50 Gallon Peninsula - Custom Kitchen Deliveries

[Pirate Ben]

Sometime around the holidays last year, I started dreaming about this newfound hobby of mine. The obsession rapidly spiraled out of control so much that I am redesigning my kitchen around it. The only previous experience I have is a few years of setting up and maintaining my wife’s freshwater kindergarten class tank, and also taking care of my roommate’s 75 gallon saltwater for 2 summers 20 years ago. So yeah… I’m super pro.

Let’s get into it.

Looking around my home there was only one place something like this was going to work and that was at the end of a peninsula of cabinetry that separates my kitchen from my living room.

That 40” of real estate was where I wanted to put a Fiji Cube 38 gallon AIO peninsula. However I did not trust that desk to hold up so much weight and I started investigating how to bolster it. So I asked my friendly carpenter neighbor over here. He got to talking to my wife, and next thing I know the plan is to rip that desk out entirely. Then I could set up a frame complete with sump and build new kitchen cabinetry with reclaimed barnwood all around it. (oh yeah and new countertops too but whatevs) I was elated! Now I could really get something going.

But… and there always is one. One major caveat was going to come with this project. The storage provided by that skinny cabinet on the right side of the desk could not go away. So the plan came to be that the shelf for the sump would be raised 10” off the ground to provide room for a large kitchen drawer under the sump. The space underneath the tape represents the drawer.

Here are some drawings I made of what this will eventually look like.

And here is the final concept I came up with. Notice what I call the “magical yellow box” which is where I am putting my ATO along with a little dry storage space with access from the kitchen side as well.

So what does that look like underneath it all? Here are some cutaway drawings that show the interior.

Now, aside from the magical yellow box on the kitchen side, everything will be household storage. But naturally I still get all the head space above the sump. It is just somewhat limited due to losing so much volume from the drawer underneath the sump. That's when I made the call to bring the cabinet height from 36 to 40" which does help.

I have already put down my deposit with Waterbox and I'm in the final bits of the drawings phase, then production!

I really can't wait!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along! This looks like it is going to be a cool build!

 

[strich]

Love a good DIY project. Keen to see it progress. My loose thoughts:

I think you're kinda ruining your kitchen flow a bit here:

• The kitchen facing side is going to have a lip bumping into the kitchen space, the opposite side has the opposite problem coz you're not having the lip overhang for the now removed stools.
• The what I assume is a compromise for the missus with keeping the bottom drawer is just making the sole purpose of this cabinet weaker by giving you less room for the sump.
• Which you've tried to fix by bumping the top height up, now being higher than the existing kitchen top.

Seems a little mad to me haha. I think more effort needs to be made to integrate it nicely into the existing kitchen. Find another place to add storage for the kitchen elsewhere, give this space over entirely to the tank.

What's the plan with the plumbing?

 

[zheka757]

Looks very nice planning stages, but just so you know kitchens are not ideal places for aquariums.

 

[Pirate Ben]

Looks very nice planning stages, but just so you know kitchens are not ideal places for aquariums.

Thanks and I do appreciate that. Everything about this build has been challenging and it hasn't even started. I am pretty determined to pull this off despite the uphill battles. Frankly, I have had the time of my life researching and figuring this whole thing out over the last 6 months.

I am aware that contamination can easily be an issue in that area of the home. I want to run a polycarbonate mesh lid for the most part but I am thinking I should order a glass lid too, but I can probably play that by ear. Or at least throw some Saran wrap over the top when I'm doing some heavy cooking or cleaning. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.

Though not ideal, that's what I have to work with and I am going full steam ahead.

 

[Pirate Ben]

Love a good DIY project. Keen to see it progress. My loose thoughts:

I think you're kinda ruining your kitchen flow a bit here:

• The kitchen facing side is going to have a lip bumping into the kitchen space, the opposite side has the opposite problem coz you're not having the lip overhang for the now removed stools.
• The what I assume is a compromise for the missus with keeping the bottom drawer is just making the sole purpose of this cabinet weaker by giving you less room for the sump.
• Which you've tried to fix by bumping the top height up, now being higher than the existing kitchen top.

Seems a little mad to me haha. I think more effort needs to be made to integrate it nicely into the existing kitchen. Find another place to add storage for the kitchen elsewhere, give this space over entirely to the tank.

What's the plan with the plumbing?

That whole bit is still in flux. The missus wants the cabinetry flush on the living room side. I wanted to build the frame where the overhang that is getting removed is currently then make the "bump" go towards the living room. Apparently that is a non-starter so far as she is concerned. One silver lining to that is the sliding barn door style access I will have for the sump. I think it is pretty sweet.

So far as the overhang where the stools are shown, we have never had stools there. That would be a new concept for our dining/living area. We may get rid of that lip altogether but it is still TBD. Remember, we will be getting new countertops as well. She's letting me run wild with this tank project provided I adhere to certain design constraints. My only response to that is, yes ma'am!

I'd be lying if I said the drawer was entirely a compromise. I want it too. My original quote from Waterbox was with 2020 aluminum but once they realized what I was talking about, they upgraded to 3030. It sounds like there is going to be another support bar that was not in my drawing added to it (more on that down the road.) I'm not worried about frame strength. That was a battle I lost though, lol. I am a bit sticker shocked at what I am paying for this frame. It is a grown up erector set, not that challenging, but she wants the pros to do it and that's fine too.

The plumbing will be Waterbox plumbing that they would do for any of their standard peninsulas.

I do hear you on the feng shui of it all. I'm sure we will get that polished up with time. If not, hopefully there's enough killer coral in there to distract everyone!

 

[Devaji]

pretty much any build thread that says peninsula I am in..
IMHO there the best tanks around. i always say once you go peninsula you cant go back!
it;s like having 3 tanks in one.

all that said. i would pause walk around the house with a tape see if there is anywhere else the tank can go.
can it be in the kitchen sure some do it. but if you are a heavy cooker with grease and what not if * could* be a problem.

with reef tanks you want air flow across the top of the tank for gas exchange . so glass lids are not ideal bit could be added while you are cooking with the kitchen vent fan on.
also I good skimmer helps this too.
but be aware its could be as issue.

here's an idea from some random on the itnerwebs.
but could you build a custom dining table where the tank is going then add the tank on the other side of the counter? IDK how big your family is but it;s an idea.

good luck! have fun this this. it can be a bit overwhelming at times but worth it in the end.

 

[Arkayology]

What a cool build! My favorite part so far is how you just wanted a tank and now you get a new kitchen.

 

[strich]

Sounds like you've got a lot of thoughts at play re the kitchen so yeah I'd just say to make sure the kitchen countertop gets the slight priority - keep everything plumb and clean with each other. A challenging project for sure!

I would also just like to echo the concerns around tanks in the kitchen - Many people opt to have their tanks with open tops to help with gas exchange and temperature control. Unfortunately this comes at the cost of water evaporation as well as the tank taking on harmful chemicals from the air. I see your kitchen has a gas stovetop, which pumps out a lot of harmful stuff on its own let alone whatever you're cooking (if you had the budget for it, an induction top is far safer and economical btw).

If I were you, I would definitely enclose the top of the tank, and add an airstone and airfilter in the sump. That would be about all you need to change I think. You also get the added benefit of less evaporation.

On a completely other topic - Its funny how these "small" renovations often balloon into monster wallet eaters, but you might also want to consider moving to induction stovetop if you're about to replace the entire countertops.

 

[Pirate Ben]

Looks very nice planning stages, but just so you know kitchens are not ideal places for aquariums.

If I were you, I would definitely enclose the top of the tank, and add an airstone and airfilter in the sump. That would be about all you need to change I think.

pretty much any build thread that says peninsula I am in..
IMHO there the best tanks around. i always say once you go peninsula you cant go back!
it;s like having 3 tanks in one.

all that said. i would pause walk around the house with a tape see if there is anywhere else the tank can go.
can it be in the kitchen sure some do it. but if you are a heavy cooker with grease and what not if * could* be a problem.

with reef tanks you want air flow across the top of the tank for gas exchange . so glass lids are not ideal bit could be added while you are cooking with the kitchen vent fan on.
also I good skimmer helps this too.
but be aware its could be as issue.

here's an idea from some random on the itnerwebs.
but could you build a custom dining table where the tank is going then add the tank on the other side of the counter? IDK how big your family is but it;s an idea.

good luck! have fun this this. it can be a bit overwhelming at times but worth it in the end.

I appreciate the caution. I have read up on the subject and determined that you are correct. I was already aware of the obvious contaminants in a kitchen area such as airborne grease, particles and human activity. I feel prepared enough to take those on. I was also aware that if you have more people in your home than usual, that CO2 rises and your pH drops. But I have to admit, I had not considered the CO2 from my gas range.

Yet I remain undaunted.

This can indeed be an issue but I'm willing to face it as well. For filtration I already plan on relying heavily on a refugium which will help with CO2. I looked up how other reefers have dealt with this and on the first page of the first link that I clicked, I found three more viable solutions:

• Mitigate with a hood fan. I've got a good hood fan but it is loud. One solution someone posted was to put a remote fan in the duct in the attic that will suck the air out from above and thus be quiet. I love that idea even if I wasn't getting a tank!
• Run a fresh air line to the skimmer. The air around is me is very clean, provided there are no wildfires. (I actually hope to avoid getting a skimmer but I realize I'll probably have to at some point)
• CO2 scrubber

I'm sure there are more angles of attack. A canopy would be a last resort but it's good to know that parachute is there. And no, I'm not buying new major appliances.

Thank you for getting me to investigate a little further but there is a big fat X on that spot and I will produce treasure!

 

[zheka757]

I appreciate the caution. I have read up on the subject and determined that you are correct. I was already aware of the obvious contaminants in a kitchen area such as airborne grease, particles and human activity. I feel prepared enough to take those on. I was also aware that if you have more people in your home than usual, that CO2 rises and your pH drops. But I have to admit, I had not considered the CO2 from my gas range.

Yet I remain undaunted.

This can indeed be an issue but I'm willing to face it as well. For filtration I already plan on relying heavily on a refugium which will help with CO2. I looked up how other reefers have dealt with this and on the first page of the first link that I clicked, I found three more viable solutions:

• Mitigate with a hood fan. I've got a good hood fan but it is loud. One solution someone posted was to put a remote fan in the duct in the attic that will suck the air out from above and thus be quiet. I love that idea even if I wasn't getting a tank!
• Run a fresh air line to the skimmer. The air around is me is very clean, provided there are no wildfires. (I actually hope to avoid getting a skimmer but I realize I'll probably have to at some point)
• CO2 scrubber

I'm sure there are more angles of attack. A canopy would be a last resort but it's good to know that parachute is there. And no, I'm not buying new major appliances.

Thank you for getting me to investigate a little further but there is a big fat X on that spot and I will produce treasure!

looks like you have your mind set on where you want it. I was just making sure you aware of it. Good luck with your build, to me that was the most fun of reefing, is the build

 

[Pirate Ben]

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