Should I stay away from a plywood tank taller than 2ft?

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chriswf

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 14, 2012
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Texas
I've been reading around, rather than just asking a butt load of questions.

My build will have exterior plywood supports on the outside - to brace the water in :P

My size:
60" Long x 40" wide x 40" tall.
The thing is, I have a piece of glass (2 pieces actually) that are 32x50".

Every now and then, someone says "plywood tanks shouldn't exceed 2ft tall". But they NEVER say why.

I would really like to know why. I was going to use 3/4" plywood with 2x4 braces on the outside - The 2" part butted up against the plywood, as it'd be harder for the 2x4s themselves to bend that way.


415 gallons, is it okay to go 40" tall?
No one says why not...
 
Those saying ply tanks shouldn't exceed 2' in height are either commenting in answer to materials already listed in peoples questions or simply don't have a clue. Your height is only limited by your budget, build design or materials used. Mine(in signature) is 40.6" high and has never had a drama.
 
Hmmm... My glass is 1/2 inch.

The tank the glass is coming off of is 32x32x52 - and the glass was strong enough there?

The ONLY thing I could think of - that's not a structural issue. Is being able to reach the BOTTOM of the tank lol.
 
I would suggest making your tank 34 or 35 tall then and overlap the plywood over the glass 1 inch so even tho your glass is 32" you'll have a 30" tall window. I made my 400 gallon out of only 3/4 plywood and it's 30" tall (68x48x30). Didn't use any exterior bracings

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Just remember your water pressure is greatest in the bottom 4-8 inches of the tank so you'll want to make sure you have the best support at the bottom. You can POSSIBLY still have your tank be 40" tall but you would have to have your glass start about 6" above the floor of the tank, does this make sense?

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Only problem i see with your proposed dimensions is getting it through a door lol...If thats not an issue than your good to go. Agreed with greenterra about tank budget, theres nothing structurally wrong or too different from taller tanks its just cheaper to use standard lengths of material like 24",48",96". Less wasted material and cuts. It can be alot more expensive for odd dimensions.
 
I don't think so. I'am building my 1400 gal aquarium with plywood. Its height is about 4.2ft.
The exact internal dimensions are 1.25*1.25*3.45. It's almost ready.

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My glass is 3/8". Does it matter that it's this tall? 32x44 sheet. 28x38 window view.

What if I put my glass at only 28" of display height and raise the window hole higher towards the top of the tank?
 
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