Hey everyone, I decided to chronicle my plywood build here, and I have lots of pics. I figure i'm about 1/4 of the way finished. I took alot of notes on here on how other people were building their tanks, and I have to say if mine turns out half as good as some i've seen on here i'll be happy.
The outside dimensions of the tank are 74" wide, 32" deep, and 27 1/2" high. I'm using 5 ply 3/4" plywood, and 1/2" thick glass from a 135 gallon aquarium. I fiberglassed the inside corners of the tank,with the exception of the front where the viewing glass will be, with fiberglass mesh tape, and poly resin. I used PL construction adhesive, and screwed every 2" to hold everything together. I'm going to seal the tank with sweetwater epoxy and then use liquid rubber on the bottom of the tank and about 2" up the sides to keep any sand, or gravel from scratching up the epoxy.
For the stand I really didn't have any plans, I just built it and planned as I went. I think it will be plenty sturdy. I framed the 4 corners with 4x4's, and then built joists out of
2x6s. To hold the 2x6's up I braced them with 2x4's, then added another 2x4 on each side for more support. Between the 2x6 joists I added cross bracing. I wanted to leave the top of the stand open so if there was ever a leak I would see it as soon as possible. I then braced each vertical beam with 2x4's cut at 45 degree angles for added rigidity. Then I primed and painted the inside of the tank with latex paint to stop any humidity from the open sump that will be going in the tank from damaging the structural intergrity of the stand. I plan on using a clear plastic on top of the stand, and under the the tank to act as a vapor barrier to keep any humidity from damaging the bottom of the tank.
Well thats enough blabbing, on to the pics. Hope you like. Sorry the pics aren't in the best order. I uploaded them all at once to save time, and didn't reorganise them.
The basic tank
2x2's will hold the bottom, and side of the glass in.
Top brace supports
Top brace
Top corner supports
I had to sand all this off. It turns out I suck at fiberglassing
Fiberglassing corner
Corners fiberglassed
This is how I found out how big I could make the tank. I made a templet to see what I could fit through the dorr, then spin to get it down the stairs.
My helper.
Tank ready for Epoxy
The stand
The outside dimensions of the tank are 74" wide, 32" deep, and 27 1/2" high. I'm using 5 ply 3/4" plywood, and 1/2" thick glass from a 135 gallon aquarium. I fiberglassed the inside corners of the tank,with the exception of the front where the viewing glass will be, with fiberglass mesh tape, and poly resin. I used PL construction adhesive, and screwed every 2" to hold everything together. I'm going to seal the tank with sweetwater epoxy and then use liquid rubber on the bottom of the tank and about 2" up the sides to keep any sand, or gravel from scratching up the epoxy.
For the stand I really didn't have any plans, I just built it and planned as I went. I think it will be plenty sturdy. I framed the 4 corners with 4x4's, and then built joists out of
2x6s. To hold the 2x6's up I braced them with 2x4's, then added another 2x4 on each side for more support. Between the 2x6 joists I added cross bracing. I wanted to leave the top of the stand open so if there was ever a leak I would see it as soon as possible. I then braced each vertical beam with 2x4's cut at 45 degree angles for added rigidity. Then I primed and painted the inside of the tank with latex paint to stop any humidity from the open sump that will be going in the tank from damaging the structural intergrity of the stand. I plan on using a clear plastic on top of the stand, and under the the tank to act as a vapor barrier to keep any humidity from damaging the bottom of the tank.
Well thats enough blabbing, on to the pics. Hope you like. Sorry the pics aren't in the best order. I uploaded them all at once to save time, and didn't reorganise them.
The basic tank
2x2's will hold the bottom, and side of the glass in.
Top brace supports
Top brace
Top corner supports
I had to sand all this off. It turns out I suck at fiberglassing
Fiberglassing corner
Corners fiberglassed
This is how I found out how big I could make the tank. I made a templet to see what I could fit through the dorr, then spin to get it down the stairs.
My helper.
Tank ready for Epoxy
The stand
