200g ply wood build

[Steve Manly]

right. im finally building a tank for myself and its plywood

the dimensions are 60" x 31" x 25", just under 200(us)G

i wish i could build bigger but i simply do not have the room!

ill be using the stand set up that i use for all of my aquariums, built to fit, of course. using 2 x 4's. approx 200 meters of 2x4 and 200 screws

im using 18mm exterior grade ply(weather proof) for the tank which will have the seams reinforced with fibre glass. the interior of the tank will be sealed with pond paint and all of rest the wood will be coated with clear laquer. stand included

im fitting a 100 gallon ply sump using a fluidized bed set up using roughed up straws as my fluidized media. these will be seeded with the scrubbies and ceramics from my current sump

im planning on using a pump that is capable of 1000gPH and am having the overflow and return exiting/returning from the sides. this is purely for ease of maintenance

the frame will be cladded using sealed plaster board with a ply wood lift off front panel, utilising picture hooks and magnets as the securing mechanism. once again, this for ease of maintenance.

this will then be wallpapered and skirted to fit in with the decor of the room

 

[Steve Manly]

well so far ive spent about 7 hours on the project and the construction is pretty much done. i just need to cut the front panel and secure.

i need to get some money in the bank as ive just realised im out of fibreglass and i get my supplies from ebay.

ill be ordering the paint and glass on monday!

ive taken a couple ofpiccies of the build so far, but cant find my phone! DOH

 

[Gill Blue]

the frame will be cladded using sealed plaster board with a ply wood lift off front panel, utilising picture hooks and magnets as the securing mechanism. once again, this for ease of maintenance.

I hope this translates into american as stand, or I'm seeing an issue.
sounds interesting. are you planning a step by step photo log? those are always fun to check out.
I get the size problem, I would love to have a 500G, but have to settle for half that.
is this your first one?

 

[Adamrhh]

sweet take some pics

 

[Steve Manly]

this is my first ply!

frame is defo stand. to me it only becomes the stand when its fully cladded and no longer looks like a house made of wood! LOL

ive got a few photos at the mo the only photo im missing is the one of me cutting the 2x4 to size in the BnQ (diy store) car park to fit into the Mrs' 3 door nissan micra. (along with the 3 x 8 x 4 cut to size sheets of 18mm external grade ply..........

 

[Steve Manly]

 

[Steve Manly]

the smallest piece of ply was 1820 x 788mm!

oh and im 6ft and 240lb

very comical

 

[Steve Manly]

the frst pic is of the basic frame i use when building stands.

the sheet materials are on top. i got the hardware store to cut it to size.
lesson learned about ply, do not store vertically. it warps. a couple of days laying down sorted this out

as you can see there are 8 uprights with the end at antagonist angles. this is so provide extra support as water undulates which in turn moves the stress points constantly.

its quite simple to make.
you need 4 lengths the exact length of the tank and 4 lengths the exact width of the tank - minus the thickness of the wood. top tip, measure ur wood (PMSL) do not take it at face value. also check the timber for straightness. sometimes ur wood can be bent to 1 side(LOL)
but seriously.....it can!

lay out the base timber, check that the ends are true, line it up, pre drill and screw together but not fully. repeat this process for all corner and also the top timber

place a corner support in place, pre drill holes on 1 side, wood glue and tighten...hard.
you can now repeat this process for the other side of the corner and then repeat the process for all the base uprights.

then simply turn it upside down and place it inside the top frame and repeat.

picture 2
this is the same stage just seen from the side. as you can see i use 4 screws on eack end or 3 if area is ltd. never less than 3

picture 3


picture 4
this is where the main support for the tank comes in. each upright is cladded on the outside with another 2x4. this is a nice snug fit. once again on the corners i add an antagonist angle for extra support

4 cross beams are added to the base. this is mainlt to support the sump. the sump will fit exactly between the 2 front middle uprights it will be 4 x 2 x 1.25 ft and will be a fludized bed using straws cut and roughed up and seeded with my current media
extra supports are then added to the top.

 

[littlewangzfan]

Nice! Subscribed.

 

[Steve Manly]

i would say that from experience, glass tanks are easier to put together, when you know how and have a set routine of doing it...

BUT

there is no way i would have been able to do this by myself if this was glass and i suppose more importantly, i simply would not be able to afford this size made of glass