So, iv been checking in on the forums for a while now but this is one of my first posts. My intro is short. I have AHDH and OCD and have been driven to build things before i could remember. I am an electrical contractor by trade and Im mechanically inclined but have nor formal training in Construction. I gained interest in the Hobby about 2 years ago and started out with a 7 Gallon Nano thinking it was a great way to start. About 2 weeks later i bought an RSM250 (60gal) as I caught the bug. About 2 months after that, I knew i wanted something bigger.
So it began.
PHASE1
I built my house (another one of my projects). My basement is about 1500sqf and aside from a Movie Theater and a Bathroom the rest was pretty much an open an open playroom for my 5 year old. I had one corner of the basement where i had a storage room with double doors facing into the playroom. This was to become my location for a tank. The room was about 12'x12'. I Removed the double doors and opened the wall up about 8' wide. I cut a 32" door into the back side of the room which was the main stair hall. I began by framing out the platform of the tank. I built a Ply Wood Stand about 28" off the floor. The Display side flush with playroom. The platform was roughly 8 x 5. It was built from 2x4, 2x4 and Birch Ply. I screwed, nailed and PL glued the entire thing. I than built the walls. Using standard ply, the back wall was 4' high x 8 wide and the side walls where 5' wide x 4' tall. I built the three sides like standalone walls (2x4 on 12" center). I PL glue the 1" Birch Ply to the walls which were screwed and nailed together. I than added another layer of ply to the bottom as well as a 4x4 along the front leading edge (playroom side). I than PL glued the 3 walls and Lag Bolted them down (from the outside obviously) thru the Base Deck + Lagged the sides to the rear wall + the front 4x4 + added and lagged another 4x4 at the top edge of the front wall. This front wall was also connected/nailed/lagged to the header of the original door that was there. And so I had built the Box. I used Metal Strap (typically plumbers use it to support pipes). I wrapped/strapped the box around the 4 sides. I patched up the front wall so that i now had a 92" x 40" Display.
PHASE2
After doing a whole bunch of research i decided to use BLUEMAX rubber coating. I first filled any and all seams with PL construction adhesive. I than put about 10 coats of the BLUEMAX on all the exposed wood - This was the most time consuming part as it only took an hour to coat - I gave it a day to dry (so this process took a couple weeks). At this point i had to start looking for the display glass. I called in some favors and got pricing for glass about 96x48 as my goal was to have the glass overlap my edges my as much as possible. I figured i didnt want to rely on silicon alone and figure the pressure against the glass would seal it itself. Dispite having FRIENDS who had FRIENDS my glass quotes for a 1" thick piece was well over 2k. Ultimately, i ended up spending a little more than $800 for a piece of Starphire glass shipped up from Glasscages. Besides needing 4 friends to put it in and take it out of my truck - it wasn't a big deal. I used about 8 tubes of sillicone as a ton of what i read was that silicone doesnt stick to the bluemax (but remember my thought was that Water Pressure is going to hold this in place and i wasn't really concerned if it STUCK like one would think. I let the caulk stiffen up than me and 3 of my guys slipped the glass in from the front and pushed it up against the 4x4 framing. I let this dry up for a day or so than used a whole bunch more of that BLUEMAX and slopped it all over the corners.
..And thats how i built my DIY plywood tank which has been running for over a year now with NO LEAKs nor any dead fish due to strange chemicals that others would have you believe you shouldn't be using.
...If anyone is interested ill continue my story as to how i built my Filters, Lights, Sprayfoam Overflows and Rocks as well as used Playground Sand sold at Home Depot for $5 a 30lb bag.
- YES YOU CAN DO IT. Dont let the misconceptions of others keep you from trying to build a your dreams.
So it began.
PHASE1
I built my house (another one of my projects). My basement is about 1500sqf and aside from a Movie Theater and a Bathroom the rest was pretty much an open an open playroom for my 5 year old. I had one corner of the basement where i had a storage room with double doors facing into the playroom. This was to become my location for a tank. The room was about 12'x12'. I Removed the double doors and opened the wall up about 8' wide. I cut a 32" door into the back side of the room which was the main stair hall. I began by framing out the platform of the tank. I built a Ply Wood Stand about 28" off the floor. The Display side flush with playroom. The platform was roughly 8 x 5. It was built from 2x4, 2x4 and Birch Ply. I screwed, nailed and PL glued the entire thing. I than built the walls. Using standard ply, the back wall was 4' high x 8 wide and the side walls where 5' wide x 4' tall. I built the three sides like standalone walls (2x4 on 12" center). I PL glue the 1" Birch Ply to the walls which were screwed and nailed together. I than added another layer of ply to the bottom as well as a 4x4 along the front leading edge (playroom side). I than PL glued the 3 walls and Lag Bolted them down (from the outside obviously) thru the Base Deck + Lagged the sides to the rear wall + the front 4x4 + added and lagged another 4x4 at the top edge of the front wall. This front wall was also connected/nailed/lagged to the header of the original door that was there. And so I had built the Box. I used Metal Strap (typically plumbers use it to support pipes). I wrapped/strapped the box around the 4 sides. I patched up the front wall so that i now had a 92" x 40" Display.
PHASE2
After doing a whole bunch of research i decided to use BLUEMAX rubber coating. I first filled any and all seams with PL construction adhesive. I than put about 10 coats of the BLUEMAX on all the exposed wood - This was the most time consuming part as it only took an hour to coat - I gave it a day to dry (so this process took a couple weeks). At this point i had to start looking for the display glass. I called in some favors and got pricing for glass about 96x48 as my goal was to have the glass overlap my edges my as much as possible. I figured i didnt want to rely on silicon alone and figure the pressure against the glass would seal it itself. Dispite having FRIENDS who had FRIENDS my glass quotes for a 1" thick piece was well over 2k. Ultimately, i ended up spending a little more than $800 for a piece of Starphire glass shipped up from Glasscages. Besides needing 4 friends to put it in and take it out of my truck - it wasn't a big deal. I used about 8 tubes of sillicone as a ton of what i read was that silicone doesnt stick to the bluemax (but remember my thought was that Water Pressure is going to hold this in place and i wasn't really concerned if it STUCK like one would think. I let the caulk stiffen up than me and 3 of my guys slipped the glass in from the front and pushed it up against the 4x4 framing. I let this dry up for a day or so than used a whole bunch more of that BLUEMAX and slopped it all over the corners.
..And thats how i built my DIY plywood tank which has been running for over a year now with NO LEAKs nor any dead fish due to strange chemicals that others would have you believe you shouldn't be using.
...If anyone is interested ill continue my story as to how i built my Filters, Lights, Sprayfoam Overflows and Rocks as well as used Playground Sand sold at Home Depot for $5 a 30lb bag.
- YES YOU CAN DO IT. Dont let the misconceptions of others keep you from trying to build a your dreams.
