Practice plywood

[Burko]

I thought I'd better share this here as 'you lot' are to blame...

Started this tank some months ago but i didn't start a thread cause I knew I would be busy procrastinating with other stuff while I was procrastinating with this...

I decided to use external ply and frame the inside. This made it easy to add bracing and sills for glass lids.

Its coated with Liquid rubber.

Unfortunately I thought up a better way to seal the glass than advised here...more on that debacle later

OK Some photos of the build.

 

[Burko]

OK so I boxed it up, no glue and only a few screws...maybe 60

I cut out a recess on the upper frame work to allow lids and bracing.

Then in my brillance i thought... self... why dont you rout out a 15mm *15mm gutter to enclose (frame) the glass. Which, following the fools advice I did.

Look it probably would have worked if i hadn't stuffed up the siliconing...

But the problem was, at first water test (2 weeks) it didn't leak, when it started dripping i had no idea where the problem lay. Cause the glass and silicone was embedded 15mm into the wood.

Well the water was coming out of the front at the bottom in about 4-5 spots and where it started from wasn't where it was flowing the most free...

 

[Burko]

Of course by this time i had made a stand, added a sump/filter and spare tank underneath and started the plumbing...

 

[fhawk362]

Very nice, So you got the leak fixed, what are stocking plans?

 

[fhawk362]

oh and whats the gallons and dimensions

 

[Burko]

I thought about pulling the front panel off and doing it again but thats quitter talk...

So i decided to coat the silicone and glass, where it had squezzed out, in Liquid rubber.

So I drained, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

I drained, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

I drained, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

I drained, added some tape to the four edges, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

I drained, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

I drained, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

I drained, coated, refilled, waited for drips and then...

Finally on christmas day...it held and held and held.

Don't really know what was wrong and don't really know how it was fixed but 40 days on the water is staying on the inside.

 

[Burko]

"oh and whats the gallons and dimensions"

Close to a 180...outside is 6*2*2

As far as stock goes I have a heap of baby Africans so I plan on growing them out and will try to seperate the boys from the girls.

I also have some silver dollars and some catfish and some loaches and an angel...so it will be mixed up abit.

 

[Burko]

And heres a couple of photos, for all those who love underkill, showing the 3/4*15/8 pine holding up the tank.

The stand is a bit dodgy but the wieght of the water it has helped it stop vibrating when I touch it...

 

[Conner]

And heres a couple of photos, for all those who love underkill, showing the 3/4*15/8 pine holding up the tank.

The stand is a bit dodgy but the wieght of the water it has helped it stop vibrating when I touch it...

You do like to live dangerously, don't you! For all the issues you had, it seems to have turned out to be a nice looking tank. Hope it continues to be problem free for you from here on out!

 

[Conner]

And any better pics of the stock and aquascaping?