3/4th's thick enough

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
You never feel like redecorating?

My tank is 32 inches from lip to substrate and 48 inches wide and I find it difficult to reach in the center of the tank. Scrubbing the bottom of the glass isn't too bad. With it only being filled 28 inches deep with a sand substrate, I only have to use spray bars to keep the detritus suspended.

Do you use a lot of under gravel jets or top down circulation?
 
I cant redecorate to much alot of crazy swimmers who like to hit things when spooked.

The cascade 1000 and magnum 250 keep things in the water moving, I have a bubble wand and a 300gph power head keeping things off the gravel. And they are always sifting through the gravel so thats just a added bonus.
 
well my final size is 8'x4'x30" and 3/4" will be fine? Im going to do some sort of framing for it so it has extra support. Im just worried about the glass. Im no expert when it comes to that. Ive had some people around here tell me to use plexi. Now when I think of plexi I think of some cheap bendable peice of plastic.

I was going to go crazy and use up this wall with no meaning and do a 12'x8'x4' Figure I should start "small" on my first build.:grinno: Besides with that 8' tank I should be fine for a bit, and that wall over there with no meaning will be a HUGE pond. Thats going to look soooo good when its done. I'll be swimming with my fish soon enough:headbang2
 
Go with Lexan and make your tank bullet proof lol. I am sure you can get away with 3/8" lexan sheet. I would go with 3/4" Plywood with 9 plys instead of industrial 5 ply. It gives it a little more rigid strength. Or go with 1" 9 ply. If I were you I'd wrap a frame around the tanks plywood skeleton though. 1x4's would do nicely for added security and for a mid brace in the center of the tank a 1x10" or better yet 3 1x8" going down the length of the tank. Rmember if you are fiberglassing the corners or whole tank that will give you alot more resistance against pressure. If I were you I would biscuit join and wood screw the frame together and maybe 3 lag bolts going up each side to make the tank solid.
 
OK thats what I thought, But I just wanted to make sure. Thanks everyone. In about a week I will have all my wood and stuff, excpet the glass, Im going to get that more to the end of the project.

I have a few more questions though. What do I use to hold the wood together? Nails? And can I use fiber glass to water proof the wood? Thanks
 
Cross127;1400926; said:
Go with Lexan and make your tank bullet proof lol. I am sure you can get away with 3/8" lexan sheet. I would go with 3/4" Plywood with 9 plys instead of industrial 5 ply. It gives it a little more rigid strength. Or go with 1" 9 ply. If I were you I'd wrap a frame around the tanks plywood skeleton though. 1x4's would do nicely for added security and for a mid brace in the center of the tank a 1x10" or better yet 3 1x8" going down the length of the tank. Rmember if you are fiberglassing the corners or whole tank that will give you alot more resistance against pressure. If I were you I would biscuit join and wood screw the frame together and maybe 3 lag bolts going up each side to make the tank solid.
Click to expand...

You answered all my question before I even got to post it lol. Thanks
 
Fiberglass is best for reinforcing the wood. I did two layers of fiberglass and then 4 layers of epoxy. It adds strength to any corners and also a little puncture strength in case you have falling rocks in the tank.

I used deck screws but it wasn't a totally plywood tank. I used more lumber than ply.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom