400 gal plywood build

[rayn]

I figured it was finally time to get some more views and advice on the new tank I am building. It is a 400 gal plywood with glass on the front side only 82*38*30. The tank is 3/4" birch plywood so I can sand and stain the outside. The stand is 2*6 all glued and screwed together and will be skinned with birch plywood as well. I am placing it next to a bathroom and redoing it as well to accommodate some of the equipment. On with the pics, any questions or comment ask away. Also note that this is a slow build and will take a while to complete.

Stand

in the room

first door

 

[zaheda]

Why dont you go for a glass tank, much more neater and faster to build. I see you have good carpentry skills.

 

[freakonaleash]

Coming good so far. you build like i do. WAY over board. might be over the top but atleast i have no doubt about it breaking.

 

[rayn]

the tank

the 45 braces

my helper

the bathroom tear down to slab. Tub removed for a shower, toilet moved, vanity moved, and a new subfloor poured and durock over.

the area for water mixing, equipment, and shelves

 

[rayn]

Why dont you go for a glass tank, much more neater and faster to build. I see you have good carpentry skills.

Cost. I could have gone with a 220 tank, stand, canopy, and crappy flourescent light for the same cost of building this tank and stand.

 

[rayn]

Coming good so far. you build like i do. WAY over board. might be over the top but atleast i have no doubt about it breaking.

Overbuilt? Possibly probably. Better safe then sorry when dealing with this much weight and water though.

 

[freakonaleash]

oh yea im with ya. i was saying i do the same thing. but yes, if you take the load limits of an upright 2x4 the tank stand is extremly over build.

heck i did mine with 10 4.4 legs and 2x6 lumber. i bet i could tak a tank on top of it lol

 

[rayn]

The bathroom is back together...somewhat. It is drywalled and durocked, but I still need to mud, sand, and tile it. All new plumbing and wiring. I hard wired my ro/di and have a new spot for the mixing area. Also added six new plugs for power to the tank.

 

[dave.m]

I have been looking around (unsuccessfully) for some time for something that would help with calculations on plywood tanks. How do you know that the stand is strong enough to prevent deflection? Will you just paint the interior with an epoxy paint or are you going to go the fibreglass route?

Thx,

Dave.M

 

[zaheda]

Have you built plywood tanks before? How long do you think the tank will last? I stay in South Africa and thinking of undertaking such a project. Are you going to fibreglass the inside or use epoxy?

 

[rayn]

This is actually my first. I plan on building a smaller one too for testing purposes. Everything I have seen shows me I am overbuilding and other responses I have gotten go along with that thought.

Plan is to build the tank with biscuits at the edges, glued and screwed. 45° blocks at all corners for added bracing. The inside will be fiberglassed and epoxy painted with three to four coats. I'm looking at using sweetwater epoxy.

From other tanks I have looked at and I to it should last for years building this way.

Check out fingerlakes forum as they are the plywood gurus and where I have gotten a bunch of info from. They also have a calculator to help figure glass thickness. Remember that the thickness is determined by height of the tank not width of the tank.

 

[rayn]

Here is the bath now

ro/di will hang directly above a water mixing can and then the can will be plumbed into the tank with a drain from the tank into the shower. Couple holes drilled through the wall and it should make for a easy water change.

 

[camaroboy8691]

I have been looking around (unsuccessfully) for some time for something that would help with calculations on plywood tanks. How do you know that the stand is strong enough to prevent deflection? Will you just paint the interior with an epoxy paint or are you going to go the fibreglass route?

Thx,

Dave.M

dave,

and to the others not into the plywood tanks , there is alot of info on the fingerlakesreef forum ..... mods sorry if im not allowed to give out links , but i feel this one is worth the mention . but there is a good bit of info on there abotu glass thickness and epoxys , paints , etc , alot of very good builds also .

 

[lusenut2]

I am here for the ride. I am planning on building a 300 gal plywood tank here in the near future

 

[Dustin1300]

Tagging along here. I'm looking at getting an in-wall 1" acrylic 96"X36"X30" tank but the more and more I look the plywood route might work out better because of costs... Following along to see how the build goes! Looks great so far and am much like you in that I would rather overbuild the stand and just did in my build thread below and would rather be SAFE than SORRY

 

[rayn]

Thanks for following, but as most large builds it will be slow moving. I got the tile for the bath over the weekend and need to get it done so I can get back to the tank. Talked the wife into moving the 55 into the living room freeing up room for the 400 so that is a plus. Now I just need to move the 120 too and it should be good.

 

[Dustin1300]

Thanks for following, but as most large builds it will be slow moving. I got the tile for the bath over the weekend and need to get it done so I can get back to the tank. Talked the wife into moving the 55 into the living room freeing up room for the 400 so that is a plus. Now I just need to move the 120 too and it should be good.

Funny, I ended up having to put cement board down in our guest bathroom yesterday prepping for tile. Too bad other projects exist outside of our hobbies

 

[rayn]

No kidding, the told me about three more she has for me now :headwally:

 

[d3hree]

looking good, I will be tagging along. Isnt sweetwater more of a paint for added uv protection rather than an epoxy resin?...ie you would add a few layers of epoxy pressumably using the pour method and then add a coat of sweetwater?

 

[rayn]

Sweetwater does give the uv protection, but I understood it to be a epoxy based paint as well. I have also found locally, at a paint jobber, a food grade epoxy paint. I'm not sure yet on the method of application though. Pour method sure, but I've read a thread where the guy sprayed it on with a paint gun and had a smooth as glass finish. Seeing as how cars are my second hobby and I paint too, that seems like a possible choice yet. Still researching it and will decide for sure when I get to that point.