View Full Version : the 130 square tank
thamunsta
09-09-2005, 5:55 PM
so i got the idea from garfs and decided to act on it and ive got the 2 walls bottam and back screwed and glued togather it stands 2 ft tall and its a 3 foot cube, im working on getting the glass im thinking tempered because its stronger but i heard that its not good to use and have no clue why heres what i got so far ohh and anyone know where i can get some fish safe epoxy i need that asap. any tips or pointers would be appreciated
magic
09-10-2005, 11:16 PM
Looks awesome dude. I am planning on building a plywood aquarium using garfs plans too. Sorry i dont know where to get fish safe epoxy.
boredcpl
09-10-2005, 11:21 PM
why not coat it with a thin layer of plexiglass or something.
Oddball
09-11-2005, 12:35 AM
Home Depot carries the 2-part marine epoxy that I use on plywood tanks. Remember to use the fiberglass cloth with it for additional strength. I even double up on the cloth/epoxy layering at all joints and seams.
Oddball
09-11-2005, 12:37 AM
BTW, what grade of plywood are you using? I see a lot of knot holes in the wood. It's recommended to use CDX plywood (same plywood used for home-made boats) with the good side on the interior. HDepot also carries this grade.
toxicfish
09-11-2005, 1:15 AM
BTW, what grade of plywood are you using? I see a lot of knot holes in the wood. It's recommended to use CDX plywood (same plywood used for home-made boats) with the good side on the interior. HDepot also carries this grade.
:iagree: Also I would use at least 3/4" thick and would also use wood glue for better strength.
or even use doll pins. Better than just drywall screws or nails
ShadowVengance
09-11-2005, 10:04 AM
Nice man, gonna go see it XD
Theres a decent home depot in ajax, by cosco
hardb0iled
09-11-2005, 7:57 PM
Tempered glass cant be cut easily - it shatters instead of breaking in a clean line so it has to be machine cut. Normal plate glass would be fine and is what is generally used for aquariums.
fish safe epoxy can be purchased at
west marine (west system 105)
or sherman williams (potable water tank epoxy)
Remember to use the fiberglass cloth with it for additional strength. I even double up on the cloth/epoxy layering at all joints and seams.
09-10-2005 10:21 PM
tempered glass is what i use it cost more but to me its worth it
good luck
pic of my last plywood their lots of fun to build
thamunsta
09-12-2005, 5:50 PM
thanks for all the help im phoning right now to see what somthing like 1/4 inch plexiglass would cost to coat the inside of the tank to seal it instead of epoxy
never seen it done
probably a reason
good luck
Oddball
09-12-2005, 8:24 PM
If the tank is going to be over 17-18" tall, but less than 22", go with 3/8" glass. I've had 1/4" plate glass pop on a couple of 21" tall tanks where the rest of the tank had a large footprint. After that, every plywood tank I've built received 1/2" glass if the dimensions of the tank were over 30"D x 24"H.
jbjmed
09-14-2005, 9:35 PM
whats the name of the 2 part epoxy you use. ive never seen one in the home depot.