Habitat - Indoor :: 720 gallon plywood build

[str1p]

Big shout out to the community, as its a gold mind of excellent information! Tank will measure 8 x 4 feet with a water depth of around 36 inches. Picture time!

Starting by building two 2x8 frames, then bolted the two frames together:


glued and screwed two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood for the base of the tank:


stacked 2x4s to create a solid foundation for framing:




framing:






Lag bolts for extra framing support:


completed framing. Wrapped the base of the 2x8 frame with 2x10, over lapping the corners:


Wrapped the top portion with 2x6 in a similar fashion to the bottom and added some 2x4 to support the planned canopy.


lined the inside with 3/4 inch ply


current view from the front:


i plan to have the tank completed by the end of October hopefully. i plan on using 1 inch cell cast acrylic for the front viewing panel, and waterproofing the tank with sani tred.

[steve]

This is looking incredible! I was just thinking about plywood tanks the other day, that it's been awhile since I saw a new one. I'm kinda pumped now, I want to see more

[str1p]

i will definitely keep this thread updated as i make progress!

[steve]

Thanks! I'm sure they are others who will follow along too

[PokePony]

Wow, what an amazing project ! Please keep us updated !

[vanessa556]

Yes please keep us updated!

[the-turtle-Girl]

Look forward to seeing this completed !!!!

[str1p]

no new update as of yet. im still in process of finalizing my plan for filtration but this is what im thinking:

2 2" drains placed at each end of tank
2 2" returns
1 2" emergency drain

im shooting for about a 4500 - 5000 gallon per hour turn over. The drains will flow through a 55 gallon trickle tower into a 150 gallon stock tank sump. I also have plans to build an attached 96 x 36 inch structure for the land area of tank that will have a small stream that flows into the main tank. sounds crazy, but there is a method to my madness.

[str1p]

finished framing out the sump. measures 72x24x24. the two inch drains will flow into the rubbermade trash can which will have a layer of mechanical filter floss, and tons of bio media, then flow out into the sump.




i will also be filling the gaps with insulation to help hold heat in the winter.

[steve]

That's huge! Have you picked out a pump for it yet?

[str1p]

Steve,

not sure on pump yet. was looking at reef octopus DC pumps but no final decisions yet. Small update:

well, got the tank sealed. just put the last coat of sanitred on. Took much longer than anticipated due to how cold my basement was. I decided to take a hybrid approach to how i was going to seal the tank. after doing a lot of research, it seems that most peoples issues with sanitred was bonding with glass or acrylic for the window. i built a frame for the window to sit in and used max acr inside the frame. i will be using Dow Corning 832 sealant to attach the glass to the frame.





put down a base coat of permaflex on all the joints and seams and gave it time to tack up.


Once the permaflex was tacky enough, i used the LRB/TAV mixture and went over all the joints and seams. Once that was tacky, coated the entire tank with a coat of LRB, Then followed that up with a final top coat of permaflex.


Overall the sanitred system was fairly easy to use. Caulking with the LRB/TAV mixture was a bit of pain, as the bags i was using keep busting out the back. i ended up just spooning it out and brushing it in.

[PokePony]

Lookin' good !
Do you have an idea when you're gonna finish it or do you just plan on working on it whenever you have time and it will be finished when it will be finished ?

[str1p]

i had hoped to already have it completed by now, but i lost about a months worth of time due to me hurting my back trying to hang drywall by myself. im hoping now to have it completed by Christmas.

[steve]

I haven't heard of Sani-Tred, looks pretty interesting. After it cures, will it have a rubbery texture or hard plastic?

[str1p]

its a polyurethane based rubber similar feel and texture to that of a tire once fully cured. it was pretty easy to apply but the directions have to followed EXACTLY for the product to cure properly. it is a little pricey as well. im more active on the monsterfishkeepers forums and people over there have had some mixed reviews on it mostly revolving around it not bonding well to glass or acrylic. if you are curious about the product the website is www.sanitred.com