The best DIY plans ever for something over 1000 gallons?

hustler

New Member
Ok.... misleading or not I Think i have conned the wife (yet again) into thinking i may save some money and building a tank in the crawl space...... If this plan is a go that means Ill be stuck with my house for god knows how long and any potential buyer needs to have the same hobby....... or be stuck with a monstrocity in the crawl space......
Before i get into it.... Im thinking of an air exchange with a secure lid (aros) to vent moisture passed a cirtian level outside...
I am thinking a 10 foot face with a ten foot by ten foot footprint and 3 foot high give or take......
I was planning on buying a tub or plastic container and cutting the front window out with a rubber gasket and carriadge bolts and calling it a day with no leaks much like the petrolium tanks Ive built standing 40 feet high have for manways..... but i would never get this in the door or windows......
SO back to square one.....
I am good at tig welding and have all the tools and machines in my shop so there is a chance i could get stainless (316 sheets) and weld it up in the crawlspace as there is just bare concrete there but im still on the fence as far as back purging and limited space, Or i could go with plywood and acrylic and try the fiberglass method...... but there again Ive only ever done boats and cars never a tank????
Or go with the plywood and epoxy or spray liner????
I just dont know where to go with this?
I dont trust plywood with a liner..... I dont understand how it works or dosent leak???? Even if you finish it with tiles Pools leak all the time for years before fixing. Ive been through many monster threads and they all change.... most leak first run and there is still no solid answer to what works or dosent.... Whats poison or what isnt.
I want a comm tank with aro's and rays that will hold the sands of time with both bio and growth and honestly..... if i applied my pond thinking to a tank setup hidden beneath the floor I truly believe this isnt far away.... 400 gallon watertank sump ect ect.....
I would love some opinions before i start on this project.....
The only other option i have that Ive been seriously And i mean seriously looking into is ripping the back face of my house appart (2 stories) and bringing in an acrylic tenekor to the basement between the joists and as far as costs go..... I have many trades skills and can read a tape so..... the first will cost less any way you cut it.
Me and the wife will be having kids soon and my area seems to be the best for us for the next few years with schools and such so this project will be in my near future,,,,
I just hope i can start on the right path right off the bat
 

arl

New Member
I would suggest plywood -fiberglass. It has been proven to be very effective in fishtank builds. It is very popular in DIY's fo a reason other than its cost. You can build a 4X 8 for just $1K. I read an MFK tank build using stainless steel cost something like $30K. Plywood can be just as strong if build right. And a stainless steel is still a steel and will still be subject to corrosion specially with water and heat.
 
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