206G Plywood Tank...Done - Part1

Buckdog

Candiru
MFK Member
Jun 2, 2007
476
8
48
So.Cal. - Inland
Hey everyone,
Well it's done, finally. It's been a long build but we got this far.

This build is different from most. The concept and construction went against what I think most plywood builders would do. We wanted to do something to prove we could do it and I think we succeeded. The thing held water yesterday so that says something.

I wanted a tank that was fairly deep because I wanted it to show off the ornamentation I planned to put in it. In other words, the fish will just accent the tank, not be the main attraction which is usually the case.The dimensions ended up being 60" x 30" x 26". Works out to about 206G gal. The biggest challenge was making all the windows as large as possible while keeping the tank structurally sound.

In researching the coating I had the great fortune to find a place not far from home that made their own line of polymers - Polymer Composites in Ontario, CA. Come to find out the have an aerospace grade epoxy specifically made for aquariums. I got together with the folks there and liked what they had. We agreed that I would build the tank and they would sponsor the coating and glassing. No way I was gonna pass that up.

We took literally hundreds of photos, most of which will be used for their promotional purposes. I will post the project in steps with just enough photos for explanation.

I'd like to thank Gerald, "D", Gina and all the folks at Polymer Composites.
It was fun!
http://cgi.ebay.com/EPOXY-RESIN-AQU...ryZ66914QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The first pic is a mock up of the tank with some old foam core board I had.

Mockup1.JPG

Pic2.JPG

Pic3.JPG

Pic4.JPG

Pic7.JPG
 

Buckdog

Candiru
MFK Member
Jun 2, 2007
476
8
48
So.Cal. - Inland
During the construction of the tank I didnt use any wood glue. We wanted to bond the tank with a thick version of the aquarium epoxy. When I got the tank to the shop I had to completely disassemble it, butter it up with epoxy and put it back together again.
The screws were "wet driven'" back into the wood. It's an old aerospace trick where you dip the fastener into epoxy and drive it back into the wood.

Pic1.JPG

Pic1 (1).JPG
 

unprofessional

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2007
37
0
6
Michigan
Very interesting - I look forward to seeing the rest.

If you don't mind, could you post the final costs of the project?
 

King Edward

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nice...that epoxy is a little cheaper than pond armour, lol. Does it stink while you mixing it?
 

spiff

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2007
749
0
0
midwest
[

.The dimensions ended up being 60" x 30" x 26". Works out to about 206G gal.


that looks closer to 40 gal
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store