300 gallon plywood tank build

[fullspeed]

I wish you all the luck and the best. But i think your going to have leaks. Its harder to seals liquid in than some think. I read threads on different forums about wood tanks, and i don't think your sealing job is going to cut it.

[mthomp]

you are going to fill this in your driveway first right?

[ahud]

What's the name of the product you used to seal the tank? I researched heavy into making a plywood tank, but the money saved was not worth the risk involved. You don't come out much cheaper until you get over the 150gallon mark due to craigslist, ect, but your build seems insanely cheap.

If I remember correctly the thing that broke the bank for me was the epoxy used to seal it. I don't understand how yours is so cheap. If your epoxy does hold (Hate to use if,but...) make sure to be careful when placing rock into the tank. Your tank may be built like a fort, but don't forget that lining of epoxy is just as important if not more.

You never responded on the concern of the type of wood you used. I don't have much experience with wood, but if the wood you used swells as bad as some people implied then you only have once shot . If your tank fails the "leak test" then that wood is going to swell and you will be back to square one.

Hope it works out for you man, but please let that thing sit outside for a week or two before calling it a success. Your garage may end up being dryer than your house lol.

[FearTheTerps]

It seems like you are missing some of the fundamentals of a plywood tank. I'm sorry to say I think you are going about this all wrong, I would suggest some more reading on plys and maybe try to find someone local that has one that you can look at. At least you haven't put alot of money into the tank yet, I don't think the tank is going to fail as some have suggested, I would say it probably won't even hold a gallon of water. I hate to be frank, but it just doesn't look right to me.

[bluestarfish]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=807988

A good diy lr thread.

[babarney]

Also, looking at your most recent pictures on some of the seams of the 2x4 that's on the inside (not sure why it's on the inside?) you can see 1/8 inch gaps between and you can see the color of wood there. After 2 coats of epoxy you shouldn't be able to see any wood and all of the seems should be completely sealed. What's worse is that is the part that has the wood showing is the OSB on the bottom. If water gets into that it will slowly saturate that entire board and the entire bottom will collapse on you. Have you ever seen what happens to OSB when it's left out in the weather for a few months? It starts to completely break apart.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by babarney

Also, looking at your most recent pictures on some of the seams of the 2x4 that's on the inside (not sure why it's on the inside?) you can see 1/8 inch gaps between and you can see the color of wood there. After 2 coats of epoxy you shouldn't be able to see any wood and all of the seems should be completely sealed. What's worse is that is the part that has the wood showing is the OSB on the bottom. If water gets into that it will slowly saturate that entire board and the entire bottom will collapse on you. Have you ever seen what happens to OSB when it's left out in the weather for a few months? It starts to completely break apart.

Ye si Have seen it and the area you are talking about will be sealed tommorow but I am very confident with this build but i do think im gonan go and get pond liner tommorow this epoxy was a good deal price wise but im just not trusting epoxy alone. i will be at home depot tommorow for pondliner. its only sixty bucks but it will gurantee me to have zero leaks. The top right ad left corner will also be braced and so will the middle. I am also wondering about the glass myself. I wanna put supportbehind the glass but i am looking to see what i can do

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by mthomp

you are going to fill this in your driveway first right?

yes

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by FearTheTerps

It seems like you are missing some of the fundamentals of a plywood tank. I'm sorry to say I think you are going about this all wrong, I would suggest some more reading on plys and maybe try to find someone local that has one that you can look at. At least you haven't put alot of money into the tank yet, I don't think the tank is going to fail as some have suggested, I would say it probably won't even hold a gallon of water. I hate to be frank, but it just doesn't look right to me.

Yea i have had alot of people tell me they think this will be a fail but i love proving people wrong i have looked at this tank like a billion times wood is sealed very good everywhere. epoxy will be great i think im gonna gt pondlienr just to be sure and then im gonna get more braces ill be good to go once i apply silicone trust me this wont fail

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by bluestarfish

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=807988

A good diy lr thread.

Thanks man your the best ill be on my way to home depot tommorow hopefully they will have everything and ill get it there if its this easy hell ill make 200lbs before i even put anything into my tank and mix that with the other 100 lbs i have in my other tank

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by ahud

What's the name of the product you used to seal the tank? I researched heavy into making a plywood tank, but the money saved was not worth the risk involved. You don't come out much cheaper until you get over the 150gallon mark due to craigslist, ect, but your build seems insanely cheap.

If I remember correctly the thing that broke the bank for me was the epoxy used to seal it. I don't understand how yours is so cheap. If your epoxy does hold (Hate to use if,but...) make sure to be careful when placing rock into the tank. Your tank may be built like a fort, but don't forget that lining of epoxy is just as important if not more.

You never responded on the concern of the type of wood you used. I don't have much experience with wood, but if the wood you used swells as bad as some people implied then you only have once shot . If your tank fails the "leak test" then that wood is going to swell and you will be back to square one.

Hope it works out for you man, but please let that thing sit outside for a week or two before calling it a success. Your garage may end up being dryer than your house lol.

The epoxy was made by BEHR and the wood is just 2x4s and plywood that is 3/4 inch thick. Im gona use pondliner though im just not trusting this whole poxy theory

[FearTheTerps]

You said in one of your earlier posts that you were using an epoxy made by behr, the only behr epoxy product I found was a garage floor sealer product. From what I know about plywood tanks you need to use a uv resistant epoxy resin. Just painting the wood isn't going to seal it.

In your photos you can see the bare wood in one if the seams, as someone else already mentioned. You said in a previous post about siliconing the seams??? Is this why you are using silicone in the seams??? With the epoxy resin you wouldn't need to use silicone for anything other then for the glass pane.

[dericcanderson]

OK so I am heading to home depot tommorow to get three more pieces of wood and im gonna return my epoxy im just not trusting this stuff to seal wood. I am going with the safest route which is pondliner. I know three people with this and it works perfect wood never has direct contact with the water once this thing is on. Still undecided about this whole glass thing. I am hearing so many stories about how i should brace it on. But ill look tommorow to see what i can come up with

[FearTheTerps]

Originally Posted by dericcanderson

Yea i have had alot of people tell me they think this will be a fail but i love proving people wrong i have looked at this tank like a billion times wood is sealed very good everywhere. epoxy will be great i think im gonna gt pondlienr just to be sure and then im gonna get more braces ill be good to go once i apply silicone trust me this wont fail

Well I'm glad your not going with the epoxy paint alone, I still think you are missing lots of important details. You will soon see that plywood aren't as cheap as you think they can be. I do believe you are still in for a failure at your present course. In fact if you tank does hold water and you prove me wrong I'll make your tank cheaper, I'll give you the 55 bucks you started with.

[burntfish]

Don't take this wrong but you are going to have a leaky house to go along with your garage. Quick list
1 don't use OSB board for anything that will see water
2 1/4 glass will not work http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/pla...Calculator.htm
3 don't use nails only screws
4 you need alot more framing if you want it to last ( a single 8' 2x4 will hold about 450lbs on edge and 150lbs flat)
5 you need to fiberglass the inside several times to make it water tight.
You need to frame both ends in with 2x4's on edge like the back wall one.
You stated that it could hold you , but what about holding a hippopotamus. I don't think the front framing is big enough to hold the glass in either.
The total weight for the tank will be something like 2500lbs water, 300-600lbs live rock. The water alone will put around 3000 pounds of pressure on the bottom of the front glass(1.335psi) at bottom of tank. Hope some of this helps and would love to see it all done.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by FearTheTerps

Well I'm glad your not going with the epoxy paint alone, I still think you are missing lots of important details. You will soon see that plywood aren't as cheap as you think they can be. I do believe you are still in for a failure at your present course. In fact if you tank does hold water and you prove me wrong I'll make your tank cheaper, I'll give you the 55 bucks you started with.

I'm truly lmfao I mean I'm not upset in anyway its an opinion but I am sure my tank will hold I will brace the top tommorow add the pond liner and I'm fine I don't see where you see a leak coming from???? I think I was wrong with the cheap epoxy so yea u got me there that's why I'm upgrading to the liner there are plywwod builds on the net and all over youtube with less bracing then what I have in store with bigger setups aned they all work just fine just wait in abojut a month when I have everything going I gurantee this will b a success

[TotalVapor]

Like Everyone else all I can say is good luck. The money you are saving on a plywood tank will cost you later on.

Either way to each his own and good-luck.

[Luckless]

Originally Posted by dericcanderson

really strong screws they are made to go through concrete.

Is your tank made of plywood or concrete?

Have you used any Glue to hold your tank together? A decent glue will have the holding power a few hundred times over that of screws, which are way above nails.

I strongly suggest that you find something other than glass to block your display view if you still want to try testing your creation. It would save on expensive glass.

[dericcanderson]

Ok so today i went to home depot and bought some 2x4s to brace the inside of the tank and i bout some 4x4's for my stand at the bottom for ectra support. The stand will be done at a later time im not sure of how i wanna do my door design as of yet. I decided taht the cheap epoxy wasnt good for my build and i wasnt happy with it at all so i went and bought pond liner. I must say this kicked my butt today lmfao.I dont have pics yet of the pond liner but i have it installed. its drying now i used silicone and wood glue to hold it down. Its pretty thick so water cant seep through and its 100% safe for fish and corals. I took a couple pics of the bracing i think this is all i need now its time to go pick up my glass and finish painting everything. I will place the glass behind the frame and then add maybe a 2x2 behind it for extra support and then i will be on and ready for my leak test after the silicone for the glasss dries up and is ready

[babarney]

Is the pond liner you're referring to plastic that you put down in the bottom of ponds?

[fullspeed]

Is that plywood for your center brace? I read somewhere 4x4s arenot a great choice for legs (they say they tend to twist and crack). I read 2x4s doubled up are better. Again just what i read.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by babarney

Is the pond liner you're referring to plastic that you put down in the bottom of ponds?

Lol I think that's what pond liner is jk but its a black sheet it looks like tarp but way thicker stronger and leak proof I seen a 400 gallon build witht his looks good water never gets to touch the wood

[jchase1970]

following alone for this build. You need to keep us informed on you total costs at a few different points. I'ld like to see how everything tallys up on it. Very interesting read so far.

[bluestarfish]

Originally Posted by dericcanderson

Thanks man your the best ill be on my way to home depot tommorow hopefully they will have everything and ill get it there if its this easy hell ill make 200lbs before i even put anything into my tank and mix that with the other 100 lbs i have in my other tank

not a problem.

Originally Posted by fullspeed

Is that plywood for your center brace? I read somewhere 4x4s arenot a great choice for legs (they say they tend to twist and crack). I read 2x4s doubled up are better. Again just what i read.

You're correct on the 4x4s. I actually take 2 2x4s as you mentioned and then add a third along the 2inch sides of the others that are joined. You end up with a 4x6 support beam that has amazing structural integrity and you can attach your stand top and bottom to it so that the weight displacement is on multiple boards of your support beams. I have 6 of these under my 220 and I do believe that my tank will give long before the stand ever does.

[turbotec]

subscribed. wanna see the outcome of this build