My idea for a DIY plywood aquarium

Big Fish Freak

Gambusia
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Oct 24, 2014
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Okay, so long story short, I now am the proud owner of an Arapaima Gigas and I am going to be needing a larger tank for him ASAP
:arapaimag

I have an idea of what I want to build, and if all goes well with that I will then build my dream tank for him later. I just need some advice/ideas on a few things.
It is for sure going to be a plywood tank, and I am struggling with how to make to top of it..
I have seen the majority of them with a fixed lid, and I want more accessibility than that. Would it be possible to frame the inside of the long ends with 2x4's, and then have 2 or 3 cross braces across the width of the tank to keep it from bowing?

Also, I have looked at a few threads but haven't seen any real informative posts about how to mount the glass/acrylic to the panel. Could I put it together like a picture frame? By that I mean place the glass over the hole, and then glue some 2x4's over it with notches cut out so that they hold the glass to the plywood and then put some liquid rubber all around it to keep it sealed? I know I will have to silicone the glass to the wood first probably, but is that a good way to support the glass or will the water pressure do that?

I'm sure I will have more questions, and I will try to get pics posted of what I am trying to explain.

Thanks,
Jordan

Plywood tank design.png

Plywood tank design.png
 

Big Fish Freak

Gambusia
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Oct 24, 2014
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Okay, so I guess it worked better than it looked and without me knowing it was gonna post those pics. They are the same pic, not sure why it posted two of them.

That is my idea for the top. I will be covering the openings, but i want to have lots of access to the top if I need it. Let me know if you think this will work for a top
 

Big Fish Freak

Gambusia
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Oct 24, 2014
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As I stated in my first post, I am building this tank to "learn" how to put together a plywood tank. This tank is only going to be temporary, maybe a year and a half tops. I don't want to drop several thousands of dollars into a tank I don't know how to build, so this one is my test tank that he can have some room to grow in while the big one is being built. And by that time I will probably have a below ground pond built for him. I am well aware of how big they get, and how fast they can get that big.

Which John? That is one of the most common names in the world lol.. Are you referring to a build thread? Or just to see how big of a tank I need?
Do you have any suggestions on the top bracing that I mentioned?

Should I make an outside brace like you would see on a regular glass aquarium and then put cross braces over the top to keep from bowing?
 

sashimimaster

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I believe his name was Jon PTC or something like that. It's one of the biggest tanks out there. If I remember correctly he built something like a 10,000g tank for his Aras and it's still not big enough.

All I did for top bracing was run 2X4's across the top to tie in each side. You can look at my build if you like. No bowing whatsoever.
 

Big Fish Freak

Gambusia
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Oct 24, 2014
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Oh yeah, I saw his tank. Although it was a couple years ago and on youtube..
I will check out your build and do some thinkin, but i think how i have it planned is how it is gonna be.
If you just have the 2x4's then adding a couple the length of the tank to screw the cross ones into shpuld hold it together..

thanks for your input
 

Big Fish Freak

Gambusia
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Oct 24, 2014
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I should be fine with 3/4" plywood right? That seems to be a standard in plywood tanks I have seen, both large and small. And with this thing being 4' tall, should i build an inner frame of 2x4s from top to bottom or will the braces at the top be fine? Also, does anyone have some input on how much overlap there should be for the viewing window? I would imagine that 3" of glass over the wood is fine, but I am not familiar with the setup of these yet.
I was talking to my glass guy and he seems to think that 3/8" glass is gonna be thick enough, do you agree? I was thinking more like 3/4"...

I'm planning on using the Ames Blue Max liquid rubber as my sealant, but I am not a fan of transparent blue (if it's transparent how can it be blue?) Is there a way to change the color of it without compromising the waterproof? I want it to be black..



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coolkeith

Candiru
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Nov 1, 2005
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Your glass guy is way way off. 3/8" thick glass could build a tank at a max of 24" high.

Normally for 4 foot high x 8 foot long tank you'd need to use about 1.5" thick glass. But for a true tank busting fish like an Arapaima Giga, you may want to use at least 1" thick acrylic.

I honestly don't know how you'll keep that fish over it's expected lifetime since it should grow to 6+ feet long over 15+ years. It would probably be cheaper to send a kid through college than to feed and house that fish. You seem a bit out of your league here with that fish and this tank build.
 

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
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Oct 21, 2012
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I was talking to my glass guy and he seems to think that 3/8" glass is gonna be thick enough, do you agree? I was thinking more like 3/4"...
For 4 feet high, I'm calculating 28mm (safety factor 2.5) to 33mm (safety factor 3.5). You can barely get to 3/4" (2.5 safety factor) if the bottom of the glass is just ~36" from the water line at the top. In all cases where you are going to the low end, be sure that you have ample support.

Big fish that like to bang the glass might involve extra precautions, but I don't have a calculation for that.

This is based on float glass, so if you are using tempered or toughened glass, it could be thinner.
 
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