Introduction:
Have you heard of Quirky.com, the site where you submit your invention ideas, and the online community collaboratively develops the design, marketing, etc. of the product and eventually the best ones are chosen for production? Well, I have an idea for a different take on the DIY tank, and thought it would be fun to collaborate here on this new system, eventually using the collective knowledge of the MFK community to come up with the best design. Then hopefully I (or someone else) will give it a try!
The problem:
Some of the inherent problems in the ol DIY plywood tank that have kept me from taking the plunge are:
1- The permanence of the structure means it cannot easily be moved, removed or sold. What if I decide I want the tank in a different part of the house? Or a different house altogether? What if I decide I actually need a tank twice the size of this one, do I now have to rip the whole thing apart and start over with nothing to show for it?
2- The fact that a large plywood tank, in large part, needs to be built in place either because it is too big to get through a doorway, or because of the permanence thing. Harsh chemical vapors aside, if I want to take my merry time building this thing, is my living room, basement, man cave, etc. going to become a construction zone for 6 months (or two years ☺
?
3- The fear that the DIY tank will not be reliable or last long enough to be worth it.
The Idea:
The basic idea is to make the tank out of sandwiched fiberglass and foam pieces that bolt together. Sort of like a giant, oddly shaped DIY surfboard. Each piece will have extrusions allowing them to be bolted together outside of the tank, and then they can be sealed from the inside as if it was a standard glass tank. Each piece should be light enough and small enough to be easily* moved when its time to assemble the tank. If made correctly, the idea is that it could be built off site (as close as the garage or as far away needed), easily taken apart and moved or stored, etc. Perhaps this has already been done, or is something professional tank builders do all the time. (For a similar build, see http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?172274-DIY-600-Gallon-Tank) If you know of something similar, please let me know.
The design:
My tank features a front that includes an 8 viewing window and two ~4 windows that stretch back at 45 degrees. The back is a semi circle making a somewhat oval design. At 30 deep, it is somewhere around 1100 gallons. The top and bottom basically sandwich the front and back into a track within those pieces. The idea is that the extrusions of each piece would line up and have a bolt put through that holds them together adding strength and rigidity. I would like to try and keep the top as open as possible, but my design and other designs may need bracing across the top.
Lets collaborate:
Here are some questions we, as a community, can collaborate on. Most of them are specific to this type of build, not this specific design. Lets just focus on build technique and design first. We can talk about plumbing, filtration, stock, lighting, etc. down the line. I will keep track of the ideas, and eventually compile them into 1 doc.
1. Making a tank from sandwiched foam:
a. Does anyone have experience using this technique? What are your concerns? Does anyone have any resources we can use to calculate the strength of such a design?
b. Should the foam be framed in wood or metal? Should there be interior framing? How much space between studs? Should areas where there will be plumbing be reinforced?
c. Is foam and epoxy fiberglass form sufficient? What about doing fiberglass and epoxy over a sandwich of ¼ ply foam ¼ ply?
d. How wide should the sandwich be? My design has 1.5 for all the pieces except the front, which is 2.5
2. Attaching the pieces together:
a. The idea was that the pieces would be bolted together. The pieces could be designed such that the extrusions are the same as the rest: sandwich fiberglass. Alternatively, metal brackets could be installed into the pieces and the brackets could be bolted together.
b. The idea was to seal the pieces together with silicon, as if assembling a glass tank. Is there a better sealant to be used? One that still allows the tank to be disassembled?
3. Installing the viewing panels
Of course there are plenty of opinions on the glass vs. acrylic question. But how does the material used effect the following questions:
b. Recessing the window: my design calls for the 2.5 foam sandwich to be recessed and the window installed into that recess, so that it is level on the inside. Is this necessary? How much overlap should there be? Does the size of the window effect this?
c. Should the window be permanently installed on the front piece? If so, should it be fiber glassed right in? Pros of this would be hopefully a more reliable seal. Cons would be adding weight to the piece and if something happens to the window, a harder fix. Perhaps more chance of damage too, not to mention added weight.
d. If not glassed in, how should the window be sealed in place? If glass, is silicon and water pressure sufficient? If acrylic, how could that be sealed in place?
OK, thats a lot to get us started. We can move on to stand, trim and hood after resolving these seminal issues.
Have you heard of Quirky.com, the site where you submit your invention ideas, and the online community collaboratively develops the design, marketing, etc. of the product and eventually the best ones are chosen for production? Well, I have an idea for a different take on the DIY tank, and thought it would be fun to collaborate here on this new system, eventually using the collective knowledge of the MFK community to come up with the best design. Then hopefully I (or someone else) will give it a try!
The problem:
Some of the inherent problems in the ol DIY plywood tank that have kept me from taking the plunge are:
1- The permanence of the structure means it cannot easily be moved, removed or sold. What if I decide I want the tank in a different part of the house? Or a different house altogether? What if I decide I actually need a tank twice the size of this one, do I now have to rip the whole thing apart and start over with nothing to show for it?
2- The fact that a large plywood tank, in large part, needs to be built in place either because it is too big to get through a doorway, or because of the permanence thing. Harsh chemical vapors aside, if I want to take my merry time building this thing, is my living room, basement, man cave, etc. going to become a construction zone for 6 months (or two years ☺
? 3- The fear that the DIY tank will not be reliable or last long enough to be worth it.
The Idea:
The basic idea is to make the tank out of sandwiched fiberglass and foam pieces that bolt together. Sort of like a giant, oddly shaped DIY surfboard. Each piece will have extrusions allowing them to be bolted together outside of the tank, and then they can be sealed from the inside as if it was a standard glass tank. Each piece should be light enough and small enough to be easily* moved when its time to assemble the tank. If made correctly, the idea is that it could be built off site (as close as the garage or as far away needed), easily taken apart and moved or stored, etc. Perhaps this has already been done, or is something professional tank builders do all the time. (For a similar build, see http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?172274-DIY-600-Gallon-Tank) If you know of something similar, please let me know.
The design:
My tank features a front that includes an 8 viewing window and two ~4 windows that stretch back at 45 degrees. The back is a semi circle making a somewhat oval design. At 30 deep, it is somewhere around 1100 gallons. The top and bottom basically sandwich the front and back into a track within those pieces. The idea is that the extrusions of each piece would line up and have a bolt put through that holds them together adding strength and rigidity. I would like to try and keep the top as open as possible, but my design and other designs may need bracing across the top.
Lets collaborate:
Here are some questions we, as a community, can collaborate on. Most of them are specific to this type of build, not this specific design. Lets just focus on build technique and design first. We can talk about plumbing, filtration, stock, lighting, etc. down the line. I will keep track of the ideas, and eventually compile them into 1 doc.
1. Making a tank from sandwiched foam:
a. Does anyone have experience using this technique? What are your concerns? Does anyone have any resources we can use to calculate the strength of such a design?
b. Should the foam be framed in wood or metal? Should there be interior framing? How much space between studs? Should areas where there will be plumbing be reinforced?
c. Is foam and epoxy fiberglass form sufficient? What about doing fiberglass and epoxy over a sandwich of ¼ ply foam ¼ ply?
d. How wide should the sandwich be? My design has 1.5 for all the pieces except the front, which is 2.5
2. Attaching the pieces together:
a. The idea was that the pieces would be bolted together. The pieces could be designed such that the extrusions are the same as the rest: sandwich fiberglass. Alternatively, metal brackets could be installed into the pieces and the brackets could be bolted together.
b. The idea was to seal the pieces together with silicon, as if assembling a glass tank. Is there a better sealant to be used? One that still allows the tank to be disassembled?
3. Installing the viewing panels
Of course there are plenty of opinions on the glass vs. acrylic question. But how does the material used effect the following questions:
b. Recessing the window: my design calls for the 2.5 foam sandwich to be recessed and the window installed into that recess, so that it is level on the inside. Is this necessary? How much overlap should there be? Does the size of the window effect this?
c. Should the window be permanently installed on the front piece? If so, should it be fiber glassed right in? Pros of this would be hopefully a more reliable seal. Cons would be adding weight to the piece and if something happens to the window, a harder fix. Perhaps more chance of damage too, not to mention added weight.
d. If not glassed in, how should the window be sealed in place? If glass, is silicon and water pressure sufficient? If acrylic, how could that be sealed in place?
OK, thats a lot to get us started. We can move on to stand, trim and hood after resolving these seminal issues.
