Plywood tanks?

[ReesaPie]

How does one go about building a tank like that? i've seen a few online people have built but i guess i still don't get it. Do they use a special paint on the wood to keep the water out? Wouldn't the wood get wet and rotten?
Also, can plywood tanks hold saltwater? is a different kind of paint needed then?

so many questions.. :)

[ReesaPie]

no body likes me enough to answer...... *snifle snifle*

just kidding

epoxy i guess it is?

so what is that?

[FishoPhile J]

we all like you... it's jsut hard to get answers to questions noone knows about. that being said, you pretty much answerd it yourself... they use wood screws and epoxy to hold it together, a waterproof paint (i'm not sure what kind, but it's the same stuff they paint pools and boats with) to keep the wood from getting wet, and silicone gel to keep it from leaking. typically, these are big tanks, so you'll need some thick glass or plexi for the front. i've never tried it, but from what i've read, it seems for anything deeper than 18in, you'll need at least 1/2in glass or 3/4in plexi (depending on what kind of plexi, i've heard of getting away with as little as 1/4in, but i'd hate to see the mess 90gal of h20 would cause on a livingroom floor, and you certainly don't want the front to bow out when you fill it). i've been trying to get someone to give me an estimate of how much all this would cost, but that question has gone yet unanswered... hope this helps,
-j.

[FishoPhile J]

ps.
this is a good DIY link someone posted ( http://www.kingvinnie.com/aquaria/diy/ ), mabey it can help.
-j.

[Freddy J]

Try these sites. www.garf.org and http://saltwateraquarium.about.com/mbody.htm


They link to each other and have lots of information. I don't have any material prices. I am going to be building in the 180g+ range next month. When I get everything priced out I'll post.

[chc]

Lee Newman recently built one. THe wrote an article about it which is posted on The Cichlid Room Companion site.

[aharris]

There is an article in an old issue of FAMA about building them. I actually have it somewhere, but I'm not sure which issue it is. It gave instructions and plans for building a 100g tank out of a sheet of plywood. I've always hoped to be able to test it out someday.

Hmmm. . . Maybe today's a good day to look through my old mags.

[CanFish11]

I built a tank using the general description stated by www.garf.org. I am relatively new to keeping fish but a relatively good carpenter. I did change some things relative to his design. I used solid wood instead of plywood because placing screws into the side of plywood is extremely poor. They just do not hold. In areas where I went directly through the boards I used MDF only reason being that it has a perfectly smooth surface. Note when using MDF weight of the tank increases dramatically. I was horibly concerned about scratching the epoxy paint until I attempted to drill a hole through it to install a handle on the lid. The stuff is at least as hard as arborite. If you have the tools and the inclination this is an extremely cheap option. I built the 160 gal tank and stand for approximately $400 Canadian.

[spikedsparkles]

i'm thinking of doing 130 gallon one.. if anyone else has built them and has taken pics, post them! :)

[Jui Kuen]

i was serious about doing one. it was going to be 6 feet long, 18 inches wide, and 4 feet tall so i could use hoods and undergravels from a 125. i called about a piece of 3/4 inch glass, polished at the ends and they wanted $1100. i always thought that it was cheaper doing it like that with plywood. if anyone has any links to where i can get glass from i would appreciate it. i only called a local glass dealer near me and then i got bummed out.

[tbrodale]

Well the taller you have it the thicker the glass and the thicker the glass the more expensive it will be. For a few months now I have been looking at different ways to do this. Here is one of the best set of plans I have found so far. But still not too cheap.
Go to www.garf.org
Search this: "140-GALLON GROW-OUT TANK CONSTRUCTION"
Click on the first link.
Right off it will give you links from the plans for the 140 gallon to a 500 gallons and also a DIY tank stand page. I think they all have cost break down.

[Jui Kuen]

thats a great link. it's enough material to build 2 tanks so i am going to call and see how much the glass costs.

[dagamore]

Garf.org has some good basic idea, but if want more, or a better step by step go to www.cichlid-forums.com and look at the DIY section or read some of the articles, there is one about a 10k gallon salt/shark tank thats a great read.

[bluoval1]

http://www.kingvinnie.com/aquaria/diy/links_page.asp?cat=46

OR

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_plywood_aquarium.php