# Finally built my plywood/glass tank.



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

I just filled my 65 gallon plywood/glass tank, stand, and top that I built. i decided to add side windows to it, and it turned out pretty good. Now I just need to cycle it and add fish. I'll try to upload some pics, first time.


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

Another view. Stain turned out darker than I wanted but oh well.


----------



## akio525 (Sep 4, 2003)

Nice looking tank


----------



## marko78 (Sep 10, 2003)

Nice tank, Looks like you put some time into it....


----------



## anstey (Oct 9, 2003)

Nice tank man. What are you going to put in there??? How long did it take you to build it???


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

About a week and a half on and off. I cut all the wood and put it together in a day. Then stained the wood one day. Had to put 2 seperate coats of epoxy over a few days. After that I siliconed in the glass and let it set two days. It was not verry difficult and was pretty fun at the same time. Hoping to put 3 or 4 super reds, maybe a caribe in there also. Can't wait to get it set up!


----------



## sweet lu (Oct 3, 2003)

when you say pywood/glass tank does that mean that only 3 sides are glass and the back of the tank is wood or there is glass glued to the plywood or somthing like that. very nice.


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

The whole tank was wood, then I cut out the front and sides leaving a frame. Then siliconed in the front and side glass pieces!


----------



## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

how think of glass did you use? 3/8" or 1/2"?

nice job by the way, definitly a different look. very appealing.


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

I used 1/4" glass. Supposed to be good for tanks 18" or shorter. 3/8 is almost twice as expensive, reason I didn't make it taller.


----------



## Black-Phoenix (Oct 21, 2003)

very cool I love DIY


----------



## mantis (May 16, 2003)

nice, I like


----------



## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

is the back and bottom of your tank plywood? how did you get it so it wouldn't absorb into the wood and cause a rot and later breakage and leaks?


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

Yeah the back and bottom are plywood. I coated the inside of the tank with a few layers of black, 2 part epoxy resin that is rated safe for potable water tanks. There are several different makers of this stuff, I got mine from ravenlining. It did cost a bit, $28.00 for a quart kit, but it worked for 2+ coats. It forms a fairly hard sealed shell inside the tank, then I used silicon on all the edges and corners inside.
None of the bare wood gets wet! This plus the marine sealant I used when screwing the wood together should never leak.


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

Thanks for the comments!!!!!


----------



## MR HARLEY (Aug 12, 2003)

very nice setup good job...


----------



## str8up (Sep 20, 2003)

Nice bud....Nice...
Let us see some more pics when you get a chance....
Later......Str8


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

1 more


----------



## vanz (Sep 11, 2003)

very nice








how much did the whole project cost?


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

$100, that's not including the wood since I work for a home builder I got it for free! The plywood cost ~$30 and probably another 50 for the rest so about $180. Not too bad though considering the cost of the whole setup at a LFS!


----------



## Noe (Aug 22, 2003)

That's a sweet and beautiful tank...............


----------



## accr (Nov 27, 2002)

Very nice lookin' tank









But is it just me ...that the top piece of wood doesn't look too strong to hold 65g of water? looks like the top frame piece may bow out under pressure, or you have bracing on the top ?


----------



## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

> Then stained the wood one day. Had to put 2 seperate coats of epoxy over a few days.


So the epoxy just covered the insides (which are also stained?)? Excellent work, I'm about to do this myself. I'm getting my epoxy from Sweetwater epoxy's in FL. Wasn't cheap, you're right!

Did you use GARF instructions or plans from somewhere else?

Once again, excellent (I actually like the dark staining too).


----------



## vlahos (Sep 7, 2003)

great job


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

Yeah, Theres a ~6" brace at the top. Here's a pic of it. I did use the GARF guide, just modified it a little. Also you don't need to stain the inside wood, just put the epoxy right over it! That stuff is hard to spread, it works better if you heat it up a little before using it, by a stove or something. Thanks everyone!!


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

Cycling!


----------



## boxer (Sep 11, 2003)

very nice, any plans on building bigger tanks? if you plan on doing any tanks 200g+, plz go in depth on how you did it because im pretty sure a lot of members would like to get a big tank for cheap... well i would
i'm thinking of a 96L x 24W x 24H would be nice for a future project once money starts rolling in


----------



## jayrod (Oct 22, 2003)

How did you setup the filtration?


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

I have a fluval 303 and I am putting a penguin 330 on it today. The fluval by itself seems to do pretty good though. Should be the same as any normal tank.


----------



## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

nice tank and well done
i like the wake boards also
dixon


----------



## jayrod (Oct 22, 2003)

Where did you get your epoxy? I went around town this evening looking for a 2 part epoxy paint and could not find it anywhere...

Also, what brand of epoxy did you use? That might make it easier to find...

Also I could not find the silcone caulking to use? All of the silcone I found was for windows, door, and fixtures. Same questions as above button in reference to silcone.

Also, what type of glue did you use? I read on Garf to use Resorcenol water proof glue. No one has ever heard of it around these parts...


----------



## gullzway (Oct 24, 2003)

The epoxy was a little harder to find. It has to be potable water safe. I got mine from ravenlinings.com. The quart kit coated my ~65 gallon tank 2-3 times. But they have a 1 gallon kit. One other local paint place had their own brand. I could not find recorcenol either so i use Marine silicon from lowes for the wood. U can get the aquarium silicon at a lfs or WalMart. Good Luck.


----------



## Noe (Aug 22, 2003)

That a sweet tank. Keep us posted whenyou finish cycling it and have fishes in it.

Congrat nice job................


----------

