415 Gallon Plywood Tank Build

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by KzooBenjamin http:///forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build/700#post_3349543
I haven't seen the background you are going to use on a tank in use, in person, but it doesn't seem like it would be distracting (poor choice of words on my part). It is just that the ones that I have seen locally just look so bad and unnatural that I couldn't ever see using them. For the "tape on back" style, if later on you decide you don't like it, you can easily remove it. Yours on the other hand will be pretty permanent. Is there a "plan B" if you epoxy it in and then decide you don't like it?
This tank has a black background and has depth of darkness. Of course, it is 90" front to back to begin with, so it is not a very fair comparison, but it is beautiful.
http://www.oregonreef.com/images/photos/p_006_l.jpg
To achieve this illusion, he has to keep the black acrylic very clean. Is the epoxy surface "scrapable" with an acrylic type scraper?
That looks really good. Honestly it doesn't even hit you like it's a black background. The colors from the corals catch my eye more than anything, and I think you're right it does seem to add a degree of depth in that tank.

 

[acrylic51]

Corey have you ever gotten a chance to read the whole write up on the link above??? Impressive!!!!!

I'm still torn.....Not sure which way to really go???? Desertdawg made a very good point on how to fix the issue, but in the back of my mind still thinking black as well. The white is completely done inside the tank. Tomorrow after I pull the rear from my truck, I'll make an attempt to get back to the tank. Have to work tomorrow night, not looking forward to going back to work at all, but there's worse things. So looking for a general consensus as to which way to go on a couple areas.....Open to suggestions as usual.
1. Still considering doing the bottom of the tank in white, and going to use a SSB on the bottom of the tank. Decided against the faux sandbed due to the mere fact it won't technically be cleanable if algae and coraline set in, but I still want the white bottom in the event of sand being shifted. Hate seeing bare spots in a tank. What do you guys think?????
2. Need advice on forging ahead with the background or doing the whole entire inside in black????
3. Should I do the entire inside of the tank in black?????
Need opinions folks!!!!!
On a side note....I think I had mentioned earlier that I had finally gotten a decent quote on Starphire; Low Iron glass, but Friday after sending an email 2 weeks ago, I finally got a quote on 1.5 acrylic. Not using my buddies shop for the quote, due to I wanted some custom CNC work done to the acrylic if I go that route. I was and still considering acrylic for the viewing panels for the simple fact, I can have the CNC a dado joint, which would allow me to inset the acrylic into the viewing area allowing the viewing panel to be flush with the wood trim of the tank. With glass it would be set back inside the tank trim area. I'm looking at 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" acrylic, and routing out about 3/8" lip to compensate for my build of epoxy thickness inside the tank, but don't want to skimp on structural integrity of the acrylic by routing the dado into it......
Again give me some feedback!!!!!!

 

[1snapple]

1. DSB
2. I would do the backround, i think it ca only add and it won't take away from the fish or coral.
3.White.

 

[acrylic51]

Thanks Josh.....Why do you recommend DSB??? IMHO DSB aren't meant for the DT......Why muck up a DT with ugly sand????

 

[2quills]

1.) I like it. Just out of curriosity do they make more of a sand colored tint like a light tan? Just wondering it would stand out less if the bottom was exposed.
2.) I still like the background idea and believe it would still give the tank some depth. Black would be my second choice though. It's a tough choice but thinking on down the road when the tank matures and fills in the backround is really just going to end up becoming an afterthought anyway. People would first have to whipe the drool off of their chins and get past the beautiful coral and colors before they'll ever notice what the background looks like. Like you said when you saw my tank...you never even noticed it.

3.) No.
JMO

 

[acrylic51]

Corey I"ll have to check out Jamestown Distributors again to look at their gelcoat selection again....Can't say off the top of my head if I saw a tan or not....Didn't think about it really. I really like the idea Desertdawg came up with, and it would work. I would just have to cut the holes a little larger and then seal the edges of the bulkhead holes anyways with epoxy and blend it in. Already working on an idea to drill my CL holes ahead of time and make some type of jig/damn for the holes when I do the final pour. I could always wrap my PVC fittings in background since I know the epoxy won't stick to it.......

Corey didn't mean any harm when I said I didn't notice the background on your tank....Your absolutely right though.....Why would I be drawn to the background....The tank is sweet, and I was curious as to what's moving and living inside not the back wall, but everyone has different focal points when looking at objects.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build/720#post_3349781
1.) I like it. Just out of curriosity do they make more of a sand colored tint like a light tan? Just wondering it would stand out less if the bottom was exposed.
2.) I still like the background idea and believe it would still give the tank some depth. Black would be my second choice though. It's a tough choice but thinking on down the road when the tank matures and fills in the backround is really just going to end up becoming an afterthought anyway. People would first have to whipe the drool off of their chins and get past the beautiful coral and colors before they'll ever notice what the background looks like. Like you said when you saw my tank...you never even noticed it.

3.) No.
JMO

 

[2quills]

Right on, that is a pretty good idea. I think I would like to see the background on your tank more or less because it's something we've never seen done before in that fashion. You want the whole package, everything to look nice and be perfect, I totally can understand. It's like you said, different eyes see different things. You can put the best background on an ugly tank and it would stick out like neon lights on a dark desert highway. But put an ugly background on the inside of a absolutely beautifull tank and probably no one would ever see it.

 

[acrylic51]

Here's a link to another good build, with lots of goodies, and rather sad ending, but gives everyone a really good idea as to the commitment you make when you undertake a build of this nature....
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1749114
Corey this is the tank I seen use the white throughout....I don't want mine white entirely just thought it didn't look bad on the bottom......What do you think?

 

[desertdawg]

Cool, I got something right! What do I win...

I still think you should do the background if you think you can seal it in without leaks, it's something different than everyone else's build and I like the depth it gives without being black!
But if you decide to go painted/colored back, then go black for sure!!!

 

[kzoobenjamin]

I agree that DSB's are not for the DT. They need to be 4-6 inches to be useful, and why take up that much space in your display?
SSB sounds good. I like the idea of a tan tint if you can find it, but white would be a good 2nd choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http://700#post_3349775
On a side note....I think I had mentioned earlier that I had finally gotten a decent quote on Starphire; Low Iron glass, but Friday after sending an email 2 weeks ago, I finally got a quote on 1.5 acrylic. Not using my buddies shop for the quote, due to I wanted some custom CNC work done to the acrylic if I go that route. I was and still considering acrylic for the viewing panels for the simple fact, I can have the CNC a dado joint, which would allow me to inset the acrylic into the viewing area allowing the viewing panel to be flush with the wood trim of the tank. With glass it would be set back inside the tank trim area. I'm looking at 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" acrylic, and routing out about 3/8" lip to compensate for my build of epoxy thickness inside the tank, but don't want to skimp on structural integrity of the acrylic by routing the dado into it......
I thought one of reasons you didn't want to make the entire tank out of acrylic was because of potential scratches? If your tank were made completely out of acrylic, you would need a minimum of 1". If you are going to rout 3/8" off the edge, you would need at least 1-3/8" to start with. Something that comes to mind about doing a square bottom dado is the potential for a stress point (maybe?). Can the shop do a corner radius dado instead of square? Would it still fit up with wood trim which would also have to be radiused. Does it even matter or would it actually be a problem?

How thick/heavy of a piece of Starphire would you be using? Do you use tempered or non-tempered? I have never done glass work before.

 

[1snapple]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build/720#post_3349780
Thanks Josh.....Why do you recommend DSB??? IMHO DSB aren't meant for the DT......Why muck up a DT with ugly sand????

I see where your coming from but i think there is something really cool about having a big tank with 3"-5" sandbed and having a couple sand sifting fish, and of course a blue spotted jawfish, it also gives people something to look for, while just a white bottom would look alot cleaner but it also kind of limits the fish you can have. You cant have sand sifters, or wrasses ect.

 

[2quills]

That's a bummer about that guys tank, Shawn. I just skimmed through the thread....but I didn't really like the whole thing all white IMO. Besides I think it would show off any nasty stuff alot more. I'm sure you're tank will be kept real clean but still...I just didn't like it.

 

[acrylic51]

Ben are you referring to not squaring the corner cuts of the dado cut square? I'm pretty sure I'm following you, since I advocate never doing corners in acrylic squared, but using a radius to relieve the stress from the corner, but I'm not totally sure if it would apply here in this case or not???? Hadn't really thought about it till you mentioned it though. I don't really see how it would be putting any unnecessary stress on the corner? It would be no different in my mind then building a tank out of acrylic. Your panels or ends aren't radius. Your bracing is???? Please elaborate a little more on your thinking????
I think a DSB doesn't need to be 4-6" for it to be effective....I think that's been stated long ago and many ways.....I'm just not and have never been a fan of DSB in any setup. I just view it as a personal choice, and I hate looking at a tank with mounds of sand, and for it to be effective it isn't going to be perfectly clean, and if I have sand in my DT I want it clean don't want to see muck.....
Using glass I could get away with 1/2" easily, and without doing any dado work to the acrylic I'm pretty sure 3/4" would surfice, with the sizing of the euro bracing and the angle iron embedded in the epoxy. I like to over build all my setups, and would be using 3/4" Starphire glass, and you'd never use tempered for tank building....Just as in a car, if your tank was tempered and it shattered the panel would just crumble and you'd never have a snowballs chance in h3ll to actually try to drain the tank down in the event of a crack.
Originally Posted by KzooBenjamin http:///forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build/720#post_3349818
I agree that DSB's are not for the DT. They need to be 4-6 inches to be useful, and why take up that much space in your display?
SSB sounds good. I like the idea of a tan tint if you can find it, but white would be a good 2nd choice.
I thought one of reasons you didn't want to make the entire tank out of acrylic was because of potential scratches? If your tank were made completely out of acrylic, you would need a minimum of 1". If you are going to rout 3/8" off the edge, you would need at least 1-3/8" to start with. Something that comes to mind about doing a square bottom dado is the potential for a stress point (maybe?). Can the shop do a corner radius dado instead of square? Would it still fit up with wood trim which would also have to be radiused. Does it even matter or would it actually be a problem?

How thick/heavy of a piece of Starphire would you be using? Do you use tempered or non-tempered? I have never done glass work before.

 

[acrylic51]

I've never been a super big fan of sand sifters....might sound kind of strange, but not a fan of hermits and stuff of that nature.....I'm more a coral, tang lover, so you can kind of get an idea what my stocklist will be made up of......
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Snapple http:///forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build/720#post_3349882
I see where your coming from but i think there is something really cool about having a big tank with 3"-5" sandbed and having a couple sand sifting fish, and of course a blue spotted jawfish, it also gives people something to look for, while just a white bottom would look alot cleaner but it also kind of limits the fish you can have. You cant have sand sifters, or wrasses ect.

 

[acrylic51]

I'm hearing you Corey......I was just using Willies tank as a reference for the white. I wouldn't do the whole thing in white, would just seem a little sterile to me.....Not a very productive day....Spent most of the day working on the truck in my dad's shop and BSing.......Did get the rear pulled and back in, and some other odds and ends.....
You have to check out his audrino build.....Totally insane....
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build/720#post_3349887
That's a bummer about that guys tank, Shawn. I just skimmed through the thread....but I didn't really like the whole thing all white IMO. Besides I think it would show off any nasty stuff alot more. I'm sure you're tank will be kept real clean but still...I just didn't like it.

 

[1snapple]

I think you should have a crosshatch trigger and a clown trigger, along w/ 3 yellow tangs and an achilles tang w/ some blenny's and a pair of mandarins? A school of 30 chromis would be sweet.

 

[acrylic51]

:laughing: a clown trigger would make fast work on corals.... Now your talking when you mention Crosshatch Trigger. A maitre pair would be sweet!!!

 

[acrylic51]

Did a little checking and tank gelcoat isn't an option....Didn't think I saw any listed, but remember the tech guy from West telling me about another option for tinting epoxy, so I'll call and ask. I was some sort of powder paint, and I had checked into that option, but couldn't find it locally.

 

[1snapple]

color pigment? and no comment on the school of chromis?

 

[acrylic51]

Color pigment???? Are you referring to the gelcoat pigment I use to tint the epoxy Josh?? A huge group of schooling Chromis would be cool, but they don't seem to last long for whatever reason.......