Plywood or wood tanks

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FlammingWoodChuck

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 14, 2005
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how do I make one of thses??? Are they As reliable as a glass or acryllic(spelled wrong) tank?? How much would it cost to make a 240g wood tank on average??? Dose any1 have pix of a filled one??? How hard are they to build?? Srry about all the questions but im trying to get a bigger tank for less money(no job :()
 
FlammingWoodChuck said:
how do I make one of thses??? Are they As reliable as a glass or acryllic(spelled wrong) tank?? How much would it cost to make a 240g wood tank on average??? Dose any1 have pix of a filled one??? How hard are they to build?? Srry about all the questions but im trying to get a bigger tank for less money(no job :()
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This is my plywood tank. The frame was built out of 2x6" lumber and there are 2 layers of plywood skinning the tank, with fiberglass resin coating the inside. So far it is as strong as a rock and it has never leaked. The glass is sealed in with a bunch of silicone....i mean tons of it. I have searched google before and found some pretty awesome step by step guides on how to build them. It doesnt seem that difficult. The most expensive part is the glass ( resin coming in second place), but if you can find a glass factory or a fish tank factory you can go dumpster diving:). If you get serious about building one, let me know and i will see if i can get the size glass you need.....i know some people that work in glass factorys :thumbsup:
 
I am serious but i think i will make a smaller scale on first. probly a 55g or so. Could i use pond liner instaed of using resine and make it cost less??
 
it's not cheaper to build a plywood tank until you get into the very large sizes, 200gal+ I would say.
 
Some info I have found on plywood tanks:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_1700g_tank_1.php

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=86577

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=54885&highlight=

http://www.garf.org/140.gallon.html

http://home.neb.rr.com/piranha/brodgers.htm

http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/panis/frankpanis3000.htm

I'm thinking I'll build one of these to house my Murray Cod when he eventually outgrows the 6x2x2. Hopefully not for a few years yet! mbierzyc is right though, it is not worth the hassle to use this method unless you are getting to the sizes where a glass/acrylic tank is just too costly. Smaller traditional sized tanks would be better made in glass.
 
the epoxy resin you purchase normally doesnt have a long shelf life once its open, and you might have alot left over if your just doing a 55g depending on what you buy coz normally it comes in pretty big sizes. 4 gallons one part, and 1 gallon for the other part. pretty pricey stuff.

as for the pond liner, i built an experimental 35 gal tank that is lined with pondliner that has been holding water for several weeks, but before i stock it i want be absolutly sure that it wont leak. my main concerns with the ponliner were condensation if air were to get between the pondliner and wood. i used an adhesive to secure the pondliner to the would and im hoping that after a few more weeks, my experiment will prove successful.

good luck if you decide to build! really is a good project to do, i think i have pix in my gallery of one that ive built.
 
Ok. After read the links Hardb0iled posted(thx alot) i have decided to go with a huge tank. 8' by 4' foot print like the guyn in the second link. I am gana line is with fiberglass instead of paint or pond liner(my friends dad builds plane wings and other stuff for planes and works with fiber glass soooooooo he can help me out with that part) a question i have is instead of glass can i use plexi glass???(cheaper and stronger) and how would i make the top?? another peice of plywood or a glass top and make a hood later??? the stand i will reenforce very well. Dose any1 have any other plans that i can look at for plywood tanks with sump????
 
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Here is the wet/dry on my tank. its a very simple setup. Water goes in the overflow and into the white tube, the white tube has holes over the bio boxes wich lets the water flow through them, and then there is a pump that returns the water to the other side. You could do this fairly cheaply with a 55 gallon tank. Sorry about the crappy pix.
 
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