Plywood tank... pond liner?

[Kerbchek]

I've been impressed with much of the craftsmanship I've seen in many of the threads on this site. There is much knowledge here and I've enjoyed learning and learning as I've lurked here at Monsterfishkeepers for several months now... You've all motivated me to become a monster fishkeeper!!

I will be getting an 8 foot piece of glass soon - I want to make a plywood tank. I've been reading and reading and reading about epoxy, fiberglass, sani-tred, pond armor, etc... I've read a little bit about using a pond liner... and what I've read, it seems this may be a good way to go. I was wondering if there was any more information, threads of builds using pond liner, pros / cons, experiences I should be aware of as I sit here drawing up my plans for my new tank.
This will not necessarily be a show tank, I don't think the wrinkles will bother me, but I've been toying with the idea of making a styrofoam 3D background...
Using pond liner just seems it'd be easier, last longer, and not smell as bad to make... I'll be making it where it'll stay forever... so any fumes will be right in our house...
any experiences or links to threads of builds using pond liner would be appreciated... I'm not completely sold on the idea, but for some reason, I'm leaning toward using pond liner...
Thanks in advance for any assistance!!!

 

[ITHURTZ]

I built my 180gal with pond liner, no viewing window though.

 

[Kerbchek]

ITHURTZ, are those 2x6's you have around the base and top of your tank? I was sketching up plans two days ago and was thinking it would be good to add extra support in such a way, many plywood tanks just don't look supported enough, even though I'm sure they are. I always tend to "overbuild" things when I do such projects. I will certainly use that part of your plan. Thank you for including pics.

Did you glue the liner in or fold it over and attach the top edge of the liner in any way? If so, what kind of glue/adhesive did you use? Did you use any kind of paint/epxoy, drylock on the inside of the tank before installing the liner? do you suppose that would be necessary?

Thanks again... and thank to anyone else who might have some advice.

 

[ITHURTZ]

Yes those are 2x6's.

The tank itself is just bare plywood, no paint etc. I dropped the liner in layed it out then started filling and pulling what I could of the creases. The top I just stapled to the 2x6's just to prevent the liner from folding in on itself.

I dont see why it would be nessessary to paint the wood unless u worry water will get inbetween.

 

[MyFishEatYourFish]

in my opinion pond liner is a way better choice than epoxy and similair sealants. its so much easier to work with, usually cheaper, takes a fraction of the time as paint-on methods, and generally looks better.
unfortunately i underestimated the frustration factor with paint-on methods before i built my 300. now i know better and use liner all the way. the way i do it is to cut a piece the length and the width of the side i am doing then add the thickness of the plywood to the length and width of the liner, so that i can hang it over the edges. then use a spray edhesive to secure the side and liner, flip it face down onto my garage floor and add weight to get a perfectly flat liner. when i secure oll 4 sides i pinch the hungover liner into the seam. theoretically if i drive the screws tight enough this can seal it alone. but i then add a bead of all purpose goop to the seams to be sure. silicone doesn't stick very well to any liner that i know of.
using this method eliminates folds in your liner and you can't even tell the difference of it and painted fiberglass.
good luck, post a thread.

 

[cvermeulen]

in my opinion pond liner is a way better choice than epoxy and similair sealants. its so much easier to work with, usually cheaper, takes a fraction of the time as paint-on methods, and generally looks better.
unfortunately i underestimated the frustration factor with paint-on methods before i built my 300. now i know better and use liner all the way. the way i do it is to cut a piece the length and the width of the side i am doing then add the thickness of the plywood to the length and width of the liner, so that i can hang it over the edges. then use a spray edhesive to secure the side and liner, flip it face down onto my garage floor and add weight to get a perfectly flat liner. when i secure oll 4 sides i pinch the hungover liner into the seam. theoretically if i drive the screws tight enough this can seal it alone. but i then add a bead of all purpose goop to the seams to be sure. silicone doesn't stick very well to any liner that i know of.
using this method eliminates folds in your liner and you can't even tell the difference of it and painted fiberglass.
good luck, post a thread.

What kind of liner do you use? I'd be tempted to try DOW 832 or something if it will stick. The next big tank I build I want to do something like this, so it can be broken down and moved without a chainsaw.

 

[GiangNOOO]

tank is sweet

 

[snaggle]

Check out this tnk build.

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showforum=92

 

[Kerbchek]

Check out this tnk build.

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showforum=92

Thank you for posting this link... it has very detailed pics... that's exactly how I want to build my tank...

My biggest questions now are what kind silicone to use and what type of liner to get... some liners, if any, do not bond well with silicone? Ok, well then should I not use silicone to seal the glass? What other products are out there, or is there a particular kind of pond liner I should look for that bonds well with silicone...? I just need to get my list ready so I can shop as the funds slowly become available...

THANK YOU for the tips, links, and advice so far...

 

[Kerbchek]

While searching old posts here at MFK I found this link. I'm wondering if some of the sealant foams, tape, and patch kids would work to seal the glass...

http://www.azponds.com/pond_liner.htm

...maybe it'd work to line individual panels of plywood with pond liner, then seam the corners with some sealing type product. I feared doing that originally as I wouldn't want too many places where the tank could fail. Fewer seams = fewer leak possibilities...

Either way, I wonder about siliconing in the glass then going over that will some of the black tape along the glass to providea better seal, or would that be overkill...

edit: Here's another marine product I found - I read somewhere where after cured it's fish safe - it stick to glass and pond liner. Anyone with any experience with this?

3M 5200 marine caulking
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=2002