Has anyone ever built their own tank? Cost?

thered

thered

Member
No, I didn't but I guess I should have. I'm still concerned about the stand though. I think I will buy cabinets from HD or Lowes and reinfoce them.
 
steamboat1569

steamboat1569

Member
Watch out, and don't buy particle board. This is only my oppinion, but have you ever seen particle board or wafer board after they have soaked up some water? I would really sad to lose what you are planning. I would go with what I did on my cabinet, and steel frame it.
 
thered

thered

Member
Does HD and Lowes only sell particle board cabinets? I thought they had more options. Doesn't the steel rust? Would you use 4x4 wood?
 
shadow678

shadow678

Member
I would have to agree with steam on the the stand. Steel frame construction, the for aesthetics, put a nice wood skirting around it. Unless you plan to put it on a solid block of wood, i don't think a regular wood frame would hold that much weight even half-full. Good luck in whatever you decide! :)
 
melbournefl

melbournefl

Member
That much weight (and to think I'm worried bout my little 6x2x3 LOL) honestly, something that size needs some serious, really serious, thought. The heck with the floor, I can't imagine any off-the-shelf Home Depot stuff I'd trust holding that up. I *think* I'd be looking a concrete block maybe. What kind of material are you thinking of using for a "bottom?" 10K pounds over a 128sq ft area? 4 foot tall tank calls for a minimum of 1" glass I think, and that would bow over the 8' span without LOT'S of bracing. This is a BIG tank and probably should not be put on a stand of any sort, solid concrete block would be more suitable.
Just my .02 and lord knows I've been wrong often enough before!
Later, Paul
 
steamboat1569

steamboat1569

Member
The steel frame will not rust. Like I said previously, I work in a steel shop for 1 of my jobs. I had access to a welding machine, steel angle, sandblaster, primer 2 coats, 2 coats of paint on top of that. I took it home and put several coats of polyurethane on it before putting the wood on.
 
thered

thered

Member
Actually, concrete would be less expensive. The funny thing about it is that I have a concrete shelf( imagine a row of restaurant booth seats) that extends out two feet going down my wall. I was going to rest the first two feet of the tank on that, but now I will build the concrete out from there (using the first two feet as a starting point) to form a T shape( six feet outwards). I always wondered why the builders built concrete seats, now I know it was for my tank.
 
melbournefl

melbournefl

Member
Hey there neighbor! I'm still in construction phase and haven't really found an LFS yet. The two I've been to here haven't had what I'd call a massive selection but then again they both seemed fairly knowledgeable so once I'm ready to start adding water to the tank I'll go back and do some intensive grilling of both. Stay in touch, I'll let you know as things progress.
Later,
Paul
 
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