liquid rubber or epoxy

john C

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2007
958
29
61
ohio
thinking about my first plywood tank witch is better my uncle has experiance in painting swimming pools and says he is not a big fan of liquid rubber and prefurs epoxy. what have u guys used that u feel will last
 

Ozkar

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 5, 2007
266
0
46
60
Baltimore, MD
I used pond shield by Pond Armor - it lasted 3 years. I am in the process now of tearing the tank down to do a complete rebuild, and I plan on using a rubber pond liner. I don't believe any of the paint on coatings (rubber or epoxy) work very well on wood, and there is a lot of work and expense in using them. Of course I was working with a 3000 gallon tank, smaller tanks may be more feasible.


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snowhnter

Gambusia
MFK Member
Oct 20, 2009
306
1
18
West Virginia, USA
I have been in contact with Pond Armour people. I am in the final planning stages of my 3000, they strongly suggest using their product on concrete/cement and not so much on plywood.
 

Ozkar

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 5, 2007
266
0
46
60
Baltimore, MD
I have been in contact with Pond Armour people. I am in the final planning stages of my 3000, they strongly suggest using their product on concrete/cement and not so much on plywood.
Yeah, I think the Pond Shield cant handle the expansion & contraction of the wood over time and temperature. Butch at Pond Armor was very helpful when I was doing my original plywood build. He gave several tips to help that I really appreciated, but in the long run, the Pond Shield coating did not survive.


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john C

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2007
958
29
61
ohio
thx keep it coming i want to know all mistakes plus positive experiance too. thx Ozcar i thought to do a pond liner before and use the liner as a laminate but i never heard anyone try so i asume i would not work.
 

trevor kalyn

Feeder Fish
Apr 18, 2012
1
0
0
alberta canada
hello i have completed all the wood parts of my tank and find myself asking the same question. my tank is 144 x 30 x30 ish and will hold roughly 420 gallons. I will be housing salt water in it and find my self overwhelmed by all the info and choices. any help would be apreciated. this build will not flex it is so over built. i was thinking fiberglass then a two part epoxy paint but i keep second guessing my self
 

Ozkar

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 5, 2007
266
0
46
60
Baltimore, MD
hello i have completed all the wood parts of my tank and find myself asking the same question. my tank is 144 x 30 x30 ish and will hold roughly 420 gallons. I will be housing salt water in it and find my self overwhelmed by all the info and choices. any help would be apreciated. this build will not flex it is so over built. i was thinking fiberglass then a two part epoxy paint but i keep second guessing my self
I way over built my tank too, there was no flex. The problem with wood is that the ply itself will shrink and swell with temperature and humidity changes. These minute changes over time will cause Pond Shield to chip, crack and peel with age. My build lasted about 3 years, a lot less than the 25 years the manufacturer says. If you do use any type of epoxy, I would recommend using fiberglass cloth embedded within the epoxy over the entire tank (not just at the seams). If you want to use Pond Shield, I strongly recommend talking to Butch at Pond Armor to see what his current recommendations are for use of the product on wood.

Currently I am in the process of tearing down my tank, and will build my next version on the same site. My reseach into the same question has me wondering too. I was getting excited about using Sanitred, but then found some people on the web who had some problems with bubbling and peeling. Then I found some other draw backs with the product, and I think now Im going to use a 45mil. pond liner. I still have to find the best way to attach the acrylic windows to the liner.


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