The glass panel just seals straight against the front plywood sheet. As shown above to the left of the pic, there is a 50mm/2'' strip off plywood left to seal against after the internal frames are in.
Plywood, fiberglass and 800 gallons of water.
- Thread starter greenterra
- Start date
The glass panel just seals straight against the front plywood sheet. As shown above to the left of the pic, there is a 50mm/2'' strip off plywood left to seal against after the internal frames are in.
Firstly belated congratulations ,your tank is a beauty
I have been researching ply tanks for the last year and i keep coming back to your design and build , simple and solid.
I also like the fact that you are also an aussie and the products you used are easy for me to access.
Which brings me to my first (of probably many) ? are you happy with the boatcoat and how is it holding up oh and while I'm asking where did you get your matting from ?
I have been researching ply tanks for the last year and i keep coming back to your design and build , simple and solid.
I also like the fact that you are also an aussie and the products you used are easy for me to access.
Which brings me to my first (of probably many) ? are you happy with the boatcoat and how is it holding up oh and while I'm asking where did you get your matting from ?
Thanks.Charlieboy177;4249853; said:
Thanks for the comment. I am extremely happy with the Bote Cote Epoxy resin. I have checked the inner surface during water changes and it is still exactly like the day I first made the tank. I have used plenty of polyester products in the past produced by FGI and Daystar. I have also used West Systems Epoxy too. For this application, Bote Cote wins hands down IMO. I purchased the cloth from http://boatcraft.com.au/Disturbed;4305395; said:
To better see how well it is holding up, I made use of some samples I ended with from drilling the tank out for some bulkheads.I revamped the filtration a while back.
I had to use a chisel and hammer to separate the fiberglass from the plywood. As you can see, it bonded so well that it did not separate cleanly. Some of the epoxy resin has stayed with the plywood and the rest with the fiberglass.
This shows a side shot of the fiberglass. Notice the fiberglass strands within the edge.
These 2 shots were achieved by using the reverse lens technique to get a close macro of the timber fibres. You can see how well the Bote Cote epoxy resin has got a hold of the plywood. Notice the epoxy resin deep within the pores. Unlike typical epoxies, true marine epoxy is designed to penetrate timber achieving a seal not only the surface but within the timber fibres too.
Nice, thank you for sharing again, thats good to see you and im assuming your young fella getting stuck into it together, me n my old man are currently re building my project car and his rally car, and i gotta say its a good bond to have.
Will definately be making some enquiries to boatcraft when my project starts . your filtration looks a lot neater I'm assuming the two clear lines are your returns running on separate pumps ?? What flow would they be ? Then there are the usual qu. on media type and are your heaters in the sump ??
Thanks all.
It was 2 but there are actually 3 lines running back now with a 4500L pump feeding each one. For heating. 3 x 300W heaters in the sump . I am only running 2 of them though and they are doing the job with ease. The tank and sump are holding in the heat exceptionally well, even with winter at hand. The buckets are filled with a mixture of aquaclay, ceramic rings and matrix.(about 20L in each) I run about 2" of filter floss with a drip tray above the media for mechanical. There is also an internal overflow pipe should the filter floss become clogged.
These pics are showing the bio media only. The pipe that is sealed into the lid is slightly larger than the overflow wich allows me slide it all up, giving me easy access.
Disturbed;4311452; said:
It was 2 but there are actually 3 lines running back now with a 4500L pump feeding each one. For heating. 3 x 300W heaters in the sump . I am only running 2 of them though and they are doing the job with ease. The tank and sump are holding in the heat exceptionally well, even with winter at hand. The buckets are filled with a mixture of aquaclay, ceramic rings and matrix.(about 20L in each) I run about 2" of filter floss with a drip tray above the media for mechanical. There is also an internal overflow pipe should the filter floss become clogged.
These pics are showing the bio media only. The pipe that is sealed into the lid is slightly larger than the overflow wich allows me slide it all up, giving me easy access.
