Concrete/cinder block tank construction
- Thread starter Yanbbrox
- Start date
One of the things I've been woundering about is how and what do I make the frame of the tank out of and how do I get the glass to stay in the frame and how the frame relates to the Cinder block fish tank?
I've found that a regular eight inch wide cinder block in my area is a $1.50 US while a broad gauge wide cinder block which is 12 to 14 inches wide would be $2.50 I'm thinking about building the fish tank out of broad gauge cinder blocks with rebar in them. I'm also woundering could I paint the rebar in pound armor to protect it angist rust? Or would pound armor covered rebar hurt the cement and the fish tank over time?
This book I own on foundations and footings tells me that I'm going to have to have the base of the tank that the cinder blocks will sit on will have to be built below the frost line. So It might be that I might build the tank and have the tank be a foot or two deeper then the living room it will look into do to the tank's base having to sit below the frost line. The foundation that the fish tank would sit on would also have to have it's own drainage system to keep outside ground water from getting near the outside of the base of it.
I've found that a regular eight inch wide cinder block in my area is a $1.50 US while a broad gauge wide cinder block which is 12 to 14 inches wide would be $2.50 I'm thinking about building the fish tank out of broad gauge cinder blocks with rebar in them. I'm also woundering could I paint the rebar in pound armor to protect it angist rust? Or would pound armor covered rebar hurt the cement and the fish tank over time?
This book I own on foundations and footings tells me that I'm going to have to have the base of the tank that the cinder blocks will sit on will have to be built below the frost line. So It might be that I might build the tank and have the tank be a foot or two deeper then the living room it will look into do to the tank's base having to sit below the frost line. The foundation that the fish tank would sit on would also have to have it's own drainage system to keep outside ground water from getting near the outside of the base of it.
"I can't see how you are not taking a huge risk with this type of design, even so the more and more I think about planning the tank I think this could be the way to go, it's going into a house extension and for this reason I think it could be the answer as I can get the vertical rebar installed into the house foundations, rather than drilling them in after it's built?"
"interested if there are any other info/opinions.. "
If you are planning to pre-form the tank when the house is built why not just use poured cement and rebar?
Concreate block are just lightened (in the middles) cement that needs to be filled for resisting vertical force.
Shaping for the veiwing windows and pre-installing design features to suit your application would also be easier and less likley to leak.
"interested if there are any other info/opinions.. "
If you are planning to pre-form the tank when the house is built why not just use poured cement and rebar?
Concreate block are just lightened (in the middles) cement that needs to be filled for resisting vertical force.
Shaping for the veiwing windows and pre-installing design features to suit your application would also be easier and less likley to leak.
I read in my foundation book that if the rebar is put into the cement while it is wet it will be stronger then if it was drilled in. Also when you build a wood frame on a house foundation you are supost to put rebar or bolts in so that when you put the wooden fames on top you can bolt them right on top of the cinder blocks or cement. I plan to stick the rebar into the fish tank foundation when I build my fish tank too.
hello there
i built my 1800 gal uk with 400 gal filter from ordinary blocks on there flat 9" wide.walls where built on an 8" concrete base,a channel cutin the base to key in the first row of blocks.the block walls where 40" high with a 9x6" reinforced lintel right around top of the tank and 2 pillars with rebar.the inside was rendered and glassfibered with 1layer of 8oz cloth and 1 layer of fiberglass tissue then atopcoat was applied all polyester resin.the 19mm glas for the windows 3" wider on each side than the hole was just siliconed to the inside of the tank,each pain of glass resting on 2 small pillars as the windows start 1 foot above floor level.i have had no problems so far,hope this may be of some help.
i built my 1800 gal uk with 400 gal filter from ordinary blocks on there flat 9" wide.walls where built on an 8" concrete base,a channel cutin the base to key in the first row of blocks.the block walls where 40" high with a 9x6" reinforced lintel right around top of the tank and 2 pillars with rebar.the inside was rendered and glassfibered with 1layer of 8oz cloth and 1 layer of fiberglass tissue then atopcoat was applied all polyester resin.the 19mm glas for the windows 3" wider on each side than the hole was just siliconed to the inside of the tank,each pain of glass resting on 2 small pillars as the windows start 1 foot above floor level.i have had no problems so far,hope this may be of some help.
i was thinking of using blocks and concrete etc. on my build but basically went for the plywood option because i am much more confident with my abilities using this material. the long term potential of rot on the small exposed external areas does cause concern, i think i covered it all in epoxy or fibre glass so should be ok.
for me, plywood and timber was way quicker and easier than concrete/blocks would have been, add into the equation i'm inpatient too! however i would like to have another much much bigger tank in the future and would def like to try the concrete/block method.
now build it mate!
for me, plywood and timber was way quicker and easier than concrete/blocks would have been, add into the equation i'm inpatient too! however i would like to have another much much bigger tank in the future and would def like to try the concrete/block method.
now build it mate!
