# 300 Gallon In-Wall Tank



## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

I just wanted to take this opportunity to share with you my latest project.

The tank is a 300 gallon ( 96"x30"x24"), acrylic, made by Tru-Vu in California. 
It was delivered last week, and I've finally found some time to start working on it. It's spent the last few days sitting on my family room floor.










The tank behind to the right is a 300 gallon as well, but a 6 footer, which is currently a "holding tank" for my livestock while the other tank is set up.










This is replacing my old 180 gallon which was only 18" high, so after the old tank was pulled out, we had to rip the trim apart and cut the opening another 6" higher so the new tank could fit.










The tank actually sits in my office, and serves as a window from my family room to the office.










For the new trim, I've decided to use reclaimed raw cedar. I really like look and smell of cedar, and it was a cheap and simple fix. I think it turned out well. 


















I have about 250lbs of substrate to wash, and after that setting up the equipment, including a DIY custom trickle filter that will sit above tank.

I'll post more pics as the tank build comes along.

Thanks for looking!


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice!! looking forward to seeing it when it's done!


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

awesome man very cool


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Can't wait to see what you do with this - that's a lot of tank to play with 

I also like really like the look of reclaimed planking, particularly cedar - it ages quite well.


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## Chronick (Apr 27, 2010)

nice, man im jealous... how do you plan on cleaning the tank?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Not drilled. So no sump? Just canisters? T off the outlets for direct water changes?


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

looks great man! keep the pictures coming as this project progresses!


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Awesome, love to watch someone develop their tank from scratch. I'm a little surprised at how thin the acrylic looks and maybe its just an optical illusion. What's the thickness if you don't mind me asking?


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Not drilled. So no sump? Just canisters? T off the outlets for direct water changes?


Nope, above tank trickle filter instead. It holds 26 liters of bio-media and is driven by a compact eheim pump rated at 800gph.

Normally I would do a sump, but I don't have the space under the tank as I'm running quarantine tanks there. So it was more out of necessity than anything else.

This type of filter is not for most people as it sits above tank. Not the nicest to look at, but since the tank is actually in the office and the display side is clean, it works out quite nicely for my application. 
They are very common in Asia, though the ones used there are typically long sealed sumps that pass through various media. This is a straight shower type trickle systems that drains into the tank via two bulkheads. Really simple, but does the trick.

I run a similar setup on a 2000 gallon pond, works like a charm.

For water changes I use a huge pump that I just plop in, drains the tank half way in like 5 minutes.  Refill with a python, straight from tap.

I was thinking of setting up an auto water-change system, but logistically it would cost too much as I would have to run new drain lines etc.

I'll post some pics of the filter setup once it's up and running.


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## m_class2g (Apr 21, 2010)

tank looks good! cant wait to see it stocked up!


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice project, definitely keep the pictures coming.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> Awesome, love to watch someone develop their tank from scratch. I'm a little surprised at how thin the acrylic looks and maybe its just an optical illusion. What's the thickness if you don't mind me asking?


Thanks!

it's .5" acrylic. I think this is the maximum size that can be done at that thickness. Tru-vu are reputable tank builders, so I'm hoping they know what they're doing.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> Nope, above tank trickle filter instead. It holds 26 liters of bio-media and is driven by a compact eheim pump rated at 800gph.


Ah...yes, I know the ones you mean. Pleco keepers in Singapore have tons of picture of them. Seems to be very popular there. These trends seem to be very regionalized. Like the HMF's in Europe (Hamburg Mattenfilter (sp?). Sounds like it'll be neat and tidy.

Wow, that acrylic is think. My 100 gallon cube is 3/8" glass and Eurobraced.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Chronick said:


> nice, man im jealous... how do you plan on cleaning the tank?


Cleaning? what's that? 

Believe it or not, I typically use algae magnets for the panels. I cut smaller pieces of microfiber and sandwich them in between. You just have to be very very careful the cloth is clean and there is no sand.

The one downside to acrylic is that you have to baby it so much more, but for me the ease of install and insulation properties are well worth it for larger tanks.

We moved this baby in place easily with just two guys. It weighs only 300lbs.


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## Chronick (Apr 27, 2010)

deepRED said:


> Cleaning? what's that?
> 
> Believe it or not, I typically use algae magnets for the panels. I cut smaller pieces of microfiber and sandwich them in between. You just have to be very very careful the cloth is clean and there is no sand.
> 
> ...


awesome, im looking forward to updates


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

wow i cant wait to see more.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice tank. I remember owning a Tru-Vu in the late 80,s and early 90's. Can't wait to see it set-up . 

Stuart


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

cool tank!!! if i had that in my office...i probably wouldn't get any work done. what kinda work do you do? if you don't mind me asking. i'd think you're some kind of graphic designer or something....i see the mac, pens/pencils, printer/scanner?


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## 240sx (Sep 4, 2010)

So when it's all set up can we come view it?


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## Sanka101 (Dec 15, 2010)

Looks like a great start cant wait for more pictures


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Well, it's been a busy couple of days.










Spent an evening putting together the filter. 
It's basically a plastic tote, drilled and fitted with bulkheads. An eheim 3000 compact pump feeds the filter, the water is distributed through a loc-line fitting and trickles over layers of Matrix, Matala Mat, nylon scrubbies and filter floss. 
The water then exits back into the tank via two 1" bulkheads.










I'm really happy with the design and setup. It is suprisingly quiet, and will be super easy to maintain and clean. No priming, no siphon breaking, no flooded sumps.. just lift the lid up and take the trays out for cleaning. 
It holds 26 liters of biomedia alone, and creates a nice amount of flow in the tank.

Best of all, it was cheap to build. Basically cost me $200, and that includes the pump and media! There is no canister on the market that you can buy with the same capacity at this price. 
This should be enough for me to keep the fish that I want, but as they get larger I may add a fluidized bed filter down the road.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice. Best part is it's hidden above the tank, which is usually wasted space.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Having done the filter, I was able to get the basic aquascape in place.










The substrate is onyx sand, just a thin layer covering the bottom.

Most of the manzanita wood was in my holding tank, so it was just matter of transfering it over.

The tank is lightly planted with Java ferns and moss.

Half of the filter media was seeded for 2 months in another tank, so there's no time like the present for adding fish.

I've been holding three indo dats, three gold severums and a couple of cactus plecos I got from Charles in a 50 gallon holding tank. Boy, where they ever happy to get into their new home.










Excuse the cloudiness, the substrate hasn't quite settled and the gh and kh buffers haven't completely cleared.










The lighting is done with reef-bright LEDs. Although the switches on these things are annoying, they do light up the tank nicely, and the moonlights allow for viewing of more natural behaviour, especially for nocturnal species.










Overall, I'm really happy with how it's turned out so far. 
I have some pretty cool fish coming for this tank, and looking for a few more rarities to help round it out. Any suggestions?


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

that looks awesome.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

bingerz said:


> cool tank!!! if i had that in my office...i probably wouldn't get any work done. what kinda work do you do? if you don't mind me asking. i'd think you're some kind of graphic designer or something....i see the mac, pens/pencils, printer/scanner?


I actually work in the food and beverage industry. Worked as a chef for years, and am currently a product developer for a food manufacturer.

I just like Macs.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

That is a very nice set up. If I only had a wall that I could put a tank in. Very, very nice job.


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## Algae Beater (Apr 21, 2010)

looks good to me

nice big display


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

*Wow!!*

What a great looking tank so far, Can't wait to see more pictures! 
I showed it to my wife and her comment went like this, WoW It's beautiful
and her next comment was NO! :lol:


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## m_class2g (Apr 21, 2010)

well done jeremy. now you need a nice aro on top!


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Scrap the dats and fill that beast with wild discus :bigsmile: That is one sweet set up.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

The tank has finally cleared up so I was able to get some cleaner shots of the fish.

View from the office:










One of the leopard cactus plecos:










Here's a group shot of the severums:










One of the smaller tigers:










Full tank shot:


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

OMG!!!
I think I'm in luv!!! 

The last shot would have got my vote for Pix of the month contest.

Mos def keep us posted.


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

amazing!!!!


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

Stunning, very nice indeed! Would you mind taking a few more pics of the filter, was amazed at how you did it, and would like to see a couple of full shots of it.

Thanks.

Kim


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Love that L114. Of course I'm a bit biased.


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## Marius (Sep 22, 2010)

Two thumbs up for a man who knows what he's doing.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Thanks everyone for all the kind comments!

Kim, I'll try to take some more detailed pictures this afternoon. It's really quite simple. As long as your pump is matched properly to your output you are golden. 
The most tinkering I had to do was finding an easy way to prevent channeling, so that there's an even drip and water contact for all the media. Took a bit of tweaking, but I eventually figured it out.



thefishwife said:


> Stunning, very nice indeed! Would you mind taking a few more pics of the filter, was amazed at how you did it, and would like to see a couple of full shots of it.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Kim


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

You like plecos? 



2wheelsx2 said:


> Love that L114. Of course I'm a bit biased.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> You like plecos?


you could say he has a bit of an interest in them lol
that is a nice pleco & the tank looks just awesome!!


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

What an amazing tank, I'm jelly  I would try an Arowana


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> Kim, I'll try to take some more detailed pictures this afternoon. It's really quite simple. As long as your pump is matched properly to your output you are golden.
> The most tinkering I had to do was finding an easy way to prevent channeling, so that there's an even drip and water contact for all the media. Took a bit of tweaking, but I eventually figured it out.


That would be great, I appreciate it.


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## davej (Apr 28, 2010)

Jeremy, your tank looks awesome!
Love the wood, great job.
Look forward to seeing what you add next.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

amazing tank, well done!


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## dean9922 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice!!!!!!!!!! well done, and I'm sure you will get lots of enjoyment out of a tank like that......


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> You like plecos?


a blue eye panaque will look nice in there


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

charles said:


> a blue eye panaque will look nice in there


I would love one, Charles. I'm just afraid that it will write it's name in my beautiful new acrylic.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

oh ya... maybe not 

How about some balzanii gymo.?


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

As long as they are big enough to not be a snack for my bigger dat, then sure. 

I'm actually looking for some bigger geos, don't the gymos like slightly cooler water?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Awesome looking Jeremy ! Need to come visit again some day.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

gklaw said:


> Awesome looking Jeremy ! Need to come visit again some day.


Come on by anytime, you are close enough. Just give me a call to make sure I'm home.

I need you to help me think of a stand solution for the other 300 gallon.


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

Try to add some true parrot cichlid (Hoplarchus psittacus). To give that tank some nice blue colored fish. I have some F1 fry that I'm growing up. Got the parents from Charles. They like to be in groups as well. Kinda act like a severum with also similar body shape.


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## Kei (May 4, 2010)

very nice!


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

I want one!!!  It's totally stunning to look at, well done!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> As long as they are big enough to not be a snack for my bigger dat, then sure.
> 
> I'm actually looking for some bigger geos, don't the gymos like slightly cooler water?


Those Balzanii are pretty bulky. I saw them in person and I think they would look good in that scape. I wanted some myself, but was afraid for my cories and my red hump geos and these guys have big mouths.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Those were on my list as well, just haven't found anyone with a group of larger ones.

I have an aro coming for this tank next month, which is the reason for setting up this tank in the first place, so it has to be big enough so that they don't become a snack. 



King-eL said:


> Try to add some true parrot cichlid (Hoplarchus psittacus). To give that tank some nice blue colored fish. I have some F1 fry that I'm growing up. Got the parents from Charles. They like to be in groups as well. Kinda act like a severum with also similar body shape.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

I'll have to go check them out. Was considering getting some dollars too, but they'll end up chewing up my plants.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Those Balzanii are pretty bulky. I saw them in person and I think they would look good in that scape. I wanted some myself, but was afraid for my cories and my red hump geos and these guys have big mouths.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> I'll have to go check them out. Was considering getting some dollars too, but they'll end up chewing up my plants.


The Silver Dollars are pretty cool. They would do ok with Java Fern, but yeah, mine even ate some of my Anubias, which I thought were unpalatable to fish (but my panaque eat them).


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

A group of balzanii's would look spectacular with their unique looking head hump once mature. Very colourful too. I had a bunch of true parrots before too. Fairly docile for a larger fish but all small fish are fair game. They would take a chunk out of my Uaru's once in a while. Uaru's would look pretty good nice, especially the pandas.


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

deepRED said:


> Those were on my list as well, just haven't found anyone with a group of larger ones.
> 
> I have an aro coming for this tank next month, which is the reason for setting up this tank in the first place, so it has to be big enough so that they don't become a snack.


Well they do grow fast. Got a group of 4 from Charles at 3" and on March and now at 7". I will post them up when they get around 3-4".


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## Brisch (May 13, 2010)

Interested in doing some out of home work?


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## andyb (Apr 21, 2010)

*Awesome*

Wow thats one awesome set up congratulations on the set up


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Brisch said:


> Interested in doing some out of home work?


Depends what the job is. haha


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Some new pics and more fish added the past few days:










Severums posing for their group shot:









Charles twisted my arm into getting some balzanni:









Elmer, my fly river turtle, transferred from the other 300 gallon:









Babysitting this guy for the summer, 10" flagtail:









The biggest dat (almost 6") checking out his new pal the tigrinus cat:


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice tig. That must be the one from KingEd. Good pattern on it.


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow!!!
I'm speechless...


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## Bluebarry (Dec 26, 2010)

Wooooo.... Sick set up man!!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Those balzanii look great in there.

Forgot I had a question. You said you were using the Marineland Reefbrites I think, for lighting? So that's just 1 four foot strip on the tank?


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Looking really good.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Those balzanii look great in there.
> 
> Forgot I had a question. You said you were using the Marineland Reefbrites I think, for lighting? So that's just 1 four foot strip on the tank?


Yeah, just a single 4 footer for now. I've always liked the spotlight effect on large tanks because a) it give the fish some shaded areas without direct light to hang out, and b) I like the look of it.

I'm a bit torn on the color of this fixture though. It's definitely a lot whiter than I like. It's not terrible, but I'm thinking of adding a supplemental single strip of HO/t5 just to warm the color a bit.

I have another one running on my marine tank though and it's perfect.

The best color I've found in LED fixtures so far are the Aqua rays. I have them running on my discus tank and the color is perfect for a freshwater planted tank. But they are also about twice the price for my application, so it would be completely overkill considering this is not really a true planted tank.

I've always had a dream to do a full on planted tank of this size. Maybe one day down the road when I tire of this setup I'll do it and fill it with a shoal of 30 wild discus.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks Jeremy. That's good to know. I've been considering the AquaRays for a while now, and may pull the trigger on that next year.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

How did you train your FRT to wave at you??  
I love everything about this tank - the size/footprint, the set-up, the fish.....am really enjoying this thread - thanks for posting and updating


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

-N/A- said:


> How did you train your FRT to wave at you??
> I love everything about this tank - the size/footprint, the set-up, the fish.....am really enjoying this thread - thanks for posting and updating


Haha thanks! 

It's funny because our friends have a two year old boy who absolutely loves this turtle. Everytime he comes over he will run over to the tank and want to feed him. 
The turtle isn't shy and will usually swim up to the glass and "wave". He get's such a kick out of it every time.


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

Fantastic shots!!! Love seeing updates! What a cutie for your FRT!


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow this is one helluva tank. Very impressive. Great pics, too.

Makes my tanks look rather small and dull...


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## funkycat (Nov 3, 2010)

This tank looks amazing =D!
When i tell my friends about in-wall tanks they usually laugh, i'm gonna have to show em these pics


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

wow great pics! keep the updates coming! the tank looks fantastic.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Well, the tank has a new tenant as of this evening.

This is a Blood Red Asian Arowana from CV Maju Farm.

He actually came in much larger than expected, from tip to tail it is around 18", a real monster.

The only time I've ever had trouble lifting a bag into the tank for acclimating a single fish. 

Took these with the P&S, will take some with the dlsr in the next day or two once I get the glass cleaned up a bit. 
Lighting is 10000k LEDs. 
I will take some pics under 6700K t5's tomorrow.

Anyways, coloration of this guy is quite good, thin frame scales with nice red color and a dark purple base.




























Taken with Flash. 









For frame of reference, the flagtail is around 9-10".


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## pisces (Apr 22, 2010)

very nice!!!!!!!!
great collection!


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

Soon one will end up in my tank.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice looking aro.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

beauty fish!!!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow.....whenever a nice Aro is shown, I always covet one, but it's better for me just to look. Very nice fish. I'm sure under 6700k the reds will come out even more.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

That is one beautiful asian arawana.


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## m_class2g (Apr 21, 2010)

great looking blood red!!! maju did a great job packing and sending this guy half way around the world lol


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## 240sx (Sep 4, 2010)

what a stunning fish! I think this tank has got to be one of my all time favorites and I haven't even seen it in person!


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow, what a nice aro.....always makes me want to make the leap when I see one that nice. 

Love the above the tank filtration system as well. Very cool and a effective alternative to canisters if one can accomodate the over the tank setup. I guess if its under the tank, effective its a normal sump setup.


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this guy develops. Next trick is training him to take frozen foods, then pellets. It's always the biggest challenge with these fish. This guy has a good temperament so far, no jumping when I was acclimating him and seems pretty calm overall.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

deepRED said:


> Well, the tank has a new tenant as of this evening.
> 
> This is a Blood Red Asian Arowana from CV Maju Farm.
> 
> ...


Nice addition to the tank. Gorgeous looking fish.


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## cpool (Apr 30, 2010)

Very cool, I have always wanted a tank built into a wall, awesome!


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## Phillyb (Jan 18, 2011)

verry nice! looks like you put alot of work into this but if deff paid off for shur great looking set up wish i had one like this  fish looks amazing love the aro keep it up would like to se a video.. anyways great tank thanks for sharing


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## mysticalnet (Apr 22, 2010)

very nice in wall tank! amazing!


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Beautiful!!!!


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## yuppa (Apr 22, 2010)

such a beauty


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## deepRED (May 22, 2010)

Just a couple of updated pictures of the arowana. Nothing else really new to show. The tank is settling in nicely. Still trying to get this guy on frozen smelts. No luck so far. He eats king worms like a champ, and I treated him to 25 large crickets today which he finished in about 90 seconds flat.

Big water change today as well, I'll try to post a video once the the tank clears.

Anyways, here are a couple pics taken with a Nikon D7000, 24-120mm f4, no flash, 4200ISO.


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## m_class2g (Apr 21, 2010)

great looking red aro. color is starting to deepen.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow, that aro looks amazing.


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