Alright, so it's no monster tank...but it's a DIY tank and you guys seem to have more experience building tanks then where I origionally posted at AC...so I'm cross-posting here to get some more thought on it. One day I'll be building a monster, but that's years off...and if I can break even on a smaller tank in a size that I wanted anyways, why not try for the experience and pride in saying "I did that."
Also, I'm wondering if anyone's got experience/knowledge on the longevivty of Drylock tanks, there seems to be very little following in the DIY Drylock Tank threads after the initial few months of success.
Well, I recently read a long thread on cichlid-forums about how a guy made a large (800gal) tank using Drylock as the sealant. After pricing some stuff, I realized Drylock ($20/gal) and Hardiboard ($10 for a 3x5 sheet) would be a lot cheaper then plywood ($35 for a 4x8 sheet) and Epoxy (Sweetwater is $60/gal), and therefore I may be able to break even on tank smaller then 100gal...as I was already looking at buying a 65 gal from Glasscages, I knew the dimensions I wanted and the price for an all-glass.
Anyways, here's my diagrams from Google Sketchup. Sorry for the lack of colors, but I'm sure ya'll can figure it out, especially using the construction/cuts list below.
A little more explanation on the design: I'm using 1x6 for the base, and 2x4 for the rest (except the back top which is a 2x4 cut in half to make a 1x4, in case I ever decide to use a HOB, I hear few are designed to work on walls wider then 1.5"). The walls/base are 1/2 "Hardie" board...if you don't know what that is, it's water-resistant concrete panels they use to go behind tile...search "Hardie" at Home Depot, and make sure you're looking at both In-Store and Online merchandise and it should pull right up. The glass is 3/8", and covers the full front of the aquarium to be silicone'd in after the Drylock waterproofing. As far as I have been able to tell, one gallon of Drylock should be able to do at least 3 coats on all Hardie Board. The Quad is for the joins between the Hardie Board before the Drylock is put on...it's flexible like Silicone, but it's made for concrete and painting so the Drylock will stick to it. The glass will prolly be 1/4 shorter then the dimensions listed so it'll fit after the Drylock is applied...I hear people often forget to account for thickness it adds to the surface of a material.
Inside Dimensions are: 48x17 5/8x17 (the 65gal all-glass is listed as 48x18x17)
Outside Dimensions: 52x22x19
Now for my pricing for the construction:
So after incidentals (which I'd be buying to make a stand anyways), I'm breaking even, unless I missed something. Anyone have any comments? Notice something I missed?
Also, I'm wondering if anyone's got experience/knowledge on the longevivty of Drylock tanks, there seems to be very little following in the DIY Drylock Tank threads after the initial few months of success.
Well, I recently read a long thread on cichlid-forums about how a guy made a large (800gal) tank using Drylock as the sealant. After pricing some stuff, I realized Drylock ($20/gal) and Hardiboard ($10 for a 3x5 sheet) would be a lot cheaper then plywood ($35 for a 4x8 sheet) and Epoxy (Sweetwater is $60/gal), and therefore I may be able to break even on tank smaller then 100gal...as I was already looking at buying a 65 gal from Glasscages, I knew the dimensions I wanted and the price for an all-glass.
Anyways, here's my diagrams from Google Sketchup. Sorry for the lack of colors, but I'm sure ya'll can figure it out, especially using the construction/cuts list below.
A little more explanation on the design: I'm using 1x6 for the base, and 2x4 for the rest (except the back top which is a 2x4 cut in half to make a 1x4, in case I ever decide to use a HOB, I hear few are designed to work on walls wider then 1.5"). The walls/base are 1/2 "Hardie" board...if you don't know what that is, it's water-resistant concrete panels they use to go behind tile...search "Hardie" at Home Depot, and make sure you're looking at both In-Store and Online merchandise and it should pull right up. The glass is 3/8", and covers the full front of the aquarium to be silicone'd in after the Drylock waterproofing. As far as I have been able to tell, one gallon of Drylock should be able to do at least 3 coats on all Hardie Board. The Quad is for the joins between the Hardie Board before the Drylock is put on...it's flexible like Silicone, but it's made for concrete and painting so the Drylock will stick to it. The glass will prolly be 1/4 shorter then the dimensions listed so it'll fit after the Drylock is applied...I hear people often forget to account for thickness it adds to the surface of a material.
Inside Dimensions are: 48x17 5/8x17 (the 65gal all-glass is listed as 48x18x17)
Outside Dimensions: 52x22x19
Now for my pricing for the construction:
Code:
$15.00 5 - 2x4 8' pieces ($3/board)
$ 8.00 2 - 1x6 8' pieces ($4/board)
$21.00 2 - 3x5 1/2" Hardie board ($10.50/ea)
$22.00 1 gal Drylock
$ 4.00 1 tube Silicone GE 1
$ 4.50 1 tube Quad
$40~ Glass - 3/8" thick, 48x17 (size rounded up) (Estimate from Glasscages.com, undelivered)
114.50 TOTAL
Incidentals:
Screws(~$10-15) (2.5", 1.5", 1.25", 1"), Glue (Liquid Nails, $1.60/tube), Bondo (~$10)
Same Size All-glass from Glasscages, $140 including shipping ($110 before shipping)
1x6 Cuts:
1: 52", 22", 19" - 3" left
2: 52", 22" - 22" left
2x4 Cuts:
1: 52", 19"x2 - 6" left
2: 52", 19"x2 - 6" left
3: 52", 18"x2 - 8" left
4: 52", 18"x2 - 8" left
5: 18"x5 - 6" left
Hardieboard (60x36) Cuts:
1: 49"x19", 49"x17" - 11" left one way, no spare the other. (11x36)
2: 49"x17", 17"x18"x2 - 11" left one way, 1 or 2" between the other.
Lid/cover sizes: Left to right: 21.75", 19" front to back.