4300 Gallon Plywood Build (3600+ Take 2)

CJH · Nov 26, 2009

CJH;3653697; said:
15 years ago cinder block construction was cheaper than 2x6 + 3/4" AC plywood. Cheaper for just the basic shell and that includes filling every other column of block. That price comparison does not include sealing -- cinder block is more expensive to seal due to the textured surface. My best guess is that plywood builds ended up being cheaper overall back then due to the smoother surface of the plywood.

As far as prices today, I believe concrete prices have gone up more than lumber prices.

I didn't mention that this price comparison included 2x6's at 12" on center instead of the regular 16". I think that is the spacing that AnythingFish used on one or more of his monster builds.

I'd be curious to hear if anyone has done a similar price comparison recently.

Open Water Predator · Nov 26, 2009

CJH;3653697; said:
Thought I'd chime in here since I have built and demolished both.

I found concrete block to be much more time consuming that regular 2x4 or 2x6 and plywood builds. Even when I had the budget for a professional block layer to come in I often found it took longer to get structures built vs. framing it myself. When I did the block work myself, forget about it... I was way slower. Never did get the hang of it.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It gives more to think about should I ever have the circumstances to build my dream enclosure.

nolapete · Nov 26, 2009

CJH;3653764; said:
I'm fairly certain I could build a block tank that would hold water but I would not want to go through that again. Also, a lumber built tank would be easier to tie into an existing wall like you did with your build and I would like to do in my garage.

How did you attach the bottom row of lumber to your floor?

Pretty sure we used expansion bolts every 12" or so and then tied the floor "joists" into the verticals so the pressure at the bottom of the tank was distributed to the joists instead of the bolts.

I didn't. I wanted the tank to be able to settle without ripping up the slab. It's tied in on the front by screwing into an existing 2x4 that had bolts in the slab from the original construction. The floor of the tank is tied into the walls with the tabs I put, since I couldn't build the floor first with the acrylic in the way.

nolapete · Nov 27, 2009

Bought the rest of the lumber I needed to work on the floor framing. I should finish that up tomorrow. May go the the plywood and start working on that. Need 12 sheets. I'm going to spend the little extra and get the tongue and groove for 6 of them that I can make use of it on.

Roommate hooked me up with a piece of surgical tubing, so I was able to make the caulking tip extension I need to backfill the front seal. She also offered to help out and be my eyes from the other side of the tank to tell me when the gap is filled.

The back seal is going to be the the primary, so I'm not concerned about the front not being contiguous at all. It's pretty much only to cushion the acrylic rather than make it water tight. The edge/middle seal is contiguous and the back will be flush with the plywood and acrylic filling the gap between the two.

TerrorMan#2 · Nov 27, 2009

Dude, that tank is BEAST! Are you going to swim with your fishes? :nilly:

greengiant · Nov 28, 2009

so the roomy helped out. great to here!! everyone loves the finished product but many are annoyed by a small amount of discomfort. if she realizes that helping to get it done means life goes back to normal once its done they would help alot more often. oh well until we reach a Perfect world we will have to negotiate with people that doen't understand us.

larryluvfish · Nov 28, 2009

nolapete;3655896; said:
Bought the rest of the lumber I needed to work on the floor framing. I should finish that up tomorrow. May go the the plywood and start working on that. Need 12 sheets. I'm going to spend the little extra and get the tongue and groove for 6 of them that I can make use of it on.

Roommate hooked me up with a piece of surgical tubing, so I was able to make the caulking tip extension I need to backfill the front seal. She also offered to help out and be my eyes from the other side of the tank to tell me when the gap is filled.

The back seal is going to be the the primary, so I'm not concerned about the front not being contiguous at all. It's pretty much only to cushion the acrylic rather than make it water tight. The edge/middle seal is contiguous and the back will be flush with the plywood and acrylic filling the gap between the two.

Sh*ttt, you finally got her to help a littlle bit. :ROFL: