SoFloReefer
New member
I'm looking for a 4' x 4' x (12" to 15") deep tank. Im not looking for glass or acrylic but fiberglass or some durable plastic. Does anyone know of a good supplier?
4' X 4' tank
- Thread starter SoFloReefer
- Start date
nauticac4
Baby Fish Wrangler
www.aquaticeco.com has things like that, dont know about pricing
dendronepthya
Premium Member
The 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tanks are similar to that size. Relatively inexpensive too.
SoFloReefer
New member
After looking around anything fiberglass or plastic is around $500-$1000 which is insane if you ask me.
I designed what I need out of wood and I'm going to seal it with MAS Epoxy. Ill post pictures when done. The wood cost about $100. The MAS epoxy will probably cost the same. The plans are fairly simple. I am almost done with the build and it didnt take long at all. I will post pics tomarrow most likely.
I designed what I need out of wood and I'm going to seal it with MAS Epoxy. Ill post pictures when done. The wood cost about $100. The MAS epoxy will probably cost the same. The plans are fairly simple. I am almost done with the build and it didnt take long at all. I will post pics tomarrow most likely.
SoFloReefer
New member
I noticed the top of the plans were cut off but the top left corner is the bottom half of the tank and the top right corner is a cut away from the side.
The tank is going to be lit with one 400 watt Radium. I am going to mix black dye with the Epoxy and use 2 whole sheets of black egg crate. I will most likely cover the out side of the tank with Keystone. For those of you who are no familiar with this it is cut coral made into tiles.
The tank is going to be lit with one 400 watt Radium. I am going to mix black dye with the Epoxy and use 2 whole sheets of black egg crate. I will most likely cover the out side of the tank with Keystone. For those of you who are no familiar with this it is cut coral made into tiles.
SoFloReefer
New member
The one thing that I am having a hard time deciding on is the plumping. I am thinking that I will use a closed loop as well as an open loop. I cannot figure out where I want to place the overflow and where and how many returns I want to use for the most random flow. Any input from experienced reefers will be appreciated.
You might want to rethink your single 400W pendant. The light in the middle will be good depending on your reflector but will seriously decrease as you get further to the edges. I was asking about a 3'x3' tank and someone chimed in with their experience with it. Seems like it wasn't so good with just the one pendant.
SoFloReefer
New member
I finished construction today and this thing is seriously over built. I think you could fill it with molten lead and the sides would not bow. It is not even Epoxied yet. This could be made 40" deep easy which would put it at 400 gallon and be fine. I ended up using 15 #20 biscuits per side or 60 total. I ended up securing the 3/4 Plywood strips to the outside rather than the inside as to not take away from internal volume. I am still trying to figure out what kind of plumbing I want to use.
Ive recently seen this done with success. I will probably keep my zoanthids and Palythoas that love intense light (such as the BamBam oranges) and SPS towards the center. Mid way out from the light will be all Zoanthids, Palythoas, and Ricordea Florida. The Farthest from the light will be Ricordea Yuma and Zoanthids which look best under low lighting (Tubs Blues, Means Green, etc)
If some one could chime in with ideas for plumbing I will be happy.:rollface:
Ive recently seen this done with success. I will probably keep my zoanthids and Palythoas that love intense light (such as the BamBam oranges) and SPS towards the center. Mid way out from the light will be all Zoanthids, Palythoas, and Ricordea Florida. The Farthest from the light will be Ricordea Yuma and Zoanthids which look best under low lighting (Tubs Blues, Means Green, etc)
If some one could chime in with ideas for plumbing I will be happy.:rollface:
SoFloReefer,
Nice plans for your tank. It looks like it is pretty close in stature to what I built and have had no problems with them at all, and they have been full for about 16 months. One thing if you still have time is to make sure your corners are tied together very well (double lapped) and I chose to use 2x4's as ribs to strengthen the sides as well, like you did on the bottom.
The only other thing I would say that you will need A LOT of epoxy. The wood will soak it up like you wouldn't believe and you definitely don't want to skimp at all on that part. I tried to skimp on one (actually used the recommended amount) and it hairline cracked in about 6 months. The good thing was that even with the crack and water running down the sides the frame was not damaged at all and I am going to just reline, and re-epoxy it and should have no problems.
For the plumbing question it is really a matter of choice. Unless you want to have a sump I would suggest not using an overflow or having water leave the tank if at all possible. With a single tank you are better off getting high flow powerheads and using that rather than taking the water out and trying to return it. There is just too much that can go wrong trying that.
If you are looking to have multiple tanks that is a different story, pm me and I will give you some ideas.
Nice plans for your tank. It looks like it is pretty close in stature to what I built and have had no problems with them at all, and they have been full for about 16 months. One thing if you still have time is to make sure your corners are tied together very well (double lapped) and I chose to use 2x4's as ribs to strengthen the sides as well, like you did on the bottom.
The only other thing I would say that you will need A LOT of epoxy. The wood will soak it up like you wouldn't believe and you definitely don't want to skimp at all on that part. I tried to skimp on one (actually used the recommended amount) and it hairline cracked in about 6 months. The good thing was that even with the crack and water running down the sides the frame was not damaged at all and I am going to just reline, and re-epoxy it and should have no problems.
For the plumbing question it is really a matter of choice. Unless you want to have a sump I would suggest not using an overflow or having water leave the tank if at all possible. With a single tank you are better off getting high flow powerheads and using that rather than taking the water out and trying to return it. There is just too much that can go wrong trying that.
If you are looking to have multiple tanks that is a different story, pm me and I will give you some ideas.
SoFloReefer
New member
Thanks for the advise. I am going to run 4 - 10" strips of 2x4 on each of the two sides on the bottom that don't have 2x4 butting up against the 2x12. This should make sure the seams never crack.
How much Epoxy do you think I will need? The walls have a total area of about 40 SQ FT. I was planning on doing a double coat. I was thinking I will need a gallon but do you think this is an underestimate? MAS Epoxy is top of the line stuff popular in the Marine industry so its not cheap. One gallon on the Epoxy and 1/2 gallon of hardener comes out to $110 ordered from Defender. This is the cheapest source I have seen for this stuff by the way. For the first layer I am going to mix in 10% denatured alcohol to thin out the mix so the wood absorbs more. In the seems and where the 2x12s meet I am going to use two layers of Biaxial fiberglass.
Without a sump I am not sure were I will put the Protein Skimmer. I guess I could cut a area out of the egg crate for it.
SoFloReefer
New member
I was getting ready to finish the wood working stage on the tank today and realized I ran out of screws.:lol:
Here are some pics:
Here are some pics:
SoFloReefer
New member
I Finished building the tank yesterday which mostly consisted of adding the 2x4 railing. This railing makes it so much easier to pick up and move the tank.
I am getting ready to order my Epoxy and Fiberglass from Defender.com (excellent prices).
This is the list that will be ordered:
1/2 gallon MAS slow hardener
1 gallon MAS Epoxy Resin
Colloidal Silica (to thicken Resin for fill)
150' x 3" wide fiberglass tape (for seams)
Black pigment
With shipping everything should come out to about $190.
I should have the tank Fiberglassed within 2 weeks.
I have been thinking that I will add fiberglass insulation under the tank between the 2x4s. Over that I would add vapor barrier plastic sheet.
I am going to start making molds for frag plugs as well using the left over 2x12 scraps. I will make the plugs with Portland cement and aragonite sand.
I am getting ready to order my Epoxy and Fiberglass from Defender.com (excellent prices).
This is the list that will be ordered:
1/2 gallon MAS slow hardener
1 gallon MAS Epoxy Resin
Colloidal Silica (to thicken Resin for fill)
150' x 3" wide fiberglass tape (for seams)
Black pigment
With shipping everything should come out to about $190.
I should have the tank Fiberglassed within 2 weeks.
I have been thinking that I will add fiberglass insulation under the tank between the 2x4s. Over that I would add vapor barrier plastic sheet.
I am going to start making molds for frag plugs as well using the left over 2x12 scraps. I will make the plugs with Portland cement and aragonite sand.
Last edited:
Island1Day
New member
looking good, keep us posted, taggin along
I am not exactly sure what MAS epoxy is so it is hard to say how much you will need. For example I used a special type of epoxy made for potable water tanks which was pretty thick already so I didn't need any thickener. But I used about 3.5 gallons to do a 6x8x30" vat.
I put it on with a wash coat first (epoxy mixed with xylol) to make sure it penetrated deep into the wood. I didn't do it with the first vat and the epoxy separated in a few spot creating cracks. The other two I did with the wash coat have not shown any signs of separation so I definitely suggest giving that a shot. Using the fiberglass tape for the seams is a very good idea and I did that as well.
The only thing I would change is to get rid of the black pigment. It will reduce the amount of light that is reflected by the sides and cause the tank to collect heat which could be a problem. If they have a blue pigment I would go with that as it will help change the spectrum of the light in the tank to a more sea type color.
All in all you I think you have done a good job so far
I put it on with a wash coat first (epoxy mixed with xylol) to make sure it penetrated deep into the wood. I didn't do it with the first vat and the epoxy separated in a few spot creating cracks. The other two I did with the wash coat have not shown any signs of separation so I definitely suggest giving that a shot. Using the fiberglass tape for the seams is a very good idea and I did that as well.
The only thing I would change is to get rid of the black pigment. It will reduce the amount of light that is reflected by the sides and cause the tank to collect heat which could be a problem. If they have a blue pigment I would go with that as it will help change the spectrum of the light in the tank to a more sea type color.
All in all you I think you have done a good job so far
SoFloReefer
New member
Great advice. MAS is a Epoxy company that makes a high quality product (expensive) that cures with no amine blush that needs to be sanded off. The resin mixes with the hardener in a 2:1 ratio which is nice also. The has a low viscosity which is good in this application. I a going to mix in <10% denatured alcohol to further thin out the mixture to increase wood penetration. The second coat will be thinker. from my calculations I believe I can get between a 1/8" and 1/4" thick coat. I think this will be adequate. I will take your advise and go with the blue pigment. thanks
SoFloReefer
New member
I was looking at that container and I think it was rated for 1000 lbs which is much less than the weight of the water. How long have you had yours up and do yu have any bowing in the sides?
reefkoi
Premium Member
I've had it up for a few months now, yes it bows but its HDPE so its not going to crack.
The specs says its rated to hold liquid, almsot all the wholesalers and a lot of LFS in L.A. use these thats where i got the idea.
I know of a guy in Denver that has been using one as a frag system for years as well, thats why I chose it.
I guess I'll find out after a couple years if it hold up.
C
The specs says its rated to hold liquid, almsot all the wholesalers and a lot of LFS in L.A. use these thats where i got the idea.
I know of a guy in Denver that has been using one as a frag system for years as well, thats why I chose it.
I guess I'll find out after a couple years if it hold up.
C
SoFloReefer
New member
I just picked up my epoxy and fiberglass. I found a place locally that had what I needed at decent prices. With tax everything came out to 120. I went with a generic epoxy to save money. I am going to start sanding the tank and then put on the first layer of glass.
SoFloReefer
New member
I just finished sanding the arm rails and some epoxy. I mixed the epoxy with dye and cab-o-sil (to thinken it) and used it to fill the holes from the screws and the bottom seams. This stuff takes 4 hours to harden so around 8:00pm I will be sanding the epoxy and adding 3" 7oz fiberglass to the bottom seams.
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