Whoa... looks well built. I wish I had the courage and dedication to build a plywood tank. In for progress updates.
300gal plywood paludarium project
- Thread starter the_deeb
- Start date
Glass is in!
I installed each pane by pressing it in horizontally and then tipping the tank so the glass was facing down. I stacked a big pile books on top for weight. I only kept the weight on the glass for about 24hrs and then turned the tank back upright - I hope that was enough time. I used a lot of silicone (about 2 full tubes of GE-I per pane) which resulted in a bunch that was squeezed out and had to be cleaned up later. The seal looks pretty good but there are some small bubbles in a few spots (they are completely surrounded by silicone though so I don't think it should be a problem. I don't know if they were there to start with or if they formed because I didn't keep the pressure on the glass for longer.
You can also see the holes I drilled on the back for plumbing. They are 1.5" holes for 3/4" bulkheads. I drilled them a little oversized and then gave them 4-5 coatings of epoxy. They are still a little bit bigger than the bulkheads need so I may try to backfill them with silicone when I install the bulkheads to make absolutely sure I get no leaks. What do you guys think?
The bottom of the green tape on the back is approximately where the water level will be. The two holes on the right hand side of the pic are for drainage and the one on the left is for the submerged return. There are two more at the top left corner which will feed the dripwall returns but they aren't visible in the pic. The other hole that's slightly higher up on the right hand side will ultimately be connected to a fogger/humidifier.
I installed each pane by pressing it in horizontally and then tipping the tank so the glass was facing down. I stacked a big pile books on top for weight. I only kept the weight on the glass for about 24hrs and then turned the tank back upright - I hope that was enough time. I used a lot of silicone (about 2 full tubes of GE-I per pane) which resulted in a bunch that was squeezed out and had to be cleaned up later. The seal looks pretty good but there are some small bubbles in a few spots (they are completely surrounded by silicone though so I don't think it should be a problem. I don't know if they were there to start with or if they formed because I didn't keep the pressure on the glass for longer.
You can also see the holes I drilled on the back for plumbing. They are 1.5" holes for 3/4" bulkheads. I drilled them a little oversized and then gave them 4-5 coatings of epoxy. They are still a little bit bigger than the bulkheads need so I may try to backfill them with silicone when I install the bulkheads to make absolutely sure I get no leaks. What do you guys think?
The bottom of the green tape on the back is approximately where the water level will be. The two holes on the right hand side of the pic are for drainage and the one on the left is for the submerged return. There are two more at the top left corner which will feed the dripwall returns but they aren't visible in the pic. The other hole that's slightly higher up on the right hand side will ultimately be connected to a fogger/humidifier.
what are you planning to keep in here... the build looks emense. cant wait for the final outcome.
from wat i can see it looks like you will have turtles in it . im probably soo far off
from wat i can see it looks like you will have turtles in it . im probably soo far off
Thanks. I'm still not sure about inhabitants. A small turtle could be cool if I can find one that's primarily aquatic (doesn't need to bask), will play well with fish and won't wreck my DIY decor. Not sure if there are many that would fit the bill. I'd like to try PDFs for the emersed portion but am not in a situation where I can easily breed fruit flies. Oh well, we'll see. This thing's still a long way from having inhabitants.
I'm currently trying to sort out my plumbing. I think I have the drainage side pretty well figured out but am still working out details for the return side. I'm going to incorporate an inline heater and am trying to decide if I want to use a Hydor ETH or go with a "Snazzy" style DIY module.
DIY module plumbing design:
Hydor plumbing design:
With the Hydor only the outlet that returns to the aquatic section will be heated (the other returns go to the dripwall and don't really need to be heated. I think the Hydor would be easier to set up but I'm not sure whether the 5/8" tubing that it requires will be too restrictive to my flow rate.
I'm currently trying to sort out my plumbing. I think I have the drainage side pretty well figured out but am still working out details for the return side. I'm going to incorporate an inline heater and am trying to decide if I want to use a Hydor ETH or go with a "Snazzy" style DIY module.
DIY module plumbing design:
Hydor plumbing design:
With the Hydor only the outlet that returns to the aquatic section will be heated (the other returns go to the dripwall and don't really need to be heated. I think the Hydor would be easier to set up but I'm not sure whether the 5/8" tubing that it requires will be too restrictive to my flow rate.
Very cool build! What sort of lighting will you have?
Sternotherus odoratus is probably the closest you'll get to a turtle meeting your requirements. They're not super destructive, but would probably leave some claw marks in your decor. I'd skip the turtle.
Some of the temperate zone treefrogs like Hyla cinerea, H. versicolor/chrysoscelis, or H. arborea would be a better fit for the tank than dart frogs. They are hardy, not prone to drowning, eat larger prey, and don't require daily feeding.
Speaking of things from the temperate zone, you could always skip the heater and do a temperate tank. Lots of beautiful shiners, killies, sunfish, and darters available to you in NC.
Sternotherus odoratus is probably the closest you'll get to a turtle meeting your requirements. They're not super destructive, but would probably leave some claw marks in your decor. I'd skip the turtle.
Some of the temperate zone treefrogs like Hyla cinerea, H. versicolor/chrysoscelis, or H. arborea would be a better fit for the tank than dart frogs. They are hardy, not prone to drowning, eat larger prey, and don't require daily feeding.
Speaking of things from the temperate zone, you could always skip the heater and do a temperate tank. Lots of beautiful shiners, killies, sunfish, and darters available to you in NC.
I don't mean to double post, but I really like what you have done here, and look forward to more pictures when you have them!
