Bsixxx;3604414; said:
Should I mix dryloc with fiberglass resin for my 480 gallon plywood/glass build in my monitor enclosure?
or just use fiberglass for itself?
Also if i just use fiberglass. what kind of epoxy can i use with it that comes in black color?
help needed, never built a tank before, and going MONSTER, don't want leaks or breaks..
You do not need to "mix" Drylok with any sort of resin. Use one or the other. The only situation where I would recommend using both (but not mixing) is perhaps epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester resin for the floor and first foot or two of the cage walls. This would give the most moisture resistance where damp substrate will sit and the area of the walls right above the substrate where the most scratching would occur. Drylok could then but used for the rest of the cage walls to save money and time on application.
For a a typical Monitor cage one really does not need to use fiberglass mesh, cloth, roving or mat.
If you want to use it for peace of mind then make sure to select one of the more open mesh fabrics to use along with Drylok. The fiberglass mesh that goes over foam before applying synthetic stucco is the type of fabric I'm talking about. These are designed to be used with cement based finishes like Drylok.
If you choose epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester resin then you would use standard fiberglass cloth, mat or roving. If you go this route keep in mind that even though mat is cheaper than cloth, for example, it takes more resin to wet it out which makes them cost about the same.
Again, Drylok and the three resin types I mentioned have been used in Monitor enclosures without any sort of reinforcing fiberglass fabric. Adding them is not necessary per se but they will add strength to corners and joints. If you're going to use an inexpensive polyester like you pick up at an auto supply store then I think some lightweight cloth is a good idea as these polyesters can be a bit brittle without reinforcement.
Drylok won't be as durable and scratch resistant as any sort of resin but it is very inexpensive, easy to apply and super easy to repair.
If I were building a plywood monitor enclosure I would probably rule out stand polyester and instead either use Drylok, vinyl ester or epoxy resin.
If the species in question needed a lot of moisture I would use a resin. If the species came from a more arid environment it would be hard to look past Drylok for its combination of low cost, ease of application and in particular ease and quickness of repair.
I have one plywood cage sealed with Drylok but it only houses a Moluccan Python which certainly is not capable of scratching. Still, I am impressed with the durability. I'm not super crazy about the textured finish.
A couple of years ago I took a scrap piece of sheet metal and painted it with Drylok and let it cure for several days. I have flexed that piece of metal into a semi circle hundreds of times and have clamped it in a vice and scratched at the finish with the corner of a chisel. Long story short, it is remarkably durable stuff for a 1k waterborne.
