Oak bookcase to 220 gallon aquarium

[lrochon]

This will be my first DIY tank. I was looking at a large oak bookcase in my garage that I had gotten from a DRMO sale in Hawaii, and figured it could make a cool aquarium with some work. I got the thing for next to nothing, so I didn't mind cutting and altering it. It will be roughly 220 gallons when complete. I still have a lot of sanding, sealing and re-inforcing to do, but boy this thing is solid! I was going to use 3/4 inch acrylic for the front. I also plan on making a trough-like overflow on the back. If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to offer guidance. Thanx!

Leo

http://www.totsouth.com/001.jpg

http://www.totsouth.com/003.jpg

[lrochon]

Added the framework for overflow box today. Still have to drill the hole in the box as well as two in the tank wall.

http://www.totsouth.com/004.jpg

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[dbrown]

What do you use to seal something like that?

[dougiee]

Taking a bookcase apart for a stand.

Talk about good improvising

Hoorah Gunney!!

[brackishdude]

Is this a tank or a stand? If a tank, I would be real concerned about srtuctural failure. You have no idea how the joints are made (DIY ply wood tanks use crazy number of screws and "liquid nails), the wood is solid (vs. plywood which is resistant to moisture-induced expansion/contraction), and that strip at the top of where the glass would go is skinny little separate piece( DIY use one large sheet wht the glass hole cut out).

You have a nice concept going, but doomed to fail IMHO. I recommend taking all of your excitement and energy and start all over. Make a proper plywood enclosure, then procede as you were anyway.

Good luck!

[lrochon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6556032#post6556032 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brackishdude
Is this a tank or a stand? If a tank, I would be real concerned about srtuctural failure. You have no idea how the joints are made (DIY ply wood tanks use crazy number of screws and "liquid nails), the wood is solid (vs. plywood which is resistant to moisture-induced expansion/contraction), and that strip at the top of where the glass would go is skinny little separate piece( DIY use one large sheet wht the glass hole cut out).

You have a nice concept going, but doomed to fail IMHO. I recommend taking all of your excitement and energy and start all over. Make a proper plywood enclosure, then procede as you were anyway.

Good luck!

I have examined the entire thing. It's put together better yhan anything I could build. I'm still putting screws in all the way around about 2.5 inches apart. I can feel it getting sturdier as I put more screws in. You're right, this wood won't expand, and it shouldn't. It's solid oak, and much stronger than plywood. I'm not sure I follow you abou a strip at the top. The area where the glass wil go is one solid sheet of oak. I cut out the viewing area with a jigsaw. Look at the first pic. All sides of this thing are single pieces of wood.

[waterloomarc]

Regarding expansion, solid wood will expand much more than plywood will. Plywood is far more dimensionally stable than solid wood....most of the reason for it's creation to begin with and ongoing popularity. Plywood is actually a very good product to build a lot of things with, the problem is people associate plywood with particle board which IMO has no redeeming quailities ;)

-marc

[lrochon]

I guess my question would now be, if the tank is properly sealed/waterproofed, why would the wood expand, regardless of the type of wood used?

[MayoBoy]

I'm not an expert by any means on DIY tanks but I do know a thing or two about woodworking. The main reason that wood moves "unequely" is becuase it's not finished the same all the way around.

That said, if you're going to fiberglass the interior, be sure to do the same to all the other surfaces. It may seem strange to do so but the wood will absorb moisture where it can and if it can't do it on the inside of the tank, it will do it on the outside.

Don't just finish the large planar surfaces - be sure to get all the edges as well.

Good luck.

[mpomfret]

This bookcase-to-tank thing is one cool idea. However I agree with some of the above comments regarding solid wood expanding in high humidity or moist environments. Solid woods expand and contract with humidity changes because all of their fibers are oriented in the same direction. These fibers absorb, or lose, moisture causing them to expand and contract. Thus the board can change its width (across the grain a little). When on side is finished and the other not, the unfinished side will move more making the board cup in one direction or the other.

Even with the inside sealed w/ fiberglass I would worry about the wood expanding. The fiberglass and adhesives might be strong enough to fight the expansion, but there are lots of stresses to consider and I thnk this project puts you in uncharted waters with regard to both fish tanks and woodworking. You might want to see if you can find a professional furniture maker (there are probably a few lurking) and bounce the idea off of them. I was thinking you could line the whole think with plywood, liquid nails and screws, but I'm not sure if that would get you what you need.

My guess is that the problem can be solved and that this will become one heck of a conversation piece. Congrats on some real out-of-the-tank thinking.

Matt

[lrochon]

Thanks for the input. Those are definitely points to consider/explore. The minimal investment in time and materials makes this project both a challenge and a motivator. So far, the only cuts I've had to make in the wood were the viewing/glass opening and the construction of the overflow box. My monetary expenditure is still zero at this point. I do plan to seal and paint the entire thing, inside and out. I'm optimistic that when tested, there will not be a "castastrophic" structural failure such as collapse. If there are any problems, it would probably be leakage. I'm going to take every precaution to ensure that it is completely sealed and watertight before introducing any water.

[cougaran]

The wood might be solid, but it's actually not one piece. To make those panels they are many pieces that are glued together and then planed down flat. You can tell by the different colors of the wood. They also lay them a certain way with the grains when they glue them together to help prevent future warping. I believe they do consider this to be stronger than a solid sheet of wood. But I wouldn't be too sure how well it would hold up to being turned into a fish tank even with painting the inside. Maybe you could line the inside of the tank with plywood...

[Atomahawk]

This is just an opinion, but I would really be concerned about bowing and the long term effect if it's not addressed. Since the large planks are made up of smaller ones running parallel the pressure could over time split the seems where they are joined, and or will begin to tear the wood fibers that make up wood. As an example break a piece of wood and look at how the break tears at different lenghts, these are the fibers that make up the wood. Over an extended period of time my concern is wood ripping under pressure. Now if it was braced at the top, middle and bottom on the outside useing anything that could possibly reduce this pressure on the oak, would be a good move.

Hardwoods are more solid in regards to screwing and surface marring as the fibers are really packed. But under pressure they snap. Softwoods are the opposite they tend to flex under pressure.

Good plywood has the fibers running on the X and Y planes, this whats make it so strong and ridgid for the thickness.

Sorry for the wood working lesson :)

[lrochon]

Not at all Atomahawk, I appreciate it. I'm a novice when it comes to wood, but I have this crazy creative streak and tend to figure out how things can work. My wife told me the other day that she's confident that the tank will work out because I've never "made" anything that wasn't functional. She said they don't always look pretty, but they work, lol.

Ideally though, if someone had about a 180-200 gallon tank they'd sell cheap, I'd go that route. This is mainly an effort to save money and quench my appetite for this hobby at the same time.

[lrochon]

I just got a 110.00 per gallon (including hardener) for the 105 epoxy resin from West Marine in Morehead City, NC. That should be enough for this tank, shouldn't it? Also, how well does this resin adhere to regular wood filler? I'm ready to start waterproofing this weekend. I've put screws all the way around the entire frame, and it's extremely sturdy.

Oh yeah, I went to a local glass shop, and was told that I shouldn't use acrylic for the viewing pane. The guy said that it will not adhere as well as glass. I'm not sure if that was said just to get my business, or if it's true. Anybody know?

[Gobie]

Are you going to use fiberglass cloth?

[Gobie]

Silicon will adhere to glass better then acrylic.

[lrochon]

I was looking at some fiberglass cloth last night at Lowes. I was considering wetting some out over all the joints. Is that a good idea?

[tabndust]

good luck ill be watching hope everything works out for you

[Gobie]

They sell 6 foot rolls of this stuff I have some in the garage. You can get different thicknesses. I would lay in fiberglass like I was building a fiberglass boat and seal the entire thing with fiberglass. This will give it strength and make the wood almost indestructible. I think you would be better off building it completely out of plywood for even more strength.

[usmcsgt]

I you have any questions about how to do this there is a guy in New bern that owns a place called Aquatic Consultants and he has a few homemade tanks.

[lrochon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6607810#post6607810 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by usmcsgt
I you have any questions about how to do this there is a guy in New bern that owns a place called Aquatic Consultants and he has a few homemade tanks.

Yeah, I'm supposed to be buying a tank from him today. What squadron are you with? I work at Base Ops just below the control tower.

[areze]

are you bracing the wood at all for bowing? plywood tanks Ive looked at seemed to have some beams going across the back to keep it from bowing out. since the epoxy and fiberglass will not bend at all and lacks any real strength, if the wood gives even a fraction of a mm the epoxy will crack and you'll have 200G of mess. even if its not as drastic as that, over time your corners get little cracks and you get little leaks and you just have a general pain on your hands.

all in all, it seems like you would need bout 80$ worth of plywood to remake this tank. your about to put a 100$ worth of epoxy on it. why wouldnt you redo this same design out of plywood if thats the "correct" wood for the job when it costs so little and has such huge implications to the long term success?

the large tank forum I had asked, and Ive looked, IMO this is a project thats best overengineered than under. I would use plywood, and I would put atleast 2 bands of 2x4's around the back and sides to keep it from bowing, and Id use glass for the viewing pane, starphire if possible, as long as your not concerned with weight or joint strength of the glass seams, glass has alot of benefits over acrylic for this sort of job, namely it bonds to silicone much better.

my 2 cents, though you seem quite set on doing this as you already have begun doing it.

[lrochon]

Well, it's still at a stage were I can still convert it into a stand or something. I just decided to buy a 225 gallon acrylic tank from a guy locally, and it comes with its own metal stand. I'm going to build a tank room around it. It was actually my first option, and I'm going back to it. This project has gotten way too much criticism to continue as is. Sometimes you have to give way to the experts. It was beginning to look less cost effective anyway. I'll quit now with a total investment of a box of screws and some wood filler :). The tank I'm buying is pretty darned nice.

[areze]

Im sure you will be quite happy with that choice. specially with the price your getting the other tank for, who couldnt be happy with that price.

plywood seems good for the much larger tanks where material thickness and costs associated are a problem. Id say your on the bubble, and at 650$ for that other tank in 3/4" acrylic, Id say thats a great deal.