haha that dumpster thing would be sweet.
that would be so many gallons.
imagine the fish you could put in there
that would be so many gallons.
imagine the fish you could put in there
New Tank Construction Idea
- Thread starter Fish Eat Fish
- Start date
Jim96Sc2;1727454; said:
good idea just line ur plywood thank with plastic sheets and glue 2gether how think would the sheets have to be????????
mr giant gourami;1727606; said:
Im just trying to avoid wood at all costs because I want it to last forever. Steel thats well painted will last a long time and can always be scuffed and repainted...warped and rotted wood is another story.
Dr Joe;1726220; said:http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84603&highlight=steel+tank
Someone else was welding up one too, just don't have time to search right now.
Dr Joe
.
Thanks Dr. Joe
your link has inspired me with another design...
thick angle frame with sheet metal bottom sides and back and a glass front. Then using hard plastic sheet to seal off the sheet metal. Should last a lifetime and cost much less.
Fish Eat Fish;1728491; said:
I really have to disagree here. I don't see why you think wood just has to fail eventually. Every design can fail - properly constructed wooden tanks should last forever if they are treated well. Boats are made with fiberglass and plywood, and typically have a service life of 20+ years if they are cared for. Unless your plywood is damp when you first fiberglass it, the first layer if resin penetrates deep into the wood, forming an excellent bond with the wood. Even if your top waterproofing layer cracks, your wood should not automatically rot.
I guess if you can get a ridiculously good deal on steel, it might come out cheaper... but the plywood and fiberglass is NOT expensive - that's the whole point of doing it this way. Plastic sheeting has it's own demons - how are you going to seal the seam between the plastic and the glass? How are you going to seal the plastic to the other plastic? If that seal fails, your tank will still rot, even if the steel is painted.
I'm not dumping on your design, just saying I think maybe your view of plywood tanks might be a bit skewed.
My galvanised tank uses very thin sheet steel...~2mm. This is wrapped round a steel frame, that holds 720 gallons of oil fine, so it'll be okay with water.
I also work in the metals/welding industry. I built and welded tanks of all types and sizes for years. If you were to build a tank from steel I would use a little heavier material than 18ga ro 16 ga material. If you used 3/16" or 7ga material then you could use a two part epoxy to cover the inside with, paint the outside or even cover the outside with a thin plywood covering and mouldings. As long as you assemble and weld your tank properly, you can still set the glass, you would need less bracing and no need for fiberglassing.
cvermeulen;1726791; said:Well anything will work I guess. I considered stealing a dumpster and putting a window in it
I know a person that did that, took a big green dumpster painted the inside with epoxy paint and cut a viewing window in it. It never made it in the house, it was too big but it was a great garage tank. For several years he used it as a saltwater tank but it needed to be repainted about every 3 years. Later he changed it to fresh water.
