Building 1600 Gallon Bioshock Themed Octopus Tank
 

Hello! So I started building my aquarium a week ago and wanted to share my progress. I've always had a passion for saltwater tanks and love the absurdly large so here is my take on it! The actual framing was done using stacked 2 x 4's, 1/2" thick plywood over the frame, will continue with fiberglassing mat and resin, then finish with a solid marine paint epoxy. Originally, when i drew up the plans, i wanted one of the windows to look like an airtight door but decided it was much easier just to make the same sized panels. 2 - 5' x 4' panels and 1 - 5' x 3' panel. Feel free to share any suggestions or shots as i progress!

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...t-jpg.1173994/

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[IMG]http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachments/img_2987-jpg.1173996/[/url]

[IMG]http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachments/img_2992-jpg.1173997/[/url]

[IMG]http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachments/img_3026-jpg.1173999/[/url]

[IMG]http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachments/img_3026-jpg.1173999

Ok.

pretty cool build. any thoughts yet on filtration or evaporation for this guy?

If that drain at the bottom has any kind of suction on it you may end up hurting an octopus ;(

You think that frame is going to hold up long enough to even fill that tank?

Won't the fiberglass and epoxy end up holding most of the weight?

Well the problems I see are they are using flake board, not marine grade ply. We also don't know how they joined all those 2x4's. I have a bad feeling this frame is going to flex enough to cause some catastrophic issues.

All the wood in that frame probably costs more than my custom tank.

Not to be mean, but I wouldn't trust that for a second. OSB is a terrible idea. At least use marine grade plywood.

Originally posted on April first...hrmmm

LOL, you got me.

I thought that at first. But look at the amount of time that was spent cutting and stacking wood and then lining it with flake board . . . just for an april fools joke on a fish forum.

I have a bad feeling this is serious.

Ive already ran this through CAD and several pressure tests. I'm apparently not as worried as some of you! OSB asorbs more epoxy and apart from rigidity, which plywood has a slight edge, both are rated equal in terms of strength. Not to mention the 4000 screws and the fact that i slightly bowed the walls in to compensate for the inevitable push.

The wood was free, besides the OSB, so as of now it has only cost me 100 for the screws and OSB.

The drain at the bottom is just for show. (Its supposed to look like a fill/empty room from bioshock)

The amount of screws doesn't matter if they are not utilized properly and the structure is not designed properly.

Those stacked edges around the viewing windows have no real strength when being pushed out by the considerable force of water when it is filled. Are you going to frame those in any way to keep the entire height of that from flexing?

The tank looks about 6-7ft deep with the viewing panel being roughly 5-6ft tall. That's a heft chunk of acrylic to put into there, probably 2-3" thick.

OMGosh!
I'm sorry someone has put so much time and effort into this, maybe a bird aviary would be a better choice in continuing this as a project, because I do not see this going well as an aquarium.

Please explain "running it through CAD and pressure tests". CAD or 'Computer Aided Design' is simply a user input design tool, it doesn't run stress tests, it allows designers to basically create blueprints digitally.

I agree with the others there is some substantial pressure being applied here, the wood will burst.

The program is a variation of Hydraulicad which is used to conduct testing on various aquatic vessels. The type of materials used can be selected as well as thickness, liquid type, etc. I'll take pics of progression once i install the fiberglass layers, epoxy, and marine paint. I also still have to install the frames that sit in each window. The acrylic will be 2" thick.

Wow. Crazy idea, I hope this comes to fruition.
Is that brick support staying in the tank?

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Again, what did you test exactly with HydrauliCAD? I'm not entirely familiar with that addon but it appears to only test the actual loop (flow ratios) of plumbing systems. It doesn't say anything about pressure testing on wood/structural components.

I hope you have thought this through and consulted a Structural engineer familiar with the properties of the wood you are using.

I think a stronge wind could blow this thing over!:headwally:

hopefully you have good flood insurance

That's not what flood insurance covers.