Building a 150 Gallon Plywood Tank

[Michael C]

Hello everyone,

My name is Michael I am from Michigan and just signed up for the site.
I am thinking about building a 150-180 Gallon tank for my freshwater angels. I have priced everything and thought that the plywood tank is going to be the cheapest for the build and will fit in my budget while doing a lot of research I have found a lot of different things for waterproofing.

So my question is which would be better

Ruberizeit
Epoxy Paint
or Pond Armor

Please give me all the suggestions that you can as I want to get started as my current tank is starting to get a bit overcrowded and i got 3 females that have just laid there eggs and 3 males that are fertilizing the eggs.

 

[Michael C]

The Epoxy Paint is from Aquatic Eco Systems

 

[littlewangzfan]

I used Rubberizeit to seal my 280. Its been running for a year now without any problems. It is non toxic and easy to apply however it will stay tacky out of the water and turn brown underwater. It will not adhere to silicone but you'll be fine if you use fiberglass resin as a bridge between it and the silicone. I applied it directly to plywood and it worked great for me. Moved the tank a few times already and it still holds water and not a single leak. Monster Peacock used it on his build, I suggest you check out his thread. You will learn a lot from it. I speak from my experience with this product and I'm sure other members will chime in. Good luck in choosing the right product for your build. Hope this helps and welcome to MFK.

 

[Michael C]

I used Rubberizeit to seal my 280. Its been running for a year now without any problems. It is non toxic and easy to apply however it will stay tacky out of the water and turn brown underwater. It will not adhere to silicone but you'll be fine if you use fiberglass resin as a bridge between it and the silicone. I applied it directly to plywood and it worked great for me. Moved the tank a few times already and it still holds water and not a single leak. Monster Peacock used it on his build, I suggest you check out his thread. You will learn a lot from it. I speak from my experience with this product and I'm sure other members will chime in. Good luck in choosing the right product for your build. Hope this helps and welcome to MFK.

Thanks when i put in the glass i have heard different things about the silicone to glass did you have any of those problems?

 

[MonsterPeacock]

Thanks when i put in the glass i have heard different things about the silicone to glass did you have any of those problems?

I just finished my 400 gallon build using rubberizeit as well, in my thread I show and explain how to deal with the glass install. Look below at my Signature and clink on my 366 gallon DIY tank build. I think you'll find a lot of useful things throughout my build.

 

[littlewangzfan]

Thanks when i put in the glass i have heard different things about the silicone to glass did you have any of those problems?

No problems at all. Just remember, apply a generous amount and make sure you achieve at least 1/4" thickness of silicone between the fb resin and glass. Avoid air pockets and it is almost a guarantee that the installation will be a success.

 

[CJH]

I have priced everything and thought that the plywood tank is going to be the cheapest for the build and will fit in my budget...

So my question is which would be better

Ruberizeit
Epoxy Paint
or Pond Armor

You mention "cheapest and will fit in my budget" but the three choices you list are on the expensive side.

Ruberizeit is about 50% solids by volume, IIRC and needs to be applied to about 60 mils dried thickness for water-proofing. That means it will take the most material by far to waterproof a plywood. So even if it's the cheapest per gallon it could end up being the most expensive overall. But it is the only product of the three that doesn't require accurate mixing before application and that appeals to a lot of people.

Sweetwater Epoxy paint is about 70% solids but requires hazardous material shipping which adds to the cost. The upside is that it is know to waterproof at quite thin layers, meaning you'll need less material than Rubberizit. It also requires accurate mixing of part A and part B compounds and is quite smelly while it's curing. If you need to apply it in a ventilated area I would just rule it out.

What is the going rate for Pond Armor? I just checked their website and they have Pond Shield listed for $320 for a 1.5 gallon kit. Is that what you're considering? That's really expensive for an epoxy product. I haven't used it myself but some who have used it and other types of epoxy resins haven't liked how thick the Pond Armor/Shield is compared to other epoxy types. If this is what you had in mind it won't require haz-mat shipping costs. But unlike Sweetwater, it won't have a strong odor. But neither would any other 100% solids epoxy resin.

Have you priced Max ACR or the thin epoxy resin from US Composites?

 

[Michael C]

You mention "cheapest and will fit in my budget" but the three choices you list are on the expensive side.

Ruberizeit is about 50% solids by volume, IIRC and needs to be applied to about 60 mils dried thickness for water-proofing. That means it will take the most material by far to waterproof a plywood. So even if it's the cheapest per gallon it could end up being the most expensive overall. But it is the only product of the three that doesn't require accurate mixing before application and that appeals to a lot of people.

Sweetwater Epoxy paint is about 70% solids but requires hazardous material shipping which adds to the cost. The upside is that it is know to waterproof at quite thin layers, meaning you'll need less material than Rubberizit. It also requires accurate mixing of part A and part B compounds and is quite smelly while it's curing. If you need to apply it in a ventilated area I would just rule it out.

What is the going rate for Pond Armor? I just checked their website and they have Pond Shield listed for $320 for a 1.5 gallon kit. Is that what you're considering? That's really expensive for an epoxy product. I haven't used it myself but some who have used it and other types of epoxy resins haven't liked how thick the Pond Armor/Shield is compared to other epoxy types. If this is what you had in mind it won't require haz-mat shipping costs. But unlike Sweetwater, it won't have a strong odor. But neither would any other 100% solids epoxy resin.

Have you priced Max ACR or the thin epoxy resin from US Composites?

I have not priced the Max ACR of the thin epoxy resin yet. This is my first plywood tank so any help is better then nothing. I found some Pond Armor for about 300 for a gallon and a half. which covers way more then i would need it for as i understood from a few friends of mine

 

[Odotron]

Have you made your decision yet? Sweetwater, pond armor, or liquid rubber? I just built a 250g plywood aquarium and am trying to decide which to use- leaning toward the sweetwater as I have already coated the entire tank with Fiberglass resin with cloth at the seams. I have heard that this product bonds well to the resin....I will have to rough it up a little with sandpaper prior to application. Good luck with your build!!! Pics would be great!