Hey guys!
Just to give you fair warning this post is going to be a bit pic heavy but I'll try to keep the amount of reading to a minimum for ya
A couple of months ago I found a cracked 150 gallon tank on Craigslist for a steal. I was already planning on building a plywood tank so I started to wonder if I'd be able to seal the tank and brace the back wall with plywood. For a $50 tank, spare plywood, a bit of flex seal, and a few hours of work I figured worst case scenario my boa gets a kick-ass setup for pretty cheap if it wouldn't be able to serve me as a growout system for some of my monsters.
After planning my attack I had decided my best option was to first silicone the cracks both inside and outside of the tank using clear GE silicon. After I did this I used liquid flex seal and painted the entire back panel inside and out. After this I applied flex seal tape to the seams of the cracks along the back of the tank. No way in hell this thing was leaking. After that my only worry was bracing the tank.
In order to brace the tank I took 3 panels of 3/4" birch plywood and coated them with liquid flex seal. Once the panels had dried I siliconed them in place to the back of the tank. I then cut two more pieces of plywood to place over the seams of the braces to help disperse the pressure over the entire back panel of newly placed plywood. I then siliconed all edges of the plywood. No edge of the plywood was left unsealed.
Filled it up and let it sit in the garage for about a week. No leaks and held up great. Emptied it and refilled it a couple times to make sure it would hold. No problems at all.
I was good to set the tank up.
Here's a list of equipment on the tank:
Largest size sunsun cannister
2x300w heaters
Hydor koralia 1500
Imaginarium 100+ gallon air pump
DIY LED lighting (based on the build by the king himself, UaruJoey)
Unknown brand grow light designed for hydroponics I got from work
Filter was setup with pre seeded media (lava rock). Currently the filter Intake sits below a platform in the overflow box loaded with more seeded lava rock. Eventually I'll add a sump in order to bump up filtration a bit more. For now this setup is doing an excellent job paired with weekly ~50% water changes.
Current Stock:
1x Henlei x BD/Leo hybrid ray (~6" disc)
1x Silver Aro (7")
2x Angels (~4" dorsal tip to anal tip)
1x Flagtail Prochilodus (~3")
I had been waiting for gunk on the Driftwood to die off before tying on Christmas Moss and some anubias
Considering adding either a large school of tetras to liven things up or a group of Geo. balzanii
Let me know what you guys think!
Constructive criticism is always welcomed and I'm always open to answering any questions!
Just to give you fair warning this post is going to be a bit pic heavy but I'll try to keep the amount of reading to a minimum for ya
A couple of months ago I found a cracked 150 gallon tank on Craigslist for a steal. I was already planning on building a plywood tank so I started to wonder if I'd be able to seal the tank and brace the back wall with plywood. For a $50 tank, spare plywood, a bit of flex seal, and a few hours of work I figured worst case scenario my boa gets a kick-ass setup for pretty cheap if it wouldn't be able to serve me as a growout system for some of my monsters.
After planning my attack I had decided my best option was to first silicone the cracks both inside and outside of the tank using clear GE silicon. After I did this I used liquid flex seal and painted the entire back panel inside and out. After this I applied flex seal tape to the seams of the cracks along the back of the tank. No way in hell this thing was leaking. After that my only worry was bracing the tank.
In order to brace the tank I took 3 panels of 3/4" birch plywood and coated them with liquid flex seal. Once the panels had dried I siliconed them in place to the back of the tank. I then cut two more pieces of plywood to place over the seams of the braces to help disperse the pressure over the entire back panel of newly placed plywood. I then siliconed all edges of the plywood. No edge of the plywood was left unsealed.
Filled it up and let it sit in the garage for about a week. No leaks and held up great. Emptied it and refilled it a couple times to make sure it would hold. No problems at all.
I was good to set the tank up.
Here's a list of equipment on the tank:
Largest size sunsun cannister
2x300w heaters
Hydor koralia 1500
Imaginarium 100+ gallon air pump
DIY LED lighting (based on the build by the king himself, UaruJoey)
Unknown brand grow light designed for hydroponics I got from work
Filter was setup with pre seeded media (lava rock). Currently the filter Intake sits below a platform in the overflow box loaded with more seeded lava rock. Eventually I'll add a sump in order to bump up filtration a bit more. For now this setup is doing an excellent job paired with weekly ~50% water changes.
Current Stock:
1x Henlei x BD/Leo hybrid ray (~6" disc)
1x Silver Aro (7")
2x Angels (~4" dorsal tip to anal tip)
1x Flagtail Prochilodus (~3")
I had been waiting for gunk on the Driftwood to die off before tying on Christmas Moss and some anubias
Considering adding either a large school of tetras to liven things up or a group of Geo. balzanii
Let me know what you guys think!
Constructive criticism is always welcomed and I'm always open to answering any questions!
