Wall Mounted Aquariums, The Good And The Bad.
Aquariums can offer delight and wonder that meets or excedes that of most artwork. The beauty of many home aquariums has inspired the wall aquarium that can be hung on the wall and viewed just as a painting would. There are several ups and downs to this set up that you should know before getting caught up in something.
The wall mounted or picture aquarium are typically framed and about four to six inches thick. While these mounted aquariums are a sure showpiece in any room, many aquarist find them to be a cruely due to the limited swimming space. While they would definitely be cruel to many types of aquatic life there are a few that could live a happy life. Make sure to do the research on any animal you keep to ensure you are meeting its living requriements and don't get greedy.
Picture Aquariums are mounted on the wall by means of studs or brackets. These need to be strong to support the weight of the aquarium and must be in the wall studs not just the drywall. Nobody wants to go into a room to see thier tank lying on the floor.
Wall Mounted Aquarium Advantages:
If you live in a smaller house or apartment a wall mounted aquarium takes up none of your room space. If you are interested in the aquarium hobby or just want an aquatic showpiece for a room that doesn't have any floorspace a wall mounted aquarium would fix this problem.
The eye level height of the aquarium draws more attention than an aquarium that is typically four feet off the ground. It is impossible not to notice when you walk into a room.
The added height also ensure that small children or pets will not attempt to get into the aquarium itself which is often a problem with fish and cats.
Mounting your fish tank on the wall ensure that no one will walk into it in a hallway or other busy area.
Most wall mounted tanks are sold with all of the equipment that you need to get it all set up. Because of the narrow tank size and lack of any equipment space standard extra equipment wont usually be an option. Wall mounted tanks are generally sold with modified equipment built in making setup easy.
Tanks now are often sold with special attaching wall brackets just like flat screen tv's that make the job of mounting them easy. If you are unsure if the tank is secure check it before adding water.
Wall Mounted Aquarium Disadvantages:
Doing routine cleaning and other maintanence is very difficult. Wall mounted tanks have almost no access being about 4-6 inches thick makes it difficult to get your arm or other cleaning devise inside, not to mention the added height making you work off of some sort of ladder.
Wall mounted tanks contain a small water volume. The lower your water volume the easier it is to be contaminated, larger tanks are significant easier to keep stable.
Picture Tanks Have a lowered surface area. Aquatic life breaths oxygen and oxygen can only get into an aquarium at the surface. With a small surface area to volume ratio the overall oxygen in the tank will be lower which your livestock will not appreciate.
You have a much smaller selection of fish that can be kept in the smaller sized aquarium. With a tank that is only 6 inches thick any fish over 2 or 3 inches is unacceptable.
Water is heavy, about 10 pounds per gallon to be exact. A full tank can put enormous pressure on the fixing brackets of a wall mounted tank. This shouldn't be a problem but not all walls are suitable for this wieght.
Wall mounted tanks are more expensive than a typical aquarium of comparable size, but the wall mounted tank does normally come standard with the extra equipment that you would need to purchase separate for a floor aquarium.
