As most of you know my fiberglass vats have pretty much fallen through and with that I am searching for ideas on how and what to make them out of. I will be honest and say that I am not sure that any of my ideas are any good or if there are better ideas out there so that is why I am starting this thread. I am hoping that like most of the other things we can brainstorm together and come up with a great idea.
First off the construction criteria are as follows.
First off the construction criteria are as follows.
- They need to be pretty big >400g
- They need to be constructable inside the greenhouse as the structure is mostly complete and the entranceway is ~60" wide by ~7' tall
- They need to be able to last somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 years without significant deterioration.
- They need to be pretty strong espcially on the sides and bottom the weight will be pretty intense (400g = 2 tons)
- Depending on the solution they can/will be framed with lumber for the base and sides
- Costs should be in the neighborhood of ~$.50-$.75/ gallon
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The ideas that I have come up with are as follows:- fiberglass: have not been able to locate a reliable source that is within (or even close to) the budget
- Ceramic Tile/Grout: I have questions about the grout seams holding up under the weight pressure of the tanks and the liner is relatively expensive
- Wooden Frame with pool liner/pond liner: I have concerns about the liners ability to hold up under the conditions and saltwater for the needed time frame. Pond liner only comes in black and will not work for summer use.
- Wooden Frame with portland cement sealer. This is a real possibility and if I resize the tanks I can get to the bottom end of the budget. The downside is the curing time before the vats are usable
- Wooden Frame with epoxy and or marine paint sealant. This one is also very doable and at the bottom end of the budget, but I have concerns about the durability and leak-proofedness of this long term.
I am sure there are many other options that I am just not thinking of and this is where I hope you all can help me out. If you have any ideas or just want to weigh in on the ideas I already have please let me know.
You can also send in your ideas via this page if you don't want to post openly on the forum.