315G Plywood Tank Build
- Thread starter BadOleRoss
- Start date
I got my PC today, still sanding and Im gonna fiberglass the corners, just for piece of mind. Going to auti parts store and Lowe's for pricing. How's it going on your end??
Couldn't stand the wait, jumped the gun and filled the tank. No leaks regarding pond coat but I did have a bulkhead that dripped that I had to tighten. My overflows will not keep up with both pumps running so I am going to have to "T" one of the returns and run a gated line back to the sump...an easy fix. Everything else is running fine. I am going to place a cap with a drilled hole in it on the overflows as well to quiet them more. They are not too bad but a simple cap will almost make them silent.
You're wasting money of the corners. With PC, you dont need fiberglass! I got a message from a guy that has been using PC for some time and he loves the stuff and has a 12 year old 350G tank.
You're wasting money of the corners. With PC, you dont need fiberglass! I got a message from a guy that has been using PC for some time and he loves the stuff and has a 12 year old 350G tank.
Wow that's good news! I've got a little more clean up, and Im gonna paint this weekend. Can you up load a vid of the entire tank/sump working? Thanks for heads up.
Mike
Mike
LEAK!
I have a small leak along the lower front of the viewing window. I guess there is no such thing as a small leak. Anyway, I will be draining the tank to see what I can see. Odds are pretty good that I will have to remove the sand (300lbs) and the driftwood to get the area where the leak is cleaned up enought so I can come up will a fix. I will post more when I find the source of the leak.
NEVER, EVER, NEVER add sand to a tank without a test fill! Anyway, I have the tank empty again and the early finding are that pond coat/liquid rubber does not stick to glass. No way, no how! I am able to pull the PC off the glass without leaving so much as a residue. Now I am going to have to rethink the way I am going to seal the glass. I think I am going to have to pull out the frame and glass to clean everything up enough to start the sealing process over. Before I do that I am going to tip the tank forward so I can get a good look at the seal along the bottom. To get a leak, the silicone mush have had an openning as well. Oh well, back to it.
Tank has been cleaned out and dried out and I will take a closer look at the seal today so see where I sent wrong. One thing is certian, I filled too soon, my guess is about a week too soon. When pulling the PC away from the edges of the glass last night I was getting wet PC on the hands, it wasn't cured! I have a piece of wood that has been sitting around with PC, glass, acrylic and glued together for a couple of weeks. I am sure that piece is cured so I am going to soak it in water and see how it holds up. Pete advised that PC needs to have a moister content of less than 15% to be concidered cured so I will be picking up a moisture meter. He also said that the acid in uncured silicone will eat through PC so bonding to PC with silicone is not the direction to go in. I am leaning toward etching the glass around the window to give the PC and good surface to bond to. I will then make sure the silicone seal is good and then redo the PC and give it time to cure. Gonna slow down now, no longer feel the need to rush. Feel the need to have dry feet!
