Has anyone tried...

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Tyron

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 1, 2010
21
0
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Columbia SC/ Houston TX
Just curious if anyone tried to lay the pieces out and fiberglass and epoxy before assembly? Then assemble it and silicone joints. Or add more epoxy if you want.

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There is a build on here, I believe something on the order of a 900 gallon tank where they did just that. I believe it leaked on the first test fill. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?432192-Bongs-950-gallon-plywood-tank . There was another I recall, maybe a 400 gallon? where he did the same thing and had 0 leaks on the first fill. Guess it comes down to precision on the joints lining up on final assembly then still needed to go back over all the joints with fiberglass/epoxy. For me since I would have to go back over it anyway, why not just do it all the first time around with it already assembled? :)
 
It would be great if someone could figure out a way to consistantly make this type of design work. It would make both building and moving monster plywood tanks much easier.
 
Tyron said:
Just curious if anyone tried to lay the pieces out and fiberglass and epoxy before assembly? Then assemble it and silicone joints. Or add more epoxy if you want.

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I have done this but it was far from being a monster tank. Instead we were building several (maybe eight, it was many years ago) tanks in the 75 gallon range at one -- about 48" x 24" x 16". Used a solvent based epoxy paint like Sweetwater and painted all of the pre-cut panels laid out flat. Then assembled with a polyurethane caulk between the panels (in place of wood glue since the faces of the plywood were now epoxy covered) and as the fillet bead on all of the interior corners. No fiberglass reinforcement was used.

If a tank needed fiberglass you could still do this and then add the fiberglass to the outside corners. If you wanted a lot of fiberglass on the inside you might have to think of a best way to tie it all together.

I would build a tank this way again, now that I think about it. But I would use epoxy as a replacement for the wood glue instead of the polyurethane caulk.
 
Yea thats more or less what Im thinking. It just seems like it should work. Only difference being I was thinking about using silicone instead of wood glue. Then also as filets in the corners.

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Should work. It'd be the same as how a glass tank goes together.

If you were really slick, you could build a steel frame, and use removable fiberglassed plywood panels as the walls. Then just silicone the plywood at the seams the same way you would a glass tank.
 
I built the 400, 450 to be exact. Check out the link in my sig. It have all of the pics from the build. I wouldn't rely on the silicone or glue to hold the panels together. I used bolts and lag screws to hold it together and the silicone seals the cracks. No need for fiberglass in the corners this way. And it comes apart if I ever need to move it. It been up for close to a year and no leaks or issues.

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