DIY tank and I got confused

[sweetseahorse]

I feel confused. Ive been reading guides and searching these forums for the past 3 hours. And i don't know if its because it's late or i'm just not seeing it, but how do you know how to build the support structure?

Im building a plywood tank in google sketch (first, need to see it)
well my plan is a 20' long, 30" deep and 28" tall amazon river tank.

Im starting from bottom up. I know the basic design i've seen enough pictures and guides. BUt i don't know how yall all seem to just 'know' how far apart to put supports, how thick '2x4 or 4x4', etc

I either see a guide with nothing about this or "i had an engineer friend tell me" Is there a general rule of thumb?
Vertical supports should be 4'', 8'', 12'', 24'' apart?
Horizontal slates that support the bottom should be how far apart?
How thick plywood to make sides out of...

Is this stuff yall just know? Did i miss an obvious sticky thread? sorry just lost

 

[basslover34]

well basically your talking about a 20' long tank that will only be 900 gallons (not even) so a water weight of 8100 pounds... what makes you sleep better at night... 2x4's holding it up... or 4 x 4... cause either will work... just that you would need less 4 x 4's

When your looking at most of the stands on here... we have a tendancy to WAY OVER BUILD... but it helps us all sleep alittle better... do what you feel comfortable with and make sure that everything is cross braced...

 

[sweetseahorse]

I appriciate the information but i stil feel like i don't know anything more. In my current design i have 4x4 4 inches apart for vverticle support. mabye that is needed. mabye not. I havent a clue. THe only hting i have ever built out of wood was a trebuchet and that only lasted 4 hours before it broke. (i assume it was the poor building. 9 nails & 40ft of rope to hold a device that threw 10lbs of rocks 110 ft is just doesnt count as overbuilding safety...)

 

[andres]

Most people guess. And because they are guessing, they overbuild it to make sure. It also depends on the plywood and fiberglass/epoxy. If you are stacking your plywood to be 1.5-2" thick, adding very strong coats of epoxy/fiberglass, then your going to need less supports.

If you use OSB and pondliner, you are going to need 2x4 / 4x4 supports. If you are using marine grade 1" doubled up ply, you could argue no supports needed.

These are not suggestions, I am simply trying to show you why there is no "concrete" set of information regarding this.

 

[sweetseahorse]

Wow. I honestly did not expect that. But ok. I really didn't think yall all were just guessing. But ok.

Does clear as mud describe this process well enough?

Well this is great! So yay creativity. Although I'm going to cheat and email my cousin. REcent graduate from Baylor Mechanical Eng school. But alright least its nice to know there are no rules to violate. Also looks like i need more research. I only have heard of epoxy resing seal. The liners and ohter stuff... didnt know there was so much variety. Alright!!!

 

[maclak5000]

A good thing to look for is information on bracing for Hot tubs on decks if you are looking for concrete formulas and actual guideline. One other good recourse would be for bathroom construction. All of these things allow for more floor support in a house. In general for constructing a larger stand for a large aquarium would to think of it in such a mater. You would want to build a “floor” every 16” on center (this is going to be the top part of the stand. You will want to build something similar for the bottom as well. I would suggest using 4x4 in the corners and every two supports, and 2x4 on the others. In the front were you may have door and there for not be able to have supports so close together I would create a braced area similar to a door from in a house, and use 4x4 to support. This would be both a little overkill and structurally sound by proven engineering. If you have more question feel free to contact me.

 

[andres]

Wow. I honestly did not expect that. But ok. I really didn't think yall all were just guessing. But ok.

Does clear as mud describe this process well enough?

Well this is great! So yay creativity. Although I'm going to cheat and email my cousin. REcent graduate from Baylor Mechanical Eng school. But alright least its nice to know there are no rules to violate. Also looks like i need more research. I only have heard of epoxy resing seal. The liners and ohter stuff... didnt know there was so much variety. Alright!!!

Well I was a little misleading by just saying "Guess" but alot of the framing work comes from experience vs math. I would say most people who build these are not civil engineers. But with a basic understanding of wood strength, joints, and framing you can do a pretty decent job.

I think pond liner is the cheapest way to go, but epoxy looks much nicer IMO.

 

[sweetseahorse]

ahh ok.
see i think that is my problem. My only experience in woodwork fell apart within 6 hours. I haven't a clue as to how strong wood is. Not a clue. I was planning on epoxy cause it seemed easier and made mroe sense than a liner would. a liner seems to easy to leak or make mistake.

 

[sweetseahorse]

Awsome. See i can reasearch what a door frame is well, how it works etc. some good concrete stuff i can work with. ill try the sketch up and post it. im half way done. alright. i think that might almost be better. make a sketch and get critique. alright well thank you!!

 

[Flash]

well basically your talking about a 20' long tank that will only be 900 gallons (not even)

Only at MFK.