700g Plywood build.

even with the 2x6 brace all around and 2x4 behind it, but still nothing in the middle. you have very good support vertical but not horizontal and screws are the only thing that hold it in place. IMO in time bowing will occur since there are no support in the middle or around also keep in mind that this is 600gal @8lbs per gal etc. when i help my friend build his tank 96"Lx48"Wx36"H we had 2x4 every foot around the sides, bottom and one across the middle also fiberglass 3 layer of thick woven mesh on the outsides and bottom for double strength durability and for the inside 4 layers. he ask for help and i told him no problems but get ready to spend more money than expected since i believed in overbuilding. hope this helps and stated opinions only.
 
Hiya James-
Looks like some work getting done. Like Bart said, I think you need lots more horizontal support. The tank, as shown in the latest photos, will bow like crazy.

You might consider some 2x4 or 2x6 on top, all the way around set on the flat side for more strength. Another consideration might be a "Calfo" style overflow to run coast-to-coast. That way, you can keep the tank as you are building it.

Hope these suggestions help and the build progresses smoothly.

Best,

Del
 
I've seen some plans for tanks built the way your doing it(eg. GARF), but I would suggest for safety reasons to frame the outside in 2 x 4s, similar to a wall frame in your house. I would also reinforce the front panel with 2 x 4s, especially in the middle at the bottom (thats where the greatest pressure is. Then bolt the frameworks together. Unfortunately this may mean you have to expand your stand aswell.

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/photopost/data/2/medium/IMGP0302.JPG
 
Hey guys,


Ok, thanks for all the ideas. I did say that I will be placing 2x6 bracing around the top perimeter. I fail to see why I would need to lag bolt anything together but to each his own. I am aware of the tank posted by cbui2 and thoughthe reason behind all of the bracing was he used 1/2" ply due to the cost of 3/4 in his country. I could be wrong but Fudge and one other built a tank similar to this. As far as the coast to coast over flow how would that make the back less prone to bowing than the 2x6 I have installed now? Please help me paint a picutre in where I will need to add bracing..........Over building is one thing but soon enough it becomes obserd. Kind of like protecting your kids, would you send them to school rolled up in foam because they may trip and fall. At what point is enough enough? All of the joints are "Gorilla glued and screwed, 200 in the tank and bracing now. The corners have 2x2 ripped on 45* and again glued and nailed. I was of the thought that if I added a 2x6 on either to edge and a 2x6 in the center there would be minimal bowing.........

Please enlighten me as to what could do? With the exception of the angle iron I do not see how Del's tank is that much stronger and no one has said anything there.........Just currious that's all. Don't me to sound angry just confused that's all.

Kent do you have anything to add? I know that you have done this and are doing it again......

Thanks

James
 
Oops...missed the 2x6 on top. That will help a bunch.

I'm just not comfortable with the joints. You have the 3/4" plywood joint reinforced with 1 1/2" corner supports. That's a pretty good surface area but I'm not sure it will withstand all the pressure of the water. It very well might. Mine is the same as yours on the inside but the outside has a whole other set of 1x4's overlapping the joint from the outside. All told, mine has almost 12" of surface area epoxied and screwed supporting each joint. Overkill??? I hope so.

In terms of supporting the walls with studs (house wall style), I agree. That is probably not necessary unless you go taller than you have.

The Calfo overflow recommendation had nothing to do with support. Just a way of skimming the whole surface of the tank without changing your current design. Just food for thought.

James. No one is beating up your design. You asked for opinions and you are getting them. You need to take the ones you think will help and ignore the rest. Or, just ignore them all. I think your tank will be a work of art. We all just want it to be a strong work of art.

Now, get to work and keep the pictures coming.

Best,
Del
 
Right on Del. Please do not confuse my questions with anything other than confusion and or wanting answers.

So do you feel if I added a 2x6 rim on the outside top and bottom epoxied and screwed into place put our minds at ease?

Keep the comments coming as I need to hear the opinions of others to avoid disaster..............I take words and opinions for what they are and am a hard person to offend.........I took none of the comments in that fashion and was frustrated in not knowing what should be added.

Thanks Del and everyone else...........

I will continue on the inside and await thoughts for the outside and external rim braces..........

On a side note........I ordered more epoxy so I will be coating the outside in resin also....and the black pigment in the resin is working out well.........Just used it on the one part thus far but I think that it will turn out well.


Thanks again

James
 
That link that cbui2 posted is what i used to help build my tank. In addition I used 3/4 inch ply. Everything has worked great so far. thats not to say that yours wont. Give your tank design a try. I may have overbuilt as you have suggested. The one problem Ive found with the framing, is most tank apparatus is designed to mount to a 3/4 inch or less thickness. The framework really gets in the way of that. I have to use magnet mounted powerheads instead. Also the several layers of exopy your coating with will probably greatly increase the rigidity of the ply. Also when you think about a glass tank, it's only silicone holding the joints, so you would assume that drywall screws and some bracinc should be suffice.
 
Cougarman, Those where my thoughts in a way. I looked at fudge's build and some others and they seem to be holding up well. I was going to do a build just like yours but thought that it was way overkill. Not to say that you did wrong it just was not for me. I used 1.5" decking screws and Gorilla glue and can say that stuff is beyond strong. During a test I did by gluing two 2x4's together and hammering the joint apart the wood failed not the glue......Large chunks of wood remained on the opposing piece where the glue had penetrated the wood. Great stuff.

What is the thought on my euro brace design on top. will it suffice?
I have been thinking and all if not most of the pressure will be pushing out on the bottom. The screws are coming up from the bottom into the sides and rear. I did the because a screw holds better in that fashion rather then in a pulling type situation relying on the threads to hold on a small amount of material.



I worked hard in the last two days and have sanded the whole tank
and have a second layer on the one side. Plan is today to get a second coat on the other side and the back. That should be good for about 4 hrs work and then if time allows I will do the bottom. I need to get the glassing on the inside done so I can order my glass as I believe that they said it will take two weeks.

Thats all for now guys. Off to do some tank work.....



James
 
still a great build, this should be enough considered the middle eurobrace installed which would make it solid. hopefully what i said didn't offend you and just stating opinions only. any more updates james
 
Hey guys,

No one offended me so no worries, LOL.


Build is coming along. I have almost all of the glassing done and the glass is ordered. I went with 3/4" (15mm) 88x28 regular float glass they would not sell it without polished edges but the prise was only $288 CDN so I got a heck of a deal. I will try to snap some shots this week end as I will be taking a break from the tank and adding 4 15 amp circuits to my basement for the tank.

I am having a struggle with placement though as I do not think the original plan for the tank room is going to work as there is a forced air return and main support I beam directly above the tank and I am concerned with rust. If I coated the I beam with Tremclad would this be sufficient? I know that the duct work in itself would not rust but the sheet metal screws that hold it up will, any Ideas on how to remedy this?

Thanks for the continued interest guys as I was afraid that I offended you.

James
 
:D any sealant with no pores will be good. hows everything else coming along. stainless steel 316 grade is what i used for mairine application.
 
Sorry about no updates as of yet, I forgot the camera at the house. Glass is being delivered tomorrow and I got a coat of killz primer on the stand. Gonna try to get the Drywall up on the ceiling next week while the silicone cures.

I am having a problem locating sch 40 PVC in my area as it is not code (looking for 1.5 and 2")mostly Wisbro, copper and ABS . I found a Spa supply place that has Spa-Flex but the fittings are a problem. Can I use electrical conduit as an alternative? I can get the product ordered in but it comes with a price as always...... Just an Idea that I had and I just wanted to check as I know that ABS was/is a no,no back in the day when I set up my 180......


James
 
Last edited:
i believed the grade on plastic conduits might be diiferent, but you might have to check around making sure it doesnt leak into the system. i used 2 1" 50' & 1 1.5" 50' spa flex on my system, about 150' 1.5" hard pvc, 100' 1" hard pvc about or little more.
 
I used flexible PVC tubing for my tank. It cuts the set up time down immensely, and decreases the water resistance as there are no sharp corners. If you're interested, I got it at pioneer pools in Burlington, there may be one in K-W. They have all the hose barbs, 1 1/2 hose, all the valves you need and bulkheads all for way less than at any fish store. The nice thing about it is you can easily make corrections and additions to your plumbing.
 
Thanks guys, I will try some other local pool places and go from there. I know I can get sch40 fittings from my local branch of Emco as well as hard pvc pipe. I will have to figure out what I need and go from there. Not sure of the pricing as I would be a "cash sale" not a wholesale account. Just like the automotive industry there is Trade price and retail price......I'll see what I can swing.

Thanks again.

James
 
Here are some pics guys. The Glass came in today and was delivered. It's 3/4" float glass Ground and polished edges 88" x 28" and it weighs 134 pounds. Now I feel for the guys with an all glass tank this big.

All in all I am happy with my results. The black pigment worked out good but I used two packages of it for one coat of epoxy on the whole to get the colour I was looking for.

img014jt4.jpg


Some shots of the electrical panel that we put together. I will skin it out later but for now it does the job well. Six outlets non switched and
three that are switched independently.

img015el9.jpg


img016pa7.jpg


lastly is the glass. Sorry for the bad pic but it's hard to get a good angle on it. I'll try to get better shots of it later.

img017bt2.jpg



Glass goes in Saturday and then the final top braces and do the holes and closed loop plumbing. I will start the water tests next week on Wednesday or so. The silicone says that it cures in 24 hours so I figure 3 days should be good.

See ya's later

James
 
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