Question for all you Ply tank builders!

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Dreadnought

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 22, 2009
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Lethbridge
Hello all,

I hope you guys and gals are safe and doing well. The question I have is, has anyone here ever attempted to make a collapsible ply tank? by "collapsible" I mean that you can take it apart for transportation and then reassembled at the new location. The reason I am asking is because I plan on constructing one of these large plywood tanks of about 400g maybe more. You may ask why in the world would I want to do that kind of project? Well there is no real reason except I really like to construct and take pride when the item is finished, and would hate to leave something like that behind if I have to move. I also love a challenge of trying to build something like this.
 
I always thought about that, I just assumed I would make one I could pickup and move like a normal tank. Looking forward to see your reply's
 
See but there lies the issue, I have seen a lot of the DIY ply tanks and they are assembled as one piece, they look great and are very sturdy. However what if these individuals move to another home or another city, they would either have to leave these large tanks behind or they would have to take them apart piece by piece. The issues I want to resolve is for the tank to be easily taken apart into two or three pieces and be reassembled at a the new location, be structurally supporting, and finally increase the size of the tank without having to construct a whole new tank.

Necessity being the father of ideas (correct me if this saying is wrong) and having a very long and constructive conversation with my brothers. I examined all these large ply aquariums and tried to answer the question "how to make these tanks transportable and still be structurually sound to handle the large weight and pressure once these are filled?" My approach was to assemble my tank in two halves (front half and Back half) lengthwise fastened together with bolts, then lay down the plywood on top of the Box frame and assemle the rest of the aquarium. The bolts would offer strength to the overall frame because it would prevent the aquarium from bowing out and the bolts would make it easier to remove and and disassemble the aquarium.

The final issue with increasing the aquarium capacity it would be very easy for a tank of this type by just adding a "leaf" much like a lot of kitchen tables have to increase the length. I figure this would be better than constructing a whole new tank. These are just some of my ideas, I am looking forward to some feedback because I plan on making thsi aquarium in the New Year. I want to know if this will work rather than finding out down the road that it was not possible.
 
i think there would be a way .. but nothing like what you see people doing here..

the problem is how to seal the tank .. you would have to break all the seals and then find a way to fix it after ..

but if you where to use a liner of some sort .. then it would be just as simple as drain take the liner out and disassemble the only problem would be how the glass is sealed to the liner and how everything is held in place .. i think with some planing and asking the right questions and thinking everything out it would be possible . but the only way i can see it working is with a liner sitting in a box that could be taken apart ..

maybe a framed box held together with bolts .. plywood would line the inside .. would not need to be fastened because the water would hold it in place .. the liner sealed to the glass window would be the only challenging part of the build imo .. and even that would not be TO hard to figure out
 
I believe its "... the mother of all invention."

I really like your question. Its one that I've thought about myself. I think its possible, but it would require more hassle than most are willing to take on.

I believe that structurally, it would not be overly difficult. The main problem I foresee is sealing the tank, you're basically building in a permanent "crack" where the tank joins.

Also, the leaf idea is nice, but shaky. First, in your model, it will only increase the depth of the tank (ie not the viewable portion), so I doubt most would bother. And the leaf will be significantly weaker than the two original sides.
 
Its a matter of cost effectiveness. Considering that a "normal" DIY plywood build is hardly cost effective unless you go uber-huge with it, doing it with the extra complications that you're talking about lessens that advantage further.
 
spiff;3735876; said:
Its a matter of cost effectiveness. Considering that a "normal" DIY plywood build is hardly cost effective unless you go uber-huge with it, doing it with the extra complications that you're talking about lessens that advantage further.
Click to expand...


i don't think anything bigger then 300 is really cost effective .. and that's trying to save money at every turn .. this would no doubt cost more then any custom tank ..

but then again .. find a tank that you can take down and move .. which you cannot do ..

i would say the best way would be buy the glass build the frame .. and when you want to move .. tear the glass apart and move that way..
 
Cool question. Maybe you could have a modular construction where you could increase in one or two dimensions by adding more "boxes". Then some sort of flexible liner that you could drain and collapse. It could stay attached to the section that has the viewing window and roll up into that section for storage. When you get to your new location. snap the sections together, unroll the liner and fille her up.
 
Oh I forgot to mention. Ive seen some very portable pond ideas so you might want to consider that option.
 
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