700g Plywood build.

[cbui2]

still a great build, this should be enough considered the middle eurobrace installed which would make it solid. hopefully what i said didn't offend you and just stating opinions only. any more updates james

[KW-Reefer]

Hey guys,

No one offended me so no worries, LOL.


Build is coming along. I have almost all of the glassing done and the glass is ordered. I went with 3/4" (15mm) 88x28 regular float glass they would not sell it without polished edges but the prise was only $288 CDN so I got a heck of a deal. I will try to snap some shots this week end as I will be taking a break from the tank and adding 4 15 amp circuits to my basement for the tank.

I am having a struggle with placement though as I do not think the original plan for the tank room is going to work as there is a forced air return and main support I beam directly above the tank and I am concerned with rust. If I coated the I beam with Tremclad would this be sufficient? I know that the duct work in itself would not rust but the sheet metal screws that hold it up will, any Ideas on how to remedy this?

Thanks for the continued interest guys as I was afraid that I offended you.

James

[cbui2]

any sealant with no pores will be good. hows everything else coming along. stainless steel 316 grade is what i used for mairine application.

[KW-Reefer]

Sorry about no updates as of yet, I forgot the camera at the house. Glass is being delivered tomorrow and I got a coat of killz primer on the stand. Gonna try to get the Drywall up on the ceiling next week while the silicone cures.

I am having a problem locating sch 40 PVC in my area as it is not code (looking for 1.5 and 2")mostly Wisbro, copper and ABS . I found a Spa supply place that has Spa-Flex but the fittings are a problem. Can I use electrical conduit as an alternative? I can get the product ordered in but it comes with a price as always...... Just an Idea that I had and I just wanted to check as I know that ABS was/is a no,no back in the day when I set up my 180......


James

[cbui2]

i believed the grade on plastic conduits might be diiferent, but you might have to check around making sure it doesnt leak into the system. i used 2 1" 50' & 1 1.5" 50' spa flex on my system, about 150' 1.5" hard pvc, 100' 1" hard pvc about or little more.

[Cougarman]

I used flexible PVC tubing for my tank. It cuts the set up time down immensely, and decreases the water resistance as there are no sharp corners. If you're interested, I got it at pioneer pools in Burlington, there may be one in K-W. They have all the hose barbs, 1 1/2 hose, all the valves you need and bulkheads all for way less than at any fish store. The nice thing about it is you can easily make corrections and additions to your plumbing.

[KW-Reefer]

Thanks guys, I will try some other local pool places and go from there. I know I can get sch40 fittings from my local branch of Emco as well as hard pvc pipe. I will have to figure out what I need and go from there. Not sure of the pricing as I would be a "cash sale" not a wholesale account. Just like the automotive industry there is Trade price and retail price......I'll see what I can swing.

Thanks again.

James

[KW-Reefer]

Here are some pics guys. The Glass came in today and was delivered. It's 3/4" float glass Ground and polished edges 88" x 28" and it weighs 134 pounds. Now I feel for the guys with an all glass tank this big.

All in all I am happy with my results. The black pigment worked out good but I used two packages of it for one coat of epoxy on the whole to get the colour I was looking for.



Some shots of the electrical panel that we put together. I will skin it out later but for now it does the job well. Six outlets non switched and
three that are switched independently.





lastly is the glass. Sorry for the bad pic but it's hard to get a good angle on it. I'll try to get better shots of it later.




Glass goes in Saturday and then the final top braces and do the holes and closed loop plumbing. I will start the water tests next week on Wednesday or so. The silicone says that it cures in 24 hours so I figure 3 days should be good.

See ya's later

James

[DaltonJames]

cant wait till you finish it

[cbui2]

looking good, fast build like you said. keep us posted.

[abandund]

do you have a gfci inline with any of those outlets?

[KW-Reefer]

Yes, there are two GFCI breakers in the panel.


James

[edwinn]

can't wait to see this

[thisisme]

looking forward to seeing the end results

[KW-Reefer]

Del, Guys, Anyone.

I have a leak. In the lower right corner. I thought that I had found it and patched it but no dice...... It is a pinhole leak so I have no faith in finding it. Should I re-coat with epoxy or use a paint in pond liner. Any thoughts?

Please help as I am watching my dream slip away.

Thanks

James

[ChrisB]

Very sorry to hear that.

Paint in pond liner? I'm familiar with using a pond liner but not with the "paint in".

I've already decided that if mine develops a leak I am going to have it sprayed with a thick layer of Line-X. I will wash it out several times after giving it plenty of time to cure. A number of people are of the opinion that this could possibly work without leaking anything into the water column.
The only problem I see with the epoxy paints are that they are not the least bit flexible. Very brittle. All it takes is a hairline crack and WHAM you're screwed.

How long before you saw the leak? I put water in mine about 3 days ago, haven't seen any signs of a leak (yet)...

[dsandfort]

Well shoot! Do you think the leak is around the glass or through the structure? If around the glass, a total re-seal might be in order. If structure, you might want to look at the Sani-Tread material that Wayne used for his 1200 horseshoe tank. I think is has some flex to it.
You might also want to dye the water to try and track down the leak. Food coloring in the water and then wrap the tank with white paper towels and hope to spot the stain. If it's a bottom leak, reseal the bottom.

Jeeze James, I hope we (you) can get this sorted out. Keep hollering, I'll help as I can.

Del

[KW-Reefer]

Hey guys,

The leak is in the structure. I noticed it with 3" of water. I'll try to find the sani-tread material in Canada and go from there. I have to bring the old tank over and then start from square one.......


Thanks and I'll keep you posted..

[cbui2]

omg sorry to hear that

[thriceanangel]

I would use sanitred, then re epoxy over it like mad. Pour it on, don't brush or roll it on. Don't give up though. Keep on doing it until you get it sealed. Don't use the sani tred unless you plan on covering it with epoxy though, it's NOT UV resistant and will break down.
But the viscosity and flex might be enough to get your leak covered, then use the epoxy over it.

[KW-Reefer]

I found a product called Herculiner. I have talked with the distributor and they said that they have used it on bait tanks, Game fish holding tanks and in ponds. They also sell a UV protectant that is non-toxic and safe for those uses also. Think I will go this route as this stuff is strong and very resistant to what I will put it through. What do you guys think?

Thanks for the ideas..........I just can't give up, Never have before and won't start now........


James

[neverwouldof]

good luck with your leak, i'm enjoying your thread

[dleggett]

Sorry to hear about the leak.

In reviewing the thread, it was not clear how many coats of epoxy you put on (2 or 3)?

A few years back I built a low vat with plywood and epoxy. (Sorry no pictures.) I found that I was not comfortable with it until I put on more coats of epoxy than I expected to. I had to order more epoxy, pay for the extra cost shipping, do a lot of sanding, coating, and it took a lot of time. But, given how much all the rest of a system typically costs, it seemed to be worth it to reduce the risk of a leak. I have not had any trouble with it since I filled it. The extra coats provides peace of mind.

So, I would consider taking the time to add additional full coats over the remainder of the interior.

[reefkoi]

That's a bummer, I suppose it's the risk with any large tank especially a homeade wooden one!
Good luck with it though.

BTW what corals are you planning on? I just saw the 2 dart pumps and that's really low flow for a 700, I have 3 hammerheads and 3 more 5200 gph tunzes so the equivalent of 6 hammerheads on a 600. I started my tank with only 1 hammerhead and 1 dart and thought I would have tons of flow to spare, but big tanks really do need mucho flow I had way to many dead spots and cyano started from the lack of flow.

[asmodeus]

Awesome build thread man
"JUST REMEMBER YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!