My Epic Breeding Setup Build

[VickiandKev]

Well, I've been talking about this and asking advice for weeks, but it's finally going ahead.

I currently have a very conservative breeding setup for bristlenose and other small plecos. But I would like to breed some of the bigger plecos and also create a more natural, bigger environment for my bristlenose as well.

I tried bare-bottom breeder tanks and minimalistic for maintenance but, I have to admit, I hate it. I absolutely loathe the current setup.

SO the new plan is 1 x 3 tier 6ft tank stand, 1 x 3 tier 3ft tank stand and 1 x 2ft tank stand, with all tanks being 2ft wide and 12" high and in plywood with fake background/sidegrounds and glass viewing panel at the front.

Today, the plywood arrived, which is 18mm thick WBP exterior grade plywood in 8' x 4' sheets, and the polystyrene for the backgrounds and underneath the tanks which is 25mm thick and 8' x 4' sheets. And also the timber for the stands - 2" x 4".

Being a complete blonde, I decided to order online for home delivery thinking 'Oh great, I don't have to lift a finger they will deliver it to my door and carry it in if I ask nicely too' .... yeah, right!!

The driver dropped it this morning using his lorry craney lifty thing and dropped it on the pavement .... it took me a while to get it in on my own lol, but I did it!!

Pics:
Current setup (tanks are tea-coloured because of wood and IAL)

Where I've stashed the poly sheets to stop the dogs from wrecking them

I need to revise where this plywood is going lol - my poor fish have been isolated from the living room (that's my 6ft tank).

The timber on the stairs (plus a load of bags of play sand for tank substrate)

They're um ... pretty long too

I will try and take pics as I go, first job is a tank stand ... I think I'm going to make a stand and then the tanks for it and work through that way ... and perhaps just make the backgrounds as and when I need a break from woodworking lol.

Any ideas for exterior colour of the tanks? And what colour to paint the stands too?

My OH and I can't seem to agree, he wants a mid-blue but I want more neutral colours .... like chocolate brown or black or biegey or something.

 

[VickiandKev]

Made some progress on this now.

Got one stand up - for the set of 3ft tanks. Also started some tanks today, and should have some fully constructed by tomorrow and holding water (all being well) by Monday

Anywho - photos ...

Stand in construction stage

Stand pretty much finished but still on its side

Plywood for two 3ft tanks cut and sanded down

Then the front viewing windows cut out

Glass for the viewing windows waiting to be fitted

Then measuring out the pondliner

Pondliner stuck on pieces and drying out

In the meantime, we wanted to have an idea of what the tank would look like up and on the stand so we did a mock-up

Tomorrow's jobs include sticking the pondliner to the other tank pieces, assembling the first tank and sealing with silicone, fitting the window in the first tank, making the backgrounds and cutting the polystyrene for under the tanks and possibly cutting out the wood for the last three foot tank.

Whilst we've been busy doing this over the last week, our plecs have been busy having their 2nd clutches in their current setup
We'd better get a move on!

 

[jonnyf84]

looking like it could be a very useful, well documented journal, great set up too. keep up the good work!

 

[Big_eyes]

This is definitely going to be a very interesting thread and one I will be watching eagerly!

 

[VickiandKev]

Quick update:
Got the first tank fully constructed and sitting curing with lots of books holding the viewing glass in place. Water test will be Tuesday as we have to leave it 24 hours - so doing 48 to be safe

Will post some piccies later!

 

[VickiandKev]

Promised photos
Back going on:

Then I was so busy I forgot all about photos and we now just have the tank sitting and curing (books are to hold the glass while the silicone cures)

 

[Harlequins]

Looking good, Keep up the good work

I would love to have a set up like yours,and await in anticipation on your new set up

Will you be having any lighting?

 

[MrPandaram]

dont wanna be a spilspot but tank looks bit risky? ( i used to thought acrylic tank are risky..)

never seen a wooden tank befor.. can't wait to see the fully setup.. goodluck.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

dont wanna be a spilspot but tank looks bit risky? ( i used to thought acrylic tank are risky..)

never seen a wooden tank befor.. can't wait to see the fully setup.. goodluck.

Plywood tanks are nothing new. Should be fine as a basic structure.

However, the mounting of the window to the liner is pretty important in this case. Most the plywood tanks I have seen either fibreglass, then pond-armour (or similar paint on sealer) the rest.

 

[VickiandKev]

Looking good, Keep up the good work

I would love to have a set up like yours,and await in anticipation on your new set up

Will you be having any lighting?

Well, our setup will be sold once the new one is up and running

I do plan on having lighting, as I want to plant my tanks with low-light tolerant species like anubias. I'm planning to buy some high frequency electronic ballasts and then the wiring and plugs and some IP67 end caps from acardia and then making my own T5 lights to be suspended with reflectors behind from the stand. One or two tubes per tank. Probably 39W for each 3ft tank, 24W for each 2ft and 2 x54W for each 6ft. May double up on those tubes though, will have to see how it goes really.

dont wanna be a spilspot but tank looks bit risky? ( i used to thought acrylic tank are risky..)

never seen a wooden tank befor.. can't wait to see the fully setup.. goodluck.

Plywood tanks are nothing new. Should be fine as a basic structure.

However, the mounting of the window to the liner is pretty important in this case. Most the plywood tanks I have seen either fibreglass, then pond-armour (or similar paint on sealer) the rest.

Yes! The pondliner is the only new thing about this tank. Our method of cutting the pondliner to fit the plywood and then sealing edges has been suggested before but not done yet (so far as I know) ... and the glass is the part of the tank I am most worried about. But we have backup plans including constructing an interior 'frame' for the glass and bolting that to the plywood and then sealing all attachments, so all is not lost if this idea fails us!


Update: Just cutting polystyrene for backgrounds and just ordered extruded plastic angles for finishing the top edges and holding the liner flush to the wood, and also double channelled extruded plastic for glass sliders. Sliders are yet to be ordered but plenty of time

I have some photos but will sit down and post them a bit later today

 

[dave_oddballs]

this is good and will be watching all the way through. i plan on building a 12 foot tank out of wood once me and the other half get our own place, pretty sure i will be using steel frame around but that would be to prevent bowing and cracking etc, how come you decided to use pond liner? i would have thought it would have been easier to use pond paint straight onto the wood, sure it will be just as good, think i will be putting a couple of layers of fibre glass to line mine as opposed to a liner or paint, this would overlap onto the viewing glass thus solving the sealing problem.
hope all goes well, its looking bloody good so far!!

Dave

 

[bae1994]

cool never seen ply tanks done with pond liner before seen it with pond paint and such good luck

 

[VickiandKev]

this is good and will be watching all the way through. i plan on building a 12 foot tank out of wood once me and the other half get our own place, pretty sure i will be using steel frame around but that would be to prevent bowing and cracking etc, how come you decided to use pond liner? i would have thought it would have been easier to use pond paint straight onto the wood, sure it will be just as good, think i will be putting a couple of layers of fibre glass to line mine as opposed to a liner or paint, this would overlap onto the viewing glass thus solving the sealing problem.
hope all goes well, its looking bloody good so far!!

Dave

That 12ft sounds like a good one - you should take photos so we can see how

We're planning to make a 10ft x 3ft x 18inch tank for the living room once this setup is done ... and I'm sure by that time if I never make a plywood tank again it will be too soon
We'll probably use a lot of extra reinforcement on that tank!


And we decided to use pond liner because it's the cheapest option for one, secondly it's reinforced liner that we're using so it's pretty tough and not prone to ripping. It has a 25year guarantee I think (must check receipt!), and thirdly I really didn't like the idea of using pond paint - I know it's supposed to be 100% waterproof but I don't trust it to be long-term. The only thing we would have used besides pondliner is liquid rubber high build - the non-toxic roofing brush-on membrane stuff but getting hold of that is a mission - seems nobody wants to sell it to you unless they can apply it for you and get paid for it, or unless you're a roofing contractor and will buy massive amounts! And that's pretty pricey stuff too.

 

[dave_oddballs]

good job im a roofer then isn't it! haha well im a joiner but work on roofs and know a few guys here and there, actually my mate has just completed a fibre glassing course so he will know where to get hold of what ever amount i need!
i will just make a ply tank like yours and build a frame round it from steel, similar to the steel T1karmann used in his stand on his big tank, if i was to make this tank to make it worth my while it would be 12 foot long 6 foot wide and about 4 foot high, the expense would come with the glass, obviously 12x4 pieces of glass don't come easy so id plan on a 'split screen' kind of idea. it would be lined with fibre glass, as thick as i could get it, then coated with pond paint to seal it, would have steel cross braces also.
it won't be for a year or 2 so i'll watch you build your big one first! haha you going to be using 'DIY' filtration like a sump or just internals?
definitely watching this one!

 

[coldcazzie]

Loving this project so far! I'm definitely intrigued to see how the ply tanks come out

Random question after all the comments about custom tanks - could you have a tank that went around a corner? Like an L shaped one? So it could go down one wall and then along another one - like in the corner of a living room?