224G Diy Plywood Tank And Stand From Start To Finish :)

[rustyspurs]

hi all,
ive just finished building my 224 gallon fish tank and because i hate build threads that take an age, i thought id leave it to the end and post all at once.
i had a 5ft 90 gallon tank on a metal stand but really wanted a piece of furniture around a nice big tank.
i built the tank and stand frame from normal 2 by 4's which i glued and screwed, and then lined the inside of the tank frame with 3/4inch exterior grade plywood.
to get a water tight seal i put a few layers of figerglass resin down strengthened with fibreglass matt before adding a polyester topcoat.
siliconed the viewing window and hey presto 224 gallon fish tank. lol

it was nowhere near as easy as i just made it sound but as id never built anything from wood or had a clue about fibreglassing before i started im pretty sure anyone who researchs properly could construct one.
the front and side of the tank still needs trimmed out in some nice wood, im still deciding on the look. but its watertight so i can post
enough talking and unto the photos( be warned theres loads)

 

[colleen0309]

I've been researching alot about a plywood build. Yours looks great! No leaks? My problem is I have a tendency to start a big project and get in over my head. Your plan looks pretty simple. My first plans were for a 600 gallon. Before I read your post, I decided to scale it down...alot. I thought maybe building a small plywood tank for my grandson would be a better idea for my first one. Maybe 30 or 40 gallon. Then when I go for the monster tank, atleast I'd know what I was getting into. Real nice job on your tank!

 

[golfzzin]

Looks fantastic mate

 

[rustyspurs]

thanks guys,
the only problem i had in the whole build was the viewing window, i stubbornly decided to use bog standard £3 silicone instead of the aquarium grade stuff.
i mean surely silicones all the same? ah... no
i filled and emptied the tank 4 times in two weeks as i kept getting leaks.
Though not gushing or even dripping water, just damp patches.
i ended up spending £30 on more topcoat which solved nothing, before spending a messely £15 on two tubes of aquarium grade silicone to run a good bead around the inside of the viewing window.
The tanks been perfect ever since, and when i inspected the two silicones when dryed the difference was unbelievable.

 

[holidayinn]

Looks awesome, worth all the effort!!!

 

[micko]

Great job. Well done.

 

[rustyspurs]

thanks everyone,
forgot to say the tanks 6ft L by 3ft H by 2ft D,
would have went bigger but it would have looked silly compared to the size of the other furniture in the room.

 

[bae1994]

Looks great well done

I like the bare wood look in the photo too ( not sure in real life as obviously havnt seen it lol)

 

[hanny93]

i like the bare wood aswell, it matches the TV stand you have, which i like, i dont think it looks good at all when people have a big shiny tank in a wood filled room!

 

[rustyspurs]

yeah the colours fine, though the screws and bits of silicone you can see sort of ruins the look lol.
im just looking some nice trim to match the tv stand and book case and give the tank that finished look.
cheers for the replies...

 

[juggernuts]

Do me a favour Rustyspurs....... build me one

 

[Tizer]

I might have to be the odd one out and say i dont actually like the look of it very much, i much prefer the look of a glass tanks, but a great effort and thumbs up for making it water tight

 

[rustyspurs]

I might have to be the odd one out and say i dont actually like the look of it very much, i much prefer the look of a glass tanks, but a great effort and thumbs up for making it water tight

lol i actually know what you mean, but i had a 5by 2 by 2 tank for a couple of years and got sick of the light it put out in the room/ ceiling etc.
Another reason was cost, i live in ni and its nearly impossible to find a 5ft by 2ft tank never mind 6ft by 3ft, unless you go for the custom build and have £2-3000 budget (which i dont lol).
the ply build lets you buy the wood piece at a time as budget allows, 50 quid one week, 30 the next is far more manageable.
And you end up with the satisfaction of having a truely unique tank.
and hey, if we all liked the same thing the world would be a boring place.
Cheers

 

[Tizer]

It most certainly would its a great feeling to actually make something yourself though, i love seeing DIY projects on here and other forums, always learn something new or a good tip

 

[minnnt]

Fantastic effort mate, really good. Makes your telly look like a portable though!