[MarkS]

My 224 gallon tank is almost built!! It was far easier that I could have hoped.

The dimensions are (roughly) 4' wide x 4' deep x 2' high. It is made out of 3/4" burch and 3/4" pine plywood. All seams are glued with Liquid Nails Heavy Duty strength glue and 3 1/2" screws are placed every 4" along every seem.

The only things left are the epoxy/fiberglass coating on the inside, the glass panel and the top bracing to keep the wood from bowing.

Once the glue is dry, I am going to put the first coat of epoxy on (probably tomorrow). I'll let that dry and then add a second coat along with the fiberglass and once that is dry, add a third coat of epoxy. The should make it completely water tight. Once the final coat of epoxy has dried and cured, I'll silicone the glass panel in place. It will measure 44" x 20" x 1/2". I think that thickness should be more than strong enough.

All of the epoxy should be cured in two weeks. At that time I'll add the glass and test it for leaks. Happy dance scheduled in approx. two weeks (I hope!!)!

I was going to build an aquarium for seahorses and still will, but due to the design involved, I figured a more simple design for my first tank was in order. Besides, the aquascaping possibilities on this size tank are endless. I really cannot wait to begin!

I'll post pics and a complete price breakdown once everything is done, but I can tell you that the total is a fraction of an all glass tank. The most expensive part of the tank itself is the glass at $136 with tax. The return pump will cost almost double the price of the tank.

I'll keep everyone posted...

Mark

[MarkS]

That was easy and it did not even smell that bad. A little goes a long way. Two cups of resin/hardener mixture coated the bottom and two sides.

Also, I think that I will just epoxy the outside rather than stain it. The epoxy looks much better anyway.

Mark

[icemark]

Sounds like you are having fun!

Now we need pictures!!!

[MarkS]

Originally posted by icemark
Sounds like you are having fun!

You have no idea!!

Now we need pictures!!!

Soon, I promise...

Mark

[RWD]

Hey Mark,
Sounds like a great project! Hope to see the pics soon. Bob

[organicreefer]

mark,
yes pictures please.where did you get youre design from?i have heard MANY bad things about building tanks from wood,along with some successes.if it works youre gonna end up with a really nice tank(LOVE those dimensions),good luck ,ill cross my fingers for ya

[scubadude]

You have me thinking now!....I was thinking of buying a 180-220 now you have me thinking i might want to build my own tank....I would like to know more if you have design drawings? are you making it w/overflows? and pictures sure would be nice.....glad to hear you are tackling this Mark....keep us informed

[RWD]

Hey Guys,
Here's something that might interest you:
http://members.home.net/wmastop/bigtank/Startb~1.htm

[MarkS]

Well, this design just came to me. I have know idea where or why. It just did.

RWD, thank for the link, but I have seen that before and quite honestly, he scares me. It looks like an accident waiting to happen. That and it's a freshwater tank. What a waste!

Organicreefer, I am aware of the problems with wooden tanks, but most of them can be attributed to design flaws or simply because the builder had no idea what he or she was getting into. I have spent several months planning a tank like this in my head, working and re-working the details 24/7.

First off, all of the seams are glued with heavy duty LiquidNails. I was VERY careful in applying the glue so that there are no gaps. Anywhere. The seams are just like that of an all glass tank, but instead of silicone and glass, I used glue and wood. The glue in and of itself is water proof and makes this tank watertight.

Second, I plan on using fiberglass along with the epoxy. The fiberglass does not make the tank waterproof, but does add lots of strength. Most of the fiberglass work will be done in the corners. The rest of the tank will have a light coating of fiberglass, but the entire tank will have a heavy coat of epoxy.

Tanks bracing in this tank is an absolute must. I cannot miscalculate anything or no amount of fiberglass and epoxy will stop a flood. For bracing, I am going to use two 2x4's in a cross shape. One will be in the middle of the tank running from the front to back and the other will be in the middle of the side running from the left to right. They will be notched where they meet so that they do not overlap, but form one "solid" support. The support will be coated with epoxy and fiberglass since it will be partially submerged. It's hard to describe, but the pics will help explain it.

And as for pics... I am taking pics with a disposable camera, but I wont develope tham until I am completely done. Sorry. In the mean time, I'll come up with some drawings and 3D renderings to better explain the design.

Mark

[David]

MarkS - When you get to installing the front glass panel you might consider that silicon does not bond glass to fiberglas all that well. Check with manufacturer. There are better products for this, I have used Lexell with gret success and I'm pretty sure 3M 5200 would do it. Lexell has a lenghty cure time (two weeks I think) but it's worth it. I used to build glass front tanks out of old fiberglas boat lockers and I fell in love with this product. IMO silicon is a poor choice where fiberglas or acrylic are concerned.

[DeathWish302]

MarkS

Why won't any amoutn of epoxy and fiberglass hold back the water??? I think you would bebetter off to coat the inside of the tank with 5-10 coats of resin with fiberglass cloth, thenn epoxy the heck out of it. This will add almost all the strength you need. Just my opinion???

Best Wishes,
DW302

[MarkS]

Originally posted by DeathWish302
MarkS

Why won't any amoutn of epoxy and fiberglass hold back the water??? I think you would bebetter off to coat the inside of the tank with 5-10 coats of resin with fiberglass cloth, thenn epoxy the heck out of it. This will add almost all the strength you need. Just my opinion???

Best Wishes,
DW302

You misunderstood me. I meant without some sort of bracing, the wood would bow to the point of failure. I am planning on using both fiberglass cloth/mat and epoxy resin. However, due to the dimensions, without a brace at the top the whole thing would split at the seams.

Mark

[MarkS]

Well, the 3D rendering anyway. Let me know what you think.

Mark

[MarkS]

Here is a new rendering with shadows. There are four light sources, one in each quadrant to simulate where I would put the MH's. This is a problem.

Sorry for the quality of the new pic. I changed the wood texture hoping for better, but it turned out worse.

[icemark]

Cool, now do you have a place to put it? It doesn't seem like your average living room tank.

[Mobious]

A wooden tank... Humm... I mean no disrespect.. But why? Cost savings or just to see if you could do it?

Just having one window would limit your view of the wonderful world you are about to create...

Anyway.. Still.. Looks like you have a good plan and the skills to complete it..

[MarkS]

Icemark, it is going in my little apartment. It's a big room off of the house and this aquarium will seperate my bed from the living room. The glass will face the living room.

LOL Mobious! Why? Because I could. Actually, price had a major influence over the decision. I wanted a very unconventional size tank and the price of a custom all glass aquarium in this size and design would be in the thousands. Also, I am a die hard DIY'er. What a better project than building your own tank. And to make it more difficult, build it out of wood...

Mark

[icemark]

Cool I like it... DIY is the best.

[organicreefer]

marks,
i just re-read youre plan ,and i think you have a fatal design flaw,you are using two different kinds of wood,this is a big no-no.the different woods will expand and contract at different rates ,making the tank more likely to leak over time.you want the whole thing to be made out of one kind of wood imo,jmo and just trying to help

[npaden]

Mark,

One thought on the top bracing - I would think that a bracing around the top edge of the tank. You could even make it out of an extra sheet of plywood and just cut out the center of it and that would make it even stronger. It could also work as a splash guard for you.

I really like having a splash guard on my tank (2" to 3" piece of glass around the outside edges)

FWIW, Nathan