# Planning 'cube' project could do with some help :D



## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

Hey there guys,

Im josh from the uk and i am planning on building a plywood and acrylic 'cube'

It will measure 24x18x24 (lxdxh) and the viewing panel will be 18x18. the viewing panel will be 10mm acrylic and the rest of the tank will be made from plywood (19mm i think) and supported from the corners on the inside using 2x2" posts.

And i was just wondering if i could use fibre glass to cover the inside completely and if so how many layers would i need to make it water tight?

Any help would be very very much appreciated 

Josh


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

or would i be able to use pond paint?

Josh


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I have seen plywood tanks built with 2 by 2's inside and other sizes, shapes such as triangles, and all turned out more prone to leak than a tank made from plywood only.

Four to six coats of fiberglass with the mat or cloth should be good. A tank 24 centimeters tall should need no extra support and will be fine. Tall tanks need "fins" on the outside, or to be encased in some kind of support to prevent flexing as the tank is filled or emptied. Flexing will crack fiberglass resin.

Most pond paints are not suitable because they only have to slow down water flow in a pond to be satisfactory. Even a small amount of water vapor transpiring through into the plywood is too much.


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

it will be 24" not cm... is this tall enough to warrant support from the outside? if so how should i go about it.

so if i were to use 2by2"s on the inside and screw the plywood to that and then silicone it on all the joins etc and then fibreglass is it more likely to leak than just screwing plywood to plywood?

i would have thought if you are screwing into the end of plywood it wouldnt have been as strong as using the 2x2"s?

and thanks for the info on the fibreglass

Josh


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

ok i have had a look in our garage and if i didnt want to try and find somewhere that sells 19mm plywood i think we have enough 12mm so if i made some sort of framing out of 2x2"s would i be able to use the 12mm and then for the fibreglass would i be able to use this as i think i should be able to get about 6 or 7 layers out of this and it is quite a bit cheaper than the thicker stuff http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1m-x-10m-Fibregla ... dZViewItem

the thicker stuff can be found here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10m-x-450gsm-Glas ... dZViewItem

and how much resin do you think i would need considering the relatively small size of the aquarium? should i just buy a 1l and see how much i can do with that and work it out from there?

Josh


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## 98dak83cam (Jan 16, 2006)

Frame it up like house walls, then put the plywood on the inside. Use epoxy resin, not polyester. For your size 2 gallons may just about do it. Do a search for fiberglass cloth, you'll see pictures of it. I would go with a lighter weight cloth vs heavy. It is easier to work with. I got mine on ebay, otherwise I could have sent you a link to what I used.


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

that is exactly the answer i needed thanks  will it be ok with the 12mm plywood? i think it should be but want to check before i go chopping it up ...

Josh


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## 98dak83cam (Jan 16, 2006)

x06jsp said:


> that is exactly the answer i needed thanks  will it be ok with the 12mm plywood? i think it should be but want to check before i go chopping it up ...
> 
> Josh


For 2' deep yes, 1/2" is fine. Any deeper you might as well go with 3/4". In the end it does not cost that much more.


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

Thanks for the great help

its just we have 12mm here so i wont need to buy it 

Josh


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

one more thing why can i not use polyester resin? instead of epoxy?

Josh


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## 98dak83cam (Jan 16, 2006)

x06jsp said:


> one more thing why can i not use polyester resin? instead of epoxy?
> 
> Josh


Not for use underwater, it will lose strength and fail.


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## x06jsp (Dec 8, 2008)

ah ok,

well after looking at the prices i would need to pay for it all i dont think it would be worth it over the 2 spare tanks i have here a 2 and 3 foot clearseal so i am just going to set them up instead 

Thanks for the help though no doubt it will come in handy sometime in the future.

josh


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