Pentair vs Plywood

[M@T!@$]

I have been looking into the pentair fiberglass tanks and have been thinking of getting either the 600 gallon or 720, $2,000 isn't all that bad, does anyone own these tanks? Good or bad results. Would building a plywood tank of the same footprint be cheaper, of course the labour is something to put into account

Thanks

 

[SandNukka15]

I have a 270 and 600 from them......problem with plywood tanks is u can't be 100 percent sure it will hold water when u are done also weight a lot more.....once u make a huge one that's it there's no moving it......pentair fiberglass tanks are light

Considering ur 14 is this a hypothetical question?.......are u actually going to buy one?....will ur parents let u

 

[Def Leppard Hysteria]

I have been looking into the pentair fiberglass tanks and have been thinking of getting either the 600 gallon or 720, $2,000 isn't all that bad, does anyone own these tanks? Good or bad results. Would building a plywood tank of the same footprint be cheaper, of course the labour is something to put into account

Thanks

We have the 600 gallon Pentair fiberglass tank with viewing window. We needed something large to house our Fly River Turtle that we've had for 16 years. The 720 gallon would have been the other option, had we had a walkout basement, but the 36" height made it impossible to get through the doorways of our house. I will say, the fiberglass tank isn't going to win any beauty contests, that's for sure. And, the viewing window isn't the same as having an almost entire sheet of glass on front of a regular aquarium. But, for our needs, it worked out perfect.

Could you build a plywood tank for less money? From what I've read, probably. But, I didn't want to take a chance on having something I've never built before, potentially leak. We've dealt with 2 major tank leaks in the last 2.5 years and it's something I'd really, really like to never have to go through again. If you feel comfortable building a plywood tank, I'd at least put together a list of materials needed to make the plywood tank and compare the cost of buying the fiberglass tank. Of course, you have to factor in the time it will take you to build the tank yourself. Lots of people on here are really creative and talented and enjoy building their own tanks.

Good luck with whichever direction you decide to go with.

 

[SandNukka15]

We have the 600 gallon Pentair fiberglass tank with viewing window. We needed something large to house our Fly River Turtle that we've had for 16 years. The 720 gallon would have been the other option, had we had a walkout basement, but the 36" height made it impossible to get through the doorways of our house. I will say, the fiberglass tank isn't going to win any beauty contests, that's for sure. And, the viewing window isn't the same as having an almost entire sheet of glass on front of a regular aquarium. But, for our needs, it worked out perfect.

Could you build a plywood tank for less money? From what I've read, probably. But, I didn't want to take a chance on having something I've never built before, potentially leak. We've dealt with 2 major tank leaks in the last 2.5 years and it's something I'd really, really like to never have to go through again. If you feel comfortable building a plywood tank, I'd at least put together a list of materials needed to make the plywood tank and compare the cost of buying the fiberglass tank. Of course, you have to factor in the time it will take you to build the tank yourself. Lots of people on here are really creative and talented and enjoy building their own tanks.

Good luck with whichever direction you decide to go with.

View attachment 1176165

What bit did u use to drill it?.....did u drill from inside out ? Or back and forth?......I'm afraid of cracking it

 

[Def Leppard Hysteria]

What bit did u use to drill it?.....did u drill from inside out ? Or back and forth?......I'm afraid of cracking it

What bit did u use to drill it?.....did u drill from inside out ? Or back and forth?......I'm afraid of cracking it

Oh, trust me. I was sweating the first drill of the tank for sure. I used a couple of different sizes of hole saws with arbors, such as this one here in the link.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_348140-28303-1772954___?productId=3361288&pl=1&Ntt=lenox+hole+saws

I drilled from the outside in to start with. Used very little pressure, but had the drill on high speed. Let the hole saw do the work. The fiberglass is not as thick as it looks (at least it didn't seem that way to me). I also backed up my drilling on the opposite side by using a 2 x 6 piece of lumber. Using the hole saw with the arbor made the drilling much easier. It was easier to get the hole started, and then when I went to the inside to complete the drilling process, the guide hole was already made (so I knew exactly where to position the hole saw). So, in conclusion...I drilled from the outside first, until about 1/2 way through or so. Then, finished by drilling from the inside out. I couldn't make cleaner hole saw cuts on regular lumber, they turned out that well.

 

[SandNukka15]

Oh, trust me. I was sweating the first drill of the tank for sure. I used a couple of different sizes of hole saws with arbors, such as this one here in the link.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_348140-28303-1772954___?productId=3361288&pl=1&Ntt=lenox+hole+saws

I drilled from the outside in to start with. Used very little pressure, but had the drill on high speed. Let the hole saw do the work. The fiberglass is not as thick as it looks (at least it didn't seem that way to me). I also backed up my drilling on the opposite side by using a 2 x 6 piece of lumber. Using the hole saw with the arbor made the drilling much easier. It was easier to get the hole started, and then when I went to the inside to complete the drilling process, the guide hole was already made (so I knew exactly where to position the hole saw). So, in conclusion...I drilled from the outside first, until about 1/2 way through or so. Then, finished by drilling from the inside out. I couldn't make cleaner hole saw cuts on regular lumber, they turned out that well.

Did u use a smaller drill bit to make a pivot hole?.......

Tanks a filled so Idk if it would make a diff of I drill them with the water half full

 

[wednesday13]

Did u use a smaller drill bit to make a pivot hole?.......

Tanks a filled so Idk if it would make a diff of I drill them with the water half full

the 1/4" guide bit in the hole saw will make the initial hole for u... no pivot hole is needed... its alot harder to use the hole saw bits without the guide bit, they slide all over the place lol...

 

[monkeybike]

Are the viewing windows slanted like the sides or are they mounted vertical like a regular aquarium?

 

[M@T!@$]

We have the 600 gallon Pentair fiberglass tank with viewing window. We needed something large to house our Fly River Turtle that we've had for 16 years. The 720 gallon would have been the other option, had we had a walkout basement, but the 36" height made it impossible to get through the doorways of our house. I will say, the fiberglass tank isn't going to win any beauty contests, that's for sure. And, the viewing window isn't the same as having an almost entire sheet of glass on front of a regular aquarium. But, for our needs, it worked out perfect.

Could you build a plywood tank for less money? From what I've read, probably. But, I didn't want to take a chance on having something I've never built before, potentially leak. We've dealt with 2 major tank leaks in the last 2.5 years and it's something I'd really, really like to never have to go through again. If you feel comfortable building a plywood tank, I'd at least put together a list of materials needed to make the plywood tank and compare the cost of buying the fiberglass tank. Of course, you have to factor in the time it will take you to build the tank yourself. Lots of people on here are really creative and talented and enjoy building their own tanks.

Good luck with whichever direction you decide to go with.

View attachment 1176165[/QUOTE

I have a 270 and 600 from them......problem with plywood tanks is u can't be 100 percent sure it will hold water when u are done also weight a lot more.....once u make a huge one that's it there's no moving it......pentair fiberglass tanks are light

Considering ur 14 is this a hypothetical question?.......are u actually going to buy one?....will ur parents let u

yes actually, I just bought myself a 240 gallon tank in which I have set up my fish room ", from then on I have made some investments and I buy-fix up-sell bikes so I do have some up for sale, so yes it is possible to purchase one.

Thanks for the info, I will be looking into these

 

[SandNukka15]

Are the viewing windows slanted like the sides or are they mounted vertical like a regular aquarium?

Nothing is slanted....