I have read probably 200 articles on plywood tanks in general. All of the good ones seem to use plywood for the entire construction, braced with 2x4s, lined with a pond liner, and then coated with epoxy (usually with fiberglass for strength) My question is does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? And if so, wouldn't it make more sense to use a 2x8 or 2x10 for the sides? That would give it more than enough support I would think, and the bottom doesn't have to be as strong if it has a solid stand. Not to mention, treated lumber for the sides would be much less likely to deteriorate when I have a water event ( not if, when ). And still just throwing out ideas, will a polyeurethane spray leach any chemicals into the water? Thanks in advance!
are you talking about spraying polyurethane over the liner? because it if you AR just talking about praying the wood before you put the liner in then no it will not go through the liner into the water. Â Wounder why you could not just use Marine paint like they paint wood boats with to protect the wood then line it with your pond liner? some like you got anuther tank in the works lol good luck. Glen
I was talking about using it as a final seal on top of the liner. Probably not a good idea huh? As far as the paint, if I need to spend more money on the sealant, I would rather use this. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/105-epoxy-resin/ And that brings up another question, will I need to use the fiberglass fabric if I am making the tank strong enough to hold the water and only using the epoxy as a sealant? Don't know a whole lot about fiberglass work, all I've ever done is patch a hole in a bumper.
I have seen a lot of plywood sumps... never a plywood frag tank but the basis is the same... All you need is pre treated lumber, plywood or what ever you are going to use and then a rubber pond liner, not the plastic ones.... Over roll the tops and staple it down a bunch and you are done... it will not leak. (but watch your xacto knife)...
The only reason I don't want to use just the liner is just in case it gets a hole in it, there is no backup plan. With a coat of epoxy, it would take a chisel to punch a hole in it. But good call on rubber liner, that sounds a lot more durable than the plastic ones.
I have had a rubber liner (I think it is like 1/32 or 1/16 thick I cant remember,) running in my 3000? gallon pond for over 9 years with out a problem. like reffman said rubber cost more but plastic will crack over time! one drop of a coral on a sharp rock and you will get a hole in the plastic. I have cinder blocks rocks and stuff in the bottom of my pond that i set plants on with out a problem. glen
I stand corrected! So it probably would work to make the box, coat it with polyeurethane just as a precaution, then line it with the rubber pond liner. There wouldn't be any chance of it leaching into the tank water unless the liner got a hole in it. Now, where do I get a rubber pond liner at a good price? Here is one place I found, is this a pretty good liner? http://www.pondbiz.com/home/pb1/smartli ... iners.html
try here for liner... great guys. Green Thumb Water Gardens 28025 Nichols Loop Rd Little Rock, AR 72223-9482 (501) 821-4445
Skrill if you want to do it right.... Build the box and epoxy it with fiberglass... its cheap simple and will work. For where the rubber meets the road there is many places http://www.rubbersheetroll.com/ is just one. For what its worth though... They make Plastic tubs that will work just as well and are like 3 dollars... if it starts to get brittle buy a new one.... That would be how I I wold do it..
LMAO.. Okay, so you caught me being a lil sarcastic.... $3 is a bit cheap but Lowes, Sams, Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply all places that have such tubs, you can usually find good ones for around $20... I would think a roll of rubber mat, lumber and time and effort would be more than that. If you are looking for cheap it would be how I would go...
plus 2 on the stock tank... they are indestructible ! they hold<span><span>PVC </span></span> fittings well, drill easily, and By Far cheaper and easy to work with than fiberglass or liner...  i build <span><span>koi</span></span> pond filters with the 200g jobs, works like a charm... NO MESS !!! No Fuss! <span>i also think the fiberglass is not really needed, if you put a little sand or rubble on the bottom, along with some foam insulation or old carpet VOID of Tacks and Nails of coarse,</span><span> between the wood and liner, you will never poke a hole in the liner. the cussion effect will give the liner somewhere to go when you drop things on it... if there is a hard surface underneath you get what i call Friction Burns or Pressure Burns when you drop things on the liner. Sort of like a Pinch. Only it does Not Tear it,  but creates a very Tiny hole that is invisible at first glance and will</span> leak under pressure... So dont drop anything on it LOL By comparison,  i lost my tank off the trailer one day coming home... 60mph down the bypass and whoof,  in the rear view i see my 200g Rubbermaid Stock Tank SAILING thru the Air... Wham ...Slams into the divider and bounces Back across the highway into the grass after skidding a few 100 feet before landing upside down in a Cloud of Dust... Thank God there was nobody behind me it could have been Serious... True story i Swear!!! Ive used mine for Countless jobs/tasks from holding fish to flushing out plugs in drain pipes...\Its about to become a curing tank for some Fresh live rock and then who knows...    Anyway I have worked with both,  liner and glass... Liner over Glass,  unless you have a brother or a really good friend that can Blow the glass onto your box for you. hand mixing can be tricky at best, one Bad batch can cause hours and days of extra work...not to mention the Headache! Have fun Good luck,  didn't mean to ramble...teehee
thanks for all the info guys! I think I'm probably going to go with the stock tanks for now. Later, when I need more space, I might do the plywood thing, but it seems much easier and fail proof ( knock on wood ) to use the tubs rather than the plywood. Thanks again!
 I have seen these at home depot in Cabot so I knew just what reefmen was talking about. TLC tractor supply has some nice troffs that are 8 feet by 2 feet by 1 foot but they are much more then $4.98 HAPPY REEFING! http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Concrete-Cement-Masonry-Concrete-Tools-Mixing-Tubs-Pans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zaq89/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 $4.98/EA-Each Depth (in.) : 27.6 in   Height (in.) : 6.5 in  Width (in.) : 24.8 in [*]Bucket/Tub Capacity : 10 gal (US) [*]Capacity (gallons) : 10    I think this one would make a nice frag tank 2 foot by 3 feet by 7.5 inches sounds perfict. $11.38/EA-Each [*]Depth (in.) : 24.5 in  Height (in.) : 7.5 in  Width (in.) : 35.5 in [*]Bucket/Tub Capacity : 20.9 gal (US) [*]Capacity (gallons) : 20.9
I wounder if you could cut a 5 inch wide viewing window down one long side of thoughs but still leave the rim intacked all the way around and glue a pice of 1/4 plexy glass in place with silocone so that you can view frags under water from the side like you would in a aquarium or glass frag tank? Glen
thanks for the links, those are a LOT cheaper than the stock tanks I was looking at and they should do the job too.
