700 + Aquarium Build

[arl]

My wife didn't like the looks of the lower water level fish tank so I have to bring it up by about 2". It's agood thing that my water level is easily adjustable just a mater of making my plug hole bigger and smaller. The problem that I had though is my top return pipes, I added(lowered) them so that there wouldn't be any splashes, and now that I want it high again the return pipe sticks about 2" into the water and she also doesnt like the looks of a pipe sticking in the water. Had a terrible time cutting those pipe!!!.

 

[arl]

Took some pic of my sump with my mangrove. They haven't grabbed the substrates yet.

Will be adding some floating plants in there but its winter here right now so it will be expensive to get them I'll just wait till spring

 

[noiesmo]

Excellent tank arl,

I am about to build a 10ft x 4ft x 2.5ft tank myself and until I seen this post was going to use glass. But I like what you've done and I think I will follow a similar construction method to yours. My main concern is the seal between the front glass and the rest of the unit. How did you do the front glass frame work and seal it to the rest of the unit?

Thanks in advance

Noiesmo

 

[noiesmo]

My main concern is the seal between the front glass and the rest of the unit. How did you do the front glass frame work and seal it to the rest of the unit?

It's all good I found a few other forum posts and howto's and cleared up how to seal it.

 

[noiesmo]

This is my first post in this forum but I've been lurking around for quite a while now. I'm on my 10th week or so in my fishtank building and it's still far from getting done. Size is 8L 4W 3H. Here's some pic on the first 2 weekends of work.

arl

what size timber did you use for the frame around plywood?

noiesmo

 

[arl]

Excellent tank arl,

I am about to build a 10ft x 4ft x 2.5ft tank myself and until I seen this post was going to use glass. But I like what you've done and I think I will follow a similar construction method to yours. My main concern is the seal between the front glass and the rest of the unit. How did you do the front glass frame work and seal it to the rest of the unit?

Thanks in advance

Noiesmo

I sealed the glass the same way I did in sealing the "connects" of the abs sheets, Goop-tilting method. I sunk in the glass by 3" into the tank and put 2X3 to hold the glass from the outward force/weight of the water. The glass is embeded into the abs sheet so there is no contact to the plywood. I also did not goop or stick the glass to the 2X3 around it. The idea here is to have your seal(abs sheet) including the glass not stick to the wood so that even if the wood warps it does not affect much your inner seal. And thinking that an abs sheet is rollable to even 6" diameter rolls the wood can warp as much as it wants to and the sheet will just sway with it, witch is not the case for fiber glass of epoxy.

 

[arl]

I've also read that plywood tank will usually lick if it is moved. I have tilted this tank a lot of times when I was building it and when we lifted it up to the stand we have to tilt it to an awkward position that its weight sat on one corner of the tank for a few minutes while we figure out how to squeeze it in. This tank went through a lot of stress, and I don't mean to rub it in but this thank did not have any single leak whatsoever.... not on the seals, not on the cheap couplings that I used instead of bulk heads.

 

[arl]

arl

what size timber did you use for the frame around plywood?

noiesmo

The frame are 2X4's, if space is not an isue I will have all those frame standing up. Mine is lying down on side tank because of space limit(I don't wanna cut my 8' ) the back are all standing up 2X4's. On the top put a 2X6 around it, that will be on top of the 2X4's and olso some cross beams.

 

[noiesmo]

Hey arl

Thanks for the information, I am making some calls over the next few days to source abs sheets and plywood etc. Once I get started, I'll start a thread detailing my progress etc..

Pictures of my brick stand.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/41626/cat/501

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/41627/cat/501

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/41628/cat/501


I had a termite problem in the room hence the bad walls

 

[portabuddy]

hmmm i like it. esp. thr background. im building a big tank soon enough also and i really dont like sanitrad pondarmor or dryloc. but i like the abs. i was going to use just a 1/16th sheet of abrylic but i think that the abs is more fogiveing how dose it react to mythalinechloride?