so I have been researching plywood tanks for awhile and have looked at many different designs and sizes. I would like to someday build one, but I was thinking about making it fit in a corner. I was thinking about using sheets of 4x8 plywood. one full sheet would be used for the front while another sheet would be cut in half and one would be used on each side at about a 45 degree angle then the back would be flat. This would create a trapizoid shape. I have not seen one this shape is there a reason for this? Im pretty sure it would not fit though a door but that is not a big deal I would build it in my basement and never plan to move it lol. I hope this makes sense to someone other than me. Throw me some thoughts about this tank.
different design of plywood tank
- Thread starter fishsticks1010
- Start date
fishsticks1010;4781943; said:
Assuming a 45* angle the depth front to back of this tank would only be about 34". I'm tired so feel free to check that math but if it's right it could make it through a lot of doorways. If the height of the tank is less than that then it could be turned on it's side and moved even more easily. Of course I'm not accounting for any external framing which would take up a lot of space if you needed to use it.
Cuts and angles like that are a bit trickier and you'd have a huge dead space behind the tank if you set it in a corner but maybe that is what you want? Okay place for filters/sumps but a bit hard to get to, I guess.
Were you thinking of putting this tank in a corner?
If it were me I'd extend those "sides" out far enough that an entire sheet of plywood could be used for the bottom. So a trapezoid that is 48" front to back instead of 34"?
Or if it's not going in a corner you could change the angle of the sides so they were greater than 45*. That would get you a larger tank from the same amount of wood if that was your goal.
Either way you have some waste from cut sheets. I guess it's just a matter of seeing what fits and what cut-offs are more useful for bracing, etc.
this tank would be built to be put in a corner. My original thought was to use a full sheet of plywood on each side then a full sheet across the front, but i thought it might be difficult to reach things in the back of the tank or it would be much more difficult to view fish that were in the way back I was thinking about putting some things that dont need to be mantained often in the back where the dead space would be. I believe that most doors are only around 30 inches wide. I was thinking of going 4 foot tall with about a 30-36 inch viewing window. I know there will be some scrap from the bottom but that is why I went with half a sheet on each side this minimizes scrap from that part of it. Either way you do it you will have some scrap.
fishsticks1010;4784185; said:
I thought about a very similar design for a Ray tank. I like it.
I don't know what I was thinking last night, but to have the tank 48" front to back would make it a triangle, not a trapezoid. I like your idea of having a dead space back there. If it were me I'd go a bit deeper, especially if it wouldn't fit through a door anyways.
You'd have such a small area that was the full 34" deep so I think you'd be limited by what stock you could put in there. I think you'd end up with basically a 30" x 34" square with two triangles coming off of it.
But it would be a neat tank regardless.
If you are building a triangular or trapezoidal corner tank (assuming a 90 degree corner) with 48" sides, the front will be about 68" long, so you'll have some additional scrap there. If you want a full 4 X 8 sheet in front, the sides will need to be 68". Just something to think about while planning your cuts.