Plywood tanks.

[johnnyev, posts: 32]

I'm cosidering building a 7x3x2 plywood tank, rather than buying a glass one. One, because i work in the building trade & can get nearly all the ply, timber & fixings very cheap , if not for free, & two, because it would be much lighter to move. All i'd have to buy would be the glass & some kind of epoxy paint to make it water proof. Anyone know of a product available here in the uk? Have contacted a fibre glassing company in the uk, which are stockist's of West Systems, which all the sites with plywood tank builds in the states seem to use. But they state that they cannot gaurantee it's safe for aquarium use. I'm really struggling to find anything. All the pond paints available in the uk, are only suitable for applying to concrete.

[Bas Pels, posts: 1932]

I have been coating a set of concrete tanks in April 2007, the warmes April ever.

The coating both isolates the water and fishes from the concrete and is after curing non tocic. I think it adheres on wood as well

But epoxy & fibre glass is also a good solution. Or use rubber paint. It's expensive, but said to do the work and that's what counts

[johnnyev, posts: 32]

Cheers Bas.
Got any trade names for the paints at all?

[Viktor Jarikov, posts: 2317]

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... ad-Warning)

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... ompilation

item 6 viewtopic.php?f=4&t=33968&hilit=blues&start=20

[Bas Pels, posts: 1932]

Thank you, Victor

I could not provide any tradenames. I decided - due to the complexity - not to build a plywood tank, but order glass ones, and the paint sides were all in Dutch - not usable for Johnny

[johnnyev, posts: 32]

Thanks fellas.
I've done a lot of research regards the plywood tank builds & while its been really interesting & inspirational, its also left me a little confused. I'm wondering if its worth all work & the hassle, to eventually save what might be very little,in the end. Might do the same as Bas & just go for a glass one. Have today spoken to a company that stocks the West Systems Epoxy resin. What with the costs of this & the glass, i'm wondering how much i'm really going to save. Plus there's the added worry of the plywood tank leaking. At least with a glass build i'll have some kind of guarantee.
Only problem i have regards a glass one, is having to cut a bigger doorway into the stud & timber clad walls of the fish house. This is to enable four people to carry & place tank on its stand (only have a single doorway at present). Another downside is having to close down two tanks to do it, as they are on the wall i need to cut doorway into.

[Viktor Jarikov, posts: 2317]

1. One of the MFK threads describes a plywood tank in very good detail with claims of 3 years of no problems. I found that one the most helpful by far and large of all I saw/read about.

2. One of the links in my compilation is a superb description too, from a Norwegian guy.

3. The value of DYI increases exponentially with the tank size versus a commercial tank, glass or acrylic. The downside is obvious. Very roughly, it may not be worth it for tanks under 1000 gal to go DYI.

4. I am of the mindset that unless and until one tries to go DYI once or twice, they will really never know no matter how much they will read about it.

[Firestorming, posts: 238]

Thanks fellas.
I've done a lot of research regards the plywood tank builds & while its been really interesting & inspirational, its also left me a little confused. I'm wondering if its worth all work & the hassle, to eventually save what might be very little,in the end. Might do the same as Bas & just go for a glass one. Have today spoken to a company that stocks the West Systems Epoxy resin. What with the costs of this & the glass, i'm wondering how much i'm really going to save. Plus there's the added worry of the plywood tank leaking. At least with a glass build i'll have some kind of guarantee.
Only problem i have regards a glass one, is having to cut a bigger doorway into the stud & timber clad walls of the fish house. This is to enable four people to carry & place tank on its stand (only have a single doorway at present). Another downside is having to close down two tanks to do it, as they are on the wall i need to cut doorway into.

Johnny, if the door is wide enough to fit the tank without cutting you could always do what I done when I moved my 1500L tank. I went to a recycled building material store and purchased a solid core door for around $20, then went to my local hardware store and got some caster wheels, I screwed them to the door and made a trolley of sorts that would support all bar a foot or so at each end, I placed styro under the tank as per setting it onto a stnd. Once I had done that I THEN used my friends (thanks guys) to place it on the tank-porter as we called it and wheeled it in, then we lifted it off and placed it into the room in its "final" resting place. Even if you just build a tank-porter and had to cut a small lower opening to get it through it might be worth it rather than having to cut a huge door.

Best of luck with it mate.

[Bas Pels, posts: 1932]

@ tanktransport

It is always better - safer, less hurt backs and more friendly to your assisting friends to use a trolly. Further, professional glass carriers will help a lot. With them one can get a tank through a door with less than an inch to spare - 1 cm on both sides.

But, alternatively, we have builders in NL who sometimes build on the spot. My 13 footer was build on the spot, for instance

[johnnyev, posts: 32]

@ firestorming. Thanks thats a good idea, if i decide to go for a glass tank. I'm currently awaiting info from an aquatics shop, that stock & sell impermax, liquid rubber. If i go for the plywood build, i will build it in the fishroom. Should just about have enough room.

Thanks Bas. How i would love to have room for a thirteen footer. What are the other dimensions Bas, just out of interest?