DIY 230 plywood aquarium & DIY filter

[duxdragons9]

hey guys, i have a project that im going to start now and finish in june or july. i am making a 230 gallon ply wood aquarium with 1/2 glass as the front display(tempered). then on the sides i will make the side veiws have a squar foot of plexiglass on eachside about 1/2 thick also. the over-all dimensions are(l x w x h) 6 1/2' x 26" x 26". it is going to be a lot of fun working on the fishtank. i will also be making my 40g "breeder" fish tank into a sump filter along with a kitty litter box. yes it sounds weird but its a good idea. i will be having pvc pipping connect to a pump in my fishtank that runs down into the stand(DIY stand also) and into the kitty litter box. this will have filter media and carbon.(the reason for this is so i can remove it easily and replace it with out shutting it all down) then it will have holes at the bottom that feed into the 40g where there will be three sections. 1) gravel&filter media(bio filter) 2)bio balls 3)more filter media and gravel then there will be a pump in one little section that is cut off from them and it will pump the filtered water back through another pvc pipe into the fish tank.

so what i need help with is
-filter sections do's & dont's
-glass thickness
-sealents for the wood and glass
-pumps
-general help:feedback:

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

You know I consider myself pretty handy with tools and a problem solver and I have considered building a large plywood tank and therefore have researched it. I can tell you that there are so many free detailed ready made tried and tested plans from draft drawings to thread post step-by-step photo instructions in so many sizes, that I would just use one of those proven DIY step-by-step plans available on the internet. That rather then asking too many new speculative recommendations from those that may have or may not have done it.

Nothing like following a good set of plans and instructions to build something yourself new the right way.

 

[rithunder916]

Make a good plan..it will save you alot of money and mistakes. then I would either use acrylic or glass..not a fan of using both.

otherwise good luck!


MIke

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Don't get me wrong if you were making repairs or restoring something I would ask away, but a built from scratch, I would try and use what has already worked and maybe ask the person that did it. I know Monster Fish has a allot of plywood tank builders and plans, maybe here as well.