plywood tank for rays

[pepper815]

anyone ever do this....... i think a long shallow tank would be *****in for that

[jenglish]

I think I would save up for acrylic personally. You definately need a big footprint for rays.

[pepper815]

what about like a 8 by 8 and 1 foot deep that be big enough right.......... an overflow in the middle..... and like an inch or 2 of sand

[aquawolf]

I saw a wooden tank in use before. It had a plywood bottom and I believe 2X12 sides. It was sealed very well with silicone and then had numerous coats of waterproof polyurethane I believe. It was actually used as a coral frag tank. I think it would be very cool for a touch tank. Of course the bottom would have to be as smooth as glass to keep the rays from getting any splinters.

Depending on where you wanted it you might actually be better off building it out of concrete or perhaps one of those pre-built pond setups. I guess it also depends on how much work you want to put into it.

Let us know if you actually decide to try this.

[pepper815]

i would like 2 and i would have sand on the bottom so i wouldn't worry about splinters but a touch tank would be sweetness haha i live in kelso wa and im also setting up a frag tank as well the fish stores here suck and r no help...the tanks r dirty and fish and corals half dead..... when they even have them. so i think im goin 2 set up shop in my room haha .....how many gallons do u think i would need for the ray tank?

[OneDummHikk]

Using a reef safe urethane to coat it with, it would be an extremely cheap alternative to glass or acrylic and a lot easier to repair if anything ever happened to it. Or, simply find a used water bed and put a pond liner in it. Simple, cheap, and effective. Or, an above ground pool, just cut it down in height. Lots of cheaper alternatives to a glass or acrylic tank that size.

[pepper815]

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[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by pepper815

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Somewhere between 4,000 and 4,500 pounds. It will hold roughly 500 gallons of water and SW weighs roughly 8.33 pounds. You can figure a little difference depending on actual water volume, sand/rocks in the tank, the tank itself. But 4000-4500 pounds would be a pretty safe guess. Not a very simple project trying to build a suitable stand for something that size.

[pepper815]

u would have 2 2by4 the crap out of it

[OneDummHikk]

Walk in any waterbed store and look at the "economy" model frames. They are simple plywood sitting on a base structure. The key isn't how much bracing as much as where the bracing is.

[pepper815]

what could i fit into like a 40 by 70 by 12 deep

[mgloop9656]

also if you built one out of plywood, you could use fiberglass cloth and resin to waterproof it, even mix in color with the resin if you wished. you would just need to make sure to get the right cloth, there are some that are like actual cloth like and some that have individual strands that pull apart when you apply the resin and that would make for a rough surface. if only i had a place in my house to do that........

[Greg9871]

if were allowed to post links to other forums then http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=304207 on there he makes a really nice tank of plywood, he pretty much goes through step by step with pics, that may help

[crvz]

Originally Posted by pepper815

what could i fit into like a 40 by 70 by 12 deep

I don't think that would be large enough for rays. I'd do something quite a bit larger in footprint, and I'd still get it a bit deeper. Closer to 20" I'd think.

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by pepper815

what about like a 8 by 8 and 1 foot deep that be big enough right.......... an overflow in the middle..... and like an inch or 2 of sand

Maybe for a under size sump!