pond armor?

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wheatgerm

wheatgerm

Plecostomus
MFK Member
May 22, 2010
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utah
ive talked with butch at pond armor a little bit and i just left him a message so i assume he will call me tomorrow. i was wondering if anyone else can answer my questions before he calls.
im worried my tank will have a little flew because im only used 3/4 marine ply because i was planning on using a fiberglass matting and resin to make the tank solid, then applying the pond armor on top of the fiberglass...
when i was on the phone with butch he didnt suggest NOT to use fiberglass but he said its not needed and they suggest just using pond coat. does pond coat not bond with fiberglass resin?
my other question is, is pond coat a semi flexible epoyx or does it dry rock hard just like any other resins\epoxies?
 
You don't need the pond armour over the fiberglass b/c the fiberglass will waterproof for you. Pond armour does not stick well to wood. I read someone else's post where the pond armour started coming off after 3 years. I would suggest either using the fiberglass over the plywood or overlaying cement backer board and using the pond armour. Just remember to etch the backer board before applying the pond armour. Not sure if the pond armour is a semiflex or not but their website should tell you.
 
I've read poly based fiberglass resins aren't fully water proof but hold water? And that has never really made sense to me??
Any ways I don't want to use the backer board (pond armor suggested it to me as well) so were you suggesting even thought the pond armor wouldn't be needed over the fiberglass would it stick to the fiberglass better than it would stick to the wood?

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Can't say for sure, but if I were going to try it, I would make sure to rough up the fiberglass with some coarse sand paper, then clean it with alcohol before hand.
 
Oh for sure! I don't see why it wouldn't stick. I read on the pond armor websight they say on there they suggest to resin and f/g cloth in the corners on plywood ponds so im guessing it should stick? I guess i'll see what butch says tomorrow. I really didn't want to make the tank heavier with backer board but I may have to fiber glass the tank then glue the backer board down a then pond coat?

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If you're fiberglassing, just use a good epoxy, and you won't have to do any pond armor.

It sounded like Greenterra had good luck using bote cote epoxy. West system makes some great products as well.

I'd just fiberglass and be done with it. All of those coatings would make me nervous if I wanted a DIY tank to last longer than a couple years.
 
seedubs1 said:
If you're fiberglassing, just use a good epoxy, and you won't have to do any pond armor.

It sounded like Greenterra had good luck using bote cote epoxy. West system makes some great products as well.

I'd just fiberglass and be done with it. All of those coatings would make me nervous if I wanted a DIY tank to last longer than a couple years.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this, I researched months before I started my build and Pond Armor was the product I intended on using because of the low VOC's, but I honestly could not find 1 single success story on a plywood tank with the stuff.....not only that the cost is absolutely rediculous on the stuff. I settled on Max ACR and it was no harder to use than a very thick house paint and worked fantastic with fiberglass cloth. I would think any of the epoxies would work well, west systems, us composites, max acr or sweetwater (though apparantly this stuff is highly toxic which is why I chose not to use it).
 
Well said stempy.

People keep looking to try to find options so that they won't have to fiberglass. But why???

All of the options out there are still pretty darn expensive (ex. Pond Armor is $130ish for 1.5 gallons :OMG:), and at least approach the same cost (if not exceed) as fiberglassing. Plus, none of the options that I have seen thus far are as durable as fiberglassing. I wouldn't trust any of the other options that I have seen to hold up long term (5+ years). As has been said, people have had pond armor flake off/delaminate after just a few years.

People make fiberglassing out to be harder than it is. It's really pretty simple. Mix the epoxy and hardener to the manufacturers recommendations. Wet the surface to be fiberglassed, lay down the cloth, and wet the cloth. Use a roller to roll out any bubbles. Apply more coats before the first coat dries, or let it dry, sand, and put on another coat. Do a few coats, and it'll be good to go.

And fiberglass using epoxy resin will be water tight and maintenence free. You don't have clear coats or anything that go on it.

My .02.....Stick with the tried and true fiberglass method.
 
Well I do respect your opinions.. but im still going with pond shield, if im wrong then oh well but I don't think a company would stick their neck out there and say their product works if it really doesnt.. most people i have seen on here doesn't apply the pond shield as suggested by pond armor and I think this is why their stuff is flaking off.
As for cost I find that if you only have to buy 2 kits it is actually cheaper than the fiberglass/epoxy method or the liquid rubber method. (If you need 3+ kits then the other options are cheaper)
This product is part rubber part epoxy therefore it is epoxy that can flex if your tank bows a little when filled.
As for my tank, I just got done using poly resin and fiberglass matting on all the corners of my tank to hopefully triple the tinsel strength in the corners, pond shield is on the way and will go on next week so im already committed to this product. If I fail then so be it ill just slap some liquid rubber over the top lol

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