My 3665 Gallon Lined Plywood Tank Build Log

Status
Not open for further replies.
Nolapete said:
Big change. I was surfing the net as usual this morning and found Ames' Blue Max tank coating. I'm going to play guinea pig and try this out on my tank. This stuff could make building big tanks much easier. One big plus over pond armor that I see is that you have much more time to work with it before it sets.

Check out this video of this new product. I'm going to use it on my 3600 gallon tank.

http://www.amesresearch.com/video/bluemax.wmv

http://www.amespaint.com/detail.aspx?ID=50

http://www.amesresearch.com/bluemax.htm
Click to expand...

Really interesting product and demo. It says the product is safe for cisterns etc. but I still didn't see any explicit statements/claims re: safety for the water supply (chemical leaching etc). I may have missed it at the website; if it is safe for the fish then this seems to be an awesome solution!
 
It's potable. There can't be any leaching to make that claim. I spoke with the tech there and he answered just about all of my questions, except how to make the seal between the acrylic and the wood and if this was enough to form a seal. They have many pond applications and no complaints of fish loss from what he said.
 
I know I saw a build someplace where a guy used normal silicone to seal a big acrylic window, he held pressure on it with PVC pipes wedged in until it was full, and the water pressure basically kept enough pressure on it to keep it sealed. I'll see if I can find it.

edit: here you go http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_1700g_tank_1.php
 
thanks Spoke, I've read through Joe's build before. The problem with most of the builds I've seen is that when you do water changes it takes pressure off the viewing window. By taking pressure off of it, especially with a plywood tank, the seal gets compromised.

I've devised a way of securing the window from the inside that will keep the window in place. I have to finish working out the logistics, but it involves using a thin coated frame secured with lag bolts into wood.

It's sorta like the back of a picture frame. You know how there are those clips in the back to secure the backing? I'm just going to cut out the middle so you can see through it and make it out of thin metal or 1x lumber. I haven't decide that yet.

It won't require any drilling through the tank wall or the acrylic.
 
Nolapete said:
It's potable. There can't be any leaching to make that claim. I spoke with the tech there and he answered just about all of my questions, except how to make the seal between the acrylic and the wood and if this was enough to form a seal. They have many pond applications and no complaints of fish loss from what he said.
Click to expand...

Wow, awesome...
 
Wow that stuff is cheap compared to epoxy paint....150 bucks for 5gal? It doesn't cover as much area per gallon, but still slightly cheaper.
 
I'm really excited about this week. Daylight savings time gives me a lot of time after work to have light to work. Demolition of the fish room side of the viewing window wall starts this week.

I've designed a way of encasing the viewing window, so the front wall of the tank will be built first. It's a load bearing wall, so a lot of work needs to go into it. Building the front wall first allows me to utilize the french doors to move the almost 500 lb 48x96x2 viewing window into the room. The rest of the tank will be constructed after that. I'm planning on having the viewing window here in 2 weeks.
 
Uggh! Moving my nasty 50 breeder marine tank took longer than I expected. Spending time sort of cleaning it up didn't help speed things along. I moved all the zoanthids to the sump for the night. I have been up since 5 am, so I'm out of steam. I have to move the sump to the garage before I can start demolition, but I'm limiting myself to an hour working on topping off the tank and the rest of the stuff I have to do to it. Demolition will begin tomorrow night regardless of what else is going on.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom