300ish Gallon plywood - First attempt

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
So all filled up. Good news is the rubber pool paint is just as tough and waterproof as ever. I'm even able to use my fingertips to rub stuff off of it. It seems to have soaked into the first layer of wood and sealed it. So it has a bit of the wood grain texture but is slick, tough, and water proof.


Interesting stuff.
 
So good news and good news. My cheap ass waterproofing works like a champ and I just came up with the cash to finish this build so expect some massive photo and build updates in the near future.
 
Ok. Trying to get all my ducks in a row. Whats my best option for heating this thing. It's been a while since I looked at everything.

The formula I keep finding is 5 Watts per gallon which for my 300ish is about 1500 Watts which seems like a lot as I have ZERO trouble holding my 60 at proper temp with less then 5 watts per.

I've seen the titanium heaters up to 1000W and thinking an 800 or 1000 would be sufficient. I'm hoping to put the heater in the sump to reduce clutter in the tank and avoid any burn incidents.
 
I would bet a 500w titanium heater in the sump would be more than enough. It might have trouble bringing the tank quickly up to temp if you dump in a bunch of cold water during a water change, but then it will be less likely to cook all your fish if it fails for some reason.

I think anything more than 2wpg of heating power is pointless. I use a 150w on my 90g, I've got a 300w on my 125g (did have 2 of them, but that was just as a backup).

I'll have 500w on my 220g tank, but that's 2x 250w heaters. I like to have a backup just in case one burns out, or you do something stupid like shatter one during a water change (which I just did in my 125g).
 
Conner;4590121; said:
I would bet a 500w titanium heater in the sump would be more than enough. It might have trouble bringing the tank quickly up to temp if you dump in a bunch of cold water during a water change, but then it will be less likely to cook all your fish if it fails for some reason.

I think anything more than 2wpg of heating power is pointless. I use a 150w on my 90g, I've got a 300w on my 125g (did have 2 of them, but that was just as a backup).

I'll have 500w on my 220g tank, but that's 2x 250w heaters. I like to have a backup just in case one burns out, or you do something stupid like shatter one during a water change (which I just did in my 125g).
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Sounds good to me. I'll look into a 500-800 watt titanium. If need arises suck as a failure i have several 300W heaters in my collection. But the tank is in a climate controlled area which is at 72*. So worst case the temp will only drop a few degrees.

Thanks for the input. Hopefully I can order glass late this week.
 
Why not just use two 300 watt heaters you have?
Great build by the way just read through it and its exactly what I would like to build.
I'm a Contactor and figure Icould get everything cheap except the glass and pool paint.

I had a few questions.
-Did you say the pool paint was called Zavlar in Canada?
-At what point would a tank require external framing to re-enforce structure?
-Would you think it would be a good idea to weld angle iron on the corners, similar to the platic rims they use on glass tanks?

Thanks and keep up the work!
 
chris_zx2;4596119; said:
Why not just use two 300 watt heaters you have?
Because my 300's are old as dirt. But it is an option.
Great build by the way just read through it and its exactly what I would like to build.
I'm a Contactor and figure Icould get everything cheap except the glass and pool paint.

I had a few questions.
-Did you say the pool paint was called Zavlar in Canada?
There is a product called Zavlar from canada. The ameraican name escapes me at the moment. Liquid rubber I think. But that is NOT what I am using. I'm using a pool paint I found at my local ace hardware. More information can be found on it earlier in my thread. I can dig up the info if you like at a later time. Just post here.
-At what point would a tank require external framing to re-enforce structure?
For a plywood build anything 4 feet or longer should have some sort of support. In my case my tank is 6 feet long but the long side has full support at the bottom and full length of the top with my bracing design.
-Would you think it would be a good idea to weld angle iron on the corners, similar to the platic rims they use on glass tanks?
You'd have to be more specific. But if you used it as a frame all the way around the tank I don't see why not. It would help make it more rigid which is good and opens up your options for sealing the tank.

Thanks and keep up the work!
Click to expand...

Hope that helps.
 
Wow, just caught up on this build and man this cool! Inspiring me to build one of my own, have a retired Pop's with alot of spare time and an awesome wood working shop! Can you say "oh Dad!"...lol.
 
So I was able to shake my piggy bank hard enough and will be ordering the glass tomorrow or Friday. I need to triple check my measurements.
 
"The formula I keep finding is 5 Watts per gallon which for my 300ish is about 1500 Watts which seems like a lot as I have ZERO trouble holding my 60 at proper temp with less then 5 watts per."

There is no one size fits all formula... unless it allows you to plug in all the variables.

The loss of heat will be less (per gallon) in a plywood/glass tank than in a comparable all glass tank. Up to 8 times less I think...However having the top off will cause massive heat loss.

But if the ambient temp is close to the mark then there isn't much work for the heater to do anyway.

Open wet/dry sumps will cause alot of extra work, temp wise.
 
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