Building a custom home & built in vs free standing tank?

[fbskiracer]

We are in the process of designing and building our new home in Upstate NY, outside of Syracuse.

I'm relatively new to saltwater aquariums, although I've helped with my siblings, but I haven't been in a stable living situation to build my own. Coincidentally I started putting money in my tank fund 8 years ago and the time has finally come. I'm planning pay for service assistance for the first year or so basically due to the demands of my new job and to make sure I don't mess anything up. The goal is to do a 2-300 gallon tank (I think).

My question is, should we plan to build the tank into the house or install it freestanding.

If built in, my goal would be to put it in the wall between the living room and family room so you could see it on both sides. Hopefully we can design it so the tank could be removed and the molding replaced (relatively painlessly) if we ever sell.

If the architect can make it work without a header there, I could put a freestanding tank in the same place with a little less style.

Either way I could have the option of plumbing the sump/fuge underneath or in the basement if it is worth the effort and space.

Any and all guidance is appreciated.

[ktownhero]

If you are going to pay for assistance, I would have the LFS you intend to hire involved in the planning. It's hard to make any recommendations without seeing the home.

That said, just in the abstract I think the room-divider tank is by far the nicer option. And plumbing it to the basement is great, especially if you have drainage down there.

[Zalick]

Plumbed to basement if the basement is easily accessible. Room divider is a great option, but so is free standing peninsula (meaning not backed up against a wall)

Lots more planning than just location though. If you are going to do a nice setup, built for the home, consider the water station too. The better you plan all this up front, the easier maintenance will be in the long run.

[alton]

"My question is, should we plan to build the tank into the house or install it freestanding."

My question would be are you going to live here forever or sell the home in the future? Homes for sale where there is a built in aquarium are harder to sell. If you are never moving heck ya I would design and build a fish room behind the tank

[Ron Reefman]

100% what alton said.

Would you buy a house with a built-in aquarium if you weren't in the hobby? And you are fairly new, in a year you might get frustrated and quit. Then what? If you do it such that it can be removed and drywall repaired so it isn't obvious, and you don't mind the expense of that remodeling, then go for it.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I had a built-in 360g and recently removed it. If you design the system with removal in mind, it's not really a big deal if or when you get to the point of not wanting it. I had to patch a few screw holes in the ceiling, put new drywall on the wall, and a new floor was going in anyways so the flooring was no big deal. I built the stand and hood like you'd build any stick framed wall, drywalled it, and trimmed it to match the room.

I really enjoyed the look of the built-in system, it looked like it was there on purpose instead of an afterthought. It's obviously a very personal decision and depends on the layout of the house. I had a freestanding 125g in the same spot before the built in, it looked good too but wasn't really what I wanted - again, a personal thing.

I'm in your area and would be happy to talk some time if you want. Go check out the Upstate Reef Society forum on here, there are a lot of great experienced hobbyists in the area.

[fbskiracer]

"My question is, should we plan to build the tank into the house or install it freestanding."

My question would be are you going to live here forever or sell the home in the future? Homes for sale where there is a built in aquarium are harder to sell. If you are never moving heck ya I would design and build a fish room behind the tank

This is a forever house. I am settling down. The goal is to be here until the kids graduate college, and the kid(s) are 22 months and due in 3 weeks. This is the long game. I have to plan now with an architect and have almost a year of construction to tweak things. If it looks like making partner is an issue (and no one hasn't made partner in 30 years where I took the job) then the house gets built and the aquarium doesn't go in.

My issue with all of this is I want a 1st floor tank because I want it displayed. I want to sit there and watch the fish and let my blood presure go down. My daughter already loves my brothers tank.

I can't dedicate the floor space of the 1st floor to a fish room. That's why I am thinking of a room divider tank, 1 big one on the main wall or smaller ones on each side of the entryway. I would love to put it in my office but 1) I hope I'm not working that much from home and 2) if I put my office near the living room I won't get work done because the kids will wander in.

I am thinking more and more of a fish room in the basement underneath the tank for the plumbing/sumps and so if I wanted another BIG tank I could put it in there in the basement with display through the wall. The basement will be a walk out and floor drains may be an issue but might be able to be planned in. I'm looking into that more now.

[Vinny Kreyling]

I have worked on in wall tanks and they present challenges when it comes to maintenance.
It is a personal preference but one I would not do because, it takes longer, you work harder it becomes a pain to work on.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Room divider is how my 360g was laid out. It's the best, IMHO, for a large tank, because it gives you lots of views into the same scene. It feels a lot more natural and a lot less like you're just looking at a moving photograph. I don't think I'd do a large tank built-in that was only visible from one side.

Think carefully about the layout of the tank and where your sight lines will be. Think about aquascaping and equipment based on the sight lines, and think about height - most tanks are viewed standing up, but positioned at a sit-down viewing height, which means you end up stooping, which is awkward.

A fish room in the basement is ideal but another good advantage of a large tank is the under-stand area is huge. I had a 4' x 6' footprint in my stand, and because I put the tank higher than typical, my stand had way more than enough room for sump and equipment. If I'd had the capability to do a basement fish room I probably would have, but putting everything in the stand isn't as awful as people sometimes make it out to be.

You mentioned getting help from an LFS on tank maintenance (and design?) I'm sure you've thought of this, but I would carefully vette the store you pick and try to visit some of their existing clients if you can, to see their work for yourself. There are lots of great LFS employees in our area but designing and building a typical 75g or 120g in someone's home is a whole different ballgame than a 300g.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I have worked on in wall tanks and they present challenges when it comes to maintenance.
It is a personal preference but one I would not do because, it takes longer, you work harder it becomes a pain to work on.

To an extent I think it's all about design. make the "hood" of the built-in with large removable panels and lighting that's not right in your way, and an in-wall tank can have easier access than a standalone tank with a conventional hood. Room-divider is a huge advantage since it means possibility of access from both sides, regardless of in-wall or not.

Regardless of in-wall or not, a tank this big basically means you're getting your armpits wet for major maintenance - it's really a question of "frustrating" versus "really frustrating," there's no way to deal with a large system that's "easy."

[Hal]

Fish room in the basement is a huge advantage. No weird rooms on the first floor for resell value. Yes, I know you said this is your forever house, but forever is a long time. More importantly, basement fish room gives you lots of space to work which means you will be more likely to do the work.

As you noted, floor drains and a water supply are key. Get both hot and cold. You'll use both.

Also consider making the fish room watertight on the floor to contain leaks. Check out nineballs build thread for a first class setup.

[Fijian Aquarist]

If you want to build a custom aquarium to your specifics, I recommend looking into building a plywood aquarium if you're good at DIY projects. I built mine over 4 years ago a 300 gallon system for under 2K. I have some videos on YouTube if you want to take a look and let me know if you're interested and I'll do what I can to help.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSYDrFObe-jE9qz0VZXy3i3i2BplFBrNY

[phenom5]

If it were me, I would definitely design it with an exit strategy.

"Forever" sounds nice, but life has a way of laughing at long-term plans like that. You want to be able to sell the house if, say, the dream job offer comes along, and it happens to be halfway across the country.

Or what happens if you want out? A long time reef keeper in my area, a guy I have traded frags with for years is breaking down his tank. Had a crash, and pulling out skeletons of 10 yo acros really sapped his desire to rebuild. Imagine that situation and having a built in tank.

Not trying to be all doom and gloom, but these are definitely the kinds of things I would think about if I were planning a build like this.

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[d0ughb0y]

This is a forever house. I am settling down. The goal is to be here until the kids graduate college, and the kid(s) are 22 months and due in 3 weeks. This is the long game.

nothing is certain. things (out of your control) can change even if you think right now it never will. You'll know what I mean when you get older.

a built in aquarium is a liability or a minus when selling the house.