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300 gallon plywood tank build

67K views 210 replies 30 participants last post by  rotccapt 
#1 ·
hi all i am just getting started on my 300 ish gallon tank. the tank will be built with a 2x4 frame but instead of the 2x4's being oriented like a wall they will be turned 90 degrees so the long side of the board will be parallel to the tank sides. the bottom of the tank will be a solid piece of 3/4 inch ply and the back and one side will be 1/2 inch plywood. the front and the other side will be 3/8 inch glass. the external dimensions of the tank will be 76 inches long 36 inches wide and 29 inches tall. there will also be a 12 inch tall hood/above tank basking area for my western painted turtle. the inside dimensions will be 72 inches long 32 inchs wide and the water level will be 26 inchs high. the stand is also 29 inches tall and will be doubling as a dresser since this tank will be in my bedroom. i will be using "MAX ACR epoxy and fiberglass cloth to water proof the tank.

for decor i will have a large drift wood stump that i found in a local river it has been drying out for about a month now and i will be dumping boiling water over it and it will soak in the tank for the entire fishless cycle. i will also have another smaller driftwood stump that i had in my last tank along with some rock piles. i will also be using tan pool filter sand for substrate. the background will be a custom foam and drylock rock wall that will consist of lots of overhangs and caves.

stock list will be:
1x tiger oscar
1x salvini
1x green terror
2x nic
2-4x fire mouth
5x bala shark

so far the i have the stand framed out and im about to start on the drawers.

so on with the pics.

drift wood

background i am going to try and recreate

tank

stand
 
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#27 ·
"well got some more work done on the stand today. i have all the rails installed for the drawers and have all the material except the bottoms cut and routered so i am ready for more pocket holes and assembly. in the pics you will notice there is a large space behind the drawers this is for the sump which will run the whole length of the stand"

stated in an earlier post

nice work :thumb:
 
#28 ·
like fusion posted the drawers only go half the stand width. also there are no horizontal bars between the drawers so to access the whole sump all i have to do is remove the drawers. also the side of the tank will have a door on it so i can access the end of the sump that will house the mecanical filtration. more to come.

also this stand is also a dresser that is what all the drawers are for
 
#29 ·
well the stand is done except the sheeting and the sump door. i ended up coating the whole stand in sanding sealer because i had it on hand. i did a water test on it and the water just beads up on the surface of the wood so i think it will work. i also got the wiring done so i have a 2 gang box mounted into the stand that is connected to a switch so when i do tank maintenance i just have to flip the switch and it kills the heaters and the pump. also i used a gfi plug on it so my tank will be gfi protected.

so after finishing the stand i started cutting the wood for the tank frame. all was well until i started dry fitting the parts and realized all of my boards for the tank sides were 3 inches too short. turns out when i was designing the tank my original plan was to butt joint the corners but after some though i decided a mitered corner would be better both in looks and strength. well when i made my cut list i made it before i changed my mind. so all is on hold till i go to the store and buy more wood. i will start drilling all my pocket holes though in the mean time.
 
#34 ·
rotccapt said:
well so far i have spent around $200. my glass will be around $200, i have one more trip for more wood which will be $100-$150 and then my epoxy and fiberglass will be around $150 so for the tank itself my guess will be 7 to 8 hundred
Wow....that is a very affordable. Does that include all the hardware, drawer pullout rails, knobs, etc?
 
#38 ·
yea i probobly could but i already have two 300 watt heaters from my 120 that are not in use so i will be using them. also for now i will be using a quiet one 4000 to get the tank started then upgrade to a mag 18 once the tank is up and running. for media i am toying with using Poret foam found here *Vendor Link Removed*
 
#40 ·
the tank will have CA cichlids and the tank will be going in my bedroom. my stock list is
1x tiger oscar
1x salvini
1x green terror
1x jack dempsey
3x nic
4x fire mouth

the tank and stand are 36 inches wide but only 29 inches tall so when put on its side it will go through the door. the tank and stand will clear the bedroom door by 1/2 inch
 
#43 ·
Oic. How do u know it won't buckle under pressure specially it being 29" high?
Why also use 1/2" when 3/4" sound Iike a better option?

Thanks just trying to get the logic behind your decisions for future project.
 
#44 ·
well the water height will be 27 inches. also i have been looking at other tanks that are bigger than mine that used just a 2x4 frame for the front. also i chose the 1/2 inch ply because i was watching another tank which was 400 gallons that was built using 1/2 inch osb and a 2x4 frame so i figure that my tank should be fine
 
#45 ·
Ok.
I've seen 2/4" used on front frames but the 4" were the one sitting on the bottom ply not the 2".
I just hope it all goes well for you after you put all the hard work. You are obviously a skilled and know your way with carpentry.
There was a member who did the same thing with the 2/4" and everyone was advising him to to it the other way. He didn't listen and after the fill up he was supposed to update and was never heard of again. Lol
We can only assume that it didn't go as he hoped or planned.

Good luck with the built and just try to keep an open mind when it comes to experience members giving advises. Not from me obviously as im waiting to see this tank progress.
 
#46 ·
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
 
#47 ·
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
 
#50 ·
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.
 
#51 ·
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

 
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