I am currently in the process of finishing the basement of my house that will, once finished, have a 14' L x 2' W x 2' H reef tank. The tank will be mounted into a wall, with a "behind the scenes" work room that will hold my refugium, lighting, and plumbing.
I already have plans for the construction of the tank and stand, but would like to share these with you to get your input. Any suggestions, thoughts, or ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Please note that all lumber that will be used for the creation of the stand will be treated to help prevent rot. Furthermore, I plan on using a wood sealent to treat the floor joists that will be above the tank. I will also be using greenboard, or moisture resistant drywall on the wall that the tank is placed.
The tank will be raised off of the floor aproximately 3'. To do this I plan on using 4x4's spaced every 4 foot to support the weight. Mounted to these 4x4's will be 2x10's to create a surface to place the tank on.
The tank itself will be a plywood on the sides, bottom, and back. There will be two 6 foot viewing areas, or "windows" made of 3/4" safety acrylic (is this an overkill?) spaced evenly across the face of the wall. I am planning to fiberglass the plywood itself to provide a stronger finish. The capacity of the tank, with the refuge included, should be in the neighborhood of 700 gallons.
Now comes the 3 main items that are worrying me.
1.)Because of the length of the tank (14') There will need to be 2 different sheets of plywood. How can I adequatly support the seams? I was planning on adding 2x10's as a cross brace, but I want to make sure this will hold. Also, should I stagger the seams for more strength? What thickness of plywood should I use? I am guessing 1/2".
2.) Is the fiberglass non-toxic?
3.) Does my current plans with the 4x4's as a stand seem adequate to support the weight of this monstrosity?
I also have plans in place for plumbing, but I will not go into detail here, as the length of this post has already exceeded what my intial plans are.
Thanks for your help in this matter, and all advice is welcome,
-Chucklez
I already have plans for the construction of the tank and stand, but would like to share these with you to get your input. Any suggestions, thoughts, or ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Please note that all lumber that will be used for the creation of the stand will be treated to help prevent rot. Furthermore, I plan on using a wood sealent to treat the floor joists that will be above the tank. I will also be using greenboard, or moisture resistant drywall on the wall that the tank is placed.
The tank will be raised off of the floor aproximately 3'. To do this I plan on using 4x4's spaced every 4 foot to support the weight. Mounted to these 4x4's will be 2x10's to create a surface to place the tank on.
The tank itself will be a plywood on the sides, bottom, and back. There will be two 6 foot viewing areas, or "windows" made of 3/4" safety acrylic (is this an overkill?) spaced evenly across the face of the wall. I am planning to fiberglass the plywood itself to provide a stronger finish. The capacity of the tank, with the refuge included, should be in the neighborhood of 700 gallons.
Now comes the 3 main items that are worrying me.
1.)Because of the length of the tank (14') There will need to be 2 different sheets of plywood. How can I adequatly support the seams? I was planning on adding 2x10's as a cross brace, but I want to make sure this will hold. Also, should I stagger the seams for more strength? What thickness of plywood should I use? I am guessing 1/2".
2.) Is the fiberglass non-toxic?
3.) Does my current plans with the 4x4's as a stand seem adequate to support the weight of this monstrosity?
I also have plans in place for plumbing, but I will not go into detail here, as the length of this post has already exceeded what my intial plans are.
Thanks for your help in this matter, and all advice is welcome,
-Chucklez