Who here has a long running Liquid Rubber based Ply aquarium?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
C

contoursvt

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 2, 2005
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Hi all, I'm about a couple weeks away from waterproofing my plywood aquarium and am leaning towards liquid rubber because its more forgiving from what I understand. I was going to go with 8-10 coats. For the window I'll use the 3M 5200 adhesive.

Only concern I've got is that I've read some people having issues with bubbling or flaking off with their liquid rubber. Maybe they didn't wait long enough to cure or some other reason. Just trying to see if anyone has one running for a few years with no issues.

Thanks :)
 
Word of advice, I would probably put this in a basement or garage, that way if you get a leak your not out thousands of dollars for structural repairs.
Good luck, sounds like a cool build.
 
millerkid519 said:
I do not suggest liquid rubber. Use something like Sweetwater or pond armor
Click to expand...

Ya definitely liquid rubber is not the first choice for many but I had an opportunity to ping a few people who had liquid rubber tanks on youtube and most responded positively and two are over 4 years old and still going.

I also had a chance to speak with a tech at liquid rubber and seems to get a truly reliable finish, you have to hit at least the minimum thickness which I believe was 60mil to be waterproof due to small pinholes that might be missed. The more the better. He also told me that improper cure time is another reason for issues so best to give it a week after you finish your application and also to fill once, let it sit for 24hrs then drain, wipe dry and let it sit dry for a day and then refill. He said this process of getting it wet/then dry makes it tougher (something to do with the chemical process that happens when its exposed to water - reason why it turns brown in water). Wiping it dry will remove that top film or something.

I also asked about fiberglass for corners and he said if used, best to really roughen it up quite a lot because the bond will not be that great on a slick surface so its a point of problem if not roughened up.

I think all this makes sense and its possible that many that had issues could have avoided it if they knew this stuff.
 
Was thinking of making a plywood sump and doing it with liquid rubber as I have some on hand. curious as well if it holds.
 
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