different method for ply tank

[joelypops]

I was talking to my other half the other day about building a 6x3x3 ply tank in the front room under the window and she was asking how i would seal it if it was made of wood. before i could explain about pond liners, fiberglass etc she said do you line it with glass? which got me thinking, could you not build a wooden box out of half inch or three quarter inch ply and build a standard glass tank inside out of thinner glass? as the ply would take up the pressure and the glass would keep it water tight? or am I really over complicating things??

Joel.

 

[brich999]

any playwood tanks ive seen bow a little bit, sinilar to some acrylic tanks. i think you would be asking for disaster. also getting the inside PERFECTLY smooth and exact to hold glass panels would be tough

 

[wednesday13]

Glass no...acrylic,abs,pvc and polypropelene/polyethylene would work just fine tho. My metal frame 650 is lined with polypropelene heat welded at the seams.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[Drstrangelove]

Yes, I've been pondering doing a plywood tank while using a thin plastic structure as a liner. Polypro or acrylic in 1/8" x 4' x 8' sheets cost around $90 each. Partly thinking this is due to my lack of experience and skill in working with materials, a concern about breathing in too much chems, and also because I want to over build on leaks.

Some people also recommend thick pond liners perhaps cutting out a portion and essentially making part of the liner a sealed gasket for a viewing panel.

Thin glass as a liner would be an issue unless the interior was perfectly flat and the exterior had almost no deflection. Thick enough glass would lead one to building the whole thing out of glass anyway. It's possible to use thicker glass and overbuild, but then using plastic would be simpler.

 

[seedubs1]

Yup.....Just use plastic if you want to go this route. Heat weld it like Wednesday13 said. Think "big plastic tote with a wooden frame for structure."

 

[coolkeith]

I'm doing a plywood tank lined with 8x4 FRP panels that cost about $22-25 each at HD/Meynards. I plan on sealing the seams with epoxy or weld-on 40. Then paint the inside black with MAX ACR epoxy.