# bored at work... DIY tank plan... SOMEDAY...



## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

first off, this is very preliminary, as i do not have the house to build this in, so this will be far from reality for me...

this is what i would like to have in my wall some day in the near future i hope... so, i figured why not start getting some feedback on it, and find out if this idea will work, or if i should stop thinking about it...

my plan is to get a piece of glass that is 4'x8'... first question is what thickness should i be looking for for this size piece of glass... also, tempered or not tempered... pro's/con's would be nice for each if possible... also, i would like to keep the viewing window the size around the trim work, with no center brace if possible???

here are 2 plans i came up with, which do you like better... plan I: the angled drop tank, or plan II: the vertical drop tank... i want to keep with the theme of a drop off effect, so let me know your thoughts...

dimensions are in feet.

plan I:

















plan II:

















another question i have is gonna be with the glass itself... in the colored renderings i made in google sketch-up, part of the glass will be "floating" behind the wall... will that pose any threats to my build... to me, it seems that it would just sit there, not harming anything, but i am not sure, and would like to know your thoughts on this... please advise me on whether or not i will have to do something with the glass to make it work... if/when i actually bring this tank to life, i will read more into the building of plywood tanks, but i get the rough idea of how they are made... TFG will grow to hate me probably if i decide to build this, as i will probably PM him all the time with questions :lol: :lol: :lol: (just a for-warning TFG)

i guess that is it for now, just curious on everyones thoughts and comments on how i can either make this better/cooler or just even make this work...

thanks for reading...
Brent


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## fishEH (Sep 15, 2008)

I like the angled drop better from a fish aspect. I think it more realistically resembles a shelf like you might find in a lake. 
I like the vertical drop better for its appearance in the wall. I realize this isn't much help but I really like your drop off idea and that you'll be able to see how the fish behave having different levels. 
Can't help with the glass issue as I have never built a tank myself. Good luck.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I think for structural strength, the tank should be a simpler rectangle. Then place a box inside the tank to create the step.


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

fishEH said:


> I like the angled drop better from a fish aspect. I think it more realistically resembles a shelf like you might find in a lake.
> I like the vertical drop better for its appearance in the wall. I realize this isn't much help but I really like your drop off idea and that you'll be able to see how the fish behave having different levels.
> Can't help with the glass issue as I have never built a tank myself. Good luck.


i'm with you on the opinions of the 2 designs... i am hoping for a unanamous option more than a 50/50 split between the 2... we'll see what others will have to say about this....



Mcdaphnia said:


> I think for structural strength, the tank should be a simpler rectangle. Then place a box inside the tank to create the step.


if i build this someday, i will probably build the tank as a rectangle, then like you said create a box like structure inside of that to create my shelf...

again, this is VERY preliminary, but having not much to do today at work, i played around with this idea i've had in my head for a while...

thanks for the replies so far...


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Love the look of #1, but thinking..sand/gravel on the angle?? rock glued?? Guess it would have to be not as steep a slope?? terraced??
Did I see right, 4 foot thick..in wall, or was it thru wall with a stand on one side, additional structure under the thru wall portion.
Would be great to come up with a use for the unused space of the box in a box concept.
If/when you get to build it, with the quality work you did on your sump, I`m sure it will be a knock out.


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## Maddog (Nov 7, 2008)

VERY cool idea. it is true, you;d be hard pressed to get things to stay on that angled slope, unless you styraphomed some fake rocks on ther and glued it in. .... but you coudl do that on the rectangle cut and make it look more angled.. that might be an idea


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

if i do this build someday, the drop off area would have to be rocks(fake/real???) glued into place, so that will take some time postioning them and all... there would be no substrate, as it will be a drop off effect, and just some rocks to try and make it natural...

i would also love to include the unused portion of the tank for something, maybe either a sump, or fry tank??? but that might make the build a little tougher trying to incorporate something for that area, so who knows... i have plenty of time to think about it...



KaiserSousay said:


> If/when you get to build it, with the quality work you did on your sump, I`m sure it will be a knock out.


Thank you... :thumb:


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

I'm with McDaphnia. I've never built a plywood tank, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

That aside, I've heard that tanks that are not rectangular shaped are much harder to make water tight, especially for a first time tank builder. I remember a few members trying to make L-shaped tanks for corners, and having serious problems with leaks.

Do you really want to give up 1/4 of your tank space and potentially have a more difficult time getting things sealed? Go rectangular!

Can't advise on thickness of glass. Tempered vs non is a sticky situation. Tempered is supposedly bad because if it breaks, it breaks into a million little pieces and sprays at you because of the water pressure behind it. It's also supposed to be significantly stronger than plate glass.

Personally, the whole breakage into a million shards of glass thing bothers me about as much as I worry about my 90 gallon falling through the floor. Sure it's possible, but has anyone ever had a million little pieces shot at them from their failing tank? Besides, how well is broken plate glass going to hold up to 800 gallons of water. Either way, you have a huge problem if the glass breaks, and tempered is supposedly less likely to break. Don't know if this is true or not, but if the plate glass breaks, seems to me that I'll have huge shards of glass propelled at me by 800 gallons of water. Either way I'm screwed :lol:

I have a piece of glass if I ever decide to build a big tank, and it's tempered, 3/4" thick, about 87 inches long, and 38 inches high, IIRC. TFG uses only plate glass. He's been there, done that, so that probably give him more of a voice than me.

It's your (hypothetical) tank. Good luck with the planning and house buying :dancing:


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

The sloped tank would certainly give you more bragging rights, but if I had the wall space (and the structural support) I would have a 4'x8' rectangle and create the drop off with MASSIVE rocks.


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

ridley25 said:


> The sloped tank would certainly give you more bragging rights, but if I had the wall space (and the structural support) I would have a 4'x8' rectangle and create the drop off with MASSIVE rocks.


where did you get that pic from??? i haven't lokoed yet, but i want to find some shots like that to give me an idea of a drop off... that is a good example, and more like that would be even better if you know of a site or link...
thanks...


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

here is a great link for the glass. http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/aquari ... omtank.htm 
I would recommend acrylic that is what I used it is a lot stronger and less likely to shatter. If you decide acrylic heres the link for the thickness calc. http://www.sdplastics.com/aquaria1.html#AQUAINQ


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

ok, so still toying with this project and design, for if/when it would come to fruition, i will be ready...

the few DIY tank threads i've read through, it seems like most people use the hardi board/drylock method... what is the reason for that... my thought was just using a pond liner... is there a reason no one uses it. i was just looking around on the net, and i could get a 15'x20' 45 mil thick pond liner for $132... that seems not so bad... what does hardi board and drylock run if i were gonna use that vertical drop tank design...

is 45 mil a thick enough liner, or possibly double it up for security reasons... i wouldn't really care about how perfect the liner sat on the ground or back walls, as sand will be down as substrate, and the back and side walls would probably have either DIY background, or just leave it black, and the rippled effect if there was some, could just be the background...

what do you guys think, as i have never used a pond liner for anything... not sure how thick 45 mil actually is, or if rocks/sand/fish could rip it and cause a leak...

i would love some insight on this please...
just a a reference, here is the website(the first one i clicked on by the way) i found for pond liners... http://www.pondliner.com/category/pond_liners

thanks


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

It can be difficult to get a water-tight seal using pond liner. I've seen quite a few people try it and only one or two actually made it work. I considered it once upon a time, but it makes the build more complicated. The hardi board/drylock method is pretty much a backlash against the more commonly used epoxies that are quite expensive, and require use in a very well ventilated area(ie outdoors, not where the tank is actually going to be placed) and/or the neccessity for expensive respirators to keep you from breathing it in. The drylok has very low odor/fumes, so it can be used inside. It's also more readily available being that it's sold at most lowes and home depot stores. The main problem is the fact that it doesn't have proven long-term reliability. IF I ever get to build another big(200G+) plywood tank I believe I'll be going w/the more proven epoxies...especially if it's going inside the house. I wouldn't be as picky w/something that was going in a fishroom, garage or outdoors...


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

I am fiberglassing the inside of my 650 gal. that should last me for a very long time and is easy to fix if I have a crack somewhere. Also I am laying down the fiberglass in my basement and you dont need an expensive respirator until you sand down the fiberglass. And you can usually find someone who has one, or go buy it and use it for a day and return if your like that.


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

I3lazd said:


> I am fiberglassing the inside of my 650 gal. that should last me for a very long time and is easy to fix if I have a crack somewhere. Also I am laying down the fiberglass in my basement and you dont need an expensive respirator until you sand down the fiberglass. And you can usually find someone who has one, or go buy it and use it for a day and return if your like that.


i saw you were fiberglassing yours... that is something i would have to have someone do, right... i have never done that, and have no clue where to start... after you sand, i assume it is smooth, so no fish would be harmed if rubbed up against it...

how expensive is it to fiberglass something? can a joe schmoe do it if read up on it, or would it be best to let pro do it???

thanks


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

I am doing it myself with no previous experience so you could definately do it. It is just time consuming. Depending on how much you need the fiberglass cloth I bought was about $5.55 per sq ft. but if you are interested there is a person on ebay who sells a little cheaper. you would also have to buy the epoxy resin to lay it down. But basically alls you do is get your clothe it comes on a roll like a piece of fabric lay it flat and put on the epoxy with a plastic putty knife pretty straight forward. I am only laying 4 layers of 6 oz E-clothe from US Composites along with there 3-1 resin hardner 635 thin medium system. GL


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