Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
wow, and that's not the size you wanted anyway... You have the skills, might as well use them for what you want.. Thanks for the pictures.
Atomic's 800g Inwall Plywood Build
- Thread starter Atomic081
- Start date
Thanks for the info. That is a crazy number for a glass one. Was it made of gold, LOL! I am considering making one out of acrylic. Did you price out one in that?
vikinglord13
New member
Yah quality glass tanks are expensive. The low-cost of a DIY plywood tank is tempting... even for those of us with low wood-working skill...
No real wood working skills needed in most cases. Places will cut your wood for you to size. You just have to glue, screw, fiberglass, paint, place glass, silicone, etc. all of its time consuming, yes but well worth it and way cheaper.
I'm starting my 8x4x4 build next week. Just need to reroute the washer/dryer to the garage so I can start the stand in the Fish room.
Nice build btw. Keep it up
jamie1981
New member
I got a 500 gal 130 x 30 x 30 with low iron front/sides, tempered bottom with the metal stand from miracles and it was about 8k shipped
18K is way over priced
Sounds like the....."We don't want to do it, so we will quote so high that they would never buy it. If they do, then we will make a ton of money on the sale"....price.
BruceWayne
New member
Following
Atomic081
New member
So its been quite a while since ive updated this thread. This is mainly because all my extra time has been put into the house and the tank has been a afterthought. Until last week!!!
Picture while trim was being installed. I put wainscoting up around the entire family room so that the tank trim could be incorporated into the room. My wife doesnt love the idea of the tank inwall, but this was enough to pacify her.
<a href="https://ibb.co/bEp649"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/cFYoHU/20180816_084725.jpg" alt="20180816_084725" border="0"></a>
Last week I started the Epoxy process. I was able to get a deal from my local Sherwin Williams rep on epoxy that he had for a while and needed to get rid of. 5 gallons of epoxy for 50 dollars, that usually runs 75 dollars a gallon. I was told that the only requirement for the epoxy is that it must be for potable water. The only problem was that this epoxy is non tintable and was in white. I would prefer black or even blue, but i plan on covering it all up with a rock wall and sand anyway. So white was worth the cost savings.
For the front panel I chose to go with the pour method with the epoxy rather than painting it on. I placed the tank front down and I created a form like i would with a concrete sidewalk, but only smaller. This made it easier to get my thickness the same and thus will help when the glass is installed on this panel. This was allowed 5 days to dry before i messed with it. Was hard as a rock!!!
<a href="https://ibb.co/eaxhcU"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/fs6KP9/20180916_113702.jpg" alt="20180916_113702" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/jdPZrp"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/b3AkxU/20180916_120554.jpg" alt="20180916_120554" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/hx6KP9"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/fXEjrp/20180916_120550.jpg" alt="20180916_120550" border="0"></a>
Today I turned the tank right side up and poured the bottom. I also painted the side walls with the epoxy. I would have loved to pour them, but the tank is 10' long and I have 9' ceilings. So i cannot place it on its side. I will need to put another 3 coats on the side walls during the process.
<a href="https://ibb.co/dVTij9"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/juX9P9/20180924_161811.jpg" alt="20180924_161811" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/e7e0Wp"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/cRLUP9/20180924_162252.jpg" alt="20180924_162252" border="0"></a>
Picture of the thickness of epoxy in the front panel. The plywood is 3/4" thick to compare.
<a href="https://ibb.co/b30UP9"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/mx9dHU/20180924_161819.jpg" alt="20180924_161819" border="0"></a>
I am also going to epoxy the whole outside of the tank so non of the wood will ever be able to see any water. I should have epoxy done this week so ill be ordering the glass tomorrow. Im going with 3/4" crystal clear tempered glass. Ive gone back and forth and its alot more for tempered, but i dont wana risk anything breaking.
until next week!!!
Ross
Picture while trim was being installed. I put wainscoting up around the entire family room so that the tank trim could be incorporated into the room. My wife doesnt love the idea of the tank inwall, but this was enough to pacify her.
<a href="https://ibb.co/bEp649"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/cFYoHU/20180816_084725.jpg" alt="20180816_084725" border="0"></a>
Last week I started the Epoxy process. I was able to get a deal from my local Sherwin Williams rep on epoxy that he had for a while and needed to get rid of. 5 gallons of epoxy for 50 dollars, that usually runs 75 dollars a gallon. I was told that the only requirement for the epoxy is that it must be for potable water. The only problem was that this epoxy is non tintable and was in white. I would prefer black or even blue, but i plan on covering it all up with a rock wall and sand anyway. So white was worth the cost savings.
For the front panel I chose to go with the pour method with the epoxy rather than painting it on. I placed the tank front down and I created a form like i would with a concrete sidewalk, but only smaller. This made it easier to get my thickness the same and thus will help when the glass is installed on this panel. This was allowed 5 days to dry before i messed with it. Was hard as a rock!!!
<a href="https://ibb.co/eaxhcU"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/fs6KP9/20180916_113702.jpg" alt="20180916_113702" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/jdPZrp"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/b3AkxU/20180916_120554.jpg" alt="20180916_120554" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/hx6KP9"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/fXEjrp/20180916_120550.jpg" alt="20180916_120550" border="0"></a>
Today I turned the tank right side up and poured the bottom. I also painted the side walls with the epoxy. I would have loved to pour them, but the tank is 10' long and I have 9' ceilings. So i cannot place it on its side. I will need to put another 3 coats on the side walls during the process.
<a href="https://ibb.co/dVTij9"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/juX9P9/20180924_161811.jpg" alt="20180924_161811" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/e7e0Wp"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/cRLUP9/20180924_162252.jpg" alt="20180924_162252" border="0"></a>
Picture of the thickness of epoxy in the front panel. The plywood is 3/4" thick to compare.
<a href="https://ibb.co/b30UP9"><img src="https://preview.ibb.co/mx9dHU/20180924_161819.jpg" alt="20180924_161819" border="0"></a>
I am also going to epoxy the whole outside of the tank so non of the wood will ever be able to see any water. I should have epoxy done this week so ill be ordering the glass tomorrow. Im going with 3/4" crystal clear tempered glass. Ive gone back and forth and its alot more for tempered, but i dont wana risk anything breaking.
until next week!!!
Ross
Atomic081
New member
I bought 2 of these last night on ebay. 36" long 5" tall 4" deep. They will protrude into the tank, but if i put the rock wall, they will be closer to flush with the rock. Ill put bulkheads behind them drilled into the wood (gotta remember to always epoxy the inside of all holes incase of leaks)
<a href="https://imgbb.com/"><img src="https://image.ibb.co/h814gp/s_l500.jpg" alt="s_l500" border="0"></a>
McPuff
New member
Don't epoxy it so thick that the bulkheads won't fit through. :lmao:
Lavoisier
Premium Member
That'll work. :thumbsup: Just out of curiosity did you consider a C2C and why did you decide not to do that?
Atomic081
New member
I looked into a c2c but because I'm putting in a rock wall around 3 sides, I felt this was better. Wrong or right not sure, but since I've done this in ny thanks before i am more comfortable with it.
I'm still not sure if I'm going to put the overflows on the side or the back at this point. Probably the back so if i put a wave maker it wont drop below the overflow for long....thoughts?
McPuff
New member
It's still 6' of overflow. That's more than just about any "regular" size tank will have, even with coast-to-coast.
What is your plan for the rock wall? Some type of framing (e.g., PVC, egg crate, etc.)? Foam? Or all rocks bound with e-marco? I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Side note: if you haven't purchased your lights yet, consider the Orphek pendants that are currently for sale in the Selling forum. Gosh, I wish I could buy those.
What is your plan for the rock wall? Some type of framing (e.g., PVC, egg crate, etc.)? Foam? Or all rocks bound with e-marco? I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Side note: if you haven't purchased your lights yet, consider the Orphek pendants that are currently for sale in the Selling forum. Gosh, I wish I could buy those.
Atomic081
New member
For the Rock Wall, im going with the E-Marco Bonding. Im going to epoxy some zip ties into the back wall. Then I can push them into the E-Marco bonding agent to make sure the wall is attached to the tank. I decided against the Foam route because of the unknown longevity. It would be easier, but the tank is being built to last 20+ years and i cannot say that about the foam in saltwater.
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