950 Plywood/Acrylic Build on Wheels!

[Flaring Afro]

I don't understand what kind of emergency you have in mind. Ok, there's an electrical outlet behind it and I suppose it's possible it could catch fire somehow, but if you plan on still needing to drain the tank to move it, the wheels really aren't doing much to help, if anything at all. If there's water damage from above, run powerful fans through the wall and maybe behind the tank, no need to move it.

I just can't think of any reason why you'd need to move the drained tank where you couldn't just slowly drag the thing without wheels anyways, but in worrying about this you are making it extremely likely for a much larger emergency to happen. A child near the thing bursting could easily lead to death and the flood of water onto the outlet could cause a fire.

 

[paulW]

i dont think a complete rebuild would be needed, just remove the casters sand make sure the frame is level right?

Yea, I didn't look back at his progress. I was just saying, worst case, if he had to completely start over, it is worth it to avoid an accident. If he is able to salvage what he has, of course, that would be great. I don't want him to think that it is too late to turn back now. It's never too late to start over, if there is a safety concern.

 

[FisheadFrank]

Ok man, hopefully this project works out, we shall see if these casters will hold up, if not then you better have a pump and snorkel ready

As I mentioned before, even if the wheels fail there are bolts to support it. Thank you for your concern though.

Unfortunately, my guess is that this will be the end result. It might blow the seam the first time he fills it up, it might last a week, or a month, or maybe even a year (although I doubt it), but I think that this is what will become of it. I really hope I'm wrong. At the same time, I think that the OP has been given more warnings than he should need, many by much more experienced hobbyists than he is, and has ignored them all. This thread now has six pages and there is not a single post in there of someone agreeing that this is a good idea. Again, it's not too late for the OP to simply take the casters and lifting/leveling bolts off the bottom and just sit the tank flat on the floor, but for some reason he refuses to do so. Hopefully we can all still be viewing updated on this tank for years to come though.

Why would a seam blow? because the tank is on wheels? I dont see a logical explanation please explain...Thanks for your concern though. Also, I do not think it is fair to compare hobbyists to one another. Someone may have 30 years experience in keeping guppies in 10 gallon tanks and another hobbyist may have 5 years experience keeping 500+ gallon tanks. Completely different. Years don't mean much in my opinion...unless you know each hobbyist on a personal level, leave years of experience out. As I mentioned before just because no one has done this or seen it or agrees with it, that doesn't mean it won't work. Thank you

Yes, I did not point out.. when I said "leak", there is a strong possiblity of a catastrophic failure.

Hey OP, we are not trying to prove we are smarter than you or discourage you.. We are just trying to stop an accident. We are all here to learn from each other. I hope you reconsider your plan.

How could there be a catastrophic failure? Worst case scenario is that a wheel slowly crushes and the bolt picks up the extra weight....not a big deal. Thank you and if this is a huge mistake I hope you guys learn from it...

It's never too late man. Even if you have to start completely over, better to waste a couple hundred dollars in wood and lose some labor than to finish this project, only to fail.
A burst can cost thousands of dollars of damage to your house, plus the cost of dead fish, broken equipment (heaters and filters running dry).
Please consider..

No, it is too late...no one just hasn't caught on yet.....
Also, How would the tank just "burst"? Even if every single wheel failed at the exact same time the bolts will hold the tank up no problem. The levelers are rated at 5000 each and the bolts at some ridiculous rating like 20,000lbs each. Its no problem really

Plus it's a safety concern, what if you're in front on the tank when it bursts?

How is the tank just going to "burst"? The wheels, bolts, and all my supports aren't just going to disintegrate....Thanks for the concern though.

i dont think a complete rebuild would be needed, just remove the casters sand make sure the frame is level right?

No real reason to remove the casters, they will hold up just fine. Thanks for your concern though.

 

[FisheadFrank]

I don't understand what kind of emergency you have in mind. Ok, there's an electrical outlet behind it and I suppose it's possible it could catch fire somehow, but if you plan on still needing to drain the tank to move it, the wheels really aren't doing much to help, if anything at all. If there's water damage from above, run powerful fans through the wall and maybe behind the tank, no need to move it.

I just can't think of any reason why you'd need to move the drained tank where you couldn't just slowly drag the thing without wheels anyways, but in worrying about this you are making it extremely likely for a much larger emergency to happen. A child near the thing bursting could easily lead to death and the flood of water onto the outlet could cause a fire.

Besides emergencies as previously mentioned, If I ever want to move the tank with the fish still in it, I can. Yes if any tank failed with a child in front of it could injure the child. Why would my tank be any different then any other large aquarium? I already identified what would happen if a wheel slowly crushed, the bolts would hold up the tank. Please justify how this tank will just "burst"? I appreciate your concern though.

 

[celebrist]

Any more update pics
How long do you anticipate until you can fill the beast up?

 

[FisheadFrank]

Any more update pics
How long do you anticipate until you can fill the beast up?

More pics are coming soon and very soon

 

[Alexxxxsv14]

I can't wait to see this filled up and hope it all works out, that would be a lot of water to clean up. What are you stocking this beast up with anyways ?

 

[FisheadFrank]

Cut 1.25 inches x 1.5 inches off the corner of a 4x4, this is for the window to sit in flush with the wood. This will enable me to glue both the front of the window and sides of the window to get a good water tight seal. The aluminum piece is to support the bottomo of the acrylic window.
Built a little "side tank" that will hold the pumps.
Started putting up supports up to reach/support the acrylic window
The last pic shows the screws going into the 2x4's supporting the plywood

 

[FisheadFrank]

I can't wait to see this filled up and hope it all works out, that would be a lot of water to clean up. What are you stocking this beast up with anyways ?

Yes, it would be a lot of water. It all started with an albino channel cat that kept growing, and growing.. and growing lol. I would like to keep some native fish like Gar, Grass Pickerel, and Paddlefish as well.

 

[celebrist]

you craftsmanship is very good, other than the caster debate i don't think anyone could argue with that