My 480g plywood tank is nearing completion lots of pics.

[scchase]

I started building this tank back in June and have spent a lot of time doing research and gathering supplies.
I assembled the frame in Early August and spent the rest of the month coating the insde with first fiberglass resin then 2 part epoxy paint. I was able to get the glass into it finally last week and have been waiting for the silicon to dry till today when I decided to finally put some water into it. So far so good only filled it halfway though because half my tank support is incorperated into the stand, pictures should explain why.

The dimensions are about 88 1/2 x 43x 1/2 x 30
The plywood is 3/4
The glass is 1/2 tempered glass.
This is my first attempt at building a tank as well.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136stand_new_pic.jpg
Here is the front of the stand completed untill I decide how I will finish it. The tank will actually be framed in by the walls around it allowing me to use less playwood on the tank itself

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136stand_complete__2_.jpg

This is the back of the stand in the fishroom. The underside is built with 2x6s spaced every 6 inches then on a header for access to the underside of the tank for sump storage that will easily support the tank.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136stand_back.jpg

[scchase]

Here is the tank before any of the sealants were added.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136tank_frame__2_.jpg

This next image is the tank with the fiberglass shell completed I did 2 layers on the bottom and double layered the bottom edge.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136Fiberglass.jpg
Here is the tank with 3 coats of epoxy applied I let it sit for 2 weeks at this point to insure that everything dried well.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136epoxy__2_.jpg
This is the glass being installed I put 700 pounds of sand on it to set it will as well as myself it took 5 full tubes of silicone to do the first caulk on it.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136glass.jpg

[scchase]

Here it is with the glass installed while I was waiting for the silicone to cure all the way through. I decided to add my first animals to the tank though.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136first_fish.jpg
I finally started to fill the tank tonight on 9/22/05. I only filled it halfway for right now and will let it sit hopefully a week. If no leaks are found after that I will move it downstairs to its new home and get started with the real fun.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136filling.jpg

[brianemone]

Cool, what are your plans for it???

[Large Polyp Dave]

wow i've always read about people planning huge plywood tanks (mostly broke teenagers!) but I've never seen one being built.

it looks like it'll be great! good work

From your experience building that tank, do you think a large 3 sided viewable plywood tank could be safely built? with wood on all the corners/edges? (the bottom panel and one side panel would be plywood)

[scchase]

Well I plan on putting a lot of SPS into it they have outgrown my current 150g tank and need more room to get bigger. I plan on adding somewere around 400 pounds of live rock which will leave plenty of room for all my corals.
Lighting will consist of 4 400wt 20k XMs and 2 250wt 10k XMs and possible some VHOs not completly sure about them yet.
The overflow will be a acrylic weir that runs the back of the tank and is drained by a 2 1/2 inch drain feeding into a MRC MR-3R.

I will be running at least 1 sequence Barraquda on a OM 4way CL as well as some Tunze style pumps still decideing if I want to get the Tunzes or use Seios. I have some Seios now that I am very happy with. I might also add another CL depending on the flow.
I will be constructing 4 remote sand beds 6'x 2'x 8" that will have 5 " of sand each stacked on top of each other in the fishroom area. These will be lined with pond liner and terminate into a growout tank about the same size minus the sand lit my 175 wt MHs.
The sump will also be built by me and lined with pond liner and will probably be in the shape of an L sitting under the tank with one half dedicated to a refugium.
Calcium will be supplied by a Calcium reactor and Nielsen Reactor connected to my RO unit.

Large Polyp Dave I would be weary of a tank like that may not be enough support though with the proper support above the tank it could work out. A LFS in my area has a tank that is built into the corner of a wall with 3 panes of glass on the fronts.

Also as of this morning the tank just a little over half full has no leaks so all is well at this point now just have to wait. This will be torture.

[Large Polyp Dave]

is that puppy in your avatar the same dog inside the tank?

if that is, he's grown quite a bit =)

[scchase]

Nope they are different dogs.

[Bono]

How wide and thick is the piece of plywood where the top of the glass panel will sit? From one of the pictures, it looks like it's bowed out already. And are you putting any bracing across the top?

[scchase]

It is 3/4 inches the bow in the picture is from the natural bow of the wood before I added the glass. At half full there is about 1/8 inch of deflection. I will be adding a cross brace from the back to the front. Originally it would of had a brace like the back panel but due to a miscalcultaion that could not be fixed I will have to have a cross brace instead. Just as a note my 150 g tank has more deflection then this fully filled and is in excess of 20 years old.

[yellowtruck75]

How much were all the materials? Do you know how many gallon your tank is? Why not run a brace all the way around the tank like eurobraced glass tanks so that there is no shadow from the cross brace.

Great looking tank. I think I am going the route when I get a house in a few years.

[skuntking]

looks very nice will be watching the progress.

[Lordhelmet]

I dont quite understand how the bracing works in that tank. it that just screwed together without any bracing in the back? wont it just pop at the seems when it is full? Maybe i'm missing something in the pictures but it looks a bit unsafe to me. other then that i love the idea and the size. my question is, with plywood, are you limited to 8' in length or could you put say 2 or 4' more of plywood and have a seem in the middle of the tank?

Thanks

Chris

[speakeraddict]

I have a seam in my L tank. I just covered the seam with a piece of 3/4" plywood that overlapped it 5" on either side of the seam and buttered it with liquid nails and screwed it down.

I will seal it up with fiberglass then epoxy paint.

If you want to question the strength of this design, Saturday we moved the tank outside so I could start fiberglassing and we lifted the tank by it's ends and layed it on it's back on my truck to move it and it didn't flex at all. I swear you could hold up a two story house with this thing!

I have pics of us moving it I need to post.

speakeraddict

[scchase]

Ok if oyu look on my stand you will see 2x4s coming up on both sides and the back. The tank will be butted up against these 2x4s providing much more support then any sort of Eurobracing could supply. They are Hurricane tied into the stand and as such it would litteraly take something akin to a hurricane to make those 2x4s move and as a result the walls of the tank as well. In addition the back and front will both have a earobrace now that I figured out how to do one on the front with my glass misshap. The back already has one on it its 3 inches wide and painted blue like the rest of the tank and tied into the tank with fiberglass. Trust me guys this tank will not bow short of using some sort of jack to make it bow on purpose.

[speakeraddict]

The back of mine has a eurobrace and the front is tied to the back with stainless steel rods every 16".

I doubt mine will bow at all. I was going to do the whole thing eurobraced but, due to space constraints, my tank is too narrow to do that. I would not have allowed enough space for light to get in the tank or put large pieces of liverock.

I think your design is dead on. I have built several plywood tanks and they have all worked for a decade save one that I used the lowe's brand epoxy on and it leaked after 5 years.

speakeraddict

[matt & pam]

When I purchased epoxy from a boat shop to make a tank they said you could probably use cardboard due to the strength of the epoxy/fiberglass. After finishing my small tank (approx 30 gal), I believe it.

I definitely understand not getting the glass measurements perfect. I don't know why I thought fiberglass glued on a corner would lead to a perfectly straight line on the bottom. Needless to say my glass was pretty tight on the edges. Wish I went about 1/4" short both dimensions.

What type of glass did you use?

Matt

[scchase]

The glass is tempered its what was reccomned by all the glass shops. I shoulda went anealled though my 150 is and its near indestructable

[yellowtruck75]

What type of expoxy did you use and how much did it take?

[scchase]

I used the Aquatic Ecosystems epoxy and it only took a gallon to do 3 coats and I still had some left over even .

[scchase]

Today I finished adding the bracing though I have 1 piece that still needs to be coated in epoxy before filling with saltwater. Then I filled it up. With the braces the total deflection at the middle of the tank is less then 1/8" as a comparison my 150 g 20 year old all glass aquarium has nearly 5/8" deflection at the middle.

Here is a pic of it full now it will have to sit in the garage for the rest of the week and not leak then go downstairs after a couple minor adjustments.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136full.jpg

[fillibar]

Looks good. How much does it weight, excluding the water I mean?

[scchase]

Without water it is light maybe 180-200 pounds I can move it by myself around the garage and flip it on its back if needed so it cant be that bad at all.

[tsquad]

coooooool

I think I will try making a plywood tank as a vivarium. Leaves lots of room for error because it won't be holding water...could be good practice for later on.

But your tank is incredible, do you mind me asking how much all of it cost?

[scchase]

Plywood 100
Epoxy 100
Glass 275
Fiberglass 175
Screws 15
Silicone 30
Liquid Nails 10
That is approximate.

[tsquad]

Sweet! That sounds in my price range, since I won't be buying glass, just a piece of plexiglass, cheap. Very cool. I can't wait to see your setup set up.

[Heinz]

how did you seal the glass to the plywood ? just silicon nothing els ? thats enough ?

[scchase]

Yep that is all you need the silicone is more of a giant gasket then anything else even more so with Acrylic panels.
Tsquad I would not sue plexiglass for a tank it scratches reall easily and can be rather brittle. Plus you have to have the right thickness for the highth of the tank you are building.

[tsquad]

Yes, but it won't hold water. It will just be a viewing window...I could use screen, but I'd want to keep the humidity up in the vivarium. I think I'd use 3/8" Plexiglass (technically acrylic, they sell the stuff at HomeDepot).

[scchase]

Ah in that case it would be fine.

[javatech]

This is my tank that i made with plywood and glass with a two part epoxy paint
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/26449plywood_tank__15_.jpg


And this is the center brace i made for mine
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/26449reef_tank__10_.JPG

[scchase]

Looking very nice why did you cut hoels in the brace though.

[zaireguy]

I am using a 240 plywood tank also.Some say they aren`t as nice as glass but man you have a lot of extra $$ to go around :)

[scchase]

Ill take plywood and the extra 5k any day, plus I can drill holes wherever I want without anything special.

[Reefvet]

Originally posted by javatech
This is my tank that i made with plywood and glass with a two part epoxy paint


javatech I've seen you post these pictures before and I'm always impressed, it's a great looking tank.

Do you have any pictures of it set up ?

[keefsama2003]

i did the same thing but i made 2 90gallon tanks.

i used fda approved foodgrade gelcoat instead of epoxy

[Broodingwolf]

wow, what an amazing looking tank, and equally amazing price tag! Wonder how much it would be if it was made with starfire glass instead... hehehe nice contrast there eh? Plywood and starfire.

[scchase]

Yes you have heard it hear I will make a 480 gallon tank come in fully stalked with state of the art technology for less then 5k. My next project here in the next couple of weeks will e to make a recirculating beckett skimmer. The skimmer will be fed with the overflow water from the tank directly into near the top of the cylinder then then drain out from the bottom into the sump. The beckett loop will draw water from the top send it through the beckett and back up the column. Total height should be around 4 foot maybe a little more.

[Jimsmowen]

Just wondering about a few things, if you drill it do you just use standard bulkheads and some silicone??

And when you put the front panel of glass in, did you just silicone straight onto the front and leave it or did you put something behind it aswell so its "sandwiched" in?

[scchase]

As far as the bulkheads should be able to just use standard procedure there I have had them on FRP before and that is all bumpy even so it shouldnt be a problem. Tglass is just attached on the front water pressure keeps it there so no worries there.

[Jimsmowen]

Ah sweet!

Could you possibly show some more detailed photos of the actual construction of the tank? like how you joined the wood and how the corners are done and stuff, is it 2 sheets thick? like 1 sheet then some kind of frame then another sheet on the outside or?

[Jimsmowen]

Ooo forgot to say please :)

[scchase]

I did not get any other photos of construction but I can describe it better I guess. Really you just lay a bead of liquid nails down the sandwich the boards together. Really the best way would be just to read up on it on a site like GARF. It is only one sheet thick since I am using the walls of my house as support if it was free standing then I would have used 2 sheets.

[Jimsmowen]

Ah, alrighty then thanks for the info on all of this.

[NeilsReef]

Your plywood tank looks very nice, I am looking forward to see how it looks as you progress. Thanks.

[frivera28]

how long will it last?

[scchase]

From what I have read I will need to put another coat of epoxy paint on at 10 years possibly but may last a lot longer then that one of the LFS here has 2 of these tanks that are in excess of 20 years old and they are a lot more inticate then mine in that they both have concave fronts.

[frivera28]

ok thanks.
Also how do you put on the fiberglass?
Is that the hardest part?

[matt & pam]

There is a chapter in simplified reef keeping that describes making a tank in detail. The cut to size fiberglass cloth is placed into the wet epoxy and smoothed out. You can either fiberglass the entire interior or just the corners/seams. The trick is to make sure the bubbles are pressed out/smoothed out.

Matt

[speakeraddict]

I find it much easier to tape in the fiberglass and then pour on the epoxy on the floor and either roll or brush out the bubbles. Once the floor is smoothed out, start brushing it up the walls and remove the tape.

The cloth can become a slippery mess if you don't take care when brushing.

speakeraddict

[frivera28]

what are the down-sides to making a tank like this?

Seems like a good way to go if you are planning a in-wall tank

[massman]

scchase,
I'm guessing the holes were cut to let some light through and therefore minimise the shadow.

Why not contain the bowing by building a steel frame around the top perimeter? Thus alleviating the need for cross members.

[scchase]

I have thought about building a front around the tank as well but decided against it in favor of keeping it as flush with the wall as possible. ALready it will be sitting 3/4" into the and to build additional frame I would have to set it even further back I am looking int oreplacing the cross brace with some sort of wire though to reduce the amount of light lost.
Downsides to this type of tank are that you have to really plan it carefully it is fairly easy to make a major mistake that could flood your house. As well as you lose some of the viewing space ot the border around the front though I plan on using this to my advantage in placing outlets too my closed loop. I am also very weary of keeping urchins in this tank too great a risk that they might chew throught he epoxy. The tank at my LFS had to be resealed 2 years ago because a large French angel 13"+ chewed the epoxy off the walls.

[matt & pam]

Another thing to consider is the time to build. If you're savvy with woodworking it's straightforward, but if you don't have the tools to cut your pieces straight...better get flood insurance. From my perspective the cost savings comes in for large tanks, but if all you want is something < 55 gallons, a glass tank would probably be cheaper.

Matt.

[speakeraddict]

agreed. Unless a tank less than 100 gallons is a really strange shape or has a really specific purpose that requires the flexibility of plywood construction methods, you are better off with glass or acrylic.

speakeraddict

[scchase]

I agree my sump will be around 100 gallons and made out of plywood as well but this time Ill jsut use a EPDM liner. This is mainly so I can build it in place under the stand.

[javatech]

Originally posted by scchase
Looking very nice why did you cut hoels in the brace though.
to try and get more light in the tank

[javatech]

Originally posted by Reefvet
javatech I've seen you post these pictures before and I'm always impressed, it's a great looking tank.

Do you have any pictures of it set up ?
Here are some new photos of the tank
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showgallery.php?ppuser=26449&cat=500&thumb=1

[Brandon Lovato]

let me know when you are ready for some coral this rugby ball of a montapora is waiting for you.
brandon
i will snap a photo for you later

[scchase]

Well I got it moved downstairs last weekend and have been working on getting the stand/wall finished so I took some more photos.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136stand_done.jpg
and here is one of me in the tank
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136me_in.jpg

[biodegraded]

frivera28 Also how do you put on the fiberglass?
Is that the hardest part?

I just saw this thread. I've made a few plywood tanks. For laying fiberglass, the easiest thing I've found is to tack it down to the wood with 3M 77 glue. Spray a very light amount on the wood. Have an assistant to help manage the cloth. Spray to lay in segments to prevent wrinkles while laying the cloth down.

A method I read about, but have not personally done, which is good for really large wood tanks, is to make the floor and side panels separately. Prep, cloth, coat, etc, then put them together with epoxy for glue and screw as usual. Reinforce the edge joints with 2" glass tape and a bit more epoxy. I will try this if/when I make another tank.

[Kent E]

I built a 450. I simply laid the glass and poured the epoxy onto the flat surface, Of course I could only do one surface at a time.

[mmd]

what are the down-sides to making a tank like this?
TERMITES

[robilium]

lookin forward to more pics

[pm8998]

a lot of people build plywood tanks on cichlid forum and there is a diy guide on it.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_list.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=86577
sry for the off site links but grate info on plywood tanks

[onetrickpony]

i have been following that tank from the start
my next tank is going to be
96x48x40 3/4 low iron glass
Ken

[Kent E]

The down sides are that it takes alot of time, Yet theres no room for cutting corners.

[JayC]

Thats going to be one sweet tank! Cant wait to see more pics of it.

[eddybabyhd]

Can i be the first to ask where you got ahold of all that tropical play sand...I would love to be able to get some...

pm me if you can release the source

[Shoestring Reefer]

Originally posted by matt & pam
When I purchased epoxy from a boat shop to make a tank they said you could probably use cardboard due to the strength of the epoxy/fiberglass. After finishing my small tank (approx 30 gal), I believe it. Yup. At least one company makes fiberglass tanks for aquariums.

[myreef]

Very Impressive Scott! Beautiful tank!

[Kent E]

When does water go into it?

[scchase]

Well I will finish the skimmer this weekend and as soon as I get the pump for it on Tuesday I could start putting water into it though I will probably wait till I get my Lumanarc IIIs installed into the hood before I fill it and I wont be able to order them till the end of next week, so optimistically I should have live rock in it by the 22nd of October then Ill let it cycle and move the contents of my 150 into it after everything is looking good and some test frags look good.
I'll post photos of the skimmer this weekend its a beast at 36" tall and 5" diameter tube powered by double becketts with all top off water being directly piped into the skimmer before the sump. It will also have 2 ports installed allowing for all topoff water from my kalkwasser reactor and all efluent from my calcium reactor to be injected into the skimmer allowing for CO2 offgassing and extra removal of phosphate.

[TxAggie08]

im gonna tag along on this. the plywood tank idea is one ive been kickng around along time......and when that get this big it starts becoming worht it

[JodiLynn]

Holy freakin cow Scott. You probably don't remember me and Ben, but we always used to come look at your tanks (oh, and *kinda* hang out with Jeremiah) and you always talked about building this massive tank. That looks incredible man. Have you put live rock in it yet?

Hope you're enjoying the new house. Who are those cute dogs?

Oh, and all those corals you gave us back in the day before you moved are still alive. Even the tree coral. There's pictures of our tanks on here somewhere. You seriously got us addicted to this hobby.

That tank looks amazing.

[bendavis]

...and when are you going to invite us over to check it out? seriously scott. see ya later.
-Ben

[jaze36]

great project look forward to seeing more.

[Electrobes]

scchase - I love the tank... and avatar!!!

[scchase]

Finally got to test the skimmer I build last night a couple minor leaks and a problem with an air space developing on the out side of the riser tube need to find some way to let more water by so that I dont get burping there.

[killercoral]

OH NO the dreaded burping. I could not get my skimmer to stop burping so I actually had to put a U-tube in the box at the bottom so that the water was coming straight up the body of the skimmer. I have heard it has a lot to do with the pump that you are using but in my case I don't think that was the problem with mine.

For being so simple DIY skimmers are a real pain sometimes.

[killercoral]

Scott, what is the size of the actual viewing window? Do you think that you are going to have any problems being that the tank is 30". I have read a lot on the large tank forum and it seems like a tank this tall is a real pain to work on.

[scchase]

Not too bad with the sandbed makes the bottom of the tank just less then my arm length and since I already have to use a board to work on the middle and most the back of the tank doesnt make too big of a difference/ Woudl have to measure the actual viewing window but should be close to 83"x24". Ill post some pics tonight or tommorow afer I finish moving all the rock around and things clear up again.

[8BALL_99]

Looks really good.. I think for an Inwall setup,, tanks like this really make the most since...Why pay for the glass for the back and sides just to cover or paint them later??? Most people even trim inwall glass tanks out with wood anyway.. So you get the exact same look..

[renichms]

Where do you find the glass? Like, if I had to look in a phone book, what section would I look in? I've searched through all the sections I can think of and never found anything remotely close to a glass shop where I live and the city isn't exactly small either. Lowe's and places like that don't carry glass and their thickest acrylic is .25" and very expensive.

RN

[scchase]

Ok here are the photos of the preliminary rock structure this is subject to change and around 400 pounds of live rock.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136full_480.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136left_side_480.jpg http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136right_side_480.jpg

[wld1783]

renichms

Try a search on homebuilt aircraft building supplies. The fiberglass should be the same stuff they use to build fiberglass planes. The wing and body are foam and the galss is layed in layers with epoxy...Super strong only if you have no bubbles. Burt Rutan has been using it for years.

[wld1783]

Oh by the way the fumes are nasty a resporator is a must.

[scchase]

If you are looking for the glass for the front you have to go to the local glass shop try windows in the phone book they should be able to get what you need.

[renichms]

Originally posted by scchase
If you are looking for the glass for the front you have to go to the local glass shop try windows in the phone book they should be able to get what you need.

So just any window store should be able to obtain glass pieces?

RN

[speakeraddict]

Renichms,

You aren't too far from me. I use City glass (in HSV).

They have great prices.

BTW, if you are wanting help building a plywood tank, come by and I'll lend a hand. You can see the ones I am working on.

speakeraddict

[frivera28]

Any updates on the tank and do you have new pics?

[AcroSteve]

Yea, Any updates?

[scchase]

Soon I will have new photos maybe tommorow or later tonight

[eidillitih]

tagging along

[ratboy]

My brother in law installed a 600 gallon fiberglass tank with 1.5" acrylic window. The frame for the tank was built out of BALSA WOOD!!!

[AcroSteve]

Balsa has a high strength to weight ratio - as far as wood goes.

[alien9168]

Just qurius, How do these tanks fare when put up against glass and acrilic?

Do they hold up well?

Thanks!

-alien

[scchase]

Ok I finally got some pictures not the best ever but you can see how far along we are,
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136whole_tank_2-23.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136right_2-23.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136left_up_2-23.jpg

[Soltaker]

Awesome looking tank.....for real man. Seeing tanks like this definately give inspiration to others when it comes to plywood tanks. Well done indeed.

[Dizzyswimmer]

Very nice ! My nexy tank will be plywood. It will be a few years before I start it though.

[asnatlas]

Looking good scchase...

[cameronsloan]

Hey, I understand you just traded some guy for a really cool purple LTA. ;)

Do you have any pictures of that anemone in his new home?

[scchase]

You can jsut barely see him in the pic going sidways back behind the clams but I will see if I can get a better shot.

[alien9168]

chase- you probably missed my question before:

Just qurius, How do these tanks fare when put up against glass and acrilic?

THanks :D

-alien

[scchase]

I have never had a tank of any sort fail as of yet so I cant really compare cost wise plywoods are much cheaper once you get to aroun 200+_

[alien9168]

Thanks Chase!! :D

-alien

[rip]

The top of your tank will probably fail!!!!!You shold have at least two wide center braces on the tank top!!
Rip

[scchase]

Thanx for the encouragement there rip i am confident my tnak will be just fine though width has nothing to do with strength

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6858190#post6858190 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rip
The top of your tank will probably fail!!!!!You shold have at least two wide center braces on the tank top!!
Rip

:rolleye1:

[rip]

I want to explain why the tank could fail.Look at the first pic where the tank is painted blue,without the viewing panel.The top cross piece is obviously bowed out,with ZERO pressure on it.You could push or pull on it and it would give several inches in or out.Now look at the pic after the viewing panel is installed.The top cross piece is now straight!The cross piece has conformed to the straight viewing panel.There is zero front bowing support for the top front of your tank.You would never find a commercially made tank built this way,four foot tanks come with center braces.I have built several large plywood tanks.For ultimate strength I did this.
8 ft x4tx3 ft wide. I built the whole tank out of solid 3/4 marine plywood.One end piece is NOT screwed in place.The acrylic panel will be inserted from the side.Now,decide how much [picture frame] you want to support the front acrylic,say 4 inches all around.Mark your front plywood panel and cut it out,leaving a 4 inch perimeter.Now the top,I would leave 2 wide braces,say 4 inches wide,spaced evenly.Leave a good 3- 4 wide peremiter,just like the front,but with two wide braces,front to back.Cut the 2 top pieces out.Now fiberglass,epoxy everything.When dry,slide you acrylic panel in from the side and silicone in place.Last fit your end panel in place,screw it in,then from inside tank,glass that panel in.This is one strong tank.Plus,with top cross braces you,have support for 4 ft lights.If you want to cover the tank,you now have 3 short openings to cover with glass,safer and easy to manage.
Rip

[rip]

Guys and Gals,
I have pics of tank I described but have no clue how to add them to posts..My email is rippysub@bellsouth.net .I will email the pics to someone and they can post them to give people an idea of my method.The pics are of the first tank I built,and I used oak for the front frame instead of the solid plywood.Rest of my tanks were built as described,easier and stronger.Thanks.
Rip

[scchase]

Obviosuly you didnt look at all the pics I euorbraced and added a center brace later on there is les sthen 1/4" of bow on the tank now compared to my commercially built tanks which some have over 5/8" bow and are over 20 years old.

[Grimstalk]

Wow, I really like your tank. Good job.

Where is the overflow? Did you drill the back to accomodate returns etc or are they suspended above the tank? Also wondering if there are any issues installing bulkheads, ie, do the seat properly against the wall?

I assume the fiberglass is not absolutely require, rather just to help seal the tank? I'm thinking of building a 50G test tank and might not use the fiberglass, just seal it with marine epoxy.

Thanks,
Jaret

[Lord Voldemort]

Nice pics :thumbsup: Poor dog :(

[scchase]

Returns are suspended over the tank but the back is drilled for the close loop feeds and for the overflow which is internal and just a big glass box. The seals themselves I thought were actually easier then on glass for whatever reason.

[law086]

It's been a few months so I figured I'd give this a bump to see where you're at.

I also wanted to ask anybody that's listening if you've personally witnessed a wood tank fail. If you did, what happened? Slow leak or one day it just falls apart and floods your house?

Ron

[scchase]

Here we go
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136right_06.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136middle_06.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136left_up_06-med.jpg

[renichms]

How does the cost of materials and time put in to making the tank compare to the cost of buying a premade tank? I can't find much in the way of ~415 gallon tanks, especially locally. If I can sell all my saltwater stuff, I'm tempted to upgrade for my turtles.

RN

[Chihuahua6]

Wow! I have been delaying ordering my tank for so long due to the cost. My husband has a woodworking shop in our house and he's quite handy. I know he could do it. Where would he begin (of course after reading this post)? I have some more questions if you do not mind.

What color is the epoxy? Are there different colors to choose from?
How did you build and plumb the overflow? Can you desribe it in more detail with pictures hopefully?
Mine would be inwall but the back will be in my equipment room with no wall behind it. You mentioned needing two sheets of plywood if done this way. What thickness would I use on the back and sides? The tank will be 90"X48"X30".
Thank you.

[Chihuahua6]

I saw in your earlier posts that the epoxy appeared light blue. It looks much darker in the completed tank. Can you explain this?
Thank you.

[scchase]

Cost compared a to a premade custom tank of this size is probably around 1/5 or retail.
The epoxy looks darker blue mainly because of my bulbs I am running 20ks plus the buildup of coraline. IMO coraline is the one disadvantage of this type of tank if you like to scrape it off the back and sides I would go with something else.

[Chihuahua6]

Does coralline grow on it due to the texture? Would it be impossible to keep coralline-free or just difficult? Peraps an urchin or two could take care of this.
Can you explain how you did the overflows?
Thanks.

[depresed34]

acrylic tank with front glass does any body heard of one or have one?can you silicon glass into fiberglass lobster tank?

[thor32766]

LOVE the asfur angel!

[scchase]

Hmm somehow I missed a picture of my regal I have had her in the tank for around 3 months now and she is almost 6" long.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136regal_1-med.jpg

[cediss]

Coming along quite well. Keep us posted with pics! Thanks, Chris

[xdusty6920]

awesome regal! and awesome tank! i live plywood tank threads and this is another must read thread. thanks for posting all the great info and pics.

[Chihuahua6]

How about some updated pics of your tank and your closed loop plumbing?
Also do your angels bother your coral?

[roliva]

What weight (6oz, 10oz, etc) fiberglass cloth is sufficient to do a plywood tank?

[Johan Susanto]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7616933#post7616933 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scchase
Here we go
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136right_06.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136middle_06.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/136left_up_06-med.jpg

how long it take to grow coraline in your tank?
with the return pump did u use any OM ??

[reefez]

Very nice tank! Could you help a bit more in explaining the acrylic overflow, and bulkheads? Did you use sealer on the bulkheads? Or did they seal fine without ? Looks as if the overflow is internal correct? How does the water get ouy of the tank?
Thanks for all the help, and congrats on your tank. Awesome job!

[46bfinGA]

i was planning on building a large acrylic tank but im starting to think that a plywood tank with glass front would be easier.do you think it would be possible to line the two sides and back with thin acrylic sheets or frp so that you could ...

a. protect the sides from urchins,puffers,etc....
b. be able to clean and scrub the walls.

im planning on something around 96x48x36(30) or 10' if space allows and can i get away with 3/4 plywood.is the plywood pressure treated or any type of special coated plywood?

[scchase]

I have no idea what weight of fiberglass I used I just got whatever it was they had at home depot sorry I can't help you more there.
The overflow is actually made out of 2 pieces of 1/4" glass that run the length of the tank and are 6" wide each so one piece comes out from the back of the tank then the second piece rests on top of the first piece perpendicular to it to create the overflow area from there there is a bulkhead drilled into the back of the overflow area and it sealed just fine with the gaskets taht came with it no additional silicone required.
As far as the return pump is concerned I could't/ didnt want to risk using an OM due to the eductor wich at least last time I checked would have been to much pressure for the OM.
The closed loop is drilled about half way down the back of the tank for the inlet side then just comes back up over the rim with a manifold along the top that dead ends at the far end of the tank and an outlet about every 8".
As far as corraline I didn't really notice any sort of slower growth rate on the epoxy then normal it has entirely covered the back and sides now with the 1 year aniversarry of filling the tank coming up soon.
I'll try to get some photos soon for updates but today is abad day becauser the big clam has been making a mess getting my water all cloudy.

[scchase]

No idea on the Acrylic but I attempted a similar tank a few years ago using FRP and it failed miserably due to the rigidity of the material and not being able to get it to lay perfectly flat against the plywood allowing it to flew and break the silicone seams that an dsilicone doesnt bond well to FRP I found out, also I wouldnt go 36" deep even at 30" mine is a nightmare to clean or move stuff around near the bottom even with 5+" of sand. Plywood was not pressure and in general a marine grade is reccomended. I didn't use amarine grade and went witha higher quility plywood to ease some of the sanding requirments for the fiberglass alyer and then just sealed the entire tank with epoxy.

[CleveYank]

Hey there,

I was wondering.

How's this tank doing?

Construction wise that is. Do you have pics of how well the outside is holding up. Leaks, stress anything you're not happy with now that you are "down" the road in time since you built it?

My house makes it prohibitive to get a large tank down my basement. Stupid stairs in kitchen. So I will have to build it pretty much onsite.

And of course...if you have some snap shots of livestock...hey why not a couple of those too.

Thanks, Mike

[klasiksb]

any updates?

[AcroSteve]

Still holding water??

[CleveYank]

I sent this chap a nice PM inquiring how this tank was doing. On the onset it seems like such a wonderful build. I thought he would be happy to toot his horn of continued success. EI for what ever reason good luck getting any response from this party Steve.

[scchase]

Sorry for the lack of responses been super busy and wanting to get some now photos taken but yes its still holding water great nothing really that I am unhappy with and its all holding up superbly looks like the day i build it other than all the coraline on the inside Ill try to get some new pics this weekend and get em up.

[CleveYank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12584311#post12584311 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scchase
Sorry for the lack of responses been super busy and wanting to get some now photos taken but yes its still holding water great nothing really that I am unhappy with and its all holding up superbly looks like the day i build it other than all the coraline on the inside Ill try to get some new pics this weekend and get em up.

Fantastic!!!

I rarely read every entry in a thread. This one got my attention when I was pondering your plywood design. But I was wondering about the longevity. Thanks for updating. Will definately add your map to help my road I hope to travel.

[scchase]

Ok finally got a new camera and some new pictures for you all Ill get some more in the near future but at least some of what i promised
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/fulltank9308.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/millis.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/fulltank9308.jpg

[downset]

Looks awesome

[jaze36]

Looks Great, can't wait to see more. Glad to see an up date.

[ox5477]

awesome man. Can you scrape the walls if you wanted? Or does the epoxy coat make it so you can't scrape it normally like glass or acrylic? I know fiberglass is pretty hard, but I'm sure you don't want to get a small cut in the fiberglass to possibly let water leach into the wood structure.

Can I request some more close up pics of the clam(s)?? They look huge

[scchase]

I am scared about scratching the walls so I dont scrape them also dont keep urchins for the same reason and heres a pic of the clams from tonight as well. The biggest one is somewere around 14"
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/clams.jpg

[Ricecakeguy]

what a nice tank, i am so jealous

["Umm, fish?"]

Beautiful tank! Thanks for the new pictures!

[ox5477]

Nice bud, like the patterning on the two middle ones... sorta tiger like on both, but with different shades of orange/brown... very beautiful! They must suck up the calc like nobodies business haha

Ox

[scchase]

Still learnign to use this camera got the Olympus 1030SW and taking them under water has proven real nice so far.

[scchase]

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/birdsnest909.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/purplemacromilli.jpg

[jackiechandc]

Love the clam shots!

[carlosngloria]

So its been up almost 3 yrs and still holding. thats good as im about to build one 96x48x36 but i am going to build a 2x4 frame for it.

[scchase]

Yep still holding just fine getting ready to build a partner for it for FOWL around the 600 gallon range but will have my new one sit much lower so you can look in from the top as well.

[Bax]

Fantastic!

You know we need more than just a couple of pics after soooo long, right?

[camaroboy8691]

just a freindly bump for some new pics ...... is there a link for the 600 gal tank ?

o yea sorry to dig up an old topic . just doing a search and found it

awsome tank

[chriscobb]

What brand of epoxy did you use for your build?

[unttrmptplyr]

Awesome tank!

[H2OTight]

How is holding up? Any updated pics?

[scchase]

Bad news tank sprung a leak last night and since my wife and I plan on moving in the nearish future I will break it down while I repair it and wont set it up again till I have moved.

[Cannon7]

Wow that sucks. Sorry to hear that.

[chris55]

Tank looks awesome. I think I might have missed the answer to this but it looks like the water level is down in all the full tank shots, is it just the pictures or is it really lower?

[H2OTight]

Sorry to hear about the leak. Any thoughts on how the leak happened? Just wondering if you could do it all over again, what might be done differently?

[scchase]

Well great news no leak after all it appears I filled it up too much whiel trying to repair the sump so back to all is clear.

[Cannon7]

Great news!!!

[Floowid]

How bout a recent full tank shot?

And by the way, your avatar makes me really hungry...

[lusenut2]

Can we get some pics of the tank? Im thinking about startiing a plywood build here in the near future.

[JASON L.]

How hard is it to clean the walls?

[scchase]

Sorry for the long delay.
As far as the wallsa I dont clean them for fear of damaging the paint.
And some long awaited pics I lost some stuff gained some stuff
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/030.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/029.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/031.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/051.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/scchase7/041.jpg

[Shak]

Long delay? Nah.....:lol2:

[jathack]

Beautiful. I may have to do this when i build a house. This kind of diy makes custom tanks a thing for people on a budget.

[boombox3]

I really love that brain coral. Amazing tank!

[lilred1995vette]

Do you have to use epoxy resin? For many newer boats they use vinyl ester? do you know if its safe for the tank and fish?

[chriscobb]

The vinyl ester resin can be hazardous to your health!!!!