300 gallon plywood tank build

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by rayn

Deric, I hope all goes well for you. My only voice of concern right now is that you really consider filling it outside before inside just in case and a little better bracing on the stand. Better safe then sorry IMO. With that said and really not trying to bash you, screw all the naysayers! When you started and originally posted what you were doing and how, I was in disbelief that it would work or last too. But I think you have taken some of the advice given and put it to use and for 99.9% of you responses you have remained positive throughout. Really hopeing it all works out the way you plan and hope.

Thanks a lot man I try to keep my calm I really do but thanks a lot man I honestly feel my bracing is sturdy on my tank ill double check the stand too somemore I may remove the 4x4s and just use 2x4s

[spartan_reefer]

hey man i really hope this works out for you. show all the naysayers whats up. that being said, i certainly hope you fill/leak test outside

[sdc19982002]

WOW...You really think this thing is going to stay together ? I cant even come close to believing your serious about putting water in it. I think your next purchase should be a huge shop vac. Post the blowout video online and link it to your thread, I've got the popcorn ready. WOW...

[Sisterlimonpot]

I think that many people are starting to get pretty bold about their comments and saying things that are unnecessary.

Deric, the reason for all the negative comments is because you are given advice from those that have been in the hobby, know how things need to be built and have the expertise in certain area's and you shut them down with a belief that you know that the tank will hold water despite expert testimony. If only you would address their comments with anything other than, "I know it will work"

I don't doubt you can build a tank fro less then the cost of a new one but that isn't the issue, they're not saying it can't be done but I believe you're going at it the wrong way. You definitely don't have lack of will but I do think you have lack of knowledge of how it needs to be structured. And that's where the advice comes flowing in. Please take the advice and heed it.

As for the OSB regardless if you say that it won't come in direct contact with water, you have to take into consideration the moisture in the room that the tank is going to be in. I had a total of 250 gallons of salt water under the roof of my 2100 square foot home and I was evaporating about 5 gallons of water a day. that moisture is going to seep up into you're OSB and non marine grade wood and become a problem. especially since the OSB is on the bottom of the tank and that's is right above where your sump/fuge is going to be evaporating water at.

One Question that I want to ask and hope you have thought about already:

How are you going to get this big thing inside your house?

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by sdc19982002

WOW...You really think this thing is going to stay together ? I cant even come close to believing your serious about putting water in it. I think your next purchase should be a huge shop vac. Post the blowout video online and link it to your thread, I've got the popcorn ready. WOW...

Well hey like terrell owens said get your popcorn ready!!! To look at a great tank

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

I think that many people are starting to get pretty bold about their comments and saying things that are unnecessary.

Deric, the reason for all the negative comments is because you are given advice from those that have been in the hobby, know how things need to be built and have the expertise in certain area's and you shut them down with a belief that you know that the tank will hold water despite expert testimony. If only you would address their comments with anything other than, "I know it will work"

I don't doubt you can build a tank fro less then the cost of a new one but that isn't the issue, they're not saying it can't be done but I believe you're going at it the wrong way. You definitely don't have lack of will but I do think you have lack of knowledge of how it needs to be structured. And that's where the advice comes flowing in. Please take the advice and heed it.

As for the OSB regardless if you say that it won't come in direct contact with water, you have to take into consideration the moisture in the room that the tank is going to be in. I had a total of 250 gallons of salt water under the roof of my 2100 square foot home and I was evaporating about 5 gallons of water a day. that moisture is going to seep up into you're OSB and non marine grade wood and become a problem. especially since the OSB is on the bottom of the tank and that's is right above where your sump/fuge is going to be evaporating water at.

One Question that I want to ask and hope you have thought about already:

How are you going to get this big thing inside your house?

Carry it inside how else would I get it in???

[Sisterlimonpot]

Will it fit through the doors and around corners?

[jchase1970]

cross brace the stand, 2 5' 2x4 will do.
once you add the glass the only spot that will give will be the corners and if you have reinforced them you should be good.
how many strips across the top are you installing? I only saw 1, the tank you are modeling after had what 4? I don't know how much pressure will be pushing out at the top, there might be a calc somewhere on this site that tells that.

[Demonic]

Deric, I have been pretty negative on this as well with the others, and I dont know alot about making plywood tanks. But I do know about wood and why they make different kinds of it. Marine grade wood isnt made just to jack up the price, its actually made to use around water. I reallly hope for your family's sake that you actually listen to someone here, at least one person. I know there is some people here that are saying go for it, and I would be too if you wouldn't have mentioned that you have a child that will also be watching this tank. If you have no prior experience making one of these tanks, how can you actually put your child in front of it and feel safe? It would be great to actually make a cheap tank, but maybe in a bachelor pad would be better suited. This tank is not if it fails, its a matter of when its going to fail. I am not being a negative Nancy, just trying to make you see the bigger picture here about people trying to look out for you and your family's safety.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

Will it fit through the doors and around corners?

Yes of course

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by jchase1970

cross brace the stand, 2 5' 2x4 will do.
once you add the glass the only spot that will give will be the corners and if you have reinforced them you should be good.
how many strips across the top are you installing? I only saw 1, the tank you are modeling after had what 4? I don't know how much pressure will be pushing out at the top, there might be a calc somewhere on this site that tells that.

I have three braces at the top across

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by Demonic

Deric, I have been pretty negative on this as well with the others, and I dont know alot about making plywood tanks. But I do know about wood and why they make different kinds of it. Marine grade wood isnt made just to jack up the price, its actually made to use around water. I reallly hope for your family's sake that you actually listen to someone here, at least one person. I know there is some people here that are saying go for it, and I would be too if you wouldn't have mentioned that you have a child that will also be watching this tank. If you have no prior experience making one of these tanks, how can you actually put your child in front of it and feel safe? It would be great to actually make a cheap tank, but maybe in a bachelor pad would be better suited. This tank is not if it fails, its a matter of when its going to fail. I am not being a negative Nancy, just trying to make you see the bigger picture here about people trying to look out for you and your family's safety.

Thanks a lot I really appreciate it but this tank is ready to go it will hold water just fine trust me I have checked into it

[Demonic]

Originally Posted by dericcanderson

Thanks a lot I really appreciate it but this tank is ready to go it will hold water just fine trust me I have checked into it

Yes you have checked into it. The people here pretty much have said it will not hold up. Who else have you checked with. Most of the plywood builders are on this site and are telling you what they think. I guess you will not listen, good luck and I really hope you think twice about letting your child sit in front of this thing. One word comes to mind, Deathtrap!!

[muppet]

Seriously man, I wasn't trying to be inflammatory in my previous post, but I think you are taking a very real risk of injuring or killing your kid when this thing blows out on day 60 because of a slow failure.

You're being cocky and dismissive while a forum full of experienced people is telling you to slow down and make some improvements to prevent injuries. That's pretty extraordinarily reckless, quite frankly.

I'm beginning to wonder whether this is an elaborate put on, myself.

[VtheMaestro]

*grabs popcorn* i hope you prove all the naysayers wrong

and for everyone posting good information, the bible says it best... "speak not into the ears of a fool for he will despise the wisdom of thy words"

let this man enjoy his build, revel in his success, or languish in his failure

[naples]

i'm sorry but there is no way this will hold 300 gallons of water. the water will be 8.35 lb per gallon @ 300 gallons = 2505 lb thats a small car. i hope you are wearing your swim suit when your filling it. good luck!

[aquainas]

Deric it's good to see you're excited and confident about your build and I wish you the best. However do yourself a favor, instead of taking these comments as a lack of faith or negative context, analyze the advice you are being given so that you can identify and stay ahead of major pitfalls. I'm not going to tell you how to go about what you are doing because you are going to do what you want anyway but I will highlight and re-iterate a couple points that were made earlier.

Address the underside of your tank, I repeat the underside! If your stand has no top then there is nothing to protect the OSB from the high humidity or accidental splash of water from your sump. If the bottom of this tank is exposed to the inside of the stand please seal it.

As already noted the vertical seams need to be re-enforced! Your pics show that you have 2x4's running along the perimeter inside the bottom of the tank, but I cannot see any vertical supports for the butt joints you created by fastening the sides to the edges of the back panel (back of tank). This is a weak point and possible point of failure of the structure hence the previous advice. You need to run 2 perpendicular 2x4's vertically on each corner to fix this.

The front top panel where you will be attaching your glass looks like it's either plywood or a 1x4?? Is this where you are running a 2x4 behind the glass once it's silicone in? how are you going to seal this 2x4? It is going to be inside the tank I assume, so are you counting on your water line being lower? You could silicone the pond-liner between the glass and the 2x4 then fold the liner up over it and attach it somehow to the outside. Please clarify!!

Lastly...when folks like myself post questions, comments and advice, it's merely to inflict positive dialogue whereby concerns and potential hazards can be addressed. If we are taking our time to read and post on your thread (I'm not talking about short rude comments) then the least you could do is offer further detail or insight to your thoughts or plans if there are indeed details we are missing. One of the benefits of this forum is the vast array of knowledge and experience herein and no matter how much one knows we all seek more, and the members here are ready and willing to give (some you take with a grain of salt) so don't discount any of it.
I myself recently undertook a huge build by many standards and throughout the entire project I looked to fellow reefers for advice even though I spent *months* planning *every* detail prior to beginning. Actually one of those members who contributed to my build actually posted here on your thread!
In retrospect, it's not about how much you spend it's about making use of the non-monetary resources at hand, so to end my rant just remember that "Knowledge is the key to success." and "It's not what you think you know but how you use it."
Excuse the cheesy quotes but I think you get the idea.
Good Luck!

[liverock]

I have read this whole thread......as I have been making plywood tanks since the early 70"s.


You idea is great, the construction is not.

There is a place called Pilgram Permacote in Tampa that sells the 2 part epoxy laminating resign that you mix with a binder powder creating a goo needed to use when assembling the tank. Particle board is a big no no.

The glass will have to be at least 1/2 inch but that really is not safe, 3/4 would be much safer and is what I used. With the kind of pressures we are talking here, even a slight bump to insufficiently thick glass will cause it to fail, catastrophically.

I built a tank similar to yours in the 70's, but used 3/4 marine plywood around a frame of 2x4 that were laminated together with epoxy laminating resin , then coated with four coats of epoxy paint special formulated for marine applications. Is expensive stuff....now about $80 a gallon.

I built it like a tank, an army tank... with directions from one of the first makers of plywood tanks, Mark at marine warehouse.

It did not leak initially, even though it was built not to. A few years and the epoxy developed hairline cracks, allowed water into the plywood, which dripped, then swelled ceasing the drip. It was just a matter of time, as saltwater does not rot wood like freshwater, but after years of exposure, the tank swelled, failed.

Just my experience, but the best suggestion is to fill it outside, and let it be for a month....then see what happens.

Not trying to rain on your parade....but best to listen to those who have been down the road before.

Since the 80's I did not even consider using plywood, as it is inherently not a suitable long term material for tank construction.

You would be much better off with a glass shop....and some silicon, or watch the paper for used big tanks, they are in the want adds all the time for little money.

Good luck

Richard TBS

[sruiz]

That is some good advice Richard.

[daniel89]

Originally Posted by dericcanderson

300 Gallon Reef Tank "My Wife Will Divorce Me Soon"

Current Tank Info: 300 Gallon Reef Tank

His wife is gonna divorce him when that tanks goes boom, Or she will never trust you to build anything again or fix anything. Also I'm pretty confident when it does fail you will be sleeping on the couch for atleast 6 months.

With that said maybe you should consider there advise and revise your design or play it safe for the sake of your marriage and future stress between you and your wife and brace that tank some more.

Everybody knows a cheap ghetto boot leg only lasts temporary till you can get a better quality. You my friend have a very cheap corner cut design.

Why are you gonna brace the glass from the inside of the tank? The glass is gonna bow out not in?

P.s. If you don't have home insurance you better get it before you fill that tank and if you do have it you better get your insurance agent out there to look everything over before you make a claim for water damage >.<

[daniel89]

Sorry to double post but some food for thought man. When you build a house you don't butt the ends of plywood together and call it a wall it needs a skeletal bracing structure just like your tank walls they need the same thing or the big bad water is gonna huff n huff and blow your tank away

[dericcanderson]

250 gallon All glass tank today found on craigslist picking up saturday for $200I seen it today it gorgeous this guy lost his job and is moving out of his house has to be gone by saturday and cant move it in time so for $200 its mine. Im ery excited needless to say this will slow down my plywood build sorry believers and all the negative people well hey maybe u get ur wish of seeing me not fail as u say u hope i wont do lmfao................................sike no way losers my glass is still gonna be here this month and im going full head of steam for this thing. That guys 400 gallon is going strong still and i have copied his build i am not letting people who think i should spend hundreds of bucks on wood to build my tank decide what is should do. quick news flash im not cocky im just responding to very rude comments. i will have my swim suit on will i fill this thing so i can take a pic when im inside it LOL like i said i have done my math on this thing and it will not leak will not fail i dont care how many times u people keep saying it will **** please if you feel that way just laugh at my postings and go read another one there are tons of forums on here for u to read ones that people are rich have millions of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars and can afford to build monster tanks with top dolar products all the way around. But my build is for the non know it alls and hardworkers who wanna share the luxury of moster tanks for a great price. Maybe my son and i willswim in the tank and laugh at the doubters when we are finished???????

[muppet]

Nobody's making fun of you for not being able to afford a "monster" tank like a "rich" guy. They're telling you that if you want to build a cheap tank, fine, but do it right or you're going to hurt somebody or at least damage your home.

[cpl40475]

One way or the other some one is going to be proved wrong. Is it everyone posting here or the OP. Seriously if it was me and ppl were pointing out things that could go wrong or will go wrong then I'd fix it. I dont think the ppl here are just posting to tick you off. I think there trying to look out for you and family let alone what will be inside the tank.
To prove ppl wrong is one thing but to possibly put others in harms way is BY FAR the wrong way. If your bound and dertimend to do it YOUR WAY then do it but PLEASE fill it up in the garage let it set for 30 days like someone stated and check it over with a fine tooth comb. Be sure to take measurements of the tank checking for squareness before and after filling it with water. Do this on the first day and the 30th day to see if it has bowed any.
Just my 2 cents

[Luckless]

Originally Posted by dericcanderson

I never used nails its screws everywhere

On the first page you said you had a ton more nails for the tank, so I'm sure you can understand where the confusion comes from.

However, if you have only used mechanical fasteners, either nails or screws, without properly sized corner brackets to take the load, then it is a question of when the tank fails, not if.

Screws are better than nails, but they're still not great. The problem is they take all the force in a very narrow area, and are held by a rather thin piece of metal. Over time any mechanical fastener's hold degrades. Either the wood it is in weakens from the constant strain, or metal of the screw corrodes/begins to fail from strain. (or both.)

Properly applied glue spreads the load over a far larger area than screws can, and greatly reduces the strain on any given cell in the wood.


Have you done any math, or any realistic tests to show that your work will hold up to the ton and more of water? If not, then WHY do you trust it?