PLYWOOD TANK

ok so not getting the 125 was a let down but me and dad arent giving up that easy we know a guy who knows a glass guy. So plywood tank here we come for measurements either 72 or 85 inches long 30 inches wide and about 20 inches tall. So what thickness of glass would i need? I am going to make a stand for it to but i want the sump to be a part of the stand just epoxy it and put a piece of glass in the front of it where the door opens. I was thinking of having intakes like the guy that did huge fish rescues he has like little shower drain covers and then and then a spray bar for out take. Now the hard part what size pump would i need? im looking to make this salt so ima need quite the good sized pump. Could a fresh water heater work in the sump? and what would be the best way to have it nice and quite cause this is going the living room right as you walk in i dont want to have to yell over it to talk to people. For the reinforcement bars up top i was thinking of some like quarter inch pipe silicone on there and what about the lids? and lighting i want to have some small corals like polyps and what not but nothing to major i plane on silicone some well most of the live rock to the sides and what not so i could really use all of your guys DIY skills and help me out im stuck on what size thickness for ply wood and glass. The stand im a little stumped on, for stock we can figure this out after we get the harder stuff out of the way... thanks for all the help

no one? ohh come on guys

Glass thickness chart
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/planasystem/ig/Guide-Charts--Tables--Diagrams/Glass-Thickness-Calculator.htm

1/2" glass at least for a 6ft tank 20" high
72 x 30 x 25 is a 240gal, shouldn't be any louder than a normal reefready tank
freshwater heaters work in saltwater
for bracing, threaded rod should work, you can cover it with pvc to make it look neater

ok thanks so what epoxy could i use? and sump design i want to do a refug in it to so since its a 240 i want like 3 times over turn what size pump?

i was thinking some thign like this for the in take cover have it like 2 3 inches from the top of the tank http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=198225-143-K5064PC

http://glass-holes.com/Bulkhead-Strainers_c22.htm
these would get more flow, the shower drains are a bit restrictive with the smaller holes

http://www.riftlakecichlids.com/diy-library-f23/pvc-size-and-drain-rate-gph-for-non-siphon-overflows-t34.htm
each 2" overflow could handle over 2000gph

You might want to check out Klaus' website for general construction
of plywood tanks.

Just a thought and I'm really looking forward to seeing this tank
set up when completed!

so like a one inch sized over flow im thinking would be good thats 600 gph and i could put a ball value to keep it checked so much head is there going to be lost? i was going to try and get the pump as high up as possible

Go 1 1/2" for your drain lines. I'll post some pics later how I set-up my overflows in a plywood tank.

thanks norm its not the tank that is the problem its the plumbing that i need help with

The nice thing about the plywood is you can set it up any way you wnat but you have to have some basic questions answered before you build.

How much water turnover will the tank NEED, now and in the future?

Can I work large enough skimming overflow boxes into the inside of the tank?

Do I want 1 or 2 overflows?

Do I want to drill the overflows into the bottom of the tank or off of the sides?

When I built mine the plumbing was a major consideration before I even started. I drilled both sides of my tank near the top to except bulkheads for 1 1/2" pipe and built overflow boxes that could handle 1500gph of linear flow each. If my pumps stop, the boxes will quickly empty with very little water loss in the tank. This design also makes it easy to quiet down any noise usually associated with downflow pipes.

well i want like 4 times over turnover skimming you mean like the out take? and since its all going under the tank i can make the stand high as it needs to be to get all done. and over flows are going to be where the water exits right? i was thinking possible spray bars? and if not i would for sure want to so i could have good water movement. How would it work with drilling in the bottom? and i want it so that if the power is out the whole tank dont drain it just stops like chirs has. and is there by chance you have a picture explanation better the way you put your bulkheads on the sides and all that

Great project D! Take loads of pics so we can follow the build. One of these days i´m gonna build myself a marin plywood tank.

Here are some DIY plywood tanks.

http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/eng_diy/2200litre/2200litres.html
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82363

thanks hagen and yea i will for sure and not to be a mean dude but its marine

Ok who is placing bets this goes the way of the CO 600 gallon tank building business thread, lol. Sure hope your dad is a good carpenter, jk D. Hope you get this done.

CO 600? and actually my dad is some what of a carpenter and this other buddy of his builds planes and built his house so we are set thanks for checking on me yea its going to be quite a build

From C-F the guy from colorado who had the thread that made it all the way to him filling up the tank with water then not another post ever, lol.

ahahahahahah never saw that one thats funny

Jeff and norm will know it they are eating popcorn waiting on his return last time I checked the thread.

lol but yea this build should be kicked off with buying the wood but idk how to figure out how many sheets of what size to start out with

Jimmy gave that kid some fish. Wished that thread was still around, would be a good start on what NOT to do.

what is good not to do?

found his photobucket finally https://s709.photobucket.com/albums/ww98/i3lazd1/?start=0