I need help!

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Mudslinger14

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 17, 2010
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:nilly: So I want to do a 14ftx20inchx18inch plywood tank....
But I have no idea how to do it, and how much it would cost....

The things I would like to know are the specifics...Like, is there a certain type of plywood thats better than the others? How should I reinforce the wood, and do I even need to?

Things like this would be GREATLY appreciated.
 
go with the sheet ply its stronger and last longer that osb is crap u can use it but go with the sheet ply and yes support the tank with a 1x1 frame or a 2x4 frame with top support to stop bowing and the 14 is the length and 20 is the hieght right, its a good idea to brace all plywood cuz over time it will bow and keep bowing until it gives.
 
also if your tank is only 18 high then 1x2 will work fine but i like to be sure so i would go 2x4. ignore that 1x1 in my first post i ment 1x2. Also i have never built a plywood tank before but i work in many trades and framing is one as far as sealing ask around.
 
oh yes i forgot cost, as far as cost wood cheap and sense your tank is long not deep or tall you can do some math and see how many sheet of ply youll need, so your realling looking at glass if you use glass and then how many sheet of glass cuz 14' is alot of glass that means thick so going with 2 could help you there. thickness i would go 1" but im paranoid but 3/4 should work, maybe 1/2" all up to you but the longer the glass the thicker the glass now depending on where and how thick you could be looking 1000 to 2000 and that is based off of, if you go with one long peace of glass and if you go with 2 sheets 1000 area thats your big ticket item so look around. sealers cant really help to much there but i cant see it costing more than a few 300 or 400 so if you think about it depending on what you do and how creative you are you could make a tank that cost 2500 all the way up to, well alot so hope this helps and good luck with the build if you deside to do this and make sure you post pics.

Matt
 
"is there a certain type of plywood thats better than the others?"

Yes, Marine ply uses higher quality sheets throughout the board. Unsurprisingly more expensive as well...

You need to reconsider the tank dimensions to make this project feasible.
 
Hey. Thanks for all the advice, Matt!

Ahh ok.

I actually had an idea of buying a used 125g tank, taking it apart and sticking the front and the back pieces together to make a 12ft long viewing window. I was wondering if that would be plausible...
As for the marine ply, it looks like I could afford it. I now need to figure out how much I need..
 
Mudslinger, you can use the marine plywood you dont need it. You will need regular 3/4" plywood sanded on 1 side. And, before you get any more information I would go to the DIY sticky that has several different builds using different methods and figure out what direction you want to go in. Get advice from people that have built tanks. The issues you are going to run into with a tank that long is the seam between to 2 pieces of plywood. The glass from your 125 will work great! Personally, I am going to suggest using liquid rubber, you can read about my build following the thread below......Good Luck! Oh, plan, plan plan!
 
Ok. Thank you!
 
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