300 gallon plywood tank build

[dericcanderson]

Ok so I have been dealing with saltwater tanks for about three years. Due to alot of moving I have setup many different tanks (God am i tired of doing that) But now I think I am ready for the big leagues. The biggest tank ive had was a 110 gallon salt tank. Went good but i got way to Tang happy Had 8 Tangs (yes i know i was stupid) I soldthem all though and the tank. I rushed the tank didnt like the setup it was horrible but now I am ready. Currently I have a 29 gallon reef tank with just a baby regal tang and a mandarin goby and lots of coral and a 55 Gallon with a beautiful purple Tang Which is ready to be moved to his new home. So I am building a Plywood fish tank. I looked online and researched alot about this and its definately way cheaper to get a monster tank. Im gong with a 300 Gallon tank the dimensions are 96x24x30. This tank will be huge and i will love it. Im on my way to home depot in the mornign to start the build. I ahve to pick up my plywood and 2x4. For everythign i need just to build the tank it self not including the glass I am spending a whopping $55. And Maybe ten or 15 more for the acrylic sheets for my over flow box but yea I would definately say its better than spending over $2,000 on a tank form a fish store. I am very excited about this build and will be posting pics daily. If anyone has any ideas for me please send them as i am open to them. I dont have many fish tank buddies for ideas so i will need a little help when it comes to what i shoudl do with the tank. My goal is reef tank but I am lost on how i wanna do the rockscape would love ideas. I wanna know about lighting????? I have always used t5's but wondering is it time to finnally make my trip to the metal halide section. And Keep me away from tangs LOL. I plan on keeping one purple tang and one sohal maybe a regal or a yellow idk yet. I really would like to add a clown trigger but one that will work with the tank. I have seen some very aggressive ones and some very calm ones. SO HERE WE GO IM OFF TO BED IN THE MORNING I WILL BE AT HOME DEPOT IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAD PLEASE LEAVE ME SOME COMMENTS ON WHAT I SHOULD DO????????

[FearTheTerps]

I think you missed a couple 0's on your $55 estimate. Good luck though, I was amazed the first time I saw a plywood tank.

[shifty51008]

i have to agree $55 maybe for the wood but think the wood will be more than that, then add in the glass, nails, silicone, epoxy, ect. it still does add up and will still cost around 600-800 to build the tank but still cheaper than a glass tank.

also don't forget that equipment for a bigger tank will cost much more also. the tank as you prob. know is the cheap part of the setup.

good luck, I will be following so take lots of pics.

[bluestarfish]

What are you planning on waterproofing it with? From what I've read of plywood builds, I've read between 50 -60 plywood builds, just the waterproofing usually costs more than $55. Also, is the depth 24 or 30, are you going to have corals? Both the lighting and the Trigger would depend on if you want a reef or fowlr tank. For aquascaping you may want to look into diy lr. I can be a whole lot cheaper than buying the rock and you can make the rock to whatever shape/design/structure you want.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by bluestarfish

What are you planning on waterproofing it with? From what I've read of plywood builds, I've read between 50 -60 plywood builds, just the waterproofing usually costs more than $55. Also, is the depth 24 or 30, are you going to have corals? Both the lighting and the Trigger would depend on if you want a reef or fowlr tank. For aquascaping you may want to look into diy lr. I can be a whole lot cheaper than buying the rock and you can make the rock to whatever shape/design/structure you want.

I would love for you to show me my DIY for some rock. man thats teh thing im most scared of LOL and yea today i left Home Depot spending $85 That covered all the wood for the tank the stand. I got a hug piee of plywood free because they already used a small portion.

[dericcanderson]

Ok so today I went to Home Depot and purchased the wood for my tank. The guys there where supercool. I came in justr to purchase the wood to put it together and this guy was like hey im on the clock lets build this thing. I was *** lol ok. So we sat doen took us about 2 hours and lots of trial and error LOL but we got the tank part mostly setup. I still need to get the frame all the way up and i still need to put on a brace at the top of the tank where the hood and lights will be located. I totaled up yesterday I was to spend $55 dollars but i was a little wrong. I ended up spending $85 Still not bad compared to crazy prices. I was quoted 225 for a 1/2 piece of glass for the front at a local glass shop. I plan on pruchasing that next week. So today I have gotten the tank partially built and the stand is up but still needs other parts. I still need to fill the gap on the bottom and put in my two doors. I already have tons of silicone so i saved money there and the paint i chose to use for the inside is a brand by BERH although i must admit i was recommended it by alot of people and it was $30 but im not totally sure its reef safe. So i still have my receipt just in case i need to go back and return it. I had zero luck findng expoxy marine paint and pond liner was over $100. I have pics of whats done so far and trust me its not bad for one day.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by FearTheTerps

I think you missed a couple 0's on your $55 estimate. Good luck though, I was amazed the first time I saw a plywood tank.

LOL no one believes you can make these tanks this cheap trust me i was amazed too. The most exspensive part of this build is the glass everything else is definately reasonable.

[REEFROOKEE]

weres the pics! i love DYI!!!

[cpl40475]

unless you know someone who can get you the sealer for the tank NO WAY can it be built for 55$ USD. excluding the glass.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=sawdust
theres a thread for a 360 gallon plywood build from start. Might read up on it and ask him about what sealers fiberglass ETC. he used

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by cpl40475

unless you know someone who can get you the sealer for the tank NO WAY can it be built for 55$ USD. excluding the glass.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=sawdust
theres a thread for a 360 gallon plywood build from start. Might read up on it and ask him about what sealers fiberglass ETC. he used

I basically built the tank stand and bought some sealing epoxy paint all for $85. I need $20 more worth of wood for braces and doors on the stand and i have the rest of the wood for the frame and piece to brace the top of the tank already. I already been had silicone so i dont need that and i am looking to see why might i need fiberglass if you may know why i would love for you to share with me I want as many ideas as i can get but from the looks of the work done today i think im on the right track

[dericcanderson]

Ok here are some pics of the work today. i wanted to take pics from bare scratch from the store of me getting the wood and all but like i said earleir the guy at the store wanted to build it right there on the spot so i didnt have time for pics but that was ok for me I had my tank built with the exception of a top brace and my two side trim pieces. But for one day i think so far so good. The tank is really sturdy holds my weight with no problem. I bought some 2x4's for the stand and a big 4x6 piece that they cut for me to brace the stand. I will be adding more braces in the morning I got tired plus it started raining I am having leaking problems in my garage so the floor gets all wet so I cant really work on the tank in the garage much. But everything looks good so far in my opinion if anyone sees where i am making mistakes or any errors please feel free to comment. One thing i did do was put a bracing piece of wood inside the tank. i havent seen anyone else do this and i have seen 1000 gallon plywood vids and it wasnt a problem but i wanted to make sure mines was sturdy. Im just scared of the thought of 300 galoons spilling on my floor LMAO. Next on ym list is to epoxy the inside tommorow and maybe get the remaining wood for the doors for the stand and apply the brace for the tank. I will go over the tank with epocy with about 3 coats and once thats done i will then silicone it up in the inside. I will then star looking at the holes i will use for my overflow. I will be using a 55 gallon sump two power heads maybe 3 and I wanna go with t8s cuz they are cheaper but may go with halides. If anyone can helplet me know thanks everybody will have more pics soon

[Demonic]

That wood looks really thin on the sides. I would be so nervous about that thing bowing out and blasting your house with 300 gallons of water.

[Luckless]

Yeah, not to rain on your day, but you have a few serious issues with that build.

First, what is actually holding it together? As said you look very weak in the corners. Personally I wouldn't be at all nervous about whether or not it will blow, I would simply expect it.

Also it looks like you have Oriented Strand Board, which is a product that swells violently if soaked in water, and loses something foolish like 95+% of its strength in the process. Even if you fully seal it on all sides, having even the smallest pin hole will let in a small amount of water. That water will cause swelling, which will in turn cause the wood to push apart whatever you used to seal it. That opens your little pin hole even more and lets more water in. In a few short hours you can go from something that looks fine, to something that fails.

In short, don't use OSB around any large amounts of water. The stuff barely accepts being sheeting on house walls where it is covered in membrane and siding, and only exposed to limited water during heavy rains.

You appear to have a very questionable connection point between your glass and your wood tank. How does the glass hold on the sides? Don't expect silicone adhesive (let alone house hold caulking you can pick up at a hardware store) to hold to wood and glass like that, as it will not likely make a proper seal on the textured wood surface.

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by Demonic

That wood looks really thin on the sides. I would be so nervous about that thing bowing out and blasting your house with 300 gallons of water.

Just take a look at some plywood builds and see how they are braced they hold just fine

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by Luckless

Yeah, not to rain on your day, but you have a few serious issues with that build.

First, what is actually holding it together? As said you look very weak in the corners. Personally I wouldn't be at all nervous about whether or not it will blow, I would simply expect it.

Also it looks like you have Oriented Strand Board, which is a product that swells violently if soaked in water, and loses something foolish like 95+% of its strength in the process. Even if you fully seal it on all sides, having even the smallest pin hole will let in a small amount of water. That water will cause swelling, which will in turn cause the wood to push apart whatever you used to seal it. That opens your little pin hole even more and lets more water in. In a few short hours you can go from something that looks fine, to something that fails.

In short, don't use OSB around any large amounts of water. The stuff barely accepts being sheeting on house walls where it is covered in membrane and siding, and only exposed to limited water during heavy rains.

You appear to have a very questionable connection point between your glass and your wood tank. How does the glass hold on the sides? Don't expect silicone adhesive (let alone house hold caulking you can pick up at a hardware store) to hold to wood and glass like that, as it will not likely make a proper seal on the textured wood surface.

I have looked at several builds plywood that is I dnt see where it would leak/blow I bought the epoxy that I need to seal it with I have tons of more nails for the tank and will be bracing the tank at the roof. And by the way can u please xplain to me as why if I silicone the rims of the glass and the wood and press the glass on why it would blow??? Like I said I have followed builds step by step I'm confident in my monster

[babarney]

I have to agree that the corners do not look very solid. Most of the plywood aquarium builds at least have a 2x4 frame around them to support the outward force from the water. It would be cheap to do this and it would make me feel a lot better about the build if I were doing it. Also, are you going to add more wood to the front? You really should build it so that the water pushes the glass against something. This will make it much less likely to leak. Check out this link for some ideas to strengthen it: http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/eng_...200litres.html.
I would also add a couple more 2x4's as legs for the stand because that things going to be heavy with some water in it. I am fairly new to aquariums but I have lots of experience with construction and woodworking and I would definitely add more framing to the aquarium before adding epoxy.

[Luckless]

How are your corners actually held together? Your photos aren't overly detailed, but it looks like it is just plywood structure that is butt jointed together.

As for the glass to wood bond. Glass tanks hold together because they have a nice beefy connection made with silicone adhesive that joins two very stiff, very smooth, and very strong materials together. Attempting to do a similar joint with wood on one side is asking for trouble, as the wood is far more prone to bending than glass. If the side starts to flex and bend out a little, then it puts extra strain on your adhesive as it stretches. This compounds and builds over time. The more it stretches, the less holding power it has, and the more it is allowed to stretch. You really want a full flange around your glass that holds it into the front of the tank. This also gives you a kind of 'picture frame' effect around your glass as well.

What are you using to seal your tank? Be sure it is a fully Water Proof product, and gets properly applied. The resins often sold at automotive places to go with fiber glass are rarely water proof. (usually they're polyester I think it is. There is another resin that you some times find that IS water proof, but it is more expensive, and rarely found.) Many people claim that they have 'zero problems' with the resins that are merely resistant to water, but eventually the water will work its way through them and begin damaging the wood.

You'll still need to address the OSB, sealed or not, it is a product that simply has no place around that much water, and is just begging to have it fail.

Also, nails have very limited holding power. Screws are far better, and proper adhesives are even better.

For any build like this, I strongly suggest water testing it for several months in a place that can take the 300 gallons of water flowing out.

[outy]

I would not put water in that outside let alone inside. every successful homemade tank ive seen that size has about 3 times as much wood and SS bracing with a sturdy frame with epoxy filled SS screws and marine grade plywood.

maybe your under estimating the weight involved, You want that strong enough you could park your car on top and feel comfortable sleeping inside of it with someone shaking the car.

[babarney]

I didn't mean to bash on your ideas either by the way. I'm just trying to help so you don't put all the work in to have a disaster on your hands. If I were you, this is what I would do. First, I would take the OSB particle board out of the equation entirely and replace it with marine grade plywood. Second, I would build the stand a little wider to support some additional framing around the aquarium and add more legs for strength to the stand of the aquarium. From the looks of the pictures I would say your plywood is thick enough IF you reinforce with a framing around the entire aquarium. Finally, I would frame the front so the glass will push against 2x4's all the way around. Doing it this way will allow you to silicone the glass to the epoxied wood and the water pressure pushing outward will create a good seal. As others have mentioned silicone should not be used like a glue or epoxy in this situation. Just my 2 cents.

[cpl40475]

Most plywood builds use fiberglass in the corner and around the seams for strength. There usually made by creating a frame with 2x2 or 2x4s then attaching the plywood to the frame. Then its layered in fiberglass sometimes multiple layers. Then a good epoxy sealer to make sure no water will seep into the wood.

[outy]

yep looks like hes got a real nice terrerium going on.


true stand needs more support as well, not nessesarliy 4x4 or even 2x4 but definatly needs some 1x1 love all round.

OP remember this will all be close to the weight of car once finished all boxed up 3' off the ground

[dericcanderson]

Originally Posted by Luckless

How are your corners actually held together? Your photos aren't overly detailed, but it looks like it is just plywood structure that is butt jointed together.

As for the glass to wood bond. Glass tanks hold together because they have a nice beefy connection made with silicone adhesive that joins two very stiff, very smooth, and very strong materials together. Attempting to do a similar joint with wood on one side is asking for trouble, as the wood is far more prone to bending than glass. If the side starts to flex and bend out a little, then it puts extra strain on your adhesive as it stretches. This compounds and builds over time. The more it stretches, the less holding power it has, and the more it is allowed to stretch. You really want a full flange around your glass that holds it into the front of the tank. This also gives you a kind of 'picture frame' effect around your glass as well.

What are you using to seal your tank? Be sure it is a fully Water Proof product, and gets properly applied. The resins often sold at automotive places to go with fiber glass are rarely water proof. (usually they're polyester I think it is. There is another resin that you some times find that IS water proof, but it is more expensive, and rarely found.) Many people claim that they have 'zero problems' with the resins that are merely resistant to water, but eventually the water will work its way through them and begin damaging the wood.

You'll still need to address the OSB, sealed or not, it is a product that simply has no place around that much water, and is just begging to have it fail.

Also, nails have very limited holding power. Screws are far better, and proper adhesives are even better.

For any build like this, I strongly suggest water testing it for several months in a place that can take the 300 gallons of water flowing out.

Ok I think i forgot to ention adn from looking at the pics i can see why you are saying this but i do have the complete inside of my tank braced with 2x4's its super sturdy i went out today and bought some really strong screws they are made to go through concrete. I bought them and tightened everything my stand and tank. I am about to post pics to show the work i have done and i will be adding more wood to the bottommof this tank once i am done

[dericcanderson]

Ok so today I painted the inside of the tank with the epoxy and I the outside of the tank blakc. I did two coats epoxy and one coat black paint on the outside. I will go over both tommorow with extra coats. And just to clear up any confusion with my build i dont think anyone can see it but i have a 2x4 on the bottom of the tank in the insde to brace it. as i stated in my other post. I will be bracing the top of the tank soon as a matter of fact i will be doing that tommorow. I am going to home depot to get a piece of 2x4 and it will brace the top. I will have two pieces on the end of the tank and one dead in the middle. I appreciatre everyones input on the build and glad you guys wont let me misss a step but trust me im building no terrarium lmfao I am building a monster tank. But here is one ? i do have. I have seen online where a guy said he used 1/4 thick tempered glass on a 250 gallon build and it worked no problem. Now yes i am making a 300 gallon but i wonder if 1/4 would work for me also????? if so it would save me $150 but i dont wanna have a swimming pool on my floor lol. I was quoted $160 for 1/4 tempered glass today and hoping this will work but i will not purchase until i hear more feedback. Here are some pics of the work and the 2x4's

[SaltydawgI]

Good Luck is all I can say

[babarney]

The part that concerns me the most is the front where the glass will go. There is no front support on the sides and if that doesn't get fixed it will probably spring a leak.