Brian's 520 gal. Plywood Build + Fish Room

[Brian Crook]

So the tank is fully assembled. After gluing all the panels together, I pre-drilled and fastened it with screws approximately every 2 inches. The overflows were glued and screwed in the same manner, except with the screws starting on the inside of the tank. I'm pretty satisfied with the size of the overflows, as they should give plenty of space for the drain pipes and for my hands in the event that I need to change something.

After enjoying the look of the tank for a few minutes, it was time to start the fiberglass and epoxy. I used 8oz 4" wide cloth for all the edges. On the front face I epoxied it in place right up to the window opening edge so that it would provide a more uniform surface during the pours. I then used 7.5 oz 50" wide cloth for the interior faces (excluding inside overflows). I brushed on non-pigmented epoxy for wetting out the cloth, however I have "carbon black" pigment to use for the final pours and brush work.

Here are some photos of my progress so far:

 

[Achilles Torben]

Looks very professional. Congratulations

 

[saf1]

Looks nice, well done.

May be an ignorant question on my part but why make tanks out of plywood? Is there an advantage? Is it because one can? Size, dimension, durability, cost, or anything else?

I see how it goes together. I'm not sure understand how the visible glass or acrylic would be installed.

Looks really cool, quality craftsmanship, and overall quality

Edit: re-read, then did some searching after the RVT post, and now see how the glass / acrylic is installed. Interesting to say the least and it makes sense.

 

[Brian Crook]

Looks nice, well done.

May be an ignorant question on my part but why make tanks out of plywood? Is there an advantage? Is it because one can? Size, dimension, durability, cost, or anything else?

I see how it goes together. I'm not sure understand how the visible glass or acrylic would be installed.

Looks really cool, quality craftsmanship, and overall quality

Edit: re-read, then did some searching after the RVT post, and now see how the glass / acrylic is installed. Interesting to say the least and it makes sense.

Thanks saf1!

I'll list all the reasons I'm aware of why some people elect to build tanks out of plywood:

Cost: There's a point, somewhere around the 200 to 300 gallon mark, where building your own tank suddenly becomes a much more economical choice than purchasing a custom made aquarium. Reef-Ready tanks up to around 300 gallons are mass produced and are readily available, however anything after that and you're talking custom builds with increased costs. However, building one of these takes an enormous amount of time so the cost becomes a moot point, and wasn't one of my primary reasons.

Location / Transportation: For my new plan, I had spent months thinking about how I would get a custom Miracles glass aquarium from my driveway, down the stairs to the basement, around a corner, and into its home in my wall - all without dropping it or smacking it up against a wall. I even considered knocking out an interior wall in my garage to make this process easier (or even possible, for the size of tank I was considering). Alas I decided I just wasn't comfortable with the risk of transporting a $6000+ aquarium into my house, so I started to think about alternatives. This is when I really started researching plywood aquariums, and I drew up a pros and cons list. So this was a big advantage for me; now I was able to build the aquarium virtually in place without any size restrictions what-so-ever. And once it's all finished, I'll just have to invite some friends over to help me move it 10' into its home.

Customizability: Pretty self-explanatory. Obviously an advantage of building your own tank out of any material. Do whatever you want!

Dismantling / Removability: It's unlikely that the future owner of my house will want a fish room and 500+ gal aquarium in their basement. So, here was another long-term advantage to the 'cheaper to build / easier to destroy' plywood tank. If I ended up going the Miracles route and purchased a $6000+ custom glass, and actually somehow did manage to get it into my basement, there is no way in hell it would ever leave (in one piece). So when the time comes to move out of this house, now all I'll have to do is sell or transport my livestock and then get out the ol' chainsaw... haha. The room can then be turned into a wet-bar extension to my rec-room with relative ease.

I'm sure there's others but I threw away my pros and cons list, so these are the ones that stuck out for me. Other plywood owners might chime in with their own reasons.

 

[scubadan206]

I spent more on tools to build my tank than on the materials.
About 250 for wood. 275 for epoxy, and around 80 for my glass.
That gave me an 8x4x30 inch tank.

 

[BennyFrank]

Great build so far, I've enjoyed following along. This may be a silly question also, but have you templated the piece of glass to make sure you can maneuver it into place through the front opening? In my head I pictured you putting the glass in place prior to attaching the top. It doesn't look like there will be much wiggle room given the glass will need to be bigger than the opening to provide for the overlap on the inside but I may be looking at it wrong.

edit: Nevermind, just looked back at the dimensions of the tank. There should be enough room to slide the glass into one of the eurobrace sections on the top, right? The pictures don't make it look as deep as it is compared to the height...

 

[chimmike]

please, please, PLEASE tell me you're wearing a heavy-duty respirator for those fumes, and you're ventilating the room heavily too!

 

[Brian Crook]

Great build so far, I've enjoyed following along. This may be a silly question also, but have you templated the piece of glass to make sure you can maneuver it into place through the front opening? In my head I pictured you putting the glass in place prior to attaching the top. It doesn't look like there will be much wiggle room given the glass will need to be bigger than the opening to provide for the overlap on the inside but I may be looking at it wrong.

edit: Nevermind, just looked back at the dimensions of the tank. There should be enough room to slide the glass into one of the eurobrace sections on the top, right? The pictures don't make it look as deep as it is compared to the height...

Yes, and I checked several times before fastening the top in place... What a disaster that would have been! The glass should fit "easily" through one of the side openings of the eurobrace. I tested it with some of the oak hobby wood 8' pieces that can be seen on the floor in some of my pictures.

Yeah this tank is definitely large so the pictures can be a little misleading. I'll place my hound in the tank when it's done to give some perspective... or the classic mermaid shot.

please, please, PLEASE tell me you're wearing a heavy-duty respirator for those fumes, and you're ventilating the room heavily too!

Yes I'm wearing a respirator when I'm working with the epoxy. Also to note that the fumes aren't as bad as I was expecting (having never worked with this type of product before). It smells a lot like peanut butter actually. Either way, the respirator blocks it out completely.

 

[saf1]

Thanks saf1!

I'll list all the reasons I'm aware of why some people elect to build tanks out of plywood:

Cost: There's a point, somewhere around the 200 to 300 gallon mark, where building your own tank suddenly becomes a much more economical choice than purchasing a custom made aquarium. Reef-Ready tanks up to around 300 gallons are mass produced and are readily available, however anything after that and you're talking custom builds with increased costs. However, building one of these takes an enormous amount of time so the cost becomes a moot point, and wasn't one of my primary reasons.

Location / Transportation: For my new plan, I had spent months thinking about how I would get a custom Miracles glass aquarium from my driveway, down the stairs to the basement, around a corner, and into its home in my wall - all without dropping it or smacking it up against a wall. I even considered knocking out an interior wall in my garage to make this process easier (or even possible, for the size of tank I was considering). Alas I decided I just wasn't comfortable with the risk of transporting a $6000+ aquarium into my house, so I started to think about alternatives. This is when I really started researching plywood aquariums, and I drew up a pros and cons list. So this was a big advantage for me; now I was able to build the aquarium virtually in place without any size restrictions what-so-ever. And once it's all finished, I'll just have to invite some friends over to help me move it 10' into its home.

Customizability: Pretty self-explanatory. Obviously an advantage of building your own tank out of any material. Do whatever you want!

Dismantling / Removability: It's unlikely that the future owner of my house will want a fish room and 500+ gal aquarium in their basement. So, here was another long-term advantage to the 'cheaper to build / easier to destroy' plywood tank. If I ended up going the Miracles route and purchased a $6000+ custom glass, and actually somehow did manage to get it into my basement, there is no way in hell it would ever leave (in one piece). So when the time comes to move out of this house, now all I'll have to do is sell or transport my livestock and then get out the ol' chainsaw... haha. The room can then be turned into a wet-bar extension to my rec-room with relative ease.

I'm sure there's others but I threw away my pros and cons list, so these are the ones that stuck out for me. Other plywood owners might chime in with their own reasons.

Thanks, appreciate the time. Interesting enough I reached out to Miracles about a tank. I hear nothing but great reviews and feedback on their tanks so figured I'd check. Not custom by any means but I was after something a bit taller with about 240 gallons of water. Price was a deal breaker and of course shipping to California.

I'm always amazed at plywood tanks and as I noted earlier the craftsmanship. It all makes sense as you described the location of the tank and logistics necessary to get the tank to its home. Makes a ton of sense now that I re-read and see your answer.

Thanks again for the time. Will continue to watch

 

[scubadan206]

I should have thought about using my router to cut out the openings in my tank wall and top.
I used my circular saw for the window opening and cut out the pieces for the top bracing individually with my table saw.
I cut 20 individual pieces that I reassembled and screwed together.
I was off 1/16 inch on one piece at the end. I guess I got lucky.
Maybe next time I build a tank like this [smaller] I will use your method instead.

Daniel. :wildone:

 

[Brian Crook]

I should have thought about using my router to cut out the openings in my tank wall and top.
I used my circular saw for the window opening and cut out the pieces for the top bracing individually with my table saw.
I cut 20 individual pieces that I reassembled and screwed together.
I was off 1/16 inch on one piece at the end. I guess I got lucky.
Maybe next time I build a tank like this [smaller] I will use your method instead.

Daniel. :wildone:

The router definitely worked out well so I would recommend it. A circular saw with a nice blade would have worked just as well, I'm sure, it just would have required a little more precision with that initial plunge cut. However taking your time to setup and clamp down guides makes all the difference.

I used my circular saw with a Diablo finishing blade to make all the external cuts (cutting down the plywood from 48" wide to 42.5" wide).

 

[Brian Crook]

I've started pouring and brushing on the epoxy. I did not pigment the epoxy while I was applying the fiberglass, and have since added the carbon black pigment for the outer layers. Due to the 8' ceilings in my basement, this aquarium is simply too tall to stand up long ways, which means that I cannot pour the epoxy on to either end. Instead I'll be applying several thick brushed on layers, and re-brush each layer once the epoxy begins to thicken so that it does not run down to the bottom.

The resin and hardener mix at a 2:1 ratio, and so far have been pretty easy to apply, albeit a little messy. I've been using a hair dryer to help remove the unavoidable microbubbles. This process is going to be tedious, and will take quite a long time as I need to allow one face or edge to cure before rotating the aquarium.

 

[scubadan206]

Do you think a single layer of wood on the top brace will be sufficient?
I did a double layer of wood. It more than doubles the strength and gives a shelf to put your lids on.
Daniel. :strange:

 

[Brian Crook]

Do you think a single layer of wood on the top brace will be sufficient?
I did a double layer of wood. It more than doubles the strength and gives a shelf to put your lids on.
Daniel. :strange:

Yeah I suspect it will provide more than enough strength and support. I won't be using any lids on this tank. Keep in mind that the two 3" cross-braces connect a 4" euro-brace around the perimeter, and I'll be pouring plastic filets into the upper edges as well.

Granted I have no way of being 100% certain, but I feel like I am satisfactorily over-designing this tank.

I'll be spending a lot of time with the wet-test phase of this build too (step-wise approach for filling the tank, recording several deflection measurements, etc...). If I don't feel comfortable at any stage of that I'll back-out and repair whatever the problem is (or just throw in the towel and change my hobby).

 

[dave.m]

and I'll be pouring plastic filets into the upper edges as well.

Could you expand on this a bit, please? I hope you document it well.

or just throw in the towel and change my hobby

Ha! Yeah, sure, I believe that. Totally.

Dave.M

 

[druzzelle]

is there a site that shows calculations for materials tolerances, requirements etc.. this is my first time seeing a full plywood build of this size and its really amazing to me.. I guess the geek in me just has to know all the specifics lol

 

[Brian Crook]

Could you expand on this a bit, please? I hope you document it well.

Dave.M

I've been taking lots of pictures, and intend to share all the ones where it doesn't look like a lumber yard and chemical plant threw up in my basement.

is there a site that shows calculations for materials tolerances, requirements etc.. this is my first time seeing a full plywood build of this size and its really amazing to me.. I guess the geek in me just has to know all the specifics lol

Glad to hear you're enjoying the build! Like many things in this hobby, the experience of others seems to be the best place to start. The Plywood Section of Finger Lakes Reef is a goldmine of information if you're interested in reading more.

http://fingerlakesreef.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=13

As for material tolerances and attributes, probably some engineering and material science textbooks would be the best place to start. I can tell you that seeing the tank already, in its unfinished state, the last thing I'm worried about is deflection or the strength of the structure. This thing is rock solid. At this point I am more concerned about the logistics of properly securing and sealing the glass.

 

[druzzelle]

cool... i'll make that a part of my routine reef reading...

 

[Brian Crook]

The epoxy is well underway, but there's still quite a bit left to do until I think it will be ready for the glass. It takes about 16 to 24 hours for one side or edge to cure well enough to be rotated, so this is a lengthy process. It's also messy. Very, very messy. I've gone through dozens of pairs of latex gloves so far, and most of the time the measuring cups can only be used once or twice.

Progress so far has been pretty good. It's looking a little rough in some areas (mostly due to the brushing), however I'm pretty confident the end result will be nice and smooth all the way around.

In between this work I've been focusing a bit more attention on the fish room. I finally did something with the plumbing rough-in and now have a proper work space and large sink for cleaning equipment. I've also applied flexible vinyl trim around the walls due to it's water resistance and the nice tight seal it creates with the floor.

I have come full circle regarding whether or not to provide a "ledge" for the glass to rest on. I am a little concerned that if the glass does create a downward pressure on the ledge, that this could result in reduced pressure on the silicone gasket, which could in-turn create a potential for leaks. Perhaps its best to stick to the basics and just load up the seal with high end silicone.

 

[McPuff]

This is some seriously impressive work. I really need to see how this turns out.