Bulletproof literally lol. 2x4s stacked log cabin style w 3/4" ply inside.
sorry not a lot of room behind the tank for a better pic.
My 600 gallon build
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- dyi plywood aquarium
sorry not a lot of room behind the tank for a better pic.
I'll be watching this one closely; despite having built a fair number of plywood tanks, I have never done one more than 24 inches tall, so have never had to worry about bracing, fibreglass, etc. The fact that nobody seems to agree on how much reinforcement is necessary is the main reason for my reticence. I know my simple box construction is sufficient for 24 inches depth; beyond that there are so many horror stories here and elsewhere about immediate or eventual failures that I just keep chickening out. I completely agree with @twentyleagues about using thicker glass than 1/2-inch for the depth you are considering. I use 1/2-inch for 24-inch-deep tanks because I like the increased safety factor; why build a tank like a bomb shelter and then use minimal glass thickness?
Same with vertical external bracing; if you are going to do it, then do it right...use 2x4's attached perpendicular to the rear of the plywood. That will provide far more "bracing" than merely doubling up the plywood thickness in a few spots.
That "log-cabin" style 1000-gallon does indeed look bullet-proof (although any decent hunting cartridge will whistle right through, so don't plan any experiments!); I think that if I ever got to that level of tank building I would just jump straight to poured reinforced concrete.
Same with vertical external bracing; if you are going to do it, then do it right...use 2x4's attached perpendicular to the rear of the plywood. That will provide far more "bracing" than merely doubling up the plywood thickness in a few spots.
That "log-cabin" style 1000-gallon does indeed look bullet-proof (although any decent hunting cartridge will whistle right through, so don't plan any experiments!); I think that if I ever got to that level of tank building I would just jump straight to poured reinforced concrete.
I would also use thicker glass than 1/2". I used 3/4" acrylic in that 300gal. Also, I'm not saying it will stop a 50cal., but I will build a section of tank wall and prove that it will stop small arms fire. I have scrap lumber and time. Lol
Please do ? that would be interesting to see and would probably put some people at ease over how stront they can be.
I think you guys are in for a surprise. I'm going to predict a .30-06 (very typical hunting rifle/cartridge) with normal expanding-bullet hunting ammo will whistle right through that wall. If you use surplus FMJ ammo (full metal jacket, i.e. military stuff) you will probably need to shoot through the side of the filled aquarium and hope that the bullet doesn't exit the opposite end.
Dang it, now I want to try it myself.
Dang it, now I want to try it myself.
So I did the test the next day and am just posting now. The test piece stopped all birdshot, 9mm, 40cal, 22cal, 410 slugs, and anything except rifles. Even a 22/250 breezed right though. Lmao. Tested.?
If anyone is still reading this forum, is there a calculator/formula/guideline/recommendation for plywood/lumber construction?
Without any calculations for optimizing lumber, I’m thinking somewhere in the region of 8’Lx4’Wx3’D. If it’s a design factor, it’ll be outside in S.AZ, though wifey is “considering” a greenhouse that I plan to hijack for aquaponics.
I would consider a concrete build, but outside of quikrete/just-add-water, I have neither the experience of working with it nor the physical capability to mix it myself.
And if I’m just re-hashing old questions, I would be happy for previous threads or outside resources.
TIA,
AZR
Without any calculations for optimizing lumber, I’m thinking somewhere in the region of 8’Lx4’Wx3’D. If it’s a design factor, it’ll be outside in S.AZ, though wifey is “considering” a greenhouse that I plan to hijack for aquaponics.
I would consider a concrete build, but outside of quikrete/just-add-water, I have neither the experience of working with it nor the physical capability to mix it myself.
And if I’m just re-hashing old questions, I would be happy for previous threads or outside resources.
TIA,
AZR
I was going to provide links to a couple of interesting charts...but then realized that you were no longer talking about bulletproofness to various categories of small arms fire, but rather about construction. Never mind.
I've never built a tank taller than 24 inches, so can't comment. I will say that if I were doing this, I would be looking really hard at concrete. Wiring together a rebar reinforcing structure is child's play; and I literally just this week finished working for the first time with the no-mixing concrete product; just dump it into the form, pour in the water, and stand back. Hardens in a half hour; I think full cure is something like a week. It costs almost 50% more than regular concrete, but IMHO it is well worth the cost. My project was a couple of heavy timber gateposts (10-inch timbers, in 24-inch-diameter holes 5 feet deep), and a half-dozen smaller fenceposts (4-inch diameter, 14-inch diameter holes, 3 feet deep) so not directly related to aquarium use. Once the holes were created, setting the posts and doing the concrete work took about 10% as much time as I would have spent mixing old-fashioned concrete. I'd look into it a lot further before moving forward in that direction...but I gotta admit that the entire time I was out there sweating and swearing, I had visions of a big-ass outdoor tank clouding my mind and warping my judgment.
Good luck with whichever path you choose, and keep us updated!
I've never built a tank taller than 24 inches, so can't comment. I will say that if I were doing this, I would be looking really hard at concrete. Wiring together a rebar reinforcing structure is child's play; and I literally just this week finished working for the first time with the no-mixing concrete product; just dump it into the form, pour in the water, and stand back. Hardens in a half hour; I think full cure is something like a week. It costs almost 50% more than regular concrete, but IMHO it is well worth the cost. My project was a couple of heavy timber gateposts (10-inch timbers, in 24-inch-diameter holes 5 feet deep), and a half-dozen smaller fenceposts (4-inch diameter, 14-inch diameter holes, 3 feet deep) so not directly related to aquarium use. Once the holes were created, setting the posts and doing the concrete work took about 10% as much time as I would have spent mixing old-fashioned concrete. I'd look into it a lot further before moving forward in that direction...but I gotta admit that the entire time I was out there sweating and swearing, I had visions of a big-ass outdoor tank clouding my mind and warping my judgment.
Good luck with whichever path you choose, and keep us updated!