Inexpensive DIY Plywood Ideas

[mjozefow]

Hello all-

My name is Mitch, I'm an agricultural engineering student at Purdue.This is my first real post on this site, but I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. Quite a wealth of information. Anyway, I am seeking opinions and suggestions for building a plywood tank of about 200-300 gallons on a budget. I will be doing everything myself, as I have experience in carpentry, and metalwork. My ideas are as follows.

1. Could a flat windshield be used as a front window in an aquarium??? I have easy access to a junkyard and can find nearly flawless glass.

2. Is it necessary to use an aquarium specific pump for a sump/ overflow assembly? Are these readily available used? How about a fountain pump? Or are they the same?

3. I know some people at the local Line-x place. On their site it says that their product is often used for pond liners, I'm assuming that means its OK for fish. I have this stuff on my truck and can attest to its durability. This seams like a less expensive option than the fiberglass/epoxy method.

4. Are there any set-ups that inherently require less $$$ to operate? I'm assuming FW is cheaper than SW, but anything past that?

Is there anything else that would make this a less expensive endeavor? I know this is an expensive hobby, but a penny saved is a penny to buy more fish with!

 

[cvermeulen]

Hello all-

My name is Mitch, I'm an agricultural engineering student at Purdue.This is my first real post on this site, but I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. Quite a wealth of information. Anyway, I am seeking opinions and suggestions for building a plywood tank of about 200-300 gallons on a budget. I will be doing everything myself, as I have experience in carpentry, and metalwork. My ideas are as follows.

Hi Mitch! Now doesn't it feel like an AA meeting?

1. Could a flat windshield be used as a front window in an aquarium??? I have easy access to a junkyard and can find nearly flawless glass.
.

I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than a small window. Windshields are not very thick. do yourself a search on glass thickness calculations - as an Eng. student (Even an aggie ) you should be able to work through them.

2. Is it necessary to use an aquarium specific pump for a sump/ overflow assembly? Are these readily available used? How about a fountain pump? Or are they the same?
.

Lots of fountain pumps are fish safe. You can find good deals on aquascaping stuff on ebay. Anything advertized as a pond/fountian pump should be OK.

3. I know some people at the local Line-x place. On their site it says that their product is often used for pond liners, I'm assuming that means its OK for fish. I have this stuff on my truck and can attest to its durability. This seams like a less expensive option than the fiberglass/epoxy method.
.

I think I've heard of people using truck bed liner before. I don't know how much cheaper it would really be at the end of the day, unless you get it at a discount. If it's OK for ponds (I.E. Koi) It ought to be OK for fish. People on here have used some unusual things for sealing plywood... polyester resin works, and is very inexpensive, just requires a lot of cure time before it's inert.

4. Are there any set-ups that inherently require less $$$ to operate? I'm assuming FW is cheaper than SW, but anything past that?
.

Well an unheated native fish, or goldfish setup is cheaper to run than a tropical, just based on the energy and stocking costs. Planted requires a bit of investment in lighting and possibly CO2 (although that's arguable).

Best piece of advice I can give you if you're on a tight budget is to add it ALL up before you start. Screws, Glues, Plywood, windows, silicone, sealant, pump, filter media, piping, airpump, heaters, gravel, decorations, ETC. After it holds water, you're still only halfway done

 

[mjozefow]

Thanks for the reply. Ill look into that some more.

 

[AndrewMack]

The bedliner thing is a decent idea, its 38dollars a gallon at walmart and one gallon is supposed to be enough for a s-10/ranger size bed

 

[Dr Joe]

Hello all-

My name is Mitch, I'm an agricultural engineering student at Purdue.This is my first real post on this site, but I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. Quite a wealth of information. Anyway, I am seeking opinions and suggestions for building a plywood tank of about 200-300 gallons on a budget. I will be doing everything myself, as I have experience in carpentry, and metalwork. My ideas are as follows.

1. Could a flat windshield be used as a front window in an aquarium??? I have easy access to a junkyard and can find nearly flawless glass.

2. Is it necessary to use an aquarium specific pump for a sump/ overflow assembly? Are these readily available used? How about a fountain pump? Or are they the same?

3. I know some people at the local Line-x place. On their site it says that their product is often used for pond liners, I'm assuming that means its OK for fish. I have this stuff on my truck and can attest to its durability. This seams like a less expensive option than the fiberglass/epoxy method.

4. Are there any set-ups that inherently require less $$$ to operate? I'm assuming FW is cheaper than SW, but anything past that?

Is there anything else that would make this a less expensive endeavor? I know this is an expensive hobby, but a penny saved is a penny to buy more fish with!

1) I've used windshields and rear side windows from a station wagon with great results, this glass is laminated and withheld 400g & 500g+.

2) Fountain pumps have a tendency to be noisier, run hotter than aquarium and are not as economical to run as aquarium pumps.

3) I've successfully used spray-on bed liner, but you have to be sure it's safe for potable water. Sound of these liners exude oils and some have mildew inhibitors.

A pond is very much different from a fish pond. The outsiders don't realize this.

4) Like cvermeulen said, go native.

And using a bog with native plants (cattails) as part of the filter system.

And as a sidenote cvermeulen, the AA meetings come after he's finished this challenge.

Dr Joe

.

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

The bedliner thing is a decent idea, its 38dollars a gallon at walmart and one gallon is supposed to be enough for a s-10/ranger size bed

Watch out though because ive seen some that doesnt hold well and ends up coming off in black dust. Not what you want to happen in your tank. I like the idea though.

As far as saving money I would recommend getting to know someone in construction or more specifically destruction, that might be able to get you thick window glass from large buildings

 

[AndrewMack]

Watch out though because ive seen some that doesnt hold well and ends up coming off in black dust. Not what you want to happen in your tank. I like the idea though.

As far as saving money I would recommend getting to know someone in construction or more specifically destruction, that might be able to get you thick window glass from large buildings

Thats the first ive heard of that. kinda worries me. Ive been using the liquid bedliner from walmart for about 6 years, my pickup still has the original bedliner in it, and i build alot of speaker boxes and paint them with bedliner. Now my stepfathers bedliner did kinda turn to dust,but it was rhino lining

 

[mjozefow]

Thanks guys. I have access to nearly anything that is commonly thrown out. (lots of family in the construction industry). It's just that that odds of coming across a perfectly aquarium sized piece of glass is probably not going to happen. So I'm trying to brainstorm what materials would work for cheap. I have also been looking on Craigslist at coffee tables with glass tops. Would those work?? I'm assuming they are even tempered.

 

[amehel0]

it si advisable to use pond/fountain/fish tank pumops as other pumps arent meant to run 24/7

 

[danz]

You may want to check out http://www.herculiner.com/index.html, they say you can use it for ponds and will bond with wood. At $25 quart, don't know how much you would save though.