18' x 9' x 3.5' catfish tank build in progress.....

[basslover34]

LOL That about sumps it up... I've spend over a year planning mine... but it'll get done and I'll enjoy it for far longer... the planning is fun though to...till you find those fatal flaws that make you scrap a design and start again

 

[Eric A]

I think weve seen more discussion about this tank now than the last week!

 

[nolapete]

I'm the same way. Lots of planning and changes along the way.

 

[necrocanis]

Yeah this tank has totally changed from when I first started designing and planning it about 2 years ago. I'll have to post up some of the origional sketches along with the finish product to show how it's changed. lol.

 

[nolapete]

I find it quite interesting to see the various different ways we come up with to reinvent the wheel of sorts. We're all just making a container to hold water, but look at the huge difference between your build and VLDesign's build. Both are amazing.

 

[necrocanis]

mine was basically designed with several factors in mind.

A) Has to house large catfish for life
B) Needs to cost less than $1 per gallon
C) Has to fit in my garage
D) Viewable from above and from the side.

I've realized a flaw in what's be accomplished already, and I must fix that before I seal the inside. I need to coat the underside of the tank with something. Right now it's just spray painted black. I wasn't really thinking it through too well before I put the plan into motion. Somehow I need to get the tank off the ground safely and spray the underside with varnish at least. Just to lock it in so that I don't get water damage underneath. I did a smart thing by putting studs under it to keep it off the ground completely, but I just don't think it's enough. If water were to get to the very center of the bottom it would be very hard for it to dry back out, and that would ultimately lead to failure. So I need to hoist it up and spray the bottom. Probably will have to come up with something fancy to hold it in place while being sprayed. Big tanks are a pain when making sure everything is just right.

Saving some money on the filter by using what I have already. Was going to have to build a filter from wood like the tank, but using what I have now will definitely help out.

 

[Knowdafish]

While you got it up put in a bottom drain unless you've already done it. I would insulate the bottom as well!

 

[necrocanis]

Bottom drain, and insulation will be tough since it's only 1.5" off the ground. There will be a drain the back that touches the bottom. If I put a bottom drain it will be really small. Like 1" or less in dia. If I insulated the bottom then moisture could get trapped underneath. Since there's no way I'm removing all the bottom studs it's staying like it is, but getting a nice coating underneath if I can get it off the ground.

 

[nolapete]

Check into Ames Prime&Paint product. It's designed for the cold, wet environment of Oregon. I'm going to use it to paint everything outside of my tank.

 

[necrocanis]

yeah, the money is not in the budget to do anything besides finish the tank right now. After I finish the tank I plan on finishing the garage lol. I will probably buy something like that or something similar. Gonna be a while though, but I'll try to get it done before winter sets back in. I keep the windows cracked most of the spring and summer in the garage. I have to go kinda cheap on whatever I'm gonna use on the bottom. If I have to save up another $100 it's not gonna get done for a long time.