simy696 Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 yep i want bigger at that stage. but thinking of doing something different mainly due to my skills set and hoping it may turn out cheaper. seen pondarmor in the usa seems pretty good also seen it used with ply wood base. im thinking again due to my skills why not compressed board used for upstair bathrooms as an example. basically concrete sheeting lined then with the pondarmor or similar product if in aus. in theory a tank wall to wall could be made out of the compressed board and just have a glass front for viewing. any thoughts at planning stage winter project if can get past planning stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 figured out compressed board would be about 160$ a sheet 2 sheets required. imported pond armor 160$ plus a sheet of glass for front would be about 200$ ply wood sheets are quiet a bit cheaper at 32$ a sheet . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topogigio Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 you will need a metal 'cage' or frame to support the plywood (ideally structutal plywood for strength), otherwise your plywood will bow... from memory an aussie guy by the name of greenterra put plans up of his build, but he used all-timber supports & fibreglass. as for $200 for a glass pane, i can't see a big enough pane to cover a 'wall to wall' tank for $200 - i could be wrong. also, from MFKs, some of these pondarmor tanks have sprung leaks, and a friend of mine reckons this is because the plywood walls bowed or flexed causing cracks ??? what you want to do is possible, but from what im told you have to use stuff like sikaflex along all the corners for waterproofing prior to applying 3-4 good coats of pondarmor or liquid rubber. disclaimer: im not a builder nor have i build anything in my life, so take all these information with caution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFishkeeper Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 have a look on monsterfishkeepers.com Lots of DIY big plywood builds on there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 had the whole tank glass priced at 950$ for a ten%2.5%2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5uka Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Very interesting and informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccal Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 There is a lot of work and procedures involved with making it structurally sound. Best to cut that all out completely,,,, my 4 x ray pens are 3.8m x 1.8m x 0.700m high. I used 12mm thick MDF particle board with chipboard screws on the corner but joints,,,,, these constructions were very flimsy and the corners would pull apart if lifted incorrectly,,,,, this did not bother me at all, as I'm a bit of a natural for structural integrity guess work. Took them straight into a Fiberglas mob and got them fully Fiberglas wraped inside and out,,,, I then had it gel coated which is the same treatment on the finishing of a boat hull,,, and you can choose from many colors,,, I chose white. Fiberglass is extremely strong and has a slight degree of flex in the sense of a good strength type of flex,,, instead of breaking it will flex slightly,,,, and use 70x19mm jarrah exactly in the same way as bracing the top of a glass tank,,, the Fiberglas wraps around all that. Trust me dude, EXTREMELY strong. Finish your job of with twinwall polycarbonate lids which will help reduce power consumption a lot. whatever you decide I hope you go ahead with it and document it on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcoastbrad Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Pond armour cost alot more than that, postage is at least $80 from the u.s because its a chemical. I'm building one at the moment. 12ft × 1m × 1m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcoastbrad Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 If you need a pump for your huge tank i have one for sale in the classifieds section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 yeah sore that went down a different track in the end my road trip explains that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccal Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Ripper effort mate,,, loving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdance Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I'm building 5000L tanks if that interests you or anyone. Deep tank with 1.5m front viewing panel. Powder coated steel frame, water proofed marine ply and 40mm acrylic viewing panel. Made small/light enough to transport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmowens Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I think a couple of you guys need to start your own build threads. Be great to see them from start to finish using products available in Australia. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccal Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Yeah I think so to,,, bang some pics up fish dance,, of course everyone would be interested,, that's why all log on, to hopefully see stuff like this... fishdance,,,, are you keeping rays, or big fish ? Or cichlids ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcoastbrad Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Yeah I'm taking pics along the way and only using aussie products, just found a place in south Australia that has the right epoxy resin. Will post the whole project when it's finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.