Flake
Aquarium Advice Addict
i'm waiting to fill it before I go that route. Fill and check for bows to see exactly where it needs reinforcing.
If it were me I would have put 2x3 in all of the corners then glued and screwed into that then glassed the the whole thing.If glued properly, plywood joints are very strong. Plywood acts like kevlar, or some other similarly woven material. I used to build furniture for new homes, there have been times where 2 weeks later we have to go back and change something, a lot of times the only way to get a joint apart was with a good sized hammer and some coaxing and the glue would hold, but you'd rip the plywood apart.
I'm still slightly worried about the plywood bowing on the back side and the bottom, if it were my tank I'd have a couple supports there, if the wood starts bowing outward, the forces have a mechanical advantage that will exert multiple times the force on the joints. It's really in your best interest to not allow bowing on the back and bottom.
Hey that's cool. It's a good thing you're doing it now because when you have a family money and time are at a premium. I never would of thought of building one out of wood and am looking forward to the finished product. Did you get the glass yet?I'm staining it with a very lightly colored stain.
inferno: the build process is worth it to me. We looked at both routes and decided this would be fun. :]
If it were me I would have put 2x3 in all of the corners then glued and screwed into that then glassed the the whole thing.
As far as I know, T5's have the same output but without the heat. I don;t know too much so don't take my word for it. :]