The 1500 gallon tank is gone. Design flaws and issues after seeing it apart.

[VLDesign]

So the 1500 gallon tank has been removed and here are the pictures as well as thoughts on its design flaws.

First, There were signs of water issues around to upper edges where water being splashed was dripping down behind the pond armor. To resolve this I would suggest waterproofing the upper walls as well as making them drip back into the tank (Like I did with the fiberglass panels in the new 2700). This will prevent any splashes from causing rot and mold issues behind the walls.

Second, there was an obvious leak on the area where the ID cat was able to put a divot into the cement board causing a pretty serious leak. To combat this the only thing you could do is to not use the concrete board, or install some kind of 3d foam background to absorb the impact of fish like these.

Lastly, I saw no signs of any structural issues or major design flaws other than the ones mentioned above.

I will also state that I am now a firm believe that all plywood tanks should be using some sort of fiberglass based reinforcements in all the corners and seams of the tank to add that extra level of strength and durability.

 

[allsouthwestconstruction]

hey love the look of your tank.I did ask myself though what was the reason for using the durrock /cement backer.Im a contractor ,we use it all the time in shower areas .However it is very porse and will drink any liquid in like a sponge.I have just gotten into building tanks from ply.I am currently building a 24x24x24 cube...72x30x32....also i was thinking of 3/4 ply design with fiberglass corners and then liquid rubber .Any tips would really help me out . How do i get my hands on whatever you used to make the background blue .Again aweome tank

 

[dp_paul]

Shame about the tank. Could you not of reused the base and juat built another?

 

[VLDesign]

We moved and needed to remove the tank to sell the house. Otherwise it would still be there.

The blue stuff is Pond Armor epoxy. You can also check into Max ACR epoxy on ebay.

The cement board was used to add strength and give the pond armor a better surface to bond to. I didn't use it in the new tank and not sure if it was worth it to have used it in this tank either. I only used it because Butch from Pond Armor recommended it.

 

[cockroach]

Ah man, sorry to hear you had to take that bad boy down. But what is this I hear about a new 2700?

 

[Zari]

Nice catch there about the cement board and pond armor vs the ID Sharks. Could be a real useful tip for anyone wanting to keep them.

 

[spiffyfish]

that tank was really nice, hope you have better luck with your new one.

 

[Rmelz]

Did you have any problems with your Grundfos pump housing being cast iron? I was always told that all pump parts should be stainless.

 

[bubbles123]

Even seeing it pulled apart, this tank amazes me. Thanks for sharing these photos and the things you learned by taking this one apart. Looking forward to seeing you get those pesky leaks stopped on the 2700.

 

[Inglorious]

Was the mold on the lower right of the base from the leak that your ID caused? Otherwise that was an amazing tank, although I'm sure the 2700 will surpass it in every way.