Plywood tank and Sump build.....

[revhtree]

Very cool!

 

[Mtwreef]

Looking good are you only going to go with one 2in drain? Now you got me thinking about doing this lol my wife will be so happy:/ did you decide what you are using for glass and the method you are using to attach to tank?

 

[seamus2050]

I have a wood shop, and very interested in how this build turns out. How do you plan on attaching the front glass?

 

[ReeferBob]

You should have used rabit/dado joints for all the ply to ply connections. Screws are going to create a weak joint. Also you should have waited until totally done to apply your silicone. Silicone does not seal well to silicone. I fear you will have a never ending leaking tank when done. I have seen people do plywood tanks and do everything right and sometimes theirs leak. $3k might look very cheap to you when you are all done.

Good luck I hope I am wrong on all counts!

 

[ravi197699]

yes I have decided to go with 2" drain that is going to sump all the way to the left of the sump.

Looking good are you only going to go with one 2in drain? Now you got me thinking about doing this lol my wife will be so happy:/ did you decide what you are using for glass and the method you are using to attach to tank?

 

[ravi197699]

Joints

Thanks for all the suggestions and since you have mentioned I never knew about rabit/dado joints and just checked they seem pretty strong. But its kind of late now and if you know anything else I can use to support back of the tank then please let me know I am not worried about the sides. I hope that this does not leak and I did not use silicone anywhere yet. Next thing is going to be fiberglass and marine grade epoxy resin on all the joints and front lip where glass is going to sit. I will have multiple layers of epoxy and then sand it down to make rough surface and then use silicone to bond glass the lip. But besides the corners I will be using Kevlar for the inside with Dura Rubber, manufacturer recommend to use 3 coats but I going to double it for tank and sumps. Outside I am using waterproof paint that is going to be simple white. Please suggest me what silicon I should use for glass, I want to make sure I get something decent, Glass is 1/2" thick glass regular tempered. I don't want to use low iron glass since they get scratch very easy. I hope I answered all the question, Please feel free to make suggestions...

You should have used rabit/dado joints for all the ply to ply connections. Screws are going to create a weak joint. Also you should have waited until totally done to apply your silicone. Silicone does not seal well to silicone. I fear you will have a never ending leaking tank when done. I have seen people do plywood tanks and do everything right and sometimes theirs leak. $3k might look very cheap to you when you are all done

Good luck I hope I am wrong on all counts!

 

[ReeferBob]

Thanks for all the suggestions and since you have mentioned I never knew about rabit/dado joints and just checked they seem pretty strong. But its kind of late now and if you know anything else I can use to support back of the tank then please let me know I am not worried about the sides. I hope that this does not leak and I did not use silicone anywhere yet. Next thing is going to be fiberglass and marine grade epoxy resin on all the joints and front lip where glass is going to sit. I will have multiple layers of epoxy and then sand it down to make rough surface and then use silicone to bond glass the lip. But besides the corners I will be using Kevlar for the inside with Dura Rubber, manufacturer recommend to use 3 coats but I going to double it for tank and sumps. Outside I am using waterproof paint that is going to be simple white. Please suggest me what silicon I should use for glass, I want to make sure I get something decent, Glass is 1/2" thick glass regular tempered. I don't want to use low iron glass since they get scratch very easy. I hope I answered all the question, Please feel free to make suggestions...

I used this when I made my sump. Just make sure you use a silicone without any mold inhibitors.

Amazon.com: All Glass Aquarium AAG65010 Silicone Sealant, 10.3-Ounce: Pet Supplies

 

[ravi197699]

Thanks for this info any other suggestions for other brands, I just want to compare few...

 

[ravi197699]

Rubberize process has started and I will post pictures once I am done with waterproofing the tank and sumps...

 

[ravi197699]

update pictures

Here more pictures of the progress i made in few week. I am sure I will get to the final stage....

 

[ravi197699]

updates pic

Pictures update

 

[ravi197699]

Pictures....

Pictures ....

 

[ravi197699]

Here are some of the pictures I am done with sealing the tank with Dura Rubber and as per them I have to wait for 3 days before this cures but I am going to give it a week with room temp at 72 deg, I think this should be good enough time to cure. I have drilled holes for closed loop and returns and I will be using 3/4" sech 80 bulk heads for closed loop and returns. I have done 10 coats of Dura Rubber since I had plenty left and I have coated outside of the plywood with 2 caots of Dura Rubber. This week will be plumbing on my list and I have placed an order for glass as well. I have decided to go with 1/2" clear tempered that is going to be delivered to me and I will be using RTV 100 series silicone (black) to seal the glass to the front lip that I sealed with Marine Epoxy and Kevlar. Me and my friend will be working on Frag tank and Alage Scrubber this saturday. I am done with sumps as well and done with sealing and as of right now they are drying and curing . We made great amount of progress but I don't want to rush anything when it comes to sealing the plywood tank. As shown in one of the picture I have added steet bar in the back to support the back from bulging and later I added one more bar in the bottom of plywood brace to support. I strongly feel that I will not have any bulging issue on the back. But if you have any sggestions please let me know...

 

[revhtree]

Great progress!

 

[GHill762]

this is cool.. I might try this some day..

 

[ravi197699]

Thanks guys.....

 

[crystal181]

Wow! Can't wait to see the end result. My husbands a carpenter so.... I may have to have him make me one!

 

[Jlfjcf]

Look pretty good so far

 

[jcollinsks]

Subscribed!

 

[redtop03]

nice to see a few more woodies coming to life, great job so far...my 360 is over 4 years old now and still looks as good today as it did when I first filled it up with water, except where it used to be pretty and blue, it's now covered in coralline