my plywood tank build thread

turbo21

turbo21

Member
do a search for a member named novice150 years ago he built a 1700 gal tank out of plywood and fiberglass for his blacktip, on his homepage he has a detailed instruction list
bob
 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
I have seen that thread and still look at it often.
Tried to order glass today but that dont take glass orders on Saturday, so I have to wait till Monday.
It will be 70" by 17 3/4" (1/4" thick)
 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
glass is in, will pick up tomorrow. Then let the silicone dry and fill with water!
Getting very excited, the finish line is near :cheer:
 
hot883

hot883

Active Member
Originally Posted by cubsfan
I have seen that thread and still look at it often.
Tried to order glass today but that dont take glass orders on Saturday, so I have to wait till Monday.
It will be 70" by 17 3/4" (1/4" thick)
Is that going to be thick enough? i was thinking you needed atleast 3/8th to 1/2"?
 
phixer

phixer

Active Member
Originally Posted by cubsfan
I have seen that thread and still look at it often.
Tried to order glass today but that dont take glass orders on Saturday, so I have to wait till Monday.
It will be 70" by 17 3/4" (1/4" thick)
I agree, 1/4 inch is too thin, is it too late to upgrade to thicker glass?
 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
no type-oh 1/4" thats what garf recomended. It has a 3" frame all around, so the only exposed area is 11.75" tall with bracing. It better be enough or g.a.r.f. will hear about it!!!!
 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
well glass is in and the silicone is drying. Now I'm worried that the glass will not be strong enough
I guess time will tell (and my floor
)
 
psusocr1

psusocr1

Active Member
i dont want to sound like a jerk,, but i would reconsider , i would hate to see you putting this time and work in and fill it up.. it holds for a month or so then one day.. boom, it buckles on you and you loose all your fish and livestock..i mean i would be afraid to clean the glass good , a scratch can doom you in that it wouldweaken that glass enough to a shatter point... is it tempered glass or plate glass? if its tempered you have a better chance obviously than with plate glass... you also have to worry about livestock, i have a zebra turbo snail the size of my fist and when it goes ot clean by where my blue hippo cleeps he willwhack him with his tail so hard intot he acrylic it makes a very frightening loud noise,, stuff liek that can be a problem in your situation..hopefulyl it all works out for you and good luck!
 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
well i ended up putting in a couple extra braces for the glass, in the front of my tank. Painted the inside with sani-tred (black), didn't like the plain color. Very nasty smelling stuff
. Drill holes for the 2 bulkheads, 1". Water tested and everything held. Started to work on the plumbing today need for it to dry so i can test that out for leaks. Then fill it up and let it start a cycle while I'm on vacation
. I will be using water from my other 2 tanks and also some of the live rock to help with the cycle. My roommate will be here incase something goes wrong. now onto some pictures:
The first one is a full tank shot, yes i know i need to drywall
The second one is of the plumbing (one side), the top line has a ball valve and goes to my drain, the other line will go into my sump/fuge
The 3rd is a closer tank picture with the black paint more visable


 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
I went to look at shop lights for the tank and they say to use t8 or t12 (i think :notsure: ) bulbs. I want to use at least 1, 14-20k bulb per shop light. Will an aquarium light work in the fixture
? I will be using 2, 4' double lights for the tank.
 
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