building my own plywood/glass or axrylic

[dpmac10]

hey what is up i'm going to be building one of the plywood combo with glass or acrylic and i was just seeing if any one here has done that before and what kind of work i'm i in for and how they look and how long well it last and stuff like that. and does any one have a pic of one that has fish in it also. well i got plans for the one i want to build already just wanting to no some things before i get started. i was thinkin about puting glass windows on the sides to becuase in the plans it just shows the big front opeing where u would look at the fish and i want to stick like 2 on each side. the tank i want to build is going to be 2.5 half feet wide so i was thinkin about making like to windows like 9 iches on the side and then that would give the middle like a 1 foot brace. what would u guys think would that be to much pressure or what well thanks.

[Oscar_Wild]

I built two plywood and glass tanks. Both are 120gal measuring 48x24x24. I just put a window in the face. I cut the face with a 3 inch frame and used 1/4" tempered glass. I was debating the glass versus acrylic question too, but with some expert advice from slipknottin, I decided to go with the glass. I only have one of them setup with fish, and it has been running for a couple of months now. I have some pics and can post them for you tonight. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Oscar_Wild

[cichlid_guy]

I have a Plywood and glass tank also.
315 gallon (7'long x 3'wide x 2'tall)

i built mine with the front glass only. didn't think about side windows, that might look good!

Go with glass! silicon will seal alot better!

If you are going to have tank set up in a smaller room,
pay the extra for the quite pump!!
with all the nose from drains, water, pump, it gets loud!

i'll be happy answer any questions.

scottie
cichlid_guy

[dpmac10]

hey how thick of glasss did u use for your 7ft tank and how much did it cost u for the glass and the whole project thanks

[JSchmidt]

Scottie, do you have any plans/parts lists for your tank? Total costs? Looks like a nice project... makes me want to try one.

Jim

[cichlid_guy]

the glass i used was 3/8" and it cost me $90

the total price is about $500

the planes i use were on garf.org
and i just changed the sizes.

I have two drain pipes 1 1/4" to a 30gal sump. (should be a 55)
then i have a 1900gph @ 3' (i'm at 4') going back to tank in a single 1 1/4"

scottie

[tyler]

how about a breakdown of the prices, scottie?

i'd be interested to see how you got up to $500

[dpmac10]

hey scottie i was wondering if u could get pics of your tank and the filtration system because i'm not reallly sure what to use on it and i don't really no that much about sumps or that kind of filtration i just know of the kind that u hang on the back and canister i have both of those kinds. i was just going to use like 2 empior 400 with some power heads let me no what u think and what u got and how u did it in details thanks

david

[cichlid_guy]

I don't have the exact numbers, but i can get close.

Wood: $125 - $150 (about)

Glass: $90

Epoxy: $70

Plumming: $25 - $30

Pump: $95

sump: $50

Lights: $40

Gravel: $25

Rocks: free

and there was a lot of little odd and in's
Screws, glue, handles, lights.

my guess is about $500 - $550

[cichlid_guy]

well what i did was take a 30gal tank (should have been 55gal),
put it under the main tank.

then i ran drain pipes (dual 1 1/4") from main tank to 30gal.

the 30gal was made:

took a peice of egg crate, siliconed it in the tank near the bottom.
to hold bio media ( I used Lava rocks) then siliconed a peice of plexi in tank to make like a box that was off the bottom of the tank. you put bio media, then a drip tray ( i used a peice of plexi and drilled holes in it. this is so the water is not just going in a small area but over all the rocks. then on top of that a foam pad.

the water runs through the filter, rocks and down in tank.
i have a pump in the tank pumping water back to tank.

I don't have any pic of the sump now, I'll try to get some.
(will be a bit hard, sump is hiden under the main tank.)

you can search teh web for Sumps and get a lot of DIY sump
also called wet/dry sump.

scottie

[JeffP]

Scott,

Very nice tank!

[slipknottin]

Im very curious about how well Weld-On #45 bonds acrylic to wood, fiberglass, and epoxy.

If someone wants to test it out for me id be most appreciative.

If the weld-on doesnt hold the acrylic to the epoxy that well, you need to silicone a sort of flange around it to keep water from getting through.

[JSchmidt]

Thanks, Scottie. I've seen the plans on GARF, too, and they look pretty easy to follow. I appreciate you posting your expenses.

Looks like a project to try...

Jim