My plywood tank build
Posted 03-28-2008 at 10:42 PM by Sploke
This was built to be the home to my alligator snapping turtle. I had been keeping her in a plastic kiddie pool for about a year and a half, and was starting to question how much longer it was going to hold up. That, and it looked pretty crappy. So, I built her a new place. It holds about 220gal or so. It has a 4'x5' footprint, with 18" high walls. One 5' wall has a glass window, the rest is just plywood. I used 3/4" BC plywood for the main box, using the sanded side in. The top and bottom have 2x4 bracing all the way around.
I built a false wall about 8" out from the back wall, which hides all the filtration. On the left end of the false wall you can see the overflow part. Right below this will be a plastic container to hold some sponges for easy mech filtration. Then, the water will flow over a baffle and onto a drip tray, where it will drain onto biomedia of some sort, then get pumped through the hole in the false wall into a spray bar. I have a bulkhead fitting that goes in the hole. I designed it around the filtration in a Seaclear System II setup, from pictures.
All seams are covered with fiberglass mat strips, as well as a strip around the top to cover any screw heads. The rest is covered in an epoxy resin. I used a resin made by MAS Epoxies. They were very helpful with all of my questions, and their product has been used for plywood fish/turtle tanks before by several universities. I bought the slow-cure hardener, which gives the resin a pot life of about 27min before it starts getting too gloopy to brush on.
Outside the box. The board with the green paint all over it was a test. The epoxy can be tinted using plain old acrylic paint. I wanted to test it out to make sure I had some idea of how much to add. I added way too much for the test, so its taking a long time to dry.
Where the window will go
Behind the false wall - the two cross pieces will hold the tray for the mech filtration.
Overflow. These pix were taken before I did the last of the fiberglassing, around the top.
Epoxy and hardener. I bought a half gallon of resin and a quart of hardener. It's designed to mix at a 2:1 ratio....super easy to eyeball in the container, no need to accurately measure and make a mess like I usually do.
Whole tank, before spray bars are in:
Another angle:
From the back of the glass:
From the end of the filter/false back. Water overflows, will go through a mech filter pad, over the plexi wall and into a drip tray. Everything between the plexi and the eggcrate will be filled with lava rock. Pump will go at the end on the other side of the eggcrate. Design is based on the Seaclear aquariums.
Tray for filter pad, and drip trays in back
Bulkhead fitting for return:
Outside is painted in a water-based Kilz. I didn't want it sealed, just covered enough to protect it from splashes etc.
Spraybars installed:
Barb fitting on bulkhead:
it only took me 2 test fills to patch all the holes, one of which was a hole where I put a screw in the wrong place and pulled it out, and never patched it up. Anyway, its been full for about a week and a half with no leaks whatsoever. I had water sitting in it for a week, then Sunday I put in a spare pump and started running charcoal in the filter to make sure there's no residue from the epoxy. I don't think there is, but can't be too sure. Going to move it into its final location this weekend, have to move the 150 out of the way.
Filter in action - the tupperware thing has some sponge pad and charcoal in it.
Pump compartment. The area in between the mech filtration and the pump will be filled with lava rock.
Full of water. I think its going to have a very cool murky/menacing look to it when its done. Not sure what I'm doing for lighting yet, but it will be pretty subdued.
Where its going - on the floor, where her current kiddie pool is right now. That end of the basement will be walled off for my fish wall/pseudo fish room. See the other thread.
What the end of the room looks like now (compare to before I moved it in...)
The tank on the floor. Its on 1" foam.
Some inside views...I think it looks pretty natural in there.
I built a false wall about 8" out from the back wall, which hides all the filtration. On the left end of the false wall you can see the overflow part. Right below this will be a plastic container to hold some sponges for easy mech filtration. Then, the water will flow over a baffle and onto a drip tray, where it will drain onto biomedia of some sort, then get pumped through the hole in the false wall into a spray bar. I have a bulkhead fitting that goes in the hole. I designed it around the filtration in a Seaclear System II setup, from pictures.
All seams are covered with fiberglass mat strips, as well as a strip around the top to cover any screw heads. The rest is covered in an epoxy resin. I used a resin made by MAS Epoxies. They were very helpful with all of my questions, and their product has been used for plywood fish/turtle tanks before by several universities. I bought the slow-cure hardener, which gives the resin a pot life of about 27min before it starts getting too gloopy to brush on.
Outside the box. The board with the green paint all over it was a test. The epoxy can be tinted using plain old acrylic paint. I wanted to test it out to make sure I had some idea of how much to add. I added way too much for the test, so its taking a long time to dry.
Where the window will go
Behind the false wall - the two cross pieces will hold the tray for the mech filtration.
Overflow. These pix were taken before I did the last of the fiberglassing, around the top.
Epoxy and hardener. I bought a half gallon of resin and a quart of hardener. It's designed to mix at a 2:1 ratio....super easy to eyeball in the container, no need to accurately measure and make a mess like I usually do.
Whole tank, before spray bars are in:
Another angle:
From the back of the glass:
From the end of the filter/false back. Water overflows, will go through a mech filter pad, over the plexi wall and into a drip tray. Everything between the plexi and the eggcrate will be filled with lava rock. Pump will go at the end on the other side of the eggcrate. Design is based on the Seaclear aquariums.
Tray for filter pad, and drip trays in back
Bulkhead fitting for return:
Outside is painted in a water-based Kilz. I didn't want it sealed, just covered enough to protect it from splashes etc.
Spraybars installed:
Barb fitting on bulkhead:
it only took me 2 test fills to patch all the holes, one of which was a hole where I put a screw in the wrong place and pulled it out, and never patched it up. Anyway, its been full for about a week and a half with no leaks whatsoever. I had water sitting in it for a week, then Sunday I put in a spare pump and started running charcoal in the filter to make sure there's no residue from the epoxy. I don't think there is, but can't be too sure. Going to move it into its final location this weekend, have to move the 150 out of the way.
Filter in action - the tupperware thing has some sponge pad and charcoal in it.
Pump compartment. The area in between the mech filtration and the pump will be filled with lava rock.
Full of water. I think its going to have a very cool murky/menacing look to it when its done. Not sure what I'm doing for lighting yet, but it will be pretty subdued.
Where its going - on the floor, where her current kiddie pool is right now. That end of the basement will be walled off for my fish wall/pseudo fish room. See the other thread.
What the end of the room looks like now (compare to before I moved it in...)
The tank on the floor. Its on 1" foam.
Some inside views...I think it looks pretty natural in there.
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Posted 04-15-2008 at 9:44 AM by Sploke 
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Thanks for sharing that in my tank build thread. Very impressive and alot of work put into that. Is your turtle happy?
Posted 01-19-2010 at 8:25 PM by ducatigirl
