Building a 1500 Gallon plywood & glass tank
- Thread starter VLDesign
- Start date
Updates:
2 x 3" bulkheads on order.
Soon as the Pond Armor gets here I can begin working with that. I will document that process as well.
I am actually back in the decision mode for glass or acrylic. The 300 pounds and the cost of the glass being near a grand has me thinking of going acrylic again.
Hopefully, I will have the pond armor going this weekend for more of an update. Other than that it's all waiting now.
2 x 3" bulkheads on order.
Soon as the Pond Armor gets here I can begin working with that. I will document that process as well.
I am actually back in the decision mode for glass or acrylic. The 300 pounds and the cost of the glass being near a grand has me thinking of going acrylic again.
Hopefully, I will have the pond armor going this weekend for more of an update. Other than that it's all waiting now.
I would not trust the linerxwindow seal either... Pondliner FTW! In addition to being made for tanks, being almost odorless, easy to work with, multi-colored, seamless, and WRINKLE FREE, pond armour is not as easily cut and does not have to be attached to the top edge of the tank.
Customer service from Pondarmour.com is top-notch also.
I do not see any reason to go with liner instead.. Pond liner costs a very similar amount of money, if not just a tad more and has all those pros above... It will also allow for a better seal for the window and creates less vulnerabilities with bulkheads and DOES NOT TEAR... I reiterate, I do not see any reason to go with a pond liner instead.
Customer service from Pondarmour.com is top-notch also.
I do not see any reason to go with liner instead.. Pond liner costs a very similar amount of money, if not just a tad more and has all those pros above... It will also allow for a better seal for the window and creates less vulnerabilities with bulkheads and DOES NOT TEAR... I reiterate, I do not see any reason to go with a pond liner instead.
For one reason, see MonsterFishResc's thread and the headaches he had. He says it was his own oversight, but if someone like him who pays so much attention to detail has problems with it that raises alarms for me.
Pond liners work quite well and if you saw my friend's 2 2600 gallon lined plywood tanks you'd agree. The one that is filled with hundreds of african cichlids has at least a ton of granite boulders (lots of jagged edges) in it piled 2 ft. high the length of the tank.
Pond liners work quite well and if you saw my friend's 2 2600 gallon lined plywood tanks you'd agree. The one that is filled with hundreds of african cichlids has at least a ton of granite boulders (lots of jagged edges) in it piled 2 ft. high the length of the tank.
Honestly, the only way that I would use liner for a tank would be to cover each piece of wood, put them together to form the box that is your tank, and seal the seams with seaming tape (made for attaching 2 pieces of pond liner together with a watertight seal). Even then I would not be completely confident with the seal of the front window. I do not like the idea of water pressure aiding in the sealing... What happens if for some reason you drain the tank down 75-90% (aka, waterchange, which would happen quite often) and the liner/silicone seal (which I may, at this point, point out does not stick to liner very well at all! it sticks to liner just about as good as it does to acrylic, suckishly) is stressed. Over time, if this draining keeps happening (which it will.. every week... over and over again) will it not stress the liner and the seal... a lot?
The pondarmour method, though you may need to touch up a few times (what is so hard about touchups? If it is within 72 hours just slather it on, otherwise throw in a quick sanding and repaint), is a much more sound way of defying conventional logic, containing water in wood.
Pros of Pond Armour over Liner:
-No wrinkles
-No achoring at the top of the tank
-No tears
-Comes in like 8 or 9 colors
-Less reliant on water pressure for front glass sealing
-Silicone sticks much better
-No edges to hide
-Easier in corners where there would be a huge flap of liner if using liner
-No little seams and gaps for fish crap and food to hide in/fish to get stuck in
-In the event of a leak you can drain the tank and apply some more pond armour
Cons of Pond Armour over Liner:
-More expensive, but only for the larger tanks (though, IMO, the price is definitely worth it)
-A little smelly at any temp(pond liner smells when warm though... building our pond in 102* weather made our whole backyard smell nasty for weeks)
-Must be warm as possible to be worked with easily
-Messy (can get everywhere)
-Sets up in an hour or so... You must work quickly
Pros of Liner:
-Cheaper (though with smaller tanks in the 350-1000g range or so, very similarly priced)
-No smell when cool (when warm, like I said, very nasty, yet harmless, smell)
-Never sets up and can always be worked with
-Work with in any temp
Cons of Liner:
-Wrinkles and BIG flaps of liner in the corners
-Must be anchored at the top of the tank
-Can tear
-Black black black! Only 1 color
-More reliant on water pressure for sealing window
-Silicone sticks totally suckishly
-Must hide the excess at the top of the tank
-Corners can be a PITA (the corners in our pond sure were!)
-Seams and gaps for fish crap and food to hide in/fish to get stuck in
-In the event of a leak you must drain the tank and either patch the hole (which can look funny and mismatched) or replace all the liner.
I tried to put as little bias as possible in those lists.. .but being a pond armour fan boy it was difficult. Feel free to add pros/cons of your own.
The pondarmour method, though you may need to touch up a few times (what is so hard about touchups? If it is within 72 hours just slather it on, otherwise throw in a quick sanding and repaint), is a much more sound way of defying conventional logic, containing water in wood.
Pros of Pond Armour over Liner:
-No wrinkles
-No achoring at the top of the tank
-No tears
-Comes in like 8 or 9 colors
-Less reliant on water pressure for front glass sealing
-Silicone sticks much better
-No edges to hide
-Easier in corners where there would be a huge flap of liner if using liner
-No little seams and gaps for fish crap and food to hide in/fish to get stuck in
-In the event of a leak you can drain the tank and apply some more pond armour
Cons of Pond Armour over Liner:
-More expensive, but only for the larger tanks (though, IMO, the price is definitely worth it)
-A little smelly at any temp(pond liner smells when warm though... building our pond in 102* weather made our whole backyard smell nasty for weeks)
-Must be warm as possible to be worked with easily
-Messy (can get everywhere)
-Sets up in an hour or so... You must work quickly
Pros of Liner:
-Cheaper (though with smaller tanks in the 350-1000g range or so, very similarly priced)
-No smell when cool (when warm, like I said, very nasty, yet harmless, smell)
-Never sets up and can always be worked with
-Work with in any temp
Cons of Liner:
-Wrinkles and BIG flaps of liner in the corners
-Must be anchored at the top of the tank
-Can tear
-Black black black! Only 1 color
-More reliant on water pressure for sealing window
-Silicone sticks totally suckishly
-Must hide the excess at the top of the tank
-Corners can be a PITA (the corners in our pond sure were!)
-Seams and gaps for fish crap and food to hide in/fish to get stuck in
-In the event of a leak you must drain the tank and either patch the hole (which can look funny and mismatched) or replace all the liner.
I tried to put as little bias as possible in those lists.. .but being a pond armour fan boy it was difficult. Feel free to add pros/cons of your own.
that link is referring to treated decking where humans would have direct contact with the wood. it IS building code to use treated wood when it is in direct contact with concrete.Gator;2766797; said:
quote from your link- "• Pressure-treated wood is intended for outdoor use and a few situations (such as sill plates) in home construction."
seems vl's sill plates aren't treated, and a major concern for longevity IMO.
another quote from the link- "Picnic tables made of pressure-treated wood are fine to use for the purpose they were intended... to serve food on (or play cards on), not to prepare food on! But can you count on this?"
so its ok to sit and eat off of pressure treated wood, but against code to use it in your home? that link is strictly to sell their decking, it holds no code values at all.
Lol, you appear to be a pond armor salesman.
See my thread in my signature for what my friend did with his and it has lasted many years of filling and draining.
I think pond armor is great for solid surfaces that don't flex or move. None of the examples on the site are on flexible containers like plywood tanks. That's the reason my friend switched from epoxy coatings to liners.
I do like the idea of just rolling pond armor on and being done. I need to see some examples of it being used on plywood tanks 3000+ gallons before I'm going to be comfortable using it.
I wish VLDesign would hurry up with this build. He doesn't even know he's a guinea pig lol.
See my thread in my signature for what my friend did with his and it has lasted many years of filling and draining.
I think pond armor is great for solid surfaces that don't flex or move. None of the examples on the site are on flexible containers like plywood tanks. That's the reason my friend switched from epoxy coatings to liners.
I do like the idea of just rolling pond armor on and being done. I need to see some examples of it being used on plywood tanks 3000+ gallons before I'm going to be comfortable using it.
I wish VLDesign would hurry up with this build. He doesn't even know he's a guinea pig lol.
