DIY 581 gallon plywood tank

[phixer]

Sorry for the double post. Check it out.
http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/eng_...200litres.html

 

[cubsfan]

This is more or less what i will be doing. But my will be smaller 72*48*18 (269gal) and i will be using fiberglass as well as epoxy paint.

 

[tree]

While I don't plan on doing it, it was a good read. Thanks Phixer for posting it.

 

[phixer]

Glad too. Ive heard of folks lining plywood tanks with PVC sheeting also but have no personal experience with it. Basically the plywood box is the structural shell that houses the PVC liner. I also heard that the PVC sheeting can become brittle with age and crack along the seams which would be a bad thing

.
The gutters on my house are PVC and they have cracked at the seams a few times. Thank God for plumbers putty.
Fiberglass sounds like a good liner. I think I will use it for my next plywood tank because the last plywood tank I made was only coated it with marine epoxy, no fiberglass for re-enforcement. It held for about 3 years then started to leak.
Polyester? I am unsure how this works, is this a polyester matt like the fiberglass with epoxy resin brushed over it?

 

[cubsfan]

i think it would also depend on the fish you keep. some may bite at it (pvc liner) until it gets a hole.
Just started my tank tonight. Cut my bottom to 72" * 48" and filled any imperfections with wood putty. tomorrow I'll sand it down then do the same again.

 

[phixer]

Sounds like a good project, did you notice how he laid the center piece inside the walls? Different from glass or acrylic construction. I can see why it would make some sense to use marine plywood and water proof glue also, even though Im still going to use standard baltic burch ply. I guess if it did leak the marine plywood would not become delaminated or rot and might be easier to repair. The waterproof glue wouldnt dissolve and would keep the sides from pushing out under pressure.
How are you making your top braces?

 

[cubsfan]

i was planning on using 2*4's screwed into the outer frame (over top). 4 of them. It will all be behind a wall in a seperate room so looks aren't as important. Wood will all be coated in Kilz (sp?) bathroom primer paint to help with the moisture from humidity on the outside areas of tank, stand.
There are alot of imperfections in the plywood I got, small dings in the finished side. I cut it to size (bottom piece) then added putty to any dings, sanded, putty, sanded, putty and will sand 1 last time later tonight. It will be a long process but I like the work.
I will start a new thread when I get a little further along with the pictures I'm taking, and how I'm doing stuff.

 

[phixer]

Yeah idea here, I think I will use microballons mixed in with the epoxy as a filler. Anyhow looking forward to seeing some pictures of your project.