Cinder Block Built Fish Tanks?

[Ocean Railroader]

I have a questions about the idea of building a giant 2000 gallon plus tank out of the common cinder blocks you see at Lowes or Home Depot. Such as I thought would the idea hold water if I was to build a small sized out building out of cinder blocks. I could take a section of the building where the tank would go into and a small living room and build them both say three to six feet below the grade of the land with the fish tank out of cinder blocks built in a U shape with 2/3 with cinder blocks and the area facing the living room would be made out of two or three plannels of aylic. The part of it made out of cinder blocks would be burried in the earth and it would have a mix of earth and gravel holding up the cinder blocks angist the massive amounts of water in it.

I'm woundering if I where to try this idea I could buy the jumbo extrea wide common cinder blocks and then fill eatch one of the cells inside of them with rebar and cement.

If anyone has built a fish tank out of cinder blocks could you post photos of what your tank looks like being built or active?

 

[The1and only]

Go to the link below, it is to the articles section and look at the tanks made by JohnPTC

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=67

 

[Racersk]

It'll hold the weight for sure, but what are your plans for sealing the water in? Cement will wick up the water if untreated. There have been some good results with the plywood builds using a polymer spay on water proofer, works for most aplications, but it wouldn't be cheap for that kind of square footage. There would also be the standard pond liners, but I haven't looked into sealing the liner to the acrylic like your planning.

Good luck, sounds like quite the project!

 

[dogofwar]

Seems like Drylock would be easy and inexpensive to use...as well as sticks to silicone for attaching the glass.

Matt

 

[Ocean Railroader]

I've been hearing that pound armor sounds real good in that I have been seeing a lot of the giant tank people have been using it on here. The light blue stuff looks good.

 

[LivLyfHvFun]

I'm building a 10'X10' Lagoon (front corner is 45 degree cut) in my front formal room made of 8"x8"x16' cinder blocks for my breeding sharks, eels, rays and large fish. I'm going 5 courses high ( water level will only be around 4 courses high due to the weight on a post tension slab that my house sits on). The front will be only be one course and at the turn it will rise to the 5 courses. In that opening, I'm installing a 2" thick piece of acrylic glass (roughly 4'X6'). I have drilled 1"-2" deep holes (as not to hit the cables in the post tension slab) in line with every third hole in the cinder block and 2 holes at every corner to epoxy 1/2" vertical rebar. between every horizontal course will be a 3/8" rebar wired to the vertical 1/2" rebar's. After the course's are finished, I am going to fill each open core with cement. I am going to pour a slab outside my back wall 5'X8'. I will frame this in as a room to house my 8' self cleaning protein skimmer and a sump 4 course's high made of 4"x8"x16" cinder blocks (roughly 4'X6' for chambered sections containing Refugium, miracle mud, 2 plant grow bulbs, 2'X4' natural skylight and 90 gallon per day R/O system w/ auto top off and double doors entry). Also installing a 3" ball valve through exterior wall in case there's ever the need to drain fast. In Lagoon I'm installing a gutter style drain box at the level as to not let the lagoon water exceed the 4 block high line. The box has an exit size of 4" the I will reduce to a 3" PVC pipe going along side and attached to the exterior brick with proper fall back to the sump room (house). Water will fill the Lagoon up and through the attic and back down into lagoon with an 1 1/2" pool style hosing (ribbed exterior, smooth interior) as for the preventative leaks using PVC with joints ( in an attic would not be good ). Finished Lagoon room will be water style tiles around face of Lagoon itself with Kimeko style aquatic stained concrete floor along the remainder of the great room ( with sand islands and Turquoise, Teal and royal blue water effect). Also along opposite wall will be my 600 gallon acrylic will be inset into the wall after having three sides foamed inside the tank and a second over flow added at opposite end and shelf rock mounted at different levels along the three sides foamed for a reef system with 400 gallon Refugium. After this room is done I will build a 200 Gallon 3 sided tank for Jelly fish and finally set up my fish tank toilet for sea horses. Will be posting pics as progress go's along. Have carpet out and first course of blocks now.

 

[Ocean Railroader]

Could you post some photos of this fish tank under construction I would really like to see it being built in that this could help me build my fish tank? Here is my current plan for my dream fish tank http://browse.deviantart.com/art/5-000-Gallon-to-10-000-Gallon-Cinder-Block-Tank-325380554 out of cinder blocks.

But right now I'm looking at putting up a large steel garage like building for a train room idea of mine and when I built it I plan to have my dream fish tank poured along with the concert foundation of the steel building if I get to build the steel building.