LARGE Plywood Tank Build

[groupergenius]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
http:///forum/post/2578971
haha, thanks!

you are correct, it will be in wall..i will have to cut a hole in the wall and do some reinforcing i imagine, I dont know the construction part....i'm having my dad come down to do the cutting, i dont trust myself,lol....anyone know about that to reassure myself i can cut a hole this big in my wall? i was told yes but can always use some reassurance,haha. Timefram I'm thinking 20-25more days of epoxying if i can keep up like i have and then a small curing process after the glass is put in and everything sealed...then 2weeks of water testing with freshwater on the ground, while that i can be working on the wall...THEN if that passes i'll put it up and fill it up with saltwater....so i'm guessing 2 months best case...got to be able to afford my oceansmotions 8 way first,haha. This tank is somewhere between 450-500 gallons...have to get exact measurements but close around there. Filtration will be at this time a 75gal refuge below...but i may change it as the tank doesnt fit under the stand quite right..we'll see, so i may switch to two rubbermaid containers....i will not be having a skimmer unless i decide to go overboard with fish...i may try a couple homemade skimmers though....I'm not a hightech person and think sometimes can be way overdone...plus i'm not rich!

It makes it so much more affordable when you can purchase little at a time...I may get a UV sterilizer...thats one thing i had been thinking I wouldn't mind having...otherwise i'm gonna pack it out with macro algaes.

A 75 won't fit under the stand?? You should be able to put a 240 under there.

 

[bronco300]

Originally Posted by Hefner413
http:///forum/post/2580494
wow, that epoxy goes on thick! how thick is each layer? that last pic looks almost 1/4" total
most layers around 1/8" or so....i want to be safe, so i'm going thick as i can make myself without having to buy more epoxy,etc.
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
http:///forum/post/2580498
7/32 of an inch... thats a thick finish, you ought to be able to bounce rocks off that for many years before doing any real harm.
yep!!!

Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
http:///forum/post/2580529
A 75 won't fit under the stand?? You should be able to put a 240 under there.

it will no problem, but i was thinking i'd want them to sit on the ground instead of on the beams to give me more clearance to work in if needed

 

[bronco300]

got the tank up...couldnt do it by myself quite, had the wife help put a piece of wood under it so i could push it up a bit wait push it up, until i could finally get under it to push it up...but first coat will be clear

just a pic looking up

 

[brewski4u1]

man i have been watching this from the begining and man this is awsome! it looks from the last pics that you posted its looks that your gettin close to being done! what just 2 or 3 more sides to do?

 

[bronco300]

hahaha, 2 or 3...it LOOKS that way doesnt it? but plywood and epoxy is deceiving....i have like 17 sides to go....remember i have 45deg pieces in all corners, which I also have to epoxy...which means they have to be level to pour it...so i still have a ways to go...unfortunately i was very stupid and dread that i did not epoxy my wavebox like i wanted first...its going to cause a pain to epoxy a couple parts in that now that its attached...but i'll figure it out one way or another....but man its getting heavy now..and i also made the mistake of not epoxying the wavebox wall while i had it on the other side...so i have to flip it back on the other end..which is going to suck...have to call in reinforcements for that..back hurt last night from lifting the tank...so not going to push it this next time

 

[threed240]

Does the epoxy adhear well to the existing that has already been poured? In other words, were the two overlap, would there be a chance of it leaking? Looks great by the way.

 

[bronco300]

yep, they stick together wonderfully...and if the one layer gets too hard i believe you can get some sandpaper and scrap it up some to help the new layer fuse together more

 

[yannifish]

I haven't been on for a while, and just want to say the tank looks GREAT!!!!!!!

 

[iyachtuxivm]

cant wait keep it up man

 

[bronco300]

3rd coat

 

[brandan]

Looks like you talked someone else into taking pictures. . . .

 

[bronco300]

haha, yep, dragged her out there after work to get some pics

 

[hefner413]

any spills/messes with that stuff yet? I would probably end up doing a faceplant right into it somehow.

 

[bronco300]

always gotta wear gloves, get it all over my hands,lol...i've spilled on the garage plenty as well...but havent had to many problems...too expensive to have a big accident with it.

 

[ibew41]

for your light look in mcmaster carr and get a speed drive for your light rail motor

 

[bronco300]

well i was thinking that they dont recommend putting something on the motor or it'll hinder the performance..hav eto find out.
this morning however i woke up to my tank tipped over...luckily i tied it but of course it makes me worry...i dont think anything is wrong minus one chip on the corner..stupid wind

 

[usirchchris]

Wow this is great...I am inspired

. One thing I am confused on...everything seems self explanatory aside the epoxy. Is 7/32 the standard as far as thickness goes? Can you use less than that? Is there a standard thickness lol? I would like to attempt this myself, but would like to be able to estimate how much epoxy I would need...Again great job

.

 

[bronco300]

Originally Posted by usirchchris
http:///forum/post/2585136
Wow this is great...I am inspired

. One thing I am confused on...everything seems self explanatory aside the epoxy. Is 7/32 the standard as far as thickness goes? Can you use less than that? Is there a standard thickness lol? I would like to attempt this myself, but would like to be able to estimate how much epoxy I would need...Again great job

.
Thanks!!! you can use less...i know another woody builder that has 3 layers that equal approx 1/8"...I personally went over because i like to be safe...I may have to end up ordering another gallon of hardener...i'm trying to go thinner, just hard,lol.

 

[usirchchris]

Thanks!!! you can use less...i know another woody builder that has 3 layers that equal approx 1/8"...I personally went over because i like to be safe...I may have to end up ordering another gallon of hardener...i'm trying to go thinner, just hard,lol.
Gotcha, don't blame you one bit...that is alot of potential water on the floor. Last question would be...what are you looking for in an epoxy. I think I am understanding resin based...use fiberglass. Just seems like there are a bunch of different kinds of epoxy out there...tough for a newb aquarium builder to know which would work...what to look out for (toxic..not strong enough etc.)

 

[bronco300]

i don't know much about the different epoxies besides the two i've seen used the most...MAS, and West Systems...west is incredibly expensive...well, as is MAS...but if you go to defender.com you'll find MAS at a much cheaper price..almost half....I think mas is the best, but i've only tried that one....they are supposed to be non blush, which means not washing and sandpapering before each coat...but you can read about that at MAS website...then you can get a slow,med, or fast hardener...choose accordingly to your time frame...you can find a table at thesurgezone that shows a time fram for mas...then most people use a 2:1 ration of epoxy to hardener....then i've used fiberglass on any seam..but anyways, i've loved MAS thus far, and its much chear that west systems...there are a lot cheaper even more, but not sure i'd trust them....and even with the expense of epoxy it'll still be cheaper then buying a tank from a pet store.