# my first diy plywood tank



## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

Well the wife went away on a girls weekend getaway, so a buddy came over and we started my diy plywood tank.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

the tank is 160g made from 3/4 plywood and will have a epoxy coating on the inside. Ill go buy the epxy tomorrow and in a couple of day be able to install the acrylic view window. I was able to get the acrylic from a guy on craigslist for 100.00 its 6'X4' enough for the viewing window and the top. I'll build a sump out of the same material cause I have some left over, was going to use my 55g but now I'll just sell it


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## lumpyfunk (Dec 22, 2004)

I love watching the plywood builds, some day I hope to do one of my own. I have not seen any builds with acrylic for the viewing window. I will be watching intently!


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## nokturnalkid (Apr 3, 2007)

I so wish I had the room for a tank that big. One can only dream. Good job on the build.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Nice. Funny the trouble guys get into when the wife is away


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## rbarn (Mar 21, 2009)

plywood tanks still scare me, but cool project.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

rbarn said:


> plywood tanks still scare me, but cool project.


If you think trying to contain a hundred plus gallons of water in a plywood box is scary, just think about trying to contain it in a glass box!:eek5: It's all in how you look at it, isn't it? Tell the wife, "I'm going to make a six foot long glass box, set it on a table in the living room and fill it with water." But, first hide the rolling pin!


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Told the wife - look, it's like a boat, made from wood, only trying to keep the water inside instead of out.

What kind of epoxy will you use? How are you going to bond the acrylic to the epoxy coated wood?


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

I've been having a hard time getting the epoxy seams like no one has any in stock. I'm in Portland Or and cant find it. Only stuff I've found is stuff for boats.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

looking good!

Nice Zipp Wheels, those wheels make for a sweet ride.Are they tubular or clincher?

Regards, Orlando


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

For Epoxy, try these guys 
http://www.aquaticeco.com/


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

This will be nice. Have you considered making side viewing panes? It would add so much to the tank IMO.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

Yaa those wheels are nice they are tubular and they only get ridden when I race.

Have any of you heard of liquid rubber? Says its safe for fish.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

I just ordered pond armour should be her friday and will epoxy it this weekend. I have the stand allmost complete will take some pics and post them. 

Its going to be a in the wall so the side view windows wont workout in this case 

I'll be using aquarium safe silicone to attach the plexiglass. 

The pond armour is tinted black so the wood grain wont be visible.roud:


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## lovingHDTV (Oct 15, 2008)

Orlando said:


> looking good!
> 
> Nice Zipp Wheels, those wheels make for a sweet ride.Are they tubular or clincher?
> 
> Regards, Orlando


I find it amazing how different people see different things in the same picture 

Sounds like you need to lock those wheels up, Orlando has wheel envy :icon_eek:


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## kid creole (Dec 25, 2008)

lovingHDTV said:


> I find it amazing how different people see different things in the same picture
> 
> Sounds like you need to lock those wheels up, Orlando has wheel envy :icon_eek:


lol I always like to see what people have in the garage. I would actually like it if people would post a picture of their tools and work area.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

Here are a couple of shots of the stand, and one of the piece of plexiglass. The stand is built of true 4x4 lumber and is very stout. I"ll bet it would hold my car, lol. Ill start on the plumbing after work tomorrow home depo here i come.

If you saw all of my garage you would laugh its a mess, starting to get a little grief from my wife about the project mostly "is it going to leak"roud:


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

how thick is that plexi?


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## sunfire99 (Apr 8, 2009)

clwatkins10 said:


> how thick is that plexi?


x2 

It doesn't "look" thick enough for the main viewing pane. Also, I have to ask since no one else has. How did you come up with your username?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

sunfire99 said:


> How did you come up with your username?


lol, I'm sure that we were all wondering that... :hihi:


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

The plexiglass is 1/2" thick should be thick enough,

The username is kinda funny how i got it, when i set up my xbox 360 to xbox live I just let microsoft give me a random name and thats what they gave me. I thought it was funny so I kept it.


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## sunfire99 (Apr 8, 2009)

causedabigpoop said:


> The username is kinda funny how i got it, when i set up my xbox 360 to xbox live I just let microsoft give me a random name and thats what they gave me. I thought it was funny so I kept it.


Well that makes more sense. It's funny and weird at the same time. Who knew Xbox had that kind of AI built in?:icon_roll


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## redman88 (Dec 12, 2008)

sunfire99 said:


> Well that makes more sense. It's funny and weird at the same time. Who knew Xbox had that kind of AI built in?:icon_roll


AI no thats just a large list of names and a bit of code for combining names


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

lovingHDTV said:


> I find it amazing how different people see different things in the same picture
> 
> Sounds like you need to lock those wheels up, Orlando has wheel envy :icon_eek:


lol...so true, although those nice Zipp wheels were the first thing I noticed as well. roud: Shortly followed by noticing he has the same tackle box as one of mine.

Cool build. Between watching you and Wasserpest, I'm going to end up blaming a plywood tank project of my own on you two...lol (Actually WP already caught the blame for me having to set up another tank in the recent past...lol  )


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

jinx© said:


> Cool build. Between watching you and Wasserpest, I'm going to end up blaming a plywood tank project of my own on you two...lol (Actually WP already caught the blame for me having to set up another tank in the recent past...lol  )


Sent you too many plants? :flick:

I am following this journal too. The Pond Armor is pretty pricey stuff, but looking good. Are you getting the 1.5 Qt kit?

I wonder if the Plexi will bond well via Silicone. Read different things there.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Wasserpest said:


> I wonder if the Plexi will bond well via Silicone. Read different things there.


That's something I'm curious/concerned about as well. Plexi and acrylics haven't really played well with silicone IME. (non aquarium related experiences) 
As you mentioned, I've read mixed reports on the topic as well.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

I've been reading up on the bonding of plexi, I to am now concerned about it. What Ive found is to bolt the plexi with a gasket of silicone. If I were to do that, what about using the epoxy with fiberglass to wrap around the plexi it would give it the sealing of the epoxy and the sealing of the silicone with the bolts holding it in place and the fiberglass could cover the bolts inside the tank. My concern with that is how much the plexi would flex and possibly crack the epoxy.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The water should easily hold the plexiglas in place against the silicone sealant, making that sealant act as a gasket to prevent any leaks. If there is a problem, it looks to me like the bowing out of the plexiglas due to the water would be the problem. Neither plywood nor plexiglas is really very stiff - both will balloon out with the water pressure. But, how much they balloon out may be insignificant. I know I wouldn't put any holes in the plexiglas for bolts. I think I would glue a strip of wood all around the plexiglas, so it can't move up or down, or sideways.

Also, remember that both wood and plexiglas will creep with a load on them, which might slowly add more stress to all of the joints. That would encourage me to glue vertical 2 x 4 or 2 x 3 reinforcements on all of the plywood panels.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

ok I've painted on the pond armour ive got a couple of shots of it. allso the viewing window has been installed. The pond armour has had 3 days of cure time so I'll do a water test tomarrow night .:thumbsup: 

The way I installed the plexy is like this. First I drilled holes every 6 inches and counter sank them, then I put a generous gob of marineland 5200 sealant on the botem side of the plexy. Oh yaa I roughed up the plexy before the sealant went down. I next sat the plexy down on several pc of 1/4 tubing to get the right spot, pulled the tubing away and sat the plexy, screwed the stainless screws and the plexy was done. The next day I took aquarium silicone and went over every corner and the edges of the plexy just to make sure.:icon_roll


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

That's a nice black color! How is the filling going?


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

The water test went very good. I filed it up and whola had no leaks, so I let it sit in the garage with water in for 2 days just to make sure I had no leaks. After, I had a friend come over and we disassembled the stand and moved it into the house. Only problem was when wife came home and she saw I had cut the carpet where the new tank will go :icon_sad:. Is been filled for a couple of weeks and has the plants from my old tank in it, Ill get some new pics and post them. I allso started to build the walls around the tank now that its settled down and doing good.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Sweet, no leaks. I can't wait for the pictures. These plywood tanks amaze me.


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## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

lovingHDTV said:


> I find it amazing how different people see different things in the same picture
> 
> Sounds like you need to lock those wheels up, Orlando has wheel envy :icon_eek:


not gonna lie, first thing i noticed as well...


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

This is a shot of the overflows that I put in they are 2 1/2" from the top of the tank. 
With a ball valve I can control how much water goes into the filter. The filter is a 55g tank converted to a sump i built as well. If the power goes off and it will where I live, in the out going side of the sump there is a overflow in there as well. I also built in a valve to do water changes in the sump controled by a ball valve its conected to the overflow. It works surprisingly well. I also have a toilet tank valve with water hooked to it for fresh water to go to a holding tank. So when I do a water change I have around 30 gallons fresh water with a pump in there for a water change. The only problem I have had with the sump so far is the outgoing side I need to get a backflow device to stop the siphon from the spray bar. I have found one at a local plumbing supply store and will get it in before i sheetrock the wall. The other shots are of the tank on the stand after I put on the pond armour and the plexy installed.


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## CardBoardBoxProcessor (Sep 17, 2006)

I am not a fan of the black >.> Would it be possible to put slat on the walls? or something to livin it up?


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

I think the black walls are great... you're supposed to look at the fish and the plants, not the walls  
That said, I like the slate idea as well, it would look nice, too.
Nice build! 
I am curious to see the sump setup, once you have it all together.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Hey, nice progress! It is starting to look really good


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Any updates? I would like to see a shot with some happy :fish:


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## Spork (Apr 27, 2009)

Those are some sweet tubulars man. I had a set of Zipps but they were destroyed in a crash.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

Thanks! I just put new decals on the wheelset and they look nice! I really havent been doing much with the tank for a little while the tour was on and I had to get out and ride a bit myself. 
As for the tank I've had some ups and downs with it. It was going good, when WHAM! my co2 regulator went bad and really messed up the tank, ie killed most of my fish. I figured I would rebuild my sump since the tank was down for a bit. So I rebuilt it seams to be working so much better now. I"ll try and get a few pics of the set up now. As for the wall its all built and I put the first coat of mud on the joints the other day and will sand it smooth and add one more coat should be good for texture and paint then.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

couple of shots before the wall was rocked and taped


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Looks great! (and nice road bike!)



gmccreedy said:


> Nice. Funny the trouble guys get into when the wife is away


Indeed! My wife is going out shopping all day next Saturday (tax holiday), and my diabolical scheming has already begun. Plans include buying some new FW fish, corals, setting up a new tank, and drinkin' some bir with the boys.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Hey, it looks really nice! That watersprite will really fill in the tank well


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Thanks for the pics, looking good. :thumbsup:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

this looks like a fun project. i want to build a tank someday, but it won't happen anytime real soon because it's so easy to just run to the store and grab (and pay for) another Aqueon.

i have an idea for a very wide and shallow tank to be viewed from above that i might build with plywood or sheet PVC.


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

Thanks for all the good words about my tank and bike LOL. It has been a fun project so far, more challenging then I thought it would be. I have to sand the second coat of sheetrock mud tonight, well at least I have intentions of doing it. I should be able to apply the texture by this week end and paint it, last thing to do is trim the base and put a boarder around the viewing window.


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## toughtimes (Jul 12, 2009)

*cool tank*

That has got to be The coolest thing I have ever seen. You did such a great job and the tank looks awesome!


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## 4f1hmi (Apr 22, 2009)

Very interesting work of art! You are inspiring us to do one ourselves. Congratulations for an excellent job!


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

im wondering about this pond armour, i see its 80.00 for 1.5 quart. not cheap but about the same as boat epoxy prices if not less.

and how tough is the pond armour? like regular epoxy hard as glass?

the pond armour says it stays flexible seems like it would never leak if its flexable.

and did you just screw and glue the plywood together or did you use silicone?

came out looking great and was wondering about what was the cost of the tank ?


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## causedabigpoop (May 18, 2009)

I'm not to sure just how flexible the pond armour is it hard to the touch not brittle. From what I've read I would stay away from the boat epoxy there is some other stuff that roofers use but I couldn't find any around Portland. Yaa I used wood glue and screws very 3 inches on the wood. As for the cost I'm not really sure just how much I've spent. It seams like I was at the plumbing store every day at 25.00 a pop it tends to add up fast. But it was worth while, I still have to texture the wall and paint so that will cost at least 75.00


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## Craig (Nov 26, 2007)

looking really great! I can't wait to see the wal finished! Also you are going to seal up the outside wood right? so you dont get dribbles warping and swelling it?

so I was wondering though, has the project turned out cheaper than finding yourself a used fish tank? Because as much as I love doing it myself and saving the cash or making it custom, I've always seen quite a few used tanks for sale in my area that just dont make this kind of thing worth it for me. For instance I have a 225 reef tank set up now that I picked up for $200 with halides :eek5: then I built the stand for $300.


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