hello my name is Andrew, i am new here, this is my first forum site. i was wanting to see what you all would recommend for a 75 gallon plywood tank. I'm looking to build two to replace my 65 and 55 tanks i currently have. I'm going with plywood because it is cheaper and more available to me. what kind of plywood would you recommend? and for viewing panels would you go glass of something else? I'm looking to make my living room more symmetrical. Thank you in advance for any feedback you may offer.
75 gallon plywood tank
- Thread starter arankin
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- plywood aquarium
Welcome to the forum. 1/2-3/4in plywood will work. Glass 3/8-1/2in will work. Also glass will adhere better to sealing agent much easier than acrylic.
I recommend going with standard glass 75s instead of taking on plywood for this. I believe plywood would actually be more expensive as standard 75s can be found pretty cheap, as well as much more work.
Plywood builds become a better option when youre looking to build larger than 300 gallons, when the cost of thick acrylic or glass becomes prohibitive.
If you are looking to get into tankbuilding, ordering 3/8" glass cut to size would be an easier, more reliable, and probably more cost efficient way to build tanks that size.
I agree with this. After wood, glass, epoxy, screws, labor a standard 75g tank or two will be cheaper. Like @Backfromthedead said if you were talking 300g+ then plywood will be cheaper.
What wood would you recommend? I know mdf sucks for anything with water. Not sure what to go with.
I'm not super worried about price. I have a plan for my livingroom and I'm going to build an entertainment center kind of thing and just thought about doing plywood tanks to match the esthetic of the room. Going for the old style study look and dont want the tanks to stand out against the surroundings.
I know what you mean. I built a similar type of thing a couple years back.
I would still urge you to explore your options though. Ive seen some cool builds where the tank is just wrapped in wood around the edges to give it a classy look.
Still would be much easier than a plywood build. Im thinking of doing something similar for my next build for a rimless tank coffee table type thing.
Totally not trying to discourage you btw, im just saying i wouldn't go plywood again unless i was going very very big.
I haven't seen any tanks wrapped like that. That is actually a very beautiful idea. I may explore more before I go for it. But that tank wrapped looks very nice and would still match the cabinet I'm going to build! Thank you for showing me that.!
Coincidentally, I just built a 70gallon (48 x 18 x 18) plywood recently, but only because I had some scraps of plywood and a sheet of glass already on hand. I normally would not suggest anything smaller than a 120gallon plywood tank; that's a size that is easy to build using one 4x8 sheet of plywood with almost no waste. And even then you aren't saving any money; as others have suggested, 300+ is where the financial benefits of plywood really start to kick in.
You want 3/4-inch plywood, with good-one-side being the minimum quality. That good side goes on the inside; if you want to finish the exterior (rather than building it in or applying some sort of covering) then you might want to go with good-both-sides. Don't even consider MDF! 3/8 glass is probably fine, but being a belt-and-suspenders guy I always upsize to 1/2inch. Lots of threads to read here and elsewhere, lots of helpful tips to glean. If you go with 75gallon, or even up to 120 (or any size that is not in excess of 24 inches deep), then don't go crazy with structure; a simple box of 3/4 plywood glued and screwed together is perfectly adequate. Yes, water is heavy and applies pressure...but you're building an aquarium, not a prison for the Hulk. Not a difficult task, very satisfying when completed.
When your tanks are going into a living room setting, rather than a basement fishroom, the peace of mind you get from a solid wood tank compared to an all-glass is very comforting. All-glass tanks do occasionally just let go; doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Plywood tanks might have a slow, fixable leak, but are much less likely to experience that kind of catastrophic failure.
You want 3/4-inch plywood, with good-one-side being the minimum quality. That good side goes on the inside; if you want to finish the exterior (rather than building it in or applying some sort of covering) then you might want to go with good-both-sides. Don't even consider MDF! 3/8 glass is probably fine, but being a belt-and-suspenders guy I always upsize to 1/2inch. Lots of threads to read here and elsewhere, lots of helpful tips to glean. If you go with 75gallon, or even up to 120 (or any size that is not in excess of 24 inches deep), then don't go crazy with structure; a simple box of 3/4 plywood glued and screwed together is perfectly adequate. Yes, water is heavy and applies pressure...but you're building an aquarium, not a prison for the Hulk. Not a difficult task, very satisfying when completed.
When your tanks are going into a living room setting, rather than a basement fishroom, the peace of mind you get from a solid wood tank compared to an all-glass is very comforting. All-glass tanks do occasionally just let go; doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Plywood tanks might have a slow, fixable leak, but are much less likely to experience that kind of catastrophic failure.