Diy Holding Tanks

[OohFeeshy]

I may, at some point, be in need of some medium (2-3ft) holding/growout tanks. These *probably* won't be in use for more than a few months at a time, but you never know. Glass tanks are too bulky and heavy to be practical, so I was wondering about plywood. How watertight will a plywood tank be? And what is the basic process of making a plywood and glass tank? Ooh, while I'm on the subject, can you buy acryllic sheets at DIY shops (like B&Q, Homebase) and what sort of prices are they?

 

[hoarp001]

plywood is pourous, the wood would satruate, and turn to weetabix then the weight of the water would split it out.

You could make a plywood box then put a pond liner inside it to hold the water. You would have to use heavy duty wooden braces around the outside to hold it together. You might also be able to build a plywood box then seal it with varnish, but i would consider this risky as the varnish might not be fish safe...

You can get thin sheets of perspex from BandQ but its too thin and floppy for it to be much use. its also quite expensive at about 15 quid for 4x5ft peice.

if you want to buy acrylic phone this number:

+44 (0)20 8327 3232

they are a sheet plastics company called GPX that will supply you cut to size sheets of a suitable plastic.

Hope this helps.

 

[boshank23]

you could knock up a ply wood box and use fiberglass to make water tight.

make the box with ply and apply a couple of coats of resin to the inside. then use fiberglass sheets and resin.

make sure to get all the air out of each aplication of fiberglass and resin as these will become weak spots, also make sure you make them in a well ventilated area, the resin really smells and is pretty toxic.

if you want anymore info on fiberglassing PM me

 

[xJake]

I'd go with acrylic. It's fairly cheap in the thickness you'd need and is relatively easy to cut yourself as long as you have the right saw and a sander to smooth out the edges. It's light (less than a third the weight of glass) and can't break like glass. With the right thickness a piece of acrylic can take a bullet and have only minimal damage done to it. Sealing or fiberglassing plywood sounds like more work than you would want to do to setup a tank and it's very risky business trying to actually keep fish in something like that.

 

[Tolak]

Check out the diy folder down on the left at http/garf.org/

I keep spare tanks on hand, a 2.5 fits nicely in a 10, which fits in a 20 high. Nesting them saves on space, while still letting you store some supplies in with them. http/glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=2 and http/www.all-glass.com/services/index.html gives you some standard tank sizes.

From what I understand, plywood tanks, no matter how well made, tend to leak after a few years. They will end up weighing at least as much as glass once you add the bracing. I would look for deals on used tanks, then nest them or use them for things like seasonal clothes storage or tool room storage.

 

[dylema]

How about large plastic storage bins like these. They are really cheap and are made to stack together.

Dylan

 

[OohFeeshy]

Thanks for the replies.

I use plastic storage containers, but once you get up to larger sizes it's a pain finding ones that aren't so high they become annoying (I can't handle tanks much higher than they are wide) or are foodsafe. It's not often you find containers the same sort of size as standard tanks.

Ideally, I need some sort of shelf under my bed/where the 2ft currently is though.

 

[andywg]

Easiest way would be a quick frame of 2x2/2x4 wood with ply sides covered with pond liner. If a container is strong enough, but not foodsafe, just line it. Small pieces don't cost a lot, and most people have spare after doing a pond.

For a more permanent solution do a plywood and fibre glass, though this is only really much use on larger set ups (think pond rather than tank size).

 

[boshank23]

From what I understand, plywood tanks, no matter how well made, tend to leak after a few years. They will end up weighing at least as much as glass once you add the bracing. I would look for deals on used tanks, then nest them or use them for things like seasonal clothes storage or tool room storage.

i remember reading an article about a guy who made an 8ft ply and fiber-glass tank 8 years ago for his oscars, he put a perspecs front on and its still going strong.

if you make it right it should last forever. it really is the same as the big ponds you buy from B&Q.

i have done some work on aircraft in a composite bay, i figure if they let it fly with hundreds of ppl on board it will hold water for as long as you wan't.

 

[hoarp001]

With the right thickness a piece of acrylic can take a bullet and have only minimal damage done to it. Sealing or fiberglassing plywood sounds like more work than you would want to do to setup a tank and it's very risky business trying to actually keep fish in something like that.

Actualy, you are thinking of polycarbonate. Acrylic cracks and shatters very easily, polycarbonate is the bullet proof stuff.