Plywood Tank Build Questions

[UBigBobby]

Hey all,

Has anyone here had experience building a plywood tank? If so, what were your impressions? I've read about contruction and the methods used, and am almost ready to give it a try. Really very minimal carpentry skill is needed (building the stand seems to require more skill than the tank itself.) I'm looking at dimensions along the lines of 96"x30"x18". The 18 inche height means I can stick with the much more affordable 1/4" glass. I'll likely build the stand myself as well, but only after the tank is complete and I am set on the dimensions. The volume would be somewhere around 224 gallons.

 

[fishyfreak]

I can't say I've ever built one but as a carpenter I have a couple concerns. 1) What kind of support do you have behind the plywood, as plywood will bow with much less weight than that. I would imagine you're building a sturdy frame or even a wall behind it? 2) A plywood stand would not be sufficient, a couple 2x4's would need to be involved

 

[UBigBobby]

Actually, it's becoming more and more common with just 3/4 inch plywood. The playwood by all accounts holds up very well to the pressure, and the tanks are as durable and long lasting as all glass.

I know, i was skeptical at first too, but I've read extensively on them and seen build threads on other sites and they do work.

 

[fishyfreak]

That's interesting, plywood has some flex, glass has zero. I look forward to hearing your progress if you go ahead with it.

 

[R0ADK1ll88]

That's interesting, plywood has some flex, glass has zero. I look forward to hearing your progress if you go ahead with it.

Yeah there is quite a bit of info out there on them. A lot of HUGE aquariums are built out of plywood (See topic Below). The main problem is waterproofing them but there are a few products out there for it. That is where the deflection of the boards start to play. In the build below there were a few problems late in the game that came of this but that was a small shift in a 1500 Gallon Tank.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=265342"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=265342[/URL] <--- BIG Build/Renovation

Edit: Grammer

 

[UBigBobby]

If I go ahead with the plan I'll make a build thread.

At this point, I know it works from my research, and honestly, looking at the plans on GARF and other websites, it's really pretty simple. I'll get the playwood boards and front glass precut at Home Depot. Bring it home, put some liquid nails along the edge of the board, line it up, and screw it together with 2 inch drywall screws every 3 inches. Once it is together (minus the glass), get the epoxy out and put at lead 3 coats on, sanding the previous coat lightly before the next application to aid in adhesion. Then caulk/seal all inside edges and seams with silicone, and install the front glass doing the same. And BAM you have a playwood tank any size you want!

There is a thread on a forum dedicated to native North American fish where someone made an 8ft long tank this way and it cost a grand total of $180 for everything.

 

[nsomnia]

i thought of doing a wood aquarium, heres the layout i was going to use, the only thing extra i was going to do was add a single layer of fiberglass mat and resin under the epoxy so if the epoxy were to leak it would not rot the wood. what epoxy were you going to use.

8x2x2 240 gal

 

[three-fingers]

I'm planning on doing one of these, a 5'x 2.5' x 2', but with pondliner instead of fibreglass/resin/epoxy.

Basically like the plans above, was planning to put a frame around it.