# Post Your D.I.Y. Tank Pics!



## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

Mine is a 200 Gallon Plywood Tank made from 3/4" think AC exterior grade plywood and sealed with 2 gallons of fiberglass resin. Its measurements ar 20" Tall, 24" Wide, And 96" Long...Total Cost With Stand $300.00


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## jamesdelanoche (Dec 15, 2004)

i'm makin a 96Lx36Wx24H this summe when i get the money for the glass window, i'll post pics then!


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## mike316 (Jun 6, 2004)

i made a couple. Don't have a digital camera though. It's alot of fun to make your own tanks too.


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## OtheG (Jan 30, 2005)

Faded said:


> Mine is a 200 Gallon Plywood Tank made from 3/4" think AC exterior grade plywood and sealed with 2 gallons of fiberglass resin. Its measurements ar 20" Tall, 24" Wide, And 96" Long...Total Cost With Stand $300.00
> [snapback]900040[/snapback]​


DUDE! that is one sweet tank!! (I rarely ever say sweet so when i do say it, you know its gonna be sweet)


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

thanks!


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## TripDs (Oct 11, 2004)

Sweet set-up. So you took plywood and glazed over it all with fiberglass?


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## DC_Cichlid (Jun 24, 2004)

My 150 gallon.


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## cmsCheerFish (Dec 17, 2004)

that is one bad ass tank!


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## OtheG (Jan 30, 2005)

the sickest tank out there is the one i saw on cichlid forum's DIY section. the shark tank that dude made!!! that totaly ill. he was swimming in it in the flick he had of it!


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Moved to Tank and Equipment Questions


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## [email protected]° (Jun 16, 2004)

to the sweet DIY tanks!!

Most adventersome I've gotten was to BUY PARTS and put together a wet/dry system... I honestly am strapped for time these days

Some day I will build something on the scale of this:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_1700g_tank_1.php

First I have to make the money for it...


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

I Love DIY tanks...but i stall can't afford filtration and everything else needed to run them.....200-300 gallons is plenty for me


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

Since Slim wont put his tank up here...I will for him =) It's a 125 Gallon 60"x24"x20"Tall made shortyl after we figured out that mine worked...lol!


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## Enriqo_Suavez (Mar 31, 2004)

Holy sh*t, that guys shark tank is ENORMOUS.


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## RRice (Feb 16, 2005)

for those tanks that have wood on 3 sides and glass in front, you just seal the wood, or is there actually glass all around the setup


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## 33truballa33 (Oct 18, 2004)

its 4 side of wood but in the front a rectangle is cut and class is siliconed on the inside part of the wood and sealed.


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## Reddevill (Jun 10, 2003)

That 1700 is krazy!!


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## RRice (Feb 16, 2005)

ok, so its 4 sides of wood, and then glass sealed in front.

i want to do a tank like these, can i use acrylic or is glass better? also how dificult is it to do the front viewing part, maybe you could give a little more description as to how it works. is the glass actually set inside the 3/4 inch wood, or is it sealed on the inside?

and then the whole interior is coated in fiberglass? how do you connect the four sides of the wood? screw them together then seal it and fiberglass it???

thanks for any help, looking to do a 7 ft long, 2 ft wide, 18 inch tall, dont really know how many gallons that would equal.


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

RRice said:


> ok, so its 4 sides of wood, and then glass sealed in front.
> 
> i want to do a tank like these, can i use acrylic or is glass better? also how dificult is it to do the front viewing part, maybe you could give a little more description as to how it works. is the glass actually set inside the 3/4 inch wood, or is it sealed on the inside?
> 
> ...


Check out my DIY Page and looks up those dimensions..I'll give you all the info you need to build your own tank..anyone can do it!


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2005)

Awesome site.

How did you brace the plywood?

--Dan


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

screws, silicone, wood glue


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## jamesdelanoche (Dec 15, 2004)

do you think it would be a good idea to cut all edges to a 45 degree bevel before screwing them together? On plywood it will hide the ply part, its what you do when making cabinets and stuff out of plywood, if you don't have veneer tape, if i remember right it makes it stronger as well, anyone else do this?


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2005)

Faded said:


> screws, silicone, wood glue
> [snapback]926854[/snapback]​


No 2x4's?

--Dan


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

ummm...sure. I have no idea what you are talking about...I would say that a 90 degree angle is stronger than a 45 degree because more of the plywoods surface is in contact with the other one..but that's just my opinion. It doens't make sense to cut it at a 45 degree angle


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2005)

What did you brace is with? Like, do you have some 2x4's going across the back? Or is it just the plywood!?

--Dan


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

no 2 x 4's...no braces..LoL..the only brace is on the top of the tank..let me see if I can get you a pick..the brace is 3" wide in the middle of the tank on top


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## RRice (Feb 16, 2005)

B. Rodgers said:


> no 2 x 4's...no braces..LoL..the only brace is on the top of the tank..let me see if I can get you a pick..the brace is 3" wide in the middle of the tank on top
> [snapback]927784[/snapback]​


glad you guys are doing the same thing I am in the middle of. the tank is being built, it looks great. a little worried that screws sailicone and wood glue can really hold 180g 1440 lbs of water?

hear of any bad experiences?

i will need to get pics up, i was going to do acrylic but really expensive, going to get glass

most important question, where do i find the special 2 part epoxy for aquariums?


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

RRice said:


> B. Rodgers said:
> 
> 
> > no 2 x 4's...no braces..LoL..the only brace is on the top of the tank..let me see if I can get you a pick..the brace is 3" wide in the middle of the tank on top
> ...


Epoxy will eventually chip unless you use an epoxy resin then a fiberglass resin over that...just do this.... Paint the tank whatever color you want it if any making sure the paint is oil based so that it will soak into the wood. then use "Fiberglass Resin" at Home Depot Or Lowes for $23.99-$24.99 Per Gallon it comes with hardener...but buy an extra bottle of it as you will need it. Get a 1/2 Quart cup and fill it 85% of the way up and add about 20 drops of hardener into it and stir with a spoon. Then pour a line down the center of the side you are sealing at that moments and spread it over the entire surface using the cheap bristle brushes also found at Lowes or Home Depot for like $.93. Wait for it to dry..usually about 2 hours in a nice 80 degree area and then go on to another side...after all sides are done except the front and top...sand it all down and do it all again...do 3 to 4 layers of resin! and you will have no problems...the top however..make sure it gets sealed up after you cut out the frame...as it will be exposed to water 100% of the time....don't want it to collect humidity and warp eventually causing your tank to explode!

Good Luck


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## jamesdelanoche (Dec 15, 2004)

i'm talking about joints...i'll do a pic in paint and then i'll post it.


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## jamesdelanoche (Dec 15, 2004)

here, sorry the drawing sucks, but you get the idea...thats from the top looking down btw. Its something very common in cabinet making, there is nothing weaker than two boards simply screwed together. The quickest thing to do is a 45 degree joint, as i have drawn, and there are many more options past that, I was just wondering if anyone had done this before.


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

Here's the new one I'm building...it's got it's own thread in tank and equip ?'s but I figured I'd post the "model" picture here...

It's a 300 Gallon 96" Long x 24" Tall x 30" Wide!


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

Just finished 300 Gallon DIY!


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## killarbee (Jan 23, 2004)

still in progress 200 gal

edit: uploaded pic instead of a link


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## Slim (Jan 9, 2005)

my 125 DIY


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## Guest (Apr 9, 2005)

Nice lookin tanks guys!

--Dan


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## BigChuckP (Feb 9, 2004)

Hey Killarbee, you have areas behind your background for the filters and heaters. Are there holes in the background for water to flow through or does it just flow over the background into the areas with the filters and heaters?


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## HyBrid (Feb 25, 2005)

wow killarbee how did you make that background? it is so sweet!!


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## killarbee (Jan 23, 2004)

BigChuckP said:


> Hey Killarbee, you have areas behind your background for the filters and heaters. Are there holes in the background for water to flow through or does it just flow over the background into the areas with the filters and heaters?
> [snapback]972221[/snapback]​


both


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

killarbee you are da man for your creativity! the whole background thing, I choose not to get into, but you should pin a thread explaining how to do the background in detail so that I may attempt it sometime!


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## BigChuckP (Feb 9, 2004)

B. Rodgers said:


> killarbee you are da man for your creativity! the whole background thing, I choose not to get into, but you should pin a thread explaining how to do the background in detail so that I may attempt it sometime!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

:nod:


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

I have no seems in any of the sides or the top for that matter. the only seems are where they come together. The top of my tank is 1 solid piece of plywood just jigsawed out the 3 sections. Slim's tank on the other hand was just 4 boards cut at a 45 degree angle and routed out for plexi glass to fit down inside. I prefer 1 solid piece, especially when It comes to keeping the front from falling foward and an exploding tank!


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## killarbee (Jan 23, 2004)

BigChuckP said:


> B. Rodgers said:
> 
> 
> > killarbee you are da man for your creativity! the whole background thing, I choose not to get into, but you should pin a thread explaining how to do the background in detail so that I may attempt it sometime!
> ...










I will write an article after the whole thing is finished, and up and running. For now there's "only" a dutch thread with all the pictures and comments.
That Thread can be found here (9+ pages and a load warning)


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## Slim (Jan 9, 2005)

I love your tank killabee but when you put that background in a 200 gallon like that doesnt it take the size of the tank in gallons down quite a bit. Like from a 200 to a 130 gallon or something? And what P's you gonna put in there


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## killarbee (Jan 23, 2004)

Slim said:


> I love your tank killabee but when you put that background in a 200 gallon like that doesnt it take the size of the tank in gallons down quite a bit. Like from a 200 to a 130 gallon or something? And what P's you gonna put in there
> [snapback]974941[/snapback]​


that's true, but i don't know how much it'll take down the size down. But actually i don't care it looks great and that's why did it.
At first there will be 7 rbp's in it and later on when i can get some cariba or piraya for a good price here some will be added.


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