Newbie here needs big time advice on project

[aguerro419]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and completely new to anything reef, aquarium or fish related. So please be patient with me

So I've always loved fish and Aquariums but have never owned any. I'm am hoping to to undertake a big adventure for my first one. I will layout the details below. Please I would appreciate any and all advice you guys can offer
Please keep in mind I am a complete newb... so when responding keep that in mind. Post links where possible and give examples if possible.

Here is the project.
I live in southern California in the san Fernando valley which has a temperament climate
Summers are hot at around 90° to 100° and winters are mild dropping to around 40 or 45ish but averages are in the 55s. I've posted the averages below for reference

For background I am very very handy and am more than capable to undertake complicated construction or diy projects.

I recently completed an outdoor bbq (pictures attached) and would like to build a aquarium in the space below the wood beam. For context the area behind the wood beam will just be a simple walkway. The area measures approximately 9' long and about 14" high. In terms of depth, I would like the aquarium to be flush with the cinder block wall from the front and I have about 12 to 14" to play with in terms of depth. Keep in mind the cinder block is 8" deep so I realize I would have to reinforce the backside of the aquarium due to the overhang.

Here are my questions:

1.) First off, Is an outdoor tank feasible? If so what is the most realistic (saltwater vs freshwater vs tropical) given the climate. Keep in mind the entire area is covered so no issues with rain etc, and I would add some type of insulation to the backside of the tank (the part that isn't visible). The only area exposed to the elements would be the face/front side of the tank and The beam allows for space to access the tank so filters as well as feeding the fish and maintenance will be possible. What type of aquarium do you all recommend and why?

2.) I am picturing this tank being around 9' long to cover the entire open space, 12" high, giving me about a 2" open space at the top as well as additional access on the backside due to the beam. The depth would probably be around 12". My question here is, Is this doable for a tank? I realize I would have to get a custom tank and am just curious on cost. Is it possible to make your own tank? If so, how difficult and costly is it to make yourself.

3.) I realize I would have to get a chiller and heaters depending on what type of aquarium I setup I get. What are the expected costs here? How many and what type would y'all recommend given the size?

3.) What would the maintenance be like? How often would I have to change water and how often do I need to clean filters or add cleaners?

4.) Assuming this is even feasible, what type of fish do you recommend given the size of the tank? What type of coral? How many fish can I get in here? What about sharks or jellyfish?

5.) How much of a pain in the butt will this be lol? Again I am handy, I can send quite a bit of money here and have time.

Please see all the pictures attached.

Again thanks everyone for any and all help. Please remember I am a total newb so will have a lot of dumb questions

 

[Blopple]

Man, that is an ambitious plan.

Your heating/cooling costs are going to be significant both in power and equipment. You'll need some serious gear to be able to keep it at a reasonable temperature in summer.

My biggest concern is access. I'm not entirely clear on how much space you will have open over the top of the tank, but it doesn't sound like much. Even if there is plenty of space it's going to be a serious PITA to climb up there every time you need to do something.

Unless you plan on going sump-less the plumbing could be difficult to hide.

Additionally, while it seems like a cool idea I think viewing is going to be sub-optimal for sure. It's a shallow tank way up high. There won't be much to see unless you wanna watch it from like 10 feet back, or from a ladder.

A build like this is waaaaaay outside of my scope, there are a lot of challenges to maintain fairly basic conditions. Hopefully someone else can chime in, but I wouldn't do this. Especially if it's your first tank.

All that said. Would be seriously cool.

 

[wizard261]

Why not install under TV Would give u better viewing and ease of taking care

Good Luck

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

To answer to the best of my abilities:

1-This would be possible (not necessarily advised, but possible). With that range of temperatures, you’d likely need a heater and a chiller - with a big enough heater and a big enough chiller, you could theoretically run any kind of tank you want (I’d suggest having backups for both the heater and the chiller), but I’d personally suggest running a temperate system (i.e. a system with livestock that naturally deal with hot summers and cool winters) to try and make sure that even if the equipment fails, your livestock might survive until you can fix the issue. Hardier livestock like a lot of tide pool species could work as well. I haven’t looked much into temperate freshwater livestock, but I know there are some out there that could work, and there are some cool temperate marine species too.

2-It is doable, but would likely be pretty expensive if for no other reason than the 9’ length (standard material sizes I’ve seen are 8’, so you’d be needing extra long pieces, which would cost more); it is possible to make it yourself, but it’s not always easy to build well or make it look clean (with glass, you need to do a good job with the silicone to make it hold; with acrylic you need to do a good job with the solvent; in both cases it’s typically a long process, and if you mess up you basically have to start over or risk the tank failing). That said, it’s doable, it’s just strongly recommended that you practice with scrap pieces before trying to make the tank, and that you intentionally over-build/over-engineer the tank to make up for any mistakes you make when building it.

3-Given the length, you’d probably want multiple relatively small heaters; I’m not sure with the chiller what you’d want (I haven’t looked into chillers much yet), but I’d suggest keeping a backup for the summers. For costs, heaters are cheap enough (like $15-$40, for smaller ones I’ve seen), but chillers are pricy (and I’m ot sure what size chiller you’d need). You’d want to hook both up to a temperature controller (like an Inkbird), but a controller is only like $40.

3(part two)-I’ll let other, more experienced members answer this one.

4-The total gallonage of the tank is relatively small (~67 gallons filled to the brim), so you wouldn’t want too big of a bioload. Additionally, the depth/height of the tank are somewhat limiting, but you’d be able to keep some cool fish and inverts in there, and quite a few smaller fish species would probably appreciate the extra length to swim. Definitely no sharks (the tank’s way too small for them), and the only true jellyfish I can think of that would work (with good enough light) would be the Upside-down Jellyfish. With all that in mind, I’d suggest finding some smaller species that you could keep a lot of specimens of (again, temperate or tide pool species would be my suggestions, but they’ll probably be harder to find; if you go with a tropical marine tank, you could probably do things like gobies, dartfish, some blennies, and some benthic species).

5-It’d probably be pretty time, labor, and money intensive.

 

[littlefoxx]

Seems to be a huge project! I wouldnt do it outside unless you can close off and bring that space to an even temp (like a house would be). I live in colorado so the weather here changes by the hour, might not from where youre from but you still have a significant temp change through the year and I feel keeping the temp stable is going to be really really tough, and thats a huge factor in how a reef tank does as well as freshwater. Satiability is key and the outside just seems too hard to maintain that in my opinion. Not sure what your living situation is but if possible I would try to get the tank indoors! Just my opinion. Welcome to the hobby and to R2R!

 

[Blopple]

To answer to the best of my abilities:

1-This would be possible (not necessarily advised, but possible). With that range of temperatures, you’d likely need a heater and a chiller - with a big enough heater and a big enough chiller, you could theoretically run any kind of tank you want (I’d suggest having backups for both the heater and the chiller), but I’d personally suggest running a temperate system (i.e. a system with livestock that naturally deal with hot summers and cool winters) to try and make sure that even if the equipment fails, your livestock might survive until you can fix the issue. Hardier livestock like a lot of tide pool species could work as well. I haven’t looked much into temperate freshwater livestock, but I know there are some out there that could work, and there are some cool temperate marine species too.

2-It is doable, but would likely be pretty expensive if for no other reason than the 9’ length (standard material sizes I’ve seen are 8’, so you’d be needing extra long pieces, which would cost more); it is possible to make it yourself, but it’s not always easy to build well or make it look clean (with glass, you need to do a good job with the silicone to make it hold; with acrylic you need to do a good job with the solvent; in both cases it’s typically a long process, and if you mess up you basically have to start over or risk the tank failing). That said, it’s doable, it’s just strongly recommended that you practice with scrap pieces before trying to make the tank, and that you intentionally over-build/over-engineer the tank to make up for any mistakes you make when building it.

3-Given the length, you’d probably want multiple relatively small heaters; I’m not sure with the chiller what you’d want (I haven’t looked into chillers much yet), but I’d suggest keeping a backup for the summers. For costs, heaters are cheap enough (like $15-$40, for smaller ones I’ve seen), but chillers are pricy (and I’m ot sure what size chiller you’d need). You’d want to hook both up to a temperature controller (like an Inkbird), but a controller is only like $40.

3(part two)-I’ll let other, more experienced members answer this one.

4-The total gallonage of the tank is relatively small (~67 gallons filled to the brim), so you wouldn’t want too big of a bioload. Additionally, the depth/height of the tank are somewhat limiting, but you’d be able to keep some cool fish and inverts in there, and quite a few smaller fish species would probably appreciate the extra length to swim. Definitely no sharks (the tank’s way too small for them), and the only true jellyfish I can think of that would work (with good enough light) would be the Upside-down Jellyfish. With all that in mind, I’d suggest finding some smaller species that you could keep a lot of specimens of (again, temperate or tide pool species would be my suggestions, but they’ll probably be harder to find; if you go with a tropical marine tank, you could probably do things like gobies, dartfish, some blennies, and some benthic species).

5-It’d probably be pretty time, labor, and money intensive.

I'm sitting here on R2R thinking about reef tanks. Making it a freshwater system seems like it would be way more viable. Great point.

 

[Nano_Man]

Littlefox is right but keep with the saltwater you will love it . The only fresh water you want to see is rodi water lol .

 

[twentyleagues]

Any of the typical reef tank concerns would be enough to warrant a no from me. Lighting, flow, filtration, temp control, space all would be a nightmare in that size of a tank and then it's outside on top of that. My advise put that building knowledge to work and build a more suitable tank inside.

Now that area would make for a pretty nice river tank if done correctly. Lots of smaller temperate species like darters and loaches. May still need a chiller and heaters. Overall maintenance is still going to be a challenge with limited space to get into the tank. I have a few rack systems and even with 10" to 12" of height between the levels it gets annoying.

 

[ErikVR]

Would be amazing....
But having the right sized equipment to handle outdoor night/day temperature swings would be a big deal.
Also, algae issues would be through the roof because there is always tons of (indirect) light during the day.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

This doesn't sound like a 1st tank for someone that will be learning as they go.

its definitely possible and what people are pointing at as concrerns are things that even a seasoned hobbyist wouldn't do.

Plus, it reads to me you're looking more for the aesthetic aspect to complete the look of your outside area. Any tank you'd put up there will require more attention than I think you realize.