Hey everyone. I haven't been on this board for a couple of weeks because I've been super busy. I'm planning to build a bigger tank, 300-400 gallon, in my garage. I don't have too much money to spend but I'm at a point that my fish are getting larger and soon I will need a larger tank. I've been researching plywood tanks and was wondering if I can make the build cheaper by changing some of the steps.
I know that you have to epoxy the inside to make it water tight but I have a different idea. Instead of spending a lot of money prepping the inside of the tank to make it water tight, what if I take plexi or glass sheets and build a tank like normal and use the plywood to hold the tank together and brace the tank walls. I could use a smaller thickness of glass or plexi because the plywood walls can hold the tank together. The plywood will act as a brace to hold the glass or plexi from blowing out. The plywood would have to be right against the glass or plexi and have to have exact cuts of the plywood to hold the glass or plexi at all parts, but I would coat the inside of the plywood with silicone like a gasket so it would act as a cushion in case the cuts and 90 degree angles are not exact. The only thick piece of glass or plexi would be the viewing window. Then I don't have to spend alot of money and time to put a lot of layers of epoxy to make it watertight. Let me know what you guys and gals think. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated, The Doctor.
I know that you have to epoxy the inside to make it water tight but I have a different idea. Instead of spending a lot of money prepping the inside of the tank to make it water tight, what if I take plexi or glass sheets and build a tank like normal and use the plywood to hold the tank together and brace the tank walls. I could use a smaller thickness of glass or plexi because the plywood walls can hold the tank together. The plywood will act as a brace to hold the glass or plexi from blowing out. The plywood would have to be right against the glass or plexi and have to have exact cuts of the plywood to hold the glass or plexi at all parts, but I would coat the inside of the plywood with silicone like a gasket so it would act as a cushion in case the cuts and 90 degree angles are not exact. The only thick piece of glass or plexi would be the viewing window. Then I don't have to spend alot of money and time to put a lot of layers of epoxy to make it watertight. Let me know what you guys and gals think. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated, The Doctor.
