whacked tank idea...

[Mr Burns]

the tank NEEDS to be those dimensions (55l x 16w x 18h). my secondary objective is to keep construction costs down. i guess glass would be alright...i just wasn't sure on how to do the construction for it, and the garf instructions weren't too clear to me. i'm also more concerned about a glass tank leaking than an acrylic tank.

has anybody built a glass tank before?

[Mr Burns]

well, now i am considering building a plywood tank.

oy.

i needed to change a few things so that the viewing window is 16" high, so the total tank height is now 20". because i have height restrictions (to coordinate with the rest of the room design and its furniture) the canopy/hood is now only going to have an inner height of 7/8". that's going to cause a problem with my AHS lights. Is there a minimum distance the nights should be from the surface of the water? It looks like they going to be around 7/8" away from the water. that's if i only fill the tank up until the water just gets above the top of the viewing window (the surface would be 2" below the very top of the tank, plus 7/8" of inner canopy space, minus 2" for the light/reflector.)

any thought's suggestions? how far do the lights need to be from the water? how much is epoxy going to cost me?

[Cesspool]

have u tried to find a glass/window guy that will build a tank to those specs? i dont think i would b dat expensive, i used to go to a window guy dat said he can make n e size tank for about 1/2 the price of reg store bought 1s being dat its only glass and sealant. just a thought.

[Mr Burns]

i'm really coming around to the plywood tank idea, and i've figured out a way to raise the height of the canopy and still have it work with the rest of the room. so far, i'm happy with the plans...

i could really use some advice/tips concerning the epoxy. any brand suggestions? can i get a black epoxy that is safe for the fish? is there a limit to the number of coats i can put on the inside - i really don't want it to leak (duh)

[BillyZ]

I wish I had some advice to offer but I've never built my own tank and Haven't read a lot of details about those using plywood, but I have read a few stories about folks who have so you know it can be done successfully.

I wouldn't think you could put "too many" coats on to seal the plywood, but why over do it? I would say follow the directions on what ever product you end up using. whatever you end up using, just be sure it's non-toxic.

You might want to search the pond forums or the net for pond info, I have a feeling they do this sort of thing a little more often.

[Mr Burns]

why over do it? insurance, confidence, making the 'rents happy....

a leak is my most treacherous foe. i would like to eat its child.

i guess the garf instructions should be good enough...

[sharkthevandal]

Mr Burns,

if your only problem with the plywood tank is the 2" frame around the top and bottom, keep in mind that most premade tanks have 1-1/2" frame around the top and bottom and it dosn't take that much away from the viewable space. and i'm fairly certain that the border is needed to provide support.

[Mr Burns]

i'm over the 2" border complex

i look at it as just another piece of furniture going into the room, so it will be treated as such. i think my brother or uncle can help me gussy it up so that it's beautiful.

there's only two things that are hanging me up right now....does anybody know if it's possible to paint the inside of the plywood tank (flat) black, then apply the clear epoxy over top of that? i can't find the sherwin williams stuff in black, but there is a [acronym:380f12f365="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:380f12f365] store about 10-15 minutes from my house, so i will most likely go with their product. the second: do i need to silicone the inside joints before or after the epoxy?