Plywood monster (sorta) tank advice needed.

[roliva]

Nice pricing. $80.00 for 60 sq ft. My tank is roughly 52 sq ft. Heck, I would buy two of those kits for that price!! Has any used this pond shield? I will probably be building another tank this summer, don't know for sure yet. Pond shield has caught my eye.

 

[Phixer]

A lot has been written about Pond Shield by one of their Reps here. It sounds very similar to the epoxy/fiberglass method, maybe I missed something but I dont see the difference since fiberglass is still required. I wonder if Sanitred would seal any better with an acrylic window?

Was the viewing window framed or glued directly to the face of the plywood? If so the lateral pressure will cause a leak in the same manner that a head gasket on an engine blows. There isnt enough resistance to keep the water pressure from pushing through the side seal.

 

[camrsz]

Just wondering why this method is rarely talked about. I built my tank using 1/8 acrylic to line the inside. I then used acrylic cement to bond all the seams together. The for extra insurance put silicone over all the seams. The window is also acrylic and i sealed it using silicone. It was very easy. I had all the acrylic cut to size when I bought it. The tanks been up and running with no problems for 3 years. heres a pic 200 gallons

 

[roliva]

That's nice! How did you bond the acrylic to the plywood?

 

[camrsz]

That's nice! How did you bond the acrylic to the plywood?

Thanks the acrylic isnt really bonded to the plywood. its just an acrylic box inside a plywood box. This was pretty easy to do. It was also the cheapest. But i guess that depends where you can get your acrylic from. I think next time I might try the pond armor. It seems to also be simple and inexpensive.

 

[roliva]

Thanks for the info. Is the front infaced with acrylic also where the front glass rests on?


It seems though with this pond guard, as mentioned earlier, to reinforce with fiberglass for safety and reassurance.

 

[Phixer]

Probably because if you are building a really large tank it would be difficult to solvent cement a verticle seam. For example the tank Im building will be close to 22FT long and 3 FT tall with two 10FT viewing windows. To line a tank like this with acrylic and bond to the 1.25 front panel would be difficult because it would require the acrylic lining to be installed inside the tank and edges to be solvent cemented vertically as opposed to building an acrylic aquarium and then boxing it with a plywood shell for support. I suppose # 16 would work for vertical seams, maybe. I wonder if the front being thicker would flex at a different rate then the sides, would this could cause cracks to start where the thinner acrylic meets the thicker front window.

Your tank looks great if I could figure out a way to use this method for mine I would. Mostly concerned about how to solvent cement vertically.

 

[camrsz]

Thanks for the info. Is the front infaced with acrylic also where the front glass rests on?


It seems though with this pond guard, as mentioned earlier, to reinforce with fiberglass for safety and reassurance.

No the front piece of 1/2 inch acrylic goes from end to end top to bottom. So there is no 1/8 inch acrylic on the front of the tank.

 

[camrsz]

it would require the acrylic lining to be installed inside the tank and edges to be solvent cemented vertically
Your tank looks great if I could figure out a way to use this method for mine I would. Mostly concerned about how to solvent cement vertically.

This is how I built mine. Built the plywood structure then installed the acrylic sheets and bonded them together in the seams. The glue or cement I used was given to me by the same guy I bought my acrylic from. It was the very thin , like water. It was in a bottle with a needle like aplicator. It bonded the pieces instantly.

Yea, I dont know if this would be the best way for a very large tank. But it worked well for mine.

 

[PondArmor]

A lot has been written about Pond Shield by one of their Reps here. It sounds very similar to the epoxy/fiberglass method, maybe I missed something but I dont see the difference since fiberglass is still required. I wonder if Sanitred would seal any better with an acrylic window?

The difference is that I recommend using fiberglass on the seams, not the whole tank. The reason I recommend it is because I do not know your work quality or ability to construct a tank. If you do a poor job in construction, then the fiberglass on the seams will be my added insurance that your tank has a chance. If on the other hand, your construction method is solid, then using fiberglass is your call. That's the difference.