Plywood monster (sorta) tank advice needed.

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
MilitantPotato;545061; said:
Thanks Joe, ya really helped me out.

Do you know if the sanitred would bond to the plastic tarps used to protect carpet when painting? So I wouldn't risk them sticking when being moved.
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Don't know about the tarps, best bet is to find out what the tarps you are going to use are made of (some are different materials) and call Sanitred.

TexasRock;545238; said:
Dr. Joe,

Can you post some pics?


Also, what products did you use? On the website it has LRB, TAV and Permaflex... I was wondering if you had to use all three or just one product.

Thanks!

Keith
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Project turned into a RUSH job for the customer and was shipped out right after curing and hydrostatic testing. This was a prototype for a customer so I didn't keep any pix.

All cabinetry was very tight. I just used 'AR Permaflex", and installed the glass like I previously said.

Hope This helps, if you have any questions about Sanitred go to the horse's mouth for your peace of mind. They're very good to talk to. They don't want their product to fail either.

Dr Joe

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will-kib1;545270; said:
i have built 11 plywood tanks over the years i have always used fiberglass &epoxy resin and have never had one fail the first tank i built is still going strong 18years later
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will-kib1;546653; said:
if you use fiberglass and epoxy resin no need to use epoxy paint but if you use polyester resin you needto use epoxy paint as poly is not 100% waterproof:WHOA: :WHOA:
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I agree..I made tanks for years like that, but once you try this stuff (Sanitred) you'll think twice before mixing resin again.

I had a couple of the fiberglass ones gel coated, that was marvelous.

Dr Joe

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Dr Joe;546697; said:
I agree..I made tanks for years like that, but once you try this stuff (Sanitred) you'll think twice before mixing resin again.

I had a couple of the fiberglass ones gel coated, that was marvelous.

Dr Joe

.
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I built my plywood tank using sanitred in May, 2005. The material is great, very flexible but does not adhere to glass well (the bond between the LRB and glass).

It leaked through the corners of the glass in Sept 2006. I had to drain and seal around the inside glass with silicone keeping my fingers crossed. It's been up since then with no leaks yet. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed!!

Here is the recap of my construction (scroll almost half way down): http://www.worldcichlids.com/yabbse/index.php/topic,11608.0.html

I also posted a step by step from the engineers at sanitred on page 2:
http://www.worldcichlids.com/yabbse...8b0296bb27477a829f653d0fcee6c3&topic=11608.15
 
Roliva,

Thanks for the link... great tank.

It says you live in PA... is the tank in your garage? If so, how is it as far as heating it in the winter and cooling it in the summer?

Thanks!

Keith
 
TexasRock;557419; said:
Roliva,

Thanks for the link... great tank.

It says you live in PA... is the tank in your garage? If so, how is it as far as heating it in the winter and cooling it in the summer?

Thanks!

Keith
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Your welcome. I love researching, seeing and helping DIY projects.

Ha ha, funny you asked!! It is STUCK in the garage! I built it in the garage and calculated it to fit around the bend to go into my basement but I was off by 4 inches!!! So that is where it's running. I will eventually build another IN the basement.
Yes, PA goes through all the seasons with harsh winters and can get pretty warm in the summers. I keep a heater in the garage (for winter) to keep it around 60 degrees F. To compensate, I have 1500W of heaters just in case, which are able to handle the flux.
For the summers, during heat waves, the tank has never gone above 85 degrees F. If it does, a quick run for 50lb ice bags will have to do!!
 
Thanks Dr. Joe, you're the man.

Hey roliva, thanks for the post. Your tank (the page you linked to) was the reason I am intrested in using sanitred. I'm thinking I'll do permaflex ontop of the plywood, then LRB, then another layer of permaflex ontop of that for UV protection.

Did you seal front>back on the glass using silicon or just apply it all to the internal part of the glass?

Thanks again for the help.
 
MilitantPotato;559051; said:
Thanks Dr. Joe, you're the man.

Hey roliva, thanks for the post. Your tank (the page you linked to) was the reason I am intrested in using sanitred. I'm thinking I'll do permaflex ontop of the plywood, then LRB, then another layer of permaflex ontop of that for UV protection.

Did you seal front>back on the glass using silicon or just apply it all to the internal part of the glass?

Thanks again for the help.
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Only the external areas. If I were to do it again, I would probably make the last coat (after the final coat of permaflex/sanitred) a layer of epoxy where the glass would make contact with the tank - then use silcone instead of LRB for the seal.
 
Dr Joe;543556; said:
You don't put epoxy on Sanitred.

http://www.sanitred.com/WaterFountain.htm

Sanitred is flexible and epoxy would crack and flake off.

This stuff cures at and thickness and bonds to itself so you can do things in stages.

I've got to contact them, We may be able to seal in the glass windows (by sanding or sandblasting the edges) with this too.

This stuff rocks.

Dr Joe

.
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Actually the folks at Sanitred recommend this, I thought the same thing until I read this on the Sanitred website.

"If VHO lighting or any other intense UV lighting will be used or would like a special color, apply 1 coat of a good 2 part epoxy paint. This paint will give you the color desired and extreme UV resistance. This coat will not aid or inhibit the waterproofing/sealing of the aquarium. Wash the Sani-Tred surfaces before filling the tank with water."
 
Epoxy over the sanitred has been done. It does seem to cause doubts having a hard epoxy over something flexible. The epoxy over sanitred has been done recently by someone not from this forum. The tank is fairly new so tiime will tell.

Update on my tank:
The fix I had to do on my leak is holding. The silicone to sanitred is very weak, and I don't know how long it will last. It seems I put enough siicone on for it to adhere to the glass very well and cause a 'plug up' effect. My fingers are crossed. The fix was done in September.
 
you also could use pond shield.......any color you want......:popcorn: :popcorn:



roliva;669085; said:
Epoxy over the sanitred has been done. It does seem to cause doubts having a hard epoxy over something flexible. The epoxy over sanitred has been done recently by someone not from this forum. The tank is fairly new so tiime will tell.

Update on my tank:
The fix I had to do on my leak is holding. The silicone to sanitred is very weak, and I don't know how long it will last. It seems I put enough siicone on for it to adhere to the glass very well and cause a 'plug up' effect. My fingers are crossed. The fix was done in September.
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