DIY - Projects & Ideas • 300 gallon plywood tank build

[rotccapt]

thanks for looking out. my last build was a 120 and the front and sides were assembled with 1 inch (3/4 inch actually) oak boards that were glued and screwed with pocket screws. and it stood up well. granted that tank was only 24 inches tall and 48 wide but i think my design should hold up well. i have decided to do a removable center brace. this center brace will also give me something to brace myself on to do maintenance on the tank

[rotccapt]

new update i got the back and sides glued together today but i still need to add my screws from the other direction. also i built a 2x6 pedestal to set the stand on to make the tank a bit higher. dont mind the cap board it is just sitting there for the moment i will glue and screw it once i get the front installed


here is a pic of the corners and how all the slats are installed

[13razorbackfan]

Did you glue the wood as well as screw?

[rotccapt]

yes i used tite bond III

[cantrell00]

Those are some huge RC airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Looks good. I am really curious to see how you join and make watertight the glass to the front frame.

[rotccapt]

i was wondering if someone would pick up on my planes. us guys and our toys. lol

the glass will be fun i will need a couple people to do it. my first though is to lay the tank down on the face that will need glass then just slide it in and do a test fit then raise the glass up with spacers apply the silicon and remove the spacers. my other though is to just leave the tank upright position the glass and lean it against the back wall apply the silicone and then slid the glass forward and with some precision cut braces wedge the glass in place till it cures. not sure yet.

on a different note i have built as much as i can build with the tank. i will be on a 2 week business trip starting next week and i will be buying the rest of the materials once i get back. but in the mean time i took one of my extra shop lights down and positioned it on a pvc support to try out some lights for the tank. this is a standard 4 foot 2 bulb fixture and i think i like it what do you think? i might go with a 6 foot fixture though

[cantrell00]

Will you be able to suspend the light that high above the tank after it is set up? If you can I think it would work. Adding water will will tell you for certain.

[rotccapt]

yes i can it will be inside a hood that i have yet to make but it is at the correct height

[cantrell00]

I would roll with it. Having shadows in the ends where the drift wood is resting will look really cool. SA's right?

[rotccapt]

CA's yea i think i like the look

[mel_cp6]

That big driftwood fits real good and it looks awesome in that tank.

[fusion]

Love the look, are you going to make a background for it?

[rotccapt]

yea im planning on doing something like this guys tank (forgive me i dont remember whos tank this is)

[Ibnzmonkey]

Subscribed. I've been looking into building one of these style tanks for an "in wall" type setup for my new home.

[CCichlids]

WOW! Looks very nice so far. Can't wait to see more . I was just curious (because I haven't had any experience with something like this), how long do these plywood tanks last? Given it was properly made, of course. Excited to see the final product!