Id like to build a 11' long by 5' wide by 3' tall outside dimension tank with one 8' by 2' glass or acrylic window on one side. What is the best material to use ? I really dont want to worry about a failure and want this to be a quality build. Im good with most materials but i can not touch epoxy im very allergic to it.
900 gallon custom tank material
- Thread starter dingodan
- Start date
What's the biggest plywood aquarium?
am i crazy for wanting to build a plywood tank 12ft x8ft x5ft? picked a spot out in the basement
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Not sure if you have had a chance to check this out but there are some ideas here.
Thanks. Im still not sure about the waterproofing process. I see alot of builds with different techniques but unless i know the tank held water for 20 years im not sold. This will be for big fish so abbrasion resistance is key for me.
I should say i dont mind using small amounts of epoxy if i have to but a full multi coat epoxied tank would be a nightmare for me
Id be worried fish can slowly pick away at any sort of rubber. I dont know much about pond armour what makes it different than other epoxies? How well does it bond to things like plywood, fiberglass (i intend to use on seams) and silicone? I have heard people have difficulty with it's thick viscosity do you have experience with it?
First - those dimensions would be in the range of 1240 gallons, not 900.
Second - any particular reason for those dimensions? I ask because if you're going to do plywood, those are some funky dimensions. Lumber comes in even dimensions (8 feet up through 20 usually), and plywood sheets are 8x4. You certainly could do 11x5, but it's going to be a lot more work on your part with cuts. There will also be a lot more waste.
If you want to go wood - I would use 2x8s as the flooring frame, and cover that with 3/4" plywood surrounded by 2x4s. Then go around stacking and interlocking 2x4s to build up the walls. Line the inside with 1/2" plywood, and build the front framing for the window with 4x4 posts. Run some of those 4x4s across the top for bracing too. That will be your wooden shell.
To seal it, cover all the screw holes with epoxy, then epoxy the tank. Pond Armor is what's typically used, but there are other options out there. Do the seams, then roll over the entire tank, then do the seams again and fiberglass them. Repeat this until the epoxy is as thick as you want it - at least 10mm thick. You could fiberglass the entire inside of the tank, this is going to be a lot more labor intensive but will give you added insurance for sealing and strength - up to you.
Then for your window, prime the space and silicone it, and then use posts to put pressure to hold the windows on. Pretty much all there is to it.
Read this start to finish:
This is pretty much the best plywood tank ever built IMO, it went 5 years without any complications (was only taken down because the homeowners didn't want it anymore). Rich is a member on here, but hasn't been around in quite some time. I've spoken to him several times about the design of this tank. He covers everything in that PDF in near perfect detail, but if you have any questions I can probably answer them, or I can PM you his email and I'm sure he'd be willing to help you out.
Second - any particular reason for those dimensions? I ask because if you're going to do plywood, those are some funky dimensions. Lumber comes in even dimensions (8 feet up through 20 usually), and plywood sheets are 8x4. You certainly could do 11x5, but it's going to be a lot more work on your part with cuts. There will also be a lot more waste.
If you want to go wood - I would use 2x8s as the flooring frame, and cover that with 3/4" plywood surrounded by 2x4s. Then go around stacking and interlocking 2x4s to build up the walls. Line the inside with 1/2" plywood, and build the front framing for the window with 4x4 posts. Run some of those 4x4s across the top for bracing too. That will be your wooden shell.
To seal it, cover all the screw holes with epoxy, then epoxy the tank. Pond Armor is what's typically used, but there are other options out there. Do the seams, then roll over the entire tank, then do the seams again and fiberglass them. Repeat this until the epoxy is as thick as you want it - at least 10mm thick. You could fiberglass the entire inside of the tank, this is going to be a lot more labor intensive but will give you added insurance for sealing and strength - up to you.
Then for your window, prime the space and silicone it, and then use posts to put pressure to hold the windows on. Pretty much all there is to it.
Read this start to finish:
This is pretty much the best plywood tank ever built IMO, it went 5 years without any complications (was only taken down because the homeowners didn't want it anymore). Rich is a member on here, but hasn't been around in quite some time. I've spoken to him several times about the design of this tank. He covers everything in that PDF in near perfect detail, but if you have any questions I can probably answer them, or I can PM you his email and I'm sure he'd be willing to help you out.
What is your planned filtration with the shark? Planned tankmates?
Either species you mentioned should do fine in an 11x5. If you go smaller, I would nix the bamboo idea (assuming you're talking about a brown banded bamboo). There are plenty of species that would fit in, say, a 10x4 or 8x4 though. 12x6 gives you almost every species available in the hobby.
Either species you mentioned should do fine in an 11x5. If you go smaller, I would nix the bamboo idea (assuming you're talking about a brown banded bamboo). There are plenty of species that would fit in, say, a 10x4 or 8x4 though. 12x6 gives you almost every species available in the hobby.