Plywood Aquarium

[JDogg]

Ok for those of you who do not know I am a science teacher, at an Alternative High School, so i have more freedom then average science teacher when it come to curriculum. i am currently teaching an Independent Study class where i alow the student to design their own projects. one of my students (who who shares our interest in this great hobby) was brain-stoming ideas on how he could do a science related project and include the aquarium hobby. the project he come up with was to build an aquarium, research what to keep in that tank, and write up a detailed plan, documenting the whole proccess of construction, scaping and stocking. he is using the plans from the Cichlid Forum- Plywood Aquarium.

1. has anyone tryed to build one of these?

the plan is to build the stand as part of the tank, his depension give him ~120 gallon tank. i expresses so concern about the weight, which i hope he takes into account, do to the fact that his bed-room is on the second floor of his house.

2. the one major deviation in the linked plan is he plans to replace pieces of glass, with one 2 foot x 4 foot piece of acrilic, with a center brace. does anyone see a problem with this, my concern is the acrillic bowing

any other thoughts and suggestions would be great!

thanks

[WaterPond]

This thread (on a canadian fish forum) is awsome: http://www.canadianaquariumconnectio...read.php?t=529

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by WaterPond

This thread (on a canadian fish forum) is awsome: http://www.canadianaquariumconnectio...read.php?t=529

i LOVE the look of that tank after it was filled and stocked...like looking into the bottom of the amazon. i love the lighting too! 8O

will definatly need to show that to my student!

[WaterPond]

Yeah, the people that build that are absessed with eartheaters of all types. I love that tank alot too.

Hope that helps your student out.

[JDogg]

nobody else has anything to say on this subject?

[theotheragentm]

I wouldn't trust my lack of craftsmanship to hold spice jars let alone water. I love reading the DIY forums, but I am without the skills or tools to put things together.

[SparKy697]

This is an interesting concept. At first I did not think much about it, but I have to admit that it has merit. Many of us spend time and money covering the back and sometimes the ends of our tanks with paint, posters, and other things. Who says they must be made out of glass?

It seems to me that once a stable frame has been built, the weak point of the "tank" is the sealant. Have you considered using fiberglass resin with fiberglass fabric in the corners for strength?

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by SparKy697

Have you considered using fiberglass resin with fiberglass fabric in the corners for strength?

nope but that sounds like a great suggestion, i will discuss it with my student on monday. he has been taking pictures of the progress with his camera phone, i will try to get him to email them to me so i can share them. i must say, it is coming along nicely, he finished the shell of the tank today.

i am getting very jealous, i may have to hire him to build one for me, since i am not much of a builder

[SparKy697]

i will try to get him to email them to me so i can share them

I think we all would enjoy that!

[BillD]

The question about the acrylic, can best be answered by knowwing the thickness of the acrylic. The real problem with acrylic is that silicone can not be counted on to seal it, as it doesn't stick to it the way it does to glass. Even using glass, the water pressure is a factor in maintaining the seal, but at least the silicone sticks to the glass.

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by BillD

The question about the acrylic, can best be answered by knowwing the thickness of the acrylic. The real problem with acrylic is that silicone can not be counted on to seal it, as it doesn't stick to it the way it does to glass. Even using glass, the water pressure is a factor in maintaining the seal, but at least the silicone sticks to the glass.

what might he use instead of silcone?

[tropicalfish]

I think they bond the acrylic together into a seamless... "seam" (?)

[JDogg]

Originally Posted by tropicalfish

I think they bond the acrylic together into a seamless... "seam" (?)

ok, but 3 sides are wood

[newfound77951]

Back to the fiberglass....that's what I would use to seal the inside corners, if not the whole inside of the tank. I read through the canadian thread and was surprised that he/she could not get a hold of two part epoxy, maybe we were talking about two different things but any marine supply store in the US will have tons of the stuff. It is absolutely waterproof, and can be painted afterwards (not sure specifically what kind of paint but again any marine supply store would be able to help on this). For glassing the corners, do a search on "stitch and glue kayak" (try www.clcboats.com)and you should find plenty of info on the technique.....plywood kayaks are built almost exactly the same way as a plywood fishtank would be built and boatbuilders have the methods pretty refined.

[CHBGator]

Originally Posted by BillD

The question about the acrylic, can best be answered by knowwing the thickness of the acrylic. The real problem with acrylic is that silicone can not be counted on to seal it, as it doesn't stick to it the way it does to glass. Even using glass, the water pressure is a factor in maintaining the seal, but at least the silicone sticks to the glass.

Water pressure is what keeps the glass in place. I am in the planning stage of building a 400G plywood/glass aquarium for Malawi Cichlids. There are many options for sealing a plywood aquarium. One option that I am looking more into is Sani-Tred. http://www.sanitred.com/ Another is Drylock.

[Sicklid]

I read through the canadian thread and was surprised that he/she could not get a hold of two part epoxy, maybe we were talking about two different things but any marine supply store in the US will have tons of the stuff. It is absolutely waterproof, and can be painted afterwards (not sure specifically what kind of paint but again any marine supply store would be able to help on this).

Newfound, I am not sure the fiberglass epoxy resin you are thinking of is potable. I think it must be potable so as not to leach chemicals into the water column, but I am not sure... I know what you are talking about, and come to think of it, I know people use it to seal their styrofoam backgrounds, so that makes me wonder...

[newfound77951]

It should be fine, there are many boats with built in fiberglass water tanks. Whatever coating was used, I'd soak it for a while anyway, with several water changes, just to be sure all the volatiles are gone.

[NeonJulie]

I thought he was going to put the glass on the inside of the tank, and that way maybe water pressure would also push it tight against the wood.

Boy was that nice. That rock really boggles my mind.