100 Gallon glass and hardwood tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Plecostic, no, I used hardiboard and drylok to waterproof the tank, I dont think I would ever just put drylok on plywood alone, the hardiboard I believe to be the saving grace of drylok.

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Here is the 4' section with just an overhead light, looks much better.
I have the short end complete, I will put it together and install tomorrow when the silicone drys.
Then I have a half 5 gallon bucket to fill with sand and put in the corner of the tank for the turtle, attaching to both pieces of the background, leaving a lip above the water to keep the sand dry.

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Just made a Home Depo run for some more plumbing fittings and some primer. I will finish the background and plumbing tonight. I decided to tint the drylok again and put another coat or two to darken up the bright lime green it is now. And I will be putting the trim on and priming it in the next day or two....getting closer.

I am looking for a local Aquarium club here in Pensacola, FL.......anyone?
 
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Dont know if you can see it, but I think I caught a major problem before it happened. It looks like some of the cauling or drylok pealed up in on spot. I tinted the drylok and put another coat on, and will put another coat later tonight.
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Here is what the bottom side looks like, the pump will pump to the undersubstrate jets, but also be diverted to both of the drawer towers that will hold a drawer for biological filtration and a 7 gallon trashcan that dumps into the sump.

Almost done, wife went to go get paint she wants the outside to be......
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Here is the back of the tank, the water will go through somekind of mechanical filtration before entering sump and then the biological, but I havent figured that out yet.

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Finally have day off. My leg is getting better, still hard to walk,but I am managing.

I got the wood for the new doors and will trim and paint, as well as the trim for the tank itself.

Still looking for a local club around the panhandle of florida.......
 
This is the first I have heard of using hardieboard and drylock, and I must say it is brilliant. I hope it lasts and lasts for you, and if it does I see one of these in my future.
 
Thanks Secretninja, I refilled it last night to check all the levels and such, threw in (2) 3.5 in goldies, the 3d background(almost complete), and let it run all night, the fish are alive and the water is clear. I am still trying to figure out how to trim this thing out...i used all recycled materials, so I have alot of elevation changes to deal with.
 
update:

after reading through everything I can find about Drylok and aquariums, this is what I found and what I am doing....

I found alot of DIYer's are against Drylok due to them installing improperly. Drylok is a concrete product. It will NOT adhere to plywood for a long period of time without failing. 1/4inch Hardi board is thin, light, and cheap. For $50, I bought a gallon of Drylok and 3 pieces of Hardiboard. For my 112 gallon tank with 2 viewing windows, I got 7 coats down with a little left in the can. So for $50 bucks, I waterproofed a tank. That being said, my tank is still in the garage, full of water, pump, heater, and several goldfish. I will leave it there until Feb 1st, which I believe if the tank would have failed, It would have by now.

I am still working on the background, and painting the tank exterior.
 
toweraquaticservices said:
Drylok is a concrete product. It will NOT adhere to plywood for a long period of time without failing.
Click to expand...
The reason I'm putting my ply/drylok tank to the test. Its been a year and still no issue. If it fails, I will let the community know as a source of reference to those who are planning to use it.
 
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