Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic for lining plywood tanks?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I'm going to have to keep this in mind. The smell from the epoxy paint is too wicked to paint in the house, this would be a nice alternative for an indoor pond.
 
I suggested this before, to use a cheap shower stall insert. I have seen them for sale for a couple hundred dollars. Some are totally smooth with no molded parts too.
 
As for all plywood aquarium what keep the moisture in between the wood & what you us to water proof the tank. i was talking to a guy that fiberglass and he was telling me that the wood will still get wet & rotted because of the moisture
 
Here is a link to a recent pond build using FRP and polyurethane caulk.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?504936-314-gallon-FRP-plywood-tank

Silicone usually does not bond well to most FRP products so I would look into something like the polyurethane caulk used above. Also, there are smooth FRP products if one wants to avoid the textured surface. I believe they are cheaper.

On the topic of cost, if a sheet of FRP (or any plastic material) is 48" x 96" x 1/8", that's 576 cubic inches of material, which is equal to 2.5 gallons of resin poured over the same surface. So if it's $50 that's pretty darn cheap for an awful lot of protection.
 
I'm using 1/4 HDPE Panel (53$) for my Aquarium. You can pick up a cheap plastic welder for 70$ at harbor freight and plastic weld the seams. I put Butyl caulking in the first tank I've made and we will see if it holds water when the glass gets here. But, I think with a little practice you can make a water tight seal with plastic welding that will hold a lot of pressure. I'm still in the process of learning though, so keep that in mind.
 
BearFish said:
I'm using 1/4 HDPE Panel (53$) for my Aquarium. You can pick up a cheap plastic welder for 70$ at harbor freight and plastic weld the seams. I put Butyl caulking in the first tank I've made and we will see if it holds water when the glass gets here. But, I think with a little practice you can make a water tight seal with plastic welding that will hold a lot of pressure. I'm still in the process of learning though, so keep that in mind.
Click to expand...

Cheap plastic welders are just that...cheap. Bottom line plastic welders start around $300-500...good units go for $800-3000. The cheapos burn out heating elements and dont get hot enough in the first place to build things for structural applications let alone a water tight seal. Those harbor freight units are meant for "hobby" applications like model cars and at best maybe do a repair on some motorcycle/atv skins, its a toy at best. Again, a far cry from commercial plastic welding/welders. Kinda like a welder for steel that runs on 110v compared to a good lincoln or miller running on 220v...you can repair ur lawnmower with the 110.... or repair ur car frame with the 220 lol...big difference. Not trying to burst ur bubble, dont want to steer others in the wrong direction.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Thermoplastic welding is not easy if you want a water tight weld. If you're going to do it, I would get extra hdpe and practice. Three beads would be safe to do for a water tight weld. If you're just welding to hold the plastic together then I would just do one bead. I thermoplastic weld hdpe, pvc, cpvc and polypro and do water tight bulkheads everyday at work. You could possibly do it with a cheap welder but it won't be pretty and they don't get nearly as hot as you would like it to. Hdpe needs to be welded at 330 degrees Celsius.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom