I have been keeping fish for over 10 years and a year ago I took everything down when I moved into a new house with plans to set it back up. However the lack or upkeep made me decide not to keep fish any more. Well I've been watching The King of DIY and think I may have to start again. This time I'm only doing one tank and it needs to be large with all the plumbing for simple water changes. The house I'm in now has a concrete basement (garden level) so I finally feel safe going over 130g. I'm going to finish the basement over the next year or two and have a corner dedicated to a tank/room. Plan is to put an 8ft plywood tank a few feet from the wall and frame it in as a mechanical room with drywall so nothing from the outside will be open.
So the input I'd like to figure out.
1. Sealant. What should I line the tank with? I need to do this so there is no chance of a leak and I hear about coating's flaking off over time or cracking. (the house was built in 1971 so the floor shouldn't be moving)
2. Window size and type. What size would be the most cost effective to build? Figuring out a window seams to be the most expensive part, going off random google searches the panels that are recommended can easily cost $1k. I'm thinking 8x4x4 or smaller to keep it all inside of a sheet of wood. Window only on one side and I don't mind a thick border around the window. What thickness and type. Also advice on finding an affordable window would be nice.
3. Construction advice. I would like to build a 2x4 frame on every side of this tank and fasten the plywood to it for extra insurance against a leak.
4. Filtration. I just went through an old PW thread and the OP had a section of the tank separate with an overflow and internal filtration. I like this idea to keep the tank sealed to prevent heat loss. Otherwise I was thinking of a 75g fluidized filter.
Sorry if this stuff comes up a lot but it's very hard to find information and I don't want to wing it when there will be hundreds of gallons ready to end up on the floor.
So the input I'd like to figure out.
1. Sealant. What should I line the tank with? I need to do this so there is no chance of a leak and I hear about coating's flaking off over time or cracking. (the house was built in 1971 so the floor shouldn't be moving)
2. Window size and type. What size would be the most cost effective to build? Figuring out a window seams to be the most expensive part, going off random google searches the panels that are recommended can easily cost $1k. I'm thinking 8x4x4 or smaller to keep it all inside of a sheet of wood. Window only on one side and I don't mind a thick border around the window. What thickness and type. Also advice on finding an affordable window would be nice.
3. Construction advice. I would like to build a 2x4 frame on every side of this tank and fasten the plywood to it for extra insurance against a leak.
4. Filtration. I just went through an old PW thread and the OP had a section of the tank separate with an overflow and internal filtration. I like this idea to keep the tank sealed to prevent heat loss. Otherwise I was thinking of a 75g fluidized filter.
Sorry if this stuff comes up a lot but it's very hard to find information and I don't want to wing it when there will be hundreds of gallons ready to end up on the floor.