Plywood tank

[The-Wolf]

I'm thinking seriuosly about makeing a plywood tank (3sides and bottom plywood, front ply border and glass) I have looked at www.garf.org and found out how to do this properly but I am confused as to the paint to use to keep the plywood from getting wet.

Is any Enamel paint ok?
Would yatch varnish/paint be ok?
Would MDF be a good substitute for ply, as marine ply is three times the cost or MDF?

I am looking at making a 4 or 5 foot tank
either 48L x 15w x 18H = 56us gal
or 60L x 15W x 18H = 70 us gal

 

[semper fi]

this might help you out danio

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_...d_aquarium3.php

 

[JeremyD]

Gel coat is probably the best paint you could use. It is made for use on fiberglass and also for use underwater (perfect!). It can get expensive, but I see no need to go cheap with this much at stake.


MDF while it is great structurally (very rigid) does not hold up very well to water at all. You are better off using finish grade ply.

 

[Aquascaper]

If you get any moisture onto the MDf it will swell and split. Not what you want when it's holding back (x) gallons of water

 

[The-Wolf]

OK mdf is out of the picture thanks guys

 

[Blacky]

I have made a plywood tank in the last few days and mdf i defintley out use a thing called CD ply or Marine ply. CD ply is what the use on houses they are semi water proof and marine ply is water proof and no need to seal it. Here in Australia you can get a sheet of CD ply at 2.4 meter by 1.2 meter for around $55 and marine is about $80-$90 mine is made out of CD ply, I highly reccommec you to get 17mm thick not 12mm as mine is 12 mm and was only just big enough to fit the screws in 17mm will be better. I got some water proofing stuff that tilers use behind wet areas in the bathrooms its called liquid flash 2, it has fiber glass flex though it and only takes 4 hours to cure for recoat and 7 days to fully cure for fully submersed in water. All other suff takes 28 days to dry properly. Because the liquid flash dry grey i got a $10 bucket of paint that is non toxic (sorry lquid flash is non toxic also) the use this paint on water tanks troughs ect: the paint is black but most people have the backs of their tank are black or blue anyhow, but i think black makes fish plants ect look better and stand out too. I brought one pecices of ply wood and made the tank and sump all up i have a 1.2 meter tank bby 40 cm by 40 cm and sump and bio filter gravel and caves for under $200 auszy dollars.
By the way i got 25liters of white pebbels from the landscaping place for $15 and granite rocks to make caves fo $7. sorry about the long email but the tank looks great and water will be in it tommorrow fish in 1 week later

 

[The-Wolf]

Thabks for the info blacky

Any chance of posting some pictures?

 

[Blacky]

yeah as soon as the water and fishes are in ill be posting pics from start to finish