How thick of plywood and how to heat a plywood tank??

[orangeinecrab]

So I am thinking of building a plywood tank with sliding glass doors as it is cheaper than a full glass tank for me to build but what thickness of plywood would I need?? How wood I heat a wooden tank?? And also what type of resin or epoxy is ok to coat the whole plywood??

[wodesorel]

You have to factor in how big the tank is, how much bracing there is along the bottom, and how much weight of substrate there will be. I used 1/2 inch in my display case, but the entire piece sits flat on the floor so there's no stress point. I'm looking at 3/4 or 1 inch for the new build with 2x4 bracers every 12 inches, maybe less. It needs to have a smooth surface facing the crabs or they could get leverage and loosen pieces - so well sanded or cabinet grade. No fillers like wood putty - they can tear through the coating and rip that out easy. Found out the hard way.

Wooden vivs can be heated with UTH, lamps or cable. Usually it's run inside on the top.

It has to be a 2-part product that you mix and then it hardens. One-part coatings cure by evaporating chemicals and can continue to do so for months or years. Two-part coatings cure by quick chemical reaction and pretty much become inert plastic after that.

It's usually not cheaper to build rather than buy used. The coating will run around $100 by itself!

[orangeinecrab]

You have to factor in how big the tank is, how much bracing there is along the bottom, and how much weight of substrate there will be. I used 1/2 inch in my display case, but the entire piece sits flat on the floor so there's no stress point. I'm looking at 3/4 or 1 inch for the new build with 2x4 bracers every 12 inches, maybe less. It needs to have a smooth surface facing the crabs or they could get leverage and loosen pieces - so well sanded or cabinet grade. No fillers like wood putty - they can tear through the coating and rip that out easy. Found out the hard way.

Wooden vivs can be heated with UTH, lamps or cable. Usually it's run inside on the top.

It has to be a 2-part product that you mix and then it hardens. One-part coatings cure by evaporating chemicals and can continue to do so for months or years. Two-part coatings cure by quick chemical reaction and pretty much become inert plastic after that.

It's usually not cheaper to build rather than buy used. The coating will run around $100 by itself!

I'm thinking the size would be about 27"x27"x36" (wxdxh) and it would have about 12 inches of substrate. I was thinking of using 1/2 inch plywood but i may get a thicker piece for the base as well. I was thinking of bracing around the corners/sides, along the top and bottom and possibly halfway across the back wall. I think I will look into heat lamps or cable as my UTHs atm are terrible and barely put out heat at all. Around where I live tanks are expensive even second hand as in the UK tanks are super expensive for some reason and I believe I have about about £170 (approx $250) but I also need to build a small stand that is 23 inches tall.

[orangeinecrab]

Just found this would it be any good for waterproofing the inside of the http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbuild-EVBAQ ... coat+epoxy

[wodesorel]

Check with a more vivarium oriented forum like Dendroboard - those dudes will know if it's safe! I wouldn't recommend anything like that unless it's known to be fish/frog safe or can be used for potable (human drinking) water.

[orangeinecrab]

Check with a more vivarium oriented forum like Dendroboard - those dudes will know if it's safe! I wouldn't recommend anything like that unless it's known to be fish/frog safe or can be used for potable (human drinking) water.

Just signed up and I will ask about it over on there