just wanted to welcome myself to the community, and kind of start my own little project.
anyways my plans are to build a large aquarium in the neighborhood of about 1200 gallons.
interior dimensions of the tank will be about 9.5' wide x 5' tall x 3.5' deep
i don;t have a basement like everyone else that has attempted to build something like this. so my attempt will be in the garage. but where it gets good is that i plan to take out the wall that divides the garage from the rest of the house in my case, kitchen and front living room/pool table room. and from the house it will look like we have a wall fish tank. the garage will be closed in for a small theater room (its a single car). i plan on doing what similar set up of other plywood constructed tanks, with one side glass (to the living areas), which makes sense for me since a theater room needs to be dark.
i kind of didn;t want to post early like some others and say im doing a tank and wait a few months. so right now as it stands i'm in the early planning stages of construction. my coworker which does our customers acads is nearly freed up and will soon be getting me a full set of details. that way we can plan the construction as everyone else has. i don;t see that taking more than 2 weeks. which is good cause i have another project i need to finish (master bath).
so if those of you out there that have posted your entries, you may see alot of your ideas going into my project.
as far as material... i allready have the glass... i went with a 3/4 acrylic and its dimensions are 100" x 60"... and some leftovers in the sixes of (2) 6" x 60" and (2) 4" x 60" which i originally didn;t know if i was going with 2x4 or 2x6 construction so when i ordered the glass i told them to cut the remaining 20" glass to match either a 2x4 or 2x6. and those spare pieces will be used as a center bracing for the glass to help reduce bowing. anyways we'll get to that when we get to that.
so after discussion with my superintendent i decided to go with 2x6 construction, 3/4 plywood to match the thickness in the glass. cause i have a different plan of attack on the glass than that of what i have seen. i plan on framing that glass in a casing that should have a proper seal. and then all i have to do is water proof the frame the same way that im waterproofing the entire plywood wall structure. which is fiberglass and an epoxy resin.
there seems to be many alternatives to sealing a tank of this size but what i looked for was strength, thickness and longevity. i don;t want to have to worry about it for a long time. i also thought about flexibility, and i am a big believer in having a product that can adjust for settling, you know something that has a little give. so i looked into rubber paint that was marine friendly, but i couldn;t find me a manufacturer that would give me the guarantee that their product was fish safe. alot of them just never responded. One of them literally replied saying i won for the most unusual request of thier product to be used:
"We have decided you win this weeks prize for new ways Liquid Rubber can be used. We know it adheres well to wood because we have tested it on the wood pilings at my dock for several years as a bumper for boats to rest against.
We have no clue regarding the release of toxins into the water with long term exposure as that is not something we can test. We do know that once Liquid rubber cures completely (about 6-7 days) it will hold up to salt water and sun for years without any deterioration I.a. peeling or cracking.
I hope this info helps."
it didn;t....
and then other products that they use for ponds like paints i thought would go on too thin, and there were other products that came in too small of quantities to cover the area i needed so they got expensive...
anyways epoxy resin that is fish and aquarium safe was what i decided cause the cost wasn;t too bad for the strength.
my subfloor will consist of what i estimate to be 44 garden post legs which should be more than enough for that amount of compression.
i'm using mainly hex bolts, and bolts for structure and screws only on the plywood to hold the walls up
waterproof glue that is potable water and food safe (like butcher block). not that the water should make contact but nice to know.
what i have:
1. Glass (3/4" x 100" x 60")
2. Lumber (plywood, 2x6's, 4x4's, garden posts)
3. Various sizes in nuts, bolts, washers, hex bolts, and angle braces.
4. Wood Glue.
5. Pump and filter (which isn't enough water flow so i need another pump)
What i lack:
1. Fiberglass cloth (ebay)
2. Epoxy resin (ebay)
3. Fish safe silicone (ebay)
4. Lighting set up (ebay)
5. Piping for filters & pumps
anyways i guess as soon as i figure out how to post a picture i will be more than happy to start showing you guys pics of the proposed wall and materials.
anyways my plans are to build a large aquarium in the neighborhood of about 1200 gallons.
interior dimensions of the tank will be about 9.5' wide x 5' tall x 3.5' deep
i don;t have a basement like everyone else that has attempted to build something like this. so my attempt will be in the garage. but where it gets good is that i plan to take out the wall that divides the garage from the rest of the house in my case, kitchen and front living room/pool table room. and from the house it will look like we have a wall fish tank. the garage will be closed in for a small theater room (its a single car). i plan on doing what similar set up of other plywood constructed tanks, with one side glass (to the living areas), which makes sense for me since a theater room needs to be dark.
i kind of didn;t want to post early like some others and say im doing a tank and wait a few months. so right now as it stands i'm in the early planning stages of construction. my coworker which does our customers acads is nearly freed up and will soon be getting me a full set of details. that way we can plan the construction as everyone else has. i don;t see that taking more than 2 weeks. which is good cause i have another project i need to finish (master bath).
so if those of you out there that have posted your entries, you may see alot of your ideas going into my project.
as far as material... i allready have the glass... i went with a 3/4 acrylic and its dimensions are 100" x 60"... and some leftovers in the sixes of (2) 6" x 60" and (2) 4" x 60" which i originally didn;t know if i was going with 2x4 or 2x6 construction so when i ordered the glass i told them to cut the remaining 20" glass to match either a 2x4 or 2x6. and those spare pieces will be used as a center bracing for the glass to help reduce bowing. anyways we'll get to that when we get to that.
so after discussion with my superintendent i decided to go with 2x6 construction, 3/4 plywood to match the thickness in the glass. cause i have a different plan of attack on the glass than that of what i have seen. i plan on framing that glass in a casing that should have a proper seal. and then all i have to do is water proof the frame the same way that im waterproofing the entire plywood wall structure. which is fiberglass and an epoxy resin.
there seems to be many alternatives to sealing a tank of this size but what i looked for was strength, thickness and longevity. i don;t want to have to worry about it for a long time. i also thought about flexibility, and i am a big believer in having a product that can adjust for settling, you know something that has a little give. so i looked into rubber paint that was marine friendly, but i couldn;t find me a manufacturer that would give me the guarantee that their product was fish safe. alot of them just never responded. One of them literally replied saying i won for the most unusual request of thier product to be used:
"We have decided you win this weeks prize for new ways Liquid Rubber can be used. We know it adheres well to wood because we have tested it on the wood pilings at my dock for several years as a bumper for boats to rest against.
We have no clue regarding the release of toxins into the water with long term exposure as that is not something we can test. We do know that once Liquid rubber cures completely (about 6-7 days) it will hold up to salt water and sun for years without any deterioration I.a. peeling or cracking.
I hope this info helps."
it didn;t....
and then other products that they use for ponds like paints i thought would go on too thin, and there were other products that came in too small of quantities to cover the area i needed so they got expensive...
anyways epoxy resin that is fish and aquarium safe was what i decided cause the cost wasn;t too bad for the strength.
my subfloor will consist of what i estimate to be 44 garden post legs which should be more than enough for that amount of compression.
i'm using mainly hex bolts, and bolts for structure and screws only on the plywood to hold the walls up
waterproof glue that is potable water and food safe (like butcher block). not that the water should make contact but nice to know.
what i have:
1. Glass (3/4" x 100" x 60")
2. Lumber (plywood, 2x6's, 4x4's, garden posts)
3. Various sizes in nuts, bolts, washers, hex bolts, and angle braces.
4. Wood Glue.
5. Pump and filter (which isn't enough water flow so i need another pump)
What i lack:
1. Fiberglass cloth (ebay)
2. Epoxy resin (ebay)
3. Fish safe silicone (ebay)
4. Lighting set up (ebay)
5. Piping for filters & pumps
anyways i guess as soon as i figure out how to post a picture i will be more than happy to start showing you guys pics of the proposed wall and materials.
