HELP ME DECIDE!!!

[kamikaziechameleon]

I have a 7ft x 2ft x 2.5ft 265 gallon aquarium, it leaks... Have already resealed the interior corners and leaked again the joint silicone is shot you can see it in the tank. SO, I'm at a cross roads. Break down the tank and redo the joints (the long panes of glass will weigh over 100 lbs each) or build a 84 inch long 40 inch deep 30 inch tall plywood tank??? The volume would be between 400 and 500 gallons. The sump I have for the 265 is large enough it should work great with that size of a tank. I can reuse the front pane from the 265 its spotless.

I have no experience with plywood. I've read many a builds here and there but I still have no sense of it.

the only really reason I'm considering that build is because I will be placing a arowana in the tank and the added depth will mean an extra year or more I can keep the fish in the tank and I can actually keep rays in that.

please let me know your thoughts this is an opinion and input thread so the more feedback the better.

 

[Gervahlt]

My personal opinion is that if you already have all the panes of glass to simply redo the tank you have, it'd be much less work than building a whole new one. On the other hand, if you don't mind doing work, have the time to spare, don't mind a bit of risk, worry, or extra expense, and are semi-handy, then you have an opportunity to really expand your tank size (assuming you have the room to do so). In fact, if you have the room, you could do a double window with the two longer panes and create more of a 174" x 40" x 30" tank (the two panes separated by about 6 inches) - roughly 900 gallons with the depth (front to back) limited only by the space you have. It's all going to come down to what you envision and how much money, time, and risk you're willing to fight through to get it.

For what it's worth, my project should be beginning sometime this next year.

 

[XDUDE3D]

As gervahlt said, it is going to be some work either way, granted a bit more with the ply build but it does all come down to what you want.
I personally do not like ply tanks. I think it is a great Idea, looks great (when done well) but I just trust/enjoy a all glass/plexi tank more. But as I said, that's my view!

Good luck at what path you take, keep us updated. Rebuild or ply, I think I speak for everyone when I say WE LOVE UPDATES ON BUILDS!

 

[BigDaddyK]

Personally I'd have a hard time deciding not to nearly double my tank size. Plywood tanks aren't that bad to build at all. I have a 300 that's been running for about 8 months now w/o any issues (knock on plywood). As you noted the deeper tank will allow a greater variety of fish too. It's a win any way you look at it.

 

[Good_Times]

I think I speak for all of us at MFK when I say that when it comes to tank sizes there isn't such a word as "BIG enough"
Anyway I would opt for the plywood idea. Just resealed my tank today and left one piece of masking tape on for too long really frustrating, hate all that stickiness. It would cost you extra money; time & research But I think in the end it will be worth it, plus stingrays are cool

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

I woke up to find my arrow dead and ripped to pieces this morning. He was in a 6 ft 100 gallon tank with bichirs, p-bass fry, monos and frontosa and a severum everyone in the tank is super laid back had noticed no aggression in the tank to speak of at all(not used to that so it was nice) think he died and was then gutted.

At any rate I still believe in the merits of going plywood and making it 40 inches deep. I'm not sure about time though I need to get my other projects out of the way before outlining my designs. I was thinking of basically making a ply wood tank then instead of going fiber glass I have a guy who can get me Polyethylene cheap so I was gonna basically line the tank with that and weld the corners to make it one molded piece and just silicone between that and the glass. Sound good???

I'll make up a solid model in the next couple weeks and put up some pics.