# 130 gallon plywood mbana tank



## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

hi all, im back with a new tank build. a year and a half ago i lost my 120 gallon plywood mbana tank to a house fire. now that we have completely recovered from that it is time to get my mbana back.

so it is time to start the new tank build. i still have the stand for the original tank. when i built the first version of the tank i messed up on the stand and the stand was 1/2 and inch wider and longer than the tank. so when i build my new tank i am going to fix this slight problem. might as well since i am starting over.

ok so on with the build. the dimensions are a little wonky but it will all work out in the end. the new tank measures 50.5 inches long 26.5 inches wide and the tank its self will be 27.75 inches tall. my water level will be 24 to 25 inches. i will be using 3/8 inch standard glass on three sides of the tank. the tank will be built with 3/4 inch plywood that will be glued and screwed together and the inside will be sealed with "MAX ACR" epoxy and fiberglass. i am planning on using a 4 inch wide 1/2 inch thick acrylic center brace on the tank so i dont get any shadows in the tank.

lighting will be a single 36 inch long florescent light for now but will be upgraded to leds eventually.

filtration will be a 30 gallon bucket sump with a three drawer bio tower using pot scrubbies and a combination of quilt batting and felt filter pads for mechanical filtration. for a return pump i will be using a quiet one 4000

so my preliminary stock will be:

yellow tail acie
yellow lab
rusties
albino socolofi
last is either a demsonsi colony or one of the afra verieties. im still trying to decide on that.

the new tank will have a Victorian theme with beaded molding and rosette blocks topped with crown molding

the hood will be a roller style hood. the front part that opens will be mounted on a roller type hinge and the back sides of the moving prats will be counter balanced so that it will require little effort to open the hood for maintenance


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

I like the hinge mechanism on the canopy.. When you get it's actuation perfected, send me some plans!

If going with plywood, why the relatively small size? Just curious.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

i am going with this size for two reasons, the room the tank is in, and i already have the stand from the old tank


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

You going to add any circulation fans to the canopy? Uncirculated moist air loves making mold in canopy. I like wiring in 120mm comp fans into the light ballast with toggle switchs. They are super cheap. Just a thought.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

never though about fans in the canopy i will look into them


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

I like the the way the top opens also. Mine only the plywood opens leaving the 1X8 in place and reducing my reach into the tank. Might try to modify mine after seeing this. I'm wondering how much this will cost compared to all glass?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well so far the materials for the tank including the glass is about $400. i already the the epoxy and fiberglass so that is saving me some money. also i already the the pump.

for the fans should i have an intake and exhaust fan our do i just need something to move the air?


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

Sorry to hear about a house fire  I can only imagine how hard that had to be for you. If you don't want to have to run fans you can always just leave the back of the canopy open which is what I did with mine. That leaves it so mold isn't a problem as also makes it easy if you ever decide to add a canister or HOB at a later date as well.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

First canopy build I left the back open cause of hobs, still got mold. Maybe it was too short.


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

rotccapt said:


> so my preliminary stock will be:
> 
> yellow tail acie
> yellow lab
> ...


I would stick to only 4 species because your tank isn't that long. 3 species if you get the demasoni.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

and here is how it all begins a pile of wood


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

You sealing it with an epoxy, rubber or fiberglass?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

epoxy and fiberglass


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

Ok. Cool thread

This is on my list of things to do so really curious.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well guys i made a little progress today. i made some saw dust and i am almost ready to start assembly. i still need to cut the center out of the other side window but other than that its almost time to start pre drilling and counter sinking holes for screws. more to come.

i am not really happy with the first window i cut. it did not turn out very nice. i have some uneven cuts and just overall lumpiness to the cuts. i had to resort to my sawsall to cut it because my jig saw is a POC (piece of C%#!) never buy a battery operated jig saw i have know idea what i was thinking. on the other side i will be setting up a cutting fence so that i can cut straight lines with the sawsall. im trying to decide if i want to re cut the first side window or if i want to just fix the cuts with epoxy and filler powder. i figure that since i will be applying a wood veneer tape to all the ply edges inside the windows fixing the mis cuts with epoxy should not be a problem. any thoughts on this?

as for fish i am thinking labs, acei, albino socolofi, c, afra (jolo reef), perhaps rusties


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

That is an awesome erector set!


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

that is one of my other hobbies. i am working on a K'nex roller coaster. it is still a work in progress but its getting there.


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

My 12 yr old son has a much smaller version of a roller coaster by the same company. You can spend hours tinkering with them. Very cool.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

oh yea. i think i have at least 200 hours into what i have so far, and im only about half way there


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

rotccapt said:


> oh yea. i think i have at least 200 hours into what i have so far, and im only about half way there


  =D>

This tank should be no issue lol


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

Maybe I shouldn't give you ideas but... what if the rollercoaster went around the tank?


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

metricliman said:


> Maybe I shouldn't give you ideas but... what if the rollercoaster went around the tank?


How about through the tank...


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

cantrell00 said:


> metricliman said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe I shouldn't give you ideas but... what if the rollercoaster went around the tank?
> ...


Didn't they run a train through a tank in one episode of tanked?

I say go for it! opcorn:


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

This tank will go inside the house. But yes tanked did run a train through a tank


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

You can water slide through one at Atlantis.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i made some more saw dust and i have the second side window cut out. this side turned out 1000 times better than the first. i decided to use a router with a strait cut bit to cut the window out of the second side and i got a perfect cut

after looking at the first side again i decided it was too far gone to save so i cut some strips of wood out and will be glue and screwing the frame together

first failed attempt 








second side


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i got a lot of work done on the tank. the tank is built now i am drilling holes for bulk heads and then it will be time for fiberglass and epoxy. i will be utilizing a bean animal style overflow that uses three drain lines, one regulated full siphon, one open channel, and one emergency overflow prevention drain. all three drains will be 1 inch pvc. i will also have two sump returns one in each of the top back corners. for these i will be using some 3/4 inch lock line with 3 inch nozzles to help direct flow through the tank. so i just have two more holes to drill and some sanding and the tank will be ready for the next phase.

i have to get the tank ready for glass by this weekend because my glass order arrives on Sunday and i would like to pick up the glass and immediately install it in the tank so i don't have to store it

so how does it look?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Looks nice. Just waiting for the water fill test  any plans for a wood stain?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

Yes it will be stained dark walnut after I get all the trim on


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well guys i have started the process of laying up the fiberglass. i am trying a slightly different process on this build, i have decided to lay up all the glass at once. before i have done the seams let it cure then do the main sections. this time i will be doing everything at once hopping that i do not get any voids like i have in the past. so to start i have been using spray glue to lightly tack the glass cloth in place. i am doubling up the glass in the corners. so first i laid down just the corner strips of glass with the spray glue then i will tack down the main sections. after it is all tacked down i will start applying the epoxy. the first coat will be there to saturate the fiberglass. then i will apply two more layers of epoxy over the glass cloth. then i will apply one final color coat to turn the inside of the tank black. after that cures i will install the glass and the overflow box and get ready for the test fill.


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

How do you turn it black?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

i have a black epoxy pigment that i add to the resin


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

Oh.. Ok.. Sweet.

How bad are the fumes? Could this be done in the house assuming you could have adequate ventilation?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

when using epoxy there are not really any fumes. you should still have ventilation but there are not any bad fumes like when using polyester resin. you have to get your ratios right for epoxy because if it is not mixed right it will not cure correctly


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

rotccapt said:


> when using epoxy there are not really any fumes. you should still have ventilation but there are not any bad fumes like when using polyester resin. you have to get your ratios right for epoxy because if it is not mixed right it will not cure correctly


Ok.. I was assuming that epoxy=resin.

In my past life, I did auto body work so I was thinking of the resin. That stuff was rough.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

yea polyester resin is nasty stuff cheap though


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i got the bottom of the tank fiber glassed today. it was a bit interesting because my epoxy was a bit on the cold side and it did not want to flow into the glass cloth. so i had to put my mixing cup and the jugs of epoxy into a hot water bath to thin them out enough to pour then i had to work the epoxy with a heat gun to get it to wet out the cloth. i should not have this problem tomorrow because i took and brought the jugs of epoxy inside the house to warm up. i hope to get the rest of the glass cloth layed out tomarrow. then it will be time for two more coats of resin then the final color coat and it will be ready for the glass installation.

also today i received my led lights from (super bright led's) i ordered four 18 inch strips of smd 5050 cool white flexible led strips from them. i did some testing today and i think they will work out great. in the pics i only have two of the strips over the tank and it already lights up the entire tank. so i know when i add the other two strips and the hood it will be perfect.

so how does it look?

tank before and after fiberglass
















lights first is the light strip second is over the tank


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## car0linab0y (Aug 10, 2009)

Are the fish getting a roller coaster?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

no.

i am making progress though. i just have two more sections of fiberglass to apply then it is time to start adding the extra epoxy layers to ensure a water tight tank. after i get all the epoxy in i will get the trim attached to the tank and stained so that it is ready for the glass that i will be getting next weekend.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

also here are some updated pics of my lights


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## Yael (Nov 25, 2012)

are those water resistent LED strips - the kind rated for outdoors or on cars and such? If so, they will corrode if not sealed away from tank condensation. I learned that the hard way but installing some without any protection under the lid to my tank. I ended up enclosing them into clear tubing after burning out a few cells in a very short amount of time.


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## car0linab0y (Aug 10, 2009)

Yael said:


> If so, they will corrode if not sealed away from tank condensation.


I assume you meant "if not"


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

the ones i have are the non weather proof kind but i have water poof tubing that the lights will be sealed into to prevent water contact


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## Yael (Nov 25, 2012)

car0linab0y said:


> Yael said:
> 
> 
> > If so, they will corrode if not sealed away from tank condensation.
> ...


I said 'if not'

As long as they are sealed into something waterproof, including any wiring, they should work ok.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i got a bit of work done yesterday. i got my overflow bent to shape and painted. the overflow was built from 1/4 inch acrylic that is 18" wide and 23.25 inches tall. the center section is 9 inches long and the sides are bent at about a 45* angle this will give me a total overflow area of 18 inches. it will be installed with 4 acrylic brackets with stainless steel screws that will hold it to the back wall and i will use silicone to seal it up.

how does it look?


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

Out of curiosity, why did you run the overflow to the bottom of the tank?

It looks good either way :thumb:


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

Mostly because it is easier to install the bulkhead


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i got some more work done on the tank and i am almost ready for glass. so far i have all the fiberglass installed and am now on coat two of the tinted epoxy coating. i will by applying one more coat then letting it cure for a couple days before installing the glass

next up is getting my center brace cut. this will be made from a piece of 1/2 inch acrylic that is 4 inches wide. it will be installed using 1/4-20 stainless steel bolts that will go into barrel nuts imbedded in the acrylic

so how does it look?


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

Well done, posting so I can come back easily to see your progress.


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## J&amp;DGuy (Feb 12, 2007)

looking great so far!


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i got some more work done over the weekend. i have the stand built and ready for sheeting and trim. also i sanded down the window frames so i can apply the wood veneer. also i decided i was not happy with the way the back of the tank turned out so i decided to sand it down a bit and apply a coat of epoxy with a glass powder filler to help smooth out the back and i will apply a new color coat over this after i sand it all down.

the black of the stand was a little bit of water damage from the old tank but the wood is still strong so i am reusing those parts


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

Lookin' good man. I didn't go back to see, but what are you stocking it with?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well im undecided as of yet. origonaly it was going to be stocked with mbana: yellow labs, yellow tail acies, rusties, albino scolfi, "jalo reef" afra. but i may turn this into a saltwater reef. we will see, it will be stocked with some mbana till i gather all the equipment for the reef if i go that route. if i do the mbana will be relocated to a 55 and if thats the case my stock will be yellow labs, yellow tail acie, demsonsi


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

more updates. i applied my wood veneer strips to cover the plywood edges on the windows and also got the sheeting installed on the stand next up is to sand the back of the tank and apply the final color coat. while that is curing i will be working on the trim for the stand

the metal circles in the first pic are blind nuts that will be holding this side of the stand sheeting to the stand. this section will be removable encase i have to remove the sump or do any extensive maintenance. also the bottom sheeting on the front of the stand is in multiple pieces but it will be covered with trim so it will not be seen it is more or less a spacer.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well i got the final coat of epoxy of the tank and it turned out really good. also i started working on the trim for the stand. so far so good


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well im about 90% done with all the trim work on the tank and stand. all that is left to do is figure out how im going to attach the trim to the removable panel. other than that i need to fill some nail holes and stain the tank and it will be ready to install the glass on Saturday. after i get the glass in i will wait a week before the leak test. during that time i will be finishing up the stand and starting on the hood.

so how does it look?


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## Bertz (Dec 7, 2011)

Nice job rotccapt, I look forward to seeing it completed.


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

You can really button down the look when building the entire thing yourself..


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well guys i got a big update for you all. i received my glass today! so i decided to sand and stain the tank and stand so i could get the glass installed. i really did not want to store it long. so i did not clear coat the tank or stand yet because i did not want the clear coat to get into the tank. so instead i will get the glass installed then mask off the glass and spray my clear coat.

so far i have the front panel installed. i i really impressed with the seal that was achieved. there are only a couple spots that are not completely full of silicone but there is at least a 3/4 inch band of silicone around the entire front panel which is plenty. the bare spots are just air pockets inside the silicone.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well the tank holds water!!! i only had a couple problems with the bulkheads not sealing. also i have to remake my overflow wall because i found i have three hairline cracks on one of the bends. i decided i want to just replace it vs trying to repair it and have it fail later on.

also i have started on the hood i hope to have this tank up and running around the first of April

so how does it look? the lighting is getting there and i think it will work i my add more later on but i wont know till i get the hood complete and get it painted white. also we will have a lot of texas holy rock so that should refract more light


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

i dont know if anyone is still following my build since i have not updated it, but the tank is almost ready for fish. it passed its leak test and has been moved into the house. all the plumbing is finished up and ready for water. all i have left to do is build my doors for the stand, build my media basket for pot scrubbies, and finish the hood. i hope to have the tank up and running by the end of this week. once i get the doors mounted i can fill the tank and start getting it up to temp then add some pot scrubies from my other tank and add my fish. currently i have 4 yellow labs, 2 yellow tail acie, and one albino pleco.

i will post some pics when i get home tonight


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## partsrep (Mar 14, 2005)

we're following. Keep the pics coming. Very nice so far


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

hi guys sorry for the delay on pictures my camera was dead. so as for the update, the tank is up and running now and has its first inhabitants. so far i have 4 yellow labs, 2 acies and one pleco living in the tank. i still have a bit of trim work to do on the hood and i need to stain the doors but the tank is now up and running. for filtration i am using a 29 gallon tank ad my sump, i have a 1/2 inch acrylic mechanical filter box that will have quilt batting and some felt filter pads in it. below that is an egg crate box that holds pot scrubbies. i am using a quiet one 4000 return pump that feeds duel 1 inch returns at the top of the tank. i still need to do more work on tuning the returns to get a good current through the tank but it is working. for heat i am using an aqueon pro 250 heater. to jump start this tank i took some pot scrubbies from my 300 gallon tank that has been running for about a year so it had a nice colony of bacteria to harvest.

now here are the pics


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

well guys the tank is still up and running and now has some decent stock in it. this includes:

5 demonsi
4 yellow labs
5 rusties
6 yellow tail acei
1 albino sail fin pleco

here is a current pic of my aqua scapeing what do you guys thing


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## Eric_S (Feb 27, 2007)

Awesome job. Great craftsmanship. :thumb:


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## Tyler_James_L (Jun 19, 2013)

AWESOME tank rotccapt! I have a question.... how are the brightness of the LED strips working out?


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Glad somebody bumped this, I was just saying to my wife how I needed to build a canopy for my tank and this hinged hood is perfect.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

the strips are working out great at least the ones i bought from super bright led's. i have a section of ebay rgb lights that do not work anymore but they were just for color at night so i really dont care about them.


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

if i were to build the hood again though i would move the hinge line forward so that the hood would be easyer to open and close it is a bit heavy but its not too bad


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## Tyler_James_L (Jun 19, 2013)

rotccapt said:


> the strips are working out great at least the ones i bought from super bright led's. i have a section of ebay rgb lights that do not work anymore but they were just for color at night so i really dont care about them.


Thank you for your response! Glad to hear they are doing okay (at least ones from super brights). I just got some RGBs off of ebay and tested them on my 55 gallon. They lit the tank, but not with the intensity I wanted. I will keep my 5050 SMD 300LED/5m and use it for playing with color tones. I will be getting a 3014 SMD 600LED/5m off of ebay which puts out a lot more light from what I understand. Do not know until I try!

Thanks again for your response, I was looking forward to hearing how they have been working out.


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## c3l01234 (Dec 2, 2013)

Hi, First off let me say I love your tank.

I am in the process of building my own 240 gal plywood tank. As of now I am stuck on what to seal it with. I have been doing research on different products. I have seen a person use a product called Redgard, and then I saw that you used MAX ACR" epoxy and fiberglass. I know you can buy that product on EBAY. But what sized would you recommend me to buy? How much did your tank use? Was it easy to apply?


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## rotccapt (May 31, 2011)

thank you. you can only buy one size of kit for the max acr epoxy which is the gallon kit. i bought the kit for my 300 gallon build and i had enough left over from my 300 to build this tank and then i still had a little left over.

i found it easy to work with but don't let it freeze. i left mine in the garage over winter and it got below freezing and when i went to build this tank i had problems with the epoxy being too thick to work into the fiberglass cloth. so i had to set the epoxy in a bath of hot water to get it thin enough to work with. but over all i had good luck with it and will use it again. i also recommend the coloring kit that they sell so that you can color the tank


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