# plywood tank!!!



## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

so iv finally decided for my new tank i wana build im going to make one of the plywood tanks with the front view glass iv read so much about. when done its going to messure 8 foot long 4 foot wide and 4 foot high. yeah i know sounds huge huh lol well tbh when full of water it will only be 3 foot deep as i am going to lay a shelf a foot down for the return so it will flow off like a water fall there will be rock and some plants in this box. going to the hardwear store tomarrow to get stuff to start the frame ill take plenty of pics and post as a make progress =D any tips would be helpfull!!


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

That sounds great. Do you have a pic of one to show? I can't imagine what it looks like.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

how does this work? I thought plywood would just absorb water, get heavy and leak...?


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

ill see if i can get a pic of a tank allready built off the net (wana ask permission first of course) or just google plywood aquariums under images and you can see one.

sin its actually prity simple.... once you get everything made you epoxy the inside walls of the tank and some come pre colored so you dont have to paint (im thinking a light blue for mine) after the epoxy dries you put the parts togeather and go along the seams with silicone silicone the glass in let it cure for a week or so then fill to test for leaks and sutch. and yes if the wood absorbs the water it will leak like crazy so ya have to do a good job with the epoxy.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

ohhh....


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

epoxy ?? i was under the impression that you fiber glassed it first then sealed with the epoxy.. well according to the few i have read about... please keep us posted i really want to see one in all the stages


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

well you can and i am going to use fiberglass but you dont have to im also going to insulate the tank like you would a house so my heaters wont have to work so hard. the whole point of the fiberglass is to prevent anything that may hit the inside wall of the tank from cracking or chiping the epoxy whitch will cause water to seep into the wood and cause a leak. def a good idea but not always needed.


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

ok so heres a update on my tank. 

while doing this project i have learned i am no carpenter lol. threw trial and error (lots of them) iv finally gotten my frame built (pics soon to come). next week i will be doing the plywood and epoxy but i need input on what color to go with for the INSIDE of the tank. here is a link to the site of the stuff i am useing and the color chart in whitch the product comes in Aquatic Eco-Systems: Koi Supplies - Sweetwater® Epoxy Paints, 1 Gallon . keep in mind that this is going to be a heavily planted tank so the color needs to contrast the plants. i allready ruled out white and black lol. go nuts guys gimme ideas!!!


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## Ryan1824 (Sep 23, 2010)

bigrift said:


> next week i will be doing the plywood and epoxy but i need input on what color to go with for the INSIDE of the tank. here is a link to the site of the stuff i am useing and the color chart in whitch the product comes in Aquatic Eco-Systems: Koi Supplies - Sweetwater® Epoxy Paints, 1 Gallon . keep in mind that this is going to be a heavily planted tank so the color needs to contrast the plants. i allready ruled out white and black lol. go nuts guys gimme ideas!!!


I'd go with the dark blue. It will give a nice contrast with pretty much any plant and dark blue seems to add a lot of depth to a tank. But then I'm biased as I have dark blue backgrounds on all my tanks. ;-)


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

Dark blue for sure. Why not black? I think black backgrounds are awesome. If you could do two colors i would do the sides dark blue and the back black so the contrast is immediately visible on the sides and the back looks like it goes deeper than it actually does.


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## GreenPlanet (Oct 15, 2010)

Start Posting your project pics.. Waiting..


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

waiting for a new cable to link my camera to my comp to come in the mail when it dose i will upload many pics lol. atm picture just some wooden rectangles made o 2x4's lol


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## GreenPlanet (Oct 15, 2010)

bigrift said:


> waiting for a new cable to link my camera to my comp to come in the mail when it dose i will upload many pics lol. atm picture just some wooden rectangles made o 2x4's lol


Haha ATM Picture... Dont you have card reader ? You can upload from ur cam's mem card directly through memory card reader


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

i d and i thought of that but its a mini card and my laptop dosnt have a slot that small =(..... should be here monday or tuesday (i hope)


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## GreenPlanet (Oct 15, 2010)

bigrift said:


> i d and i thought of that but its a mini card and my laptop dosnt have a slot that small =(..... should be here monday or tuesday (i hope)


Alryt mate. Waiting then ... Love to see your project.


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