# Built in Stand for a 125 Gallon Aquarium



## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

*Tank and Framing*

I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.










This tank measures 72 X 18 X 21 tall.










Next stop is the lumberyard!!!



















Then it's on to building the deck that will hold the tank. This tank can potentially weigh in over 1500 pounds so I wanted it to be solid. Plus since it's a built in I will never be moving it. If we ever decide to sell our home, I just remove the tank and drop a piece of granite on it and the new home owners have one heck of a sturdy buffet unit.
Here you can see the meat of it. I doubled up the 2X6's where the tank will sit. The back 2X6 is to attach it to the wall and give space for any plumbing that may come later. The tank will sit out from the wall about 6+ inches to allow for anything I may need to hide back there.


















Here you see some of the blocking in place. I took care that they lined up where my post will go when I install it.









This thing is as big as our couch!!!









This is where our angelfish will soon call home.









I was able to slid it into place without tearing up the walls to badly. My son slid the post under it as I held it up. I then made sure everything was level and then screwed it into each studs on the back on the sides.









As you can see the post are all in place. I can fit a 4ft tank into that center opening to use as a sump if I choose to.

That's it for now, it's been a busy day. We should have the tank up tomorrow and water in it. The next installment may not have a lot of woodworking in it, since it will be about setting up the tank, but in order for this to be a full account of the build, that part needs to be included also.

Please fell free to leave any ideas or comments. That's why I do these blogs. I've missed doing them. Glad to be back.

Thanks for reading.
JoeyG


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


Is there going to be storage underneath?

Looks great


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


There will be a small area on the left and right for fish foods, meds, things like that. The center will end up housing a 55 gallon sump tank. It will be a planted tank that acts as a filter for the 125 gallon tank up top.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


Holey cow Joey! You have got the aquarium bug bad! Great score on that tank and I can't wait to see it set up. The 55 gal sump tank sounds like a great idea as the weekly tank cleaning finally made us give up our aquarium hobby. Just don't get into BIG fish like I did. The star of our 300 gal tank was an 8 pound Pacu that laid turds the size of a Doberman's!


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


Thanks Andy. I thought you just had your pond, I didn't realize you used to have tanks. Pacu's get crazy big. Most people can't get a tank that big, so I personally don't think most stores should sell them. The 55 gallon tank that I posted had to go to make room for this. I think I sold 5 tanks all together last week. This will help consolidate all those tanks. My angelfish will be the kings of this little world. I am hoping to begin breeding so maybe there will be a blog about building a fish room. Well that's a ways in the future. For now I am very happy with this.

Our tanks are filtered with plants. I do weekly water changes but that's all the maintenance we really have to do, and I probably could get by not doing that much. I enjoy it, so that helps.

The fun part of the build will probably come after Christmas. That's when I will be building the faceframe and doors. I hope to get it done sooner, but the shop is slammed.

So what did you do with the pacu? Throw him in the pond? LOL


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


We had a "fish room" in our old house and if we didn't stay on top of all the cleaning it smelled like a "fish room!" It finally just got to be more work than fun. We got all the fish sold except the big Pacu and some huge catfish. They went to the neighbors pond (though I doubt they survived the winter). The coolest fish I ever had was a 24" long Arawana that would eat nothing but live food (but he was worth the trouble). We raised him from a baby (still had some egg sac when we got him). Thanks for the memories.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


great score joey

and a solid build too

dobermans pooping in fish tanks ….. geesh

learn something new here everyday


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## lanwater (May 14, 2010)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


I always wanted one when I was much younger. 
After seeing my friend fish die I never got one.

You certainly got a good break. Enjoy.


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank and Framing*
> 
> I have been threatening to do it, and now I finally have. We have a friend who works in a fish store. We were there the other day looking at fish and explaining to him that we were looking for a 125 gallon tank. The one they had at the store was $409.99. We were looking for a used one, because we couldn't justify spending that much. Well later that night he calls us. It seems he got into a contest with his manager that he could sell the tank in 20 mins if he dropped the price. His manager agreed to the bet and dropped the price over 50%. 20 mins later the tank was in our car and we were heading home. Walked out paying just over $200 with tax.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys. It's great when you can mix all the pleasures of life, my family, woodworking, and our fish. Our kids love it, as do we. I am looking forward to finishing it up. The the fighting for seats at the table will begin. At least one of us will have our back to the tank. Maybe a rotating schedule will work. LOL


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

*Tank Set Up*

*WARNING*

This is part of the over all project so I believe it belongs in this blog. It is not woodworking unless you count the piece of driftwood I had to cut a couple of pieces off of.

First, I painted the back of the tank. We have move past using those backgrounds you find in pet stores, and find it more pleasing and natural to paint the outside of the tank. This time we wanted to try something a little different, so my wife picked this up from the big orange store. Once again, why can't we say the name?









In the next picture, you can see that I had to put it on with a sponge brush. The paint is very thick and textured with a lot of metal flake. In the past, I have used plain old black spray paint with good results.









Here you get a good look at it after the first coat. I put two coats on. I had Lisa look through the tank and point out the thin paint. As you can see, this was done in the living room. Another reason not to use spray paint. The tank was just to big for us to take back outside. Next time I will do all of this before it comes inside.









After we let the paint dry over night, we were able to set it in place. Just barely.


















Ok, now is where it may seem a little strange. Instead of spending a fortune for substrate we use Special Kitty brand kitty litter. The plants love it as does our bank account. Instead of spending a couple of hundred, we spent about $6. We used 1 1/2 25 lbs. bags to put about a 2inch layer on the bottom.




































We were not sure which piece of Driftwood to get so we chose several pieces. What to do with the left overs?









Once we decide which piece was the right one, it was time to get it in the tank and into place. I used stones and slate to try and weigh the driftwood down. I do not like to use adhesives or screws because of the chance of contamination of the water.


















Once the we are happy with the driftwood It's time for the cap. We used Black Diamond Sand. Yes the stuff used for sand blasting. It works and looks great. I pour it into a bucket and rinse it with the garden hose as shown.


















Next I use a smaller bucket, cup, or what ever I can find and begin placing the sand into the tank, being sure to work it into the driftwood.









After all the sand is in, we put a bowl into the tank. We then begin to slowly fill the tank. We let the water from the hose go into the bowl. This serves two purposes. First it cuts down on erosion, keeping the sand where I put it, and it also keeps the tank from getting to cloudy from the sand being disturb.

After there is about 4 inches or so of water above the sand, I turn off the water and let Lisa take over. She is the mastermind behind the lovely layout of the plants.









After the plants are in, we continue to add water.


















And here it is. I used filters that have already been cycled and my plants all came from a cycled tank. This is to help speed up how fast we can get fish into the tank. For those into aquariums this will make a little more sense.

My driftwood tried to float, so I had to add an extra rock to help hold it down. I hope once it is waterlogged, this will no longer be a problem. If it is, I will find a stone that is more pleasing to look at.










Well that's it for this installment. I know it was a bit long, and had very little to do with woodworking, but you can't leave the picture out of the frame you built for it. I hope this was informational. If you have and questions or suggestions, please leave them. I will respond as quickly as I can.

Thanks for tagging along.

JoeyG


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
> 
> *WARNING*
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Very awesome, Joey! I used a similar substrate mixture for my 100g high-tech planted tank. The plants love it. Kitty litter (clay) does cloud the water a little bit when planting and pruning/transplanting, but its good stuff.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Pretty awesome setup. Like everything else, patience to do it right.


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Thanks. I could barely get the kids to eat breakfast because they keep staring at the tank. Luckily we didn't have any messes to clean up and my kids made it to the bus stop on time…...


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## jap (Oct 10, 2012)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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looks amazing


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Thanks, I have a million things to do, but I am enjoying watching is so much, I believe I will make another cup of earl grey and just sit back and enjoy it.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
> 
> *WARNING*
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That is looking great Joey! Your Angels will look spectacular in that tank. I love the black sand but don't understand the purpose of the kitty litter? Keep posting progress (there is enough wood involved). No under gravel filter I notice. Do you use an external filter? Aeration? I know, too many questions.


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
> 
> *WARNING*
> 
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Hey Andy, no such thing as to many questions when it comes to aquariums. I am looking forward to getting some angels in there. The kitty litter is like potting soil for the plants in the aquarium. It gives nutrients and a place to grow to the roots. The sand covers it and helps hold the plants down better than the litter does, so they work together nicely. I don't use under gravel filters. The sand would be an issue. At the moment I have 2 large hang on filters. Once the plants get going and the tank has had a chance to stabilize, I will remove those. We try to create as close to a complete ecosystem as possible. I feed fish, fish feed plants, plants keep everything clean.

The filters provide aeration at the moment, and once the plants are established, they will provide it. I will hook up CO2 to help with plant growth.

Once this tank has a month or two to grow in, all I should have to do is vacuum the extra poop out of the gravel and do a 25% water change weekly. I usually dose with plant fertilizers when I do the water changes also. While it will be a high-tech tank, they are pretty low maintenance. If you have anymore questions, please ask away. If I don't know I will find out.

Joey


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Thanks Joey. I miss my tanks and fish sometimes so I'll get my "fix" vicariously via yours!


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## Boxguy (Mar 11, 2012)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Joey, nice posting. I enjoyed seeing how you do your tanks. I'm looking forward to the next step.


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Thanks. The next step maybe a month or two down the road. I have to get through these Christmas orders and the first part of next year. There is also the cost of the mahogany. I would rather wait a little longer rather that settle on a less expensive wood. In a perfect world I would make it out of Bolivian Rosewood, but may pockets are not nearly deep enough for that. LOL My wife on the other hand, may not feel the same. I have a feeling after looking at the rough framing for a little while, she will find a way to move the project forward.

I have most of it designed out in my head and on paper so it's really just getting the materials and finalizing the cut list.

Andy, I had a friend come over yesterday who is a photographer. He took much better pictures of our tanks than I ever could. I'll go ahead and post them to help you on your fix.

125 gallon, soon to be angelfish tank.









56 gallon. This is my wifes tank. I think the angels are going into mine, and we may put discus into this one. Haven't fully decided yet.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Joey, Those are great pics of beautiful fish and nice set ups. Those angels are spectacular! Thanks for posting these pics.


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Here's the driftwood project tank


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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And thanks Andy. I am having a hard time getting any work done, because I keep finding a reason to watch the tanks. LOL


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
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> *WARNING*
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Great video! There were 2 free big red bellied pacus on CL tonight (but I resisted). Your tanks are so crystal clear!


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## JoeyG (Mar 19, 2011)

JoeyG said:


> *Tank Set Up*
> 
> *WARNING*
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Here's a grow out picture. I am hoping to order the mahogany for the faceframes and doors in the next couple of weeks. I'll continue the blog once I get into that part of it.


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