Is it Possible??? PVC Tank...

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Darkness9876

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 4, 2008
54
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Nowhere, KS
So I have a question.

I Want a pretty good sized Terrarium someday... ANd I figure that since you guys are always making monster tanks on here It would be a good place to ask about one...even if it is for some dart frogs.....


My question is...

Would it be possible to build a roughly 4x4x8' tank out of dimensional PVC?
Anyone seen this stuff? Its expensive ($300+ dollars for a 1/2" 4x8 sheet) I think it has some great qualaties though... First off it is water proof, its not going to harbour mold, its non toxic, The glued joints are waterproof. Its strong for its thickness, and numerous others.

So Do you think it is plausible to build a pvc tank?

If you want more details of my plan just ask and you shall recieve. (I'm working on drawing it up on sketchup)

On a side note there will be no picture or progress updates on this thread. I'm in college now and this won't be happening until I have a permenant residence. I don't want to try and fit a 4x4x8 foot tank through multiple doors and up some stairs. Just doesn't sound fun.

I think that if your going to plan big though, you should plan in advance!

Thanks for the help guys!

You probably all think I'm :screwy:. I bet your wondering why I need a tank that big for 10 dart frogs. I ask.. does a man need a reason to own anykind of large tank wether its for critters, or for blowing stuff up? I think not.
 
Yeah, you can get it thats remarkably clear but thats almost 1k a sheet for half inch. I want just the plain jane white, that way any plumbing can be glued right to it. No leaks or anything of that nature.

I'm suprised with its workability, I've seen them use it on restoration projects on houses and they make mold resistent molding and stuff out of it just like wood. I think it would be much superior to the plywood and resin process.

The windows on the front (like an exo terra tank with a center brace) will be made of glass or lexan. Most likely Lexan.
 
I'm planning a false bottom that drains into a sump.

I want to run quite a bit of water through it and have a considerable pool for some tetras in one corner (28x40ish about 8" deep) but I want my water to stay pretty clean so thats where the sump comes in. Plus it gives me a place to install a large pump to run the stream and drip wall.
 
The PVC would work. I have a couple snake cages made out of expanded PVC, or PVCx as it's commonly called. The stuff is really formable, and does hold up great. Theoretically it should last forever- or at least as long as modern PVC.

However, there are several problems inherent in the PVCx. First, it's PVC. Anyone who has worked with PVC knows that after some years of use, it becomes brittle. VERY brittle. Mess with some old plumbing in a house and if you're not careful you end up with burst pipes, cracks, splits and leaks. Sure, this takes a long time, but it definitely won't be as durable as glass or acrylic. And it won't be repairable the same way plywood is. Plywood & epoxy resin or whatever goes on top of it can be sanded & repaired, it can be braced from the back, and sections can be cut out fairly easily to be replaced. Once PVCx cracks you'll lose all structural stability in it. Especially talking a 4x4x8 tank. . . I definitely wouldn't risk it.

Also, PVCx isn't solid. It's foamed PVC. The outside 1/16" or 1/32" is smooth, but once you cut into it, it's porous. On the snake cages I have, you have to be careful scrubbing it out because it's easy to scratch into the PVCx. I think the PVCx scratches easier than plexi. Scratches into this foam layer mean that you now have a porous surface for algae and other crud to get into, and scrubbing it out will only make it worse.

Also, if you're doing PVCx you will NEED bracing around it. I'm talking a full wood/metal brace covering all corners and at least one down the middle of each panel of PVCx. This stuff is pretty durable and tough, but it DOES bow on the long ends of my cages, and my cages are only 2'x2'x3'. Granted, those are only make out of 1/4" PVCx, but they're small panels. The thick stuff will end up doing the same thing.

I really like PVCx and want to work with it to build a couple cages myself, but my personal opinion is that there are far better materials out there to build a tank out of.
 
I wanted to use the solid pvc, not the pvc x. And I haven't seen brittle pvc unless its been in the ground for a long time or gotten really hot.

Also, I was planning on bracing it up very good, Probaly 2 interior complete rings of it and one on each of the ends.
 
I Wondered about it sagging on the top but I think that the bracing would be sufficent. Also I'm going to have some kind of bracing for the lighting anyway.

I thought about the pvcx but i didn't like the fact that it was open cell, like you said it would be a pain to keep stuff out of it. And It also has alot less surface area to glue on the ends.
 
Ah. I can't say that I've seen the solid PVC. I've seen other solid plastics, though. I can't think of who it is but one of the reptile cage makers uses a food-grade solid plastic that is cheaper than PVC and supposed to be far more durable. They used to have a video up online of one of them jumping on a 4' cage made out of this stuff.
 
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