in the tank with a powerhead running (of course)

I was thinking about re-aquascaping in the process, but I'm really worried about disturbing my DSB, or causing the tank to go into a cycle that may endanger my coral and fish.

I'll take lots of photos of the process when we begin it, but for right now I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Thanks for any help ahead of time.

You can see in the photo the decently sized cubby-hole in the wall we're going to turn into the in-wall system.

xenon · 03/15/2007, 04:16 PM

I would never move a tank with water in it. Way too much stress on your tank, and just think how messy it would be if anything happened.

JokerGirl · 03/15/2007, 04:33 PM

If it's drained down 3/4 of the way, it won't be that bad. We won't even be moving it far at all. Just to the wall on the other side of the corner. Maybe 3ft at best.

03/15/2007, 03:47 PM	#1
JokerGirl Whistler's Mother Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: That place Posts: 1,345	In-Wall Setup Preparations We've been doing some renovations in our bedroom and have decided that we're going to turn our tank into an in-wall setup since it's in the perfect spot to do it. The main thing that has sparked us into doing this is because we're going to build a larger sump and it'll never fit in the stand, and also because the stand appears to be starting to bow from the weight of the tank. We plan to start all this within the next week or so, so I figured I'd find out if anyone had any suggestions I havn't thought of yet. We're planning to at least have the stand portion built and in place in a day since we're obviously going to have to move the tank/stand to set the new one up. I'm rather nervous about disturbing the tank, but since the stand is bowing something has got to be done and an in-wall will look a lot better. I plan to get several food grade plastic bins to drain about half, if not more, of the water into these and setup a few powerheads to keep some flow. From there I'll transfer the corals and all the rock except for the large base rocks buried in the sand into the bins. This should lighten the tank up enough that we can quickly move the stand out of the corner and reposition the tank back onto the stand so we can start piecing together the new one in the old one's place. I don't have many fish right now, a couple damsels, a kole tang, a bi-colour blenny, and an orange spot goby whom I havn't seen for over a week. I don't see any way to get them out without causing a ton of stress on them, so I might leave them in the tank with a powerhead running (of course) I was thinking about re-aquascaping in the process, but I'm really worried about disturbing my DSB, or causing the tank to go into a cycle that may endanger my coral and fish. I'll take lots of photos of the process when we begin it, but for right now I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything. Thanks for any help ahead of time. You can see in the photo the decently sized cubby-hole in the wall we're going to turn into the in-wall system.

03/15/2007, 04:33 PM	#3
JokerGirl Whistler's Mother Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: That place Posts: 1,345	If it's drained down 3/4 of the way, it won't be that bad. We won't even be moving it far at all. Just to the wall on the other side of the corner. Maybe 3ft at best. __________________ 01000001 01101110 01111001 01101111 01101110 01100101 00111111 Current Tank Info: 120g Reef Tank, 60g Cube Mantis/Reef Tank, Want more info, ask me.

03/15/2007, 04:16 PM	#2
xenon Owner of Canada Corals Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mississauga, Canada Posts: 3,148	I would never move a tank with water in it. Way too much stress on your tank, and just think how messy it would be if anything happened.