DIY Fish Tank Via Epoxy?

[bnannier]

Lot of yapping, any results?

 

[AbbrzKitteh]

Any news? I was just thinking about trying this myself..

 

[lenna1]

Hi just want to know if there is a market for selling a fully non seem epoxy tank ?

 

[nicholec51882]

All is possible if done right and patiently lol. I'll be taking on this project in the next few months. I need to figure out how many gallons I'll need and how thick the tank has to be.

I actually made a mistake one time I poured resin just on a regular glass table top and it was a thin thin coat but I mixed up with a epoxy like epoxy paint and stuff but it peeled off kind of like a fruit roll up and it’s bendable I can roll it up and I’m wondering if you could do that once it dries peeled off the glassand use it on the outside as a background

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

Has anyone made their own fish tank panels using 2 part epoxy? I want to make a very specific size/shape tank for a certain spot so It has to be custom. I don't want to pay thousands for a custom acrylic tank so I was wondering If I can just make my own panels using 2 part epoxy & molds. Has anyone done this before?

I'm doing the same thing. I live in an apartment that only permits one twenty gallon tank. My goal since the filter IS NOT considered as part of the tank volume according to established industry standards is to build a custom 20G with a system volume of 26G and more frontal viewing area than a Std 40G Breeder tank and (counting the modded Std 10G Wet Dry Filter) more surface area than a Std 90G tank. You'll need to most likely create your own custom Silicon molds, but I found this Epoxy which should work very well:
It isn't cheap, but it has the stats you'll be needing for a tank that lasts forever. I always say, if you're gonna do it, don't create future problems for yourself and do it right.

Table Top Epoxy Resin Superclear 2 Gallon |256oz Kit, Anti-Yellow, Highest UV Impact Resistance, Food-Safe Epoxy, Crystal Clear Gloss, and Bubble Free
Amazon product ASIN B07DM6VH2PI'm still sourcing the Silicon for making my molds and intend to use tempered glass as the main part of the Silicon mold mold to ensure perfectly smooth cast epoxy for my tank.
The nice thing about epoxy is that after it has cured is you can clamp an end of it and let the Sun heat it so it is gravity forced to bend around a corner jig and make your sides and front from one piece. See Here >>>>
My Epoxy panels will be nowhere near that thick, so I should easily be able to make a sharper bend.
Hope this helps

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

I'm doing the same thing. I live in an apartment that only permits one twenty gallon tank. My goal since the filter IS NOT considered as part of the tank volume according to established industry standards is to build a custom 20G with a system volume of 26G and more frontal viewing area than a Std 40G Breeder tank and (counting the modded Std 10G Wet Dry Filter) more surface area than a Std 90G tank. You'll need to most likely create your own custom Silicon molds, but I found this Epoxy which should work very well:
It isn't cheap, but it has the stats you'll be needing for a tank that lasts forever. I always say, if you're gonna do it, don't create future problems for yourself and do it right.

Table Top Epoxy Resin Superclear 2 Gallon |256oz Kit, Anti-Yellow, Highest UV Impact Resistance, Food-Safe Epoxy, Crystal Clear Gloss, and Bubble Free
Amazon product ASIN B07DM6VH2PI'm still sourcing the Silicon for making my molds and intend to use tempered glass as the main part of the Silicon mold mold to ensure perfectly smooth cast epoxy for my tank.
The nice thing about epoxy is that after it has cured is you can clamp an end of it and let the Sun heat it so it is gravity forced to bend around a corner jig and make your sides and front from one piece. See Here >>>>
My Epoxy panels will be nowhere near that thick, so I should easily be able to make a sharper bend.
Hope this helps

Well, Happy Days!
I found my Silicone Mold Material!
Amazon product ASIN B09MR4XFYDI don't have to use Tempered Glass and a mold release compound. The two-part Silicone Rubber Compound will not adhere to Acrylic which means my Silicone Mold mold can be easily crafted from Standard Acrylic Sheets which are cut to size and given clean polished edges. My tank is only going to have to have a maximum water depth of 21" so I should be able to safely get by with only casting 3/8" thick sheets of epoxy to fabricate with. The front and sides will be cast from one sheet and the corners bent via gravity assist in the Sunlight. The bottom and back will be cut from shorter castings via the positioning of a mold divider so as to not waste expensive epoxy. Then to make everything perfectly leak-proof, all surfaces to be joined will be masked and roughed with sandpaper and thoroughly cleaned. The masking tape will be removed and fresh epoxy will then be applied to the prepped areas and the pieces literally set in place - first the one piece Front and Sides fastened to the Bottom and my finger run lightly along the seam to create a nice fillet - then that entirety joined to the back in like manner.
I never dreamed it could be this easy!

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

Has anyone made their own fish tank panels using 2 part epoxy? I want to make a very specific size/shape tank for a certain spot so It has to be custom. I don't want to pay thousands for a custom acrylic tank so I was wondering If I can just make my own panels using 2 part epoxy & molds. Has anyone done this before?

"MOLD" refers to the Epoxy Resin mold while "mold" refers to the mold needed to make the mold for the epoxy resin.
It can be done provided you use FOOD-SAFE Epoxy such as this Table Top Epoxy Resin Superclear Anti-Yellow Highest UV Impact Resistance, Food Grade Safe, Ultra Crystal Clear Gloss, Bubble Free:
Amazon product ASIN B07PJT3J39You will also need to purchase 1/4" thick acrylic sheets to make your outer mold MOLD and a sheet of acrylic for inserting into the mold which is the thickness and dimensions of the largest Epoxy sheet you intend to pour for your aquarium. From my own research, I've decided to go with this Dragon Skin 30 - Addition Cure Silicone Rubber Compound MOLD material:
Amazon product ASIN B09MR4XFYD
Most Two-part Epoxy has a compression strength of 10,000psi while high quality two-part epoxy resin can approach 15,000psi which is more than enough for a 1/4" thick sheet to resist bowing over the long term for lengths no greater than 30" with depths no greater than 24". For anything greater than these measurements; I would highly recommend going to 3/8" thickness or greater. The scratch resistance of the outside of the finished tank can be greatly increased with an application of a Nano Ceramic finish while the inside of the tank CANNOT be treated because there is no known Nano Ceramic finish that is nontoxic. While these Nano Ceramic finishes are commonly used for epoxy dining table tops and such, they do not come in contact with food whereas if they were utilized on the interior of an epoxy resin aquarium, they would slowly be leaching chemicals into the water.
While this route isn't cheap - it still is far less costly than forking out the money for a custom build.
Provided your epoxy panels aren't too thick, you can bend them quite easily by evenly heating the fully cured panels to about 130F which means your front and sides can be formed from one panel to reduce the total number of seams in the finished product and your main MOLD needs to be large enough for this one main panel.
Smaller panels can be poured by using Angle Aluminum stock which is cut to size and has a thin coating of the Dragon Skin Silicone and are set into the main MOLD to reduce two-part epoxy resin waste. Please keep in mind that the main Front & Sides panel should be poured to exacting size and any lesser panels should be poured ever-so-slightly larger than what is needed and trimmed and fine sanded to size.
The Front & Sides panel should be sanded rough with fine sandpaper along the entire bottom edge and fully cleaned with distilled water and wiped clean. The bottom panel should be masked along the entire edge which is meant to join to the Front & Sides panel and the Back Panel such that only a width the thickness of the adjoining panels is exposed and fine sanded and cleaned likewise. Also prep the fully cured Back Panel along adjoining surfaces likewise.
Remove all masking tape and set the Front & Sides panel upside-down and apply a thin layer of the same epoxy on the edge before placing the aquarium bottom epoxy panel in place. This will form an exceptionally strong watertight mechanical bond between the panels. Wait for the epoxy to fully cure! Repeat this process yet again by placing the completed assembly face down on towels with the open Back facing up and apply a thin coat of the same epoxy on the edge of the Sides and along the prepped edge of the Bottom which will be bonded to the Back Panel and set the Back Panel in place and gently clamp it to the Bottom to squeeze out any excess epoxy. The weight of the back panel is more than sufficient to "clamp" the rear side corners. Some epoxy will be squeezed into the bottom rear of the tank but this is totally negligible and will not affect the final product.

 

[Shooter6]

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Veran...UnqCMkh9D6QBC6ycFv4aAvnMEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
You can use this for molds. I don't think using any 2 part alone is a good idea but I'll follow along and see how it turns out.

Non viewing panels I believe you will have better long term results using fiber reinforced 2 part like other fiberglass tanks are made, and either glass or acrylic sheet for viewing panels.

 

[Red_Beard]

... Mould?

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Veran...UnqCMkh9D6QBC6ycFv4aAvnMEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
You can use this for molds. I don't think using any 2 part alone is a good idea but I'll follow along and see how it turns out.

Non viewing panels I believe you will have better long term results using fiber reinforced 2 part like other fiberglass tanks are made, and either glass or acrylic sheet for viewing panels.

I'm giving up on creating an all epoxy aquarium because my aquarium has a height of 24" and The amount of epoxy needed to create a panel thick enough to prevent any nearly imperceptible front panel bowing is cost prohibitive due to the thickness required. I'll be using 1.25" thick annealed Cast Acrylic Sheet for the front panel and similar thicknesses for the side panels. I'll still use the two-part epoxy to create a 3D back panel by incrementally adding three 1/4" thick clear layers to a 3/4" thick back panel and finishing with a black opaque layer to complete the backdrop. The resultant costs are similar but the risk of the epoxy panels bowing over the years is eliminated. I want a tank that will last decades, not simply 5-10 years.