MarineTeng
Reef Padawan
what are you going to line the concrete with, cause doesn't concrete leach pH into the water, technically OH- i suppose that's why when you make live rock you fw cure it for ph right?
would this tank design work
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shallowreef
Well-known member
I was told that if you use concrete you have to coat it with fiberglass.
have you priced any metals? Steel or Al? These would be quite easy to seal from the "elements" and prevent corosion. I've always wanted to build a tank with a Carbon fiber bottom and an Aluminum back. Maybe you could build wood benches around the tank (to hide the Concrete or metal gussets) if this is a top view kinda deal. Do you know anyone with a welder and skills?
jake levi
New member
Concrete tanks
If its only that high you can make it out of cement blocks easily, there are numerous fish farms in Fla with freestanding vats of block up to 4' high. For the work I'd make it a 4' depth which means a slightly higher wall. Each tier fill the spaces with pored mix with ree bar through them. Others just have free poured walls, usually about 6" wide. When finished coat inside, and outside if you want with sealer, lot of types available. Be sure to use a non-toxic one. Dont worry about leaching, it'll stop, but if its sealed its sealed. Best get some pro advice on the glass and installing it. I think I'd make it with two pcs of glass with a support divider between.
If the pvc is mortared in it's protected by the wall,
why so wide ? After 4' you are going to be losing visibility. Plus working in it would be a bear.
If its only that high you can make it out of cement blocks easily, there are numerous fish farms in Fla with freestanding vats of block up to 4' high. For the work I'd make it a 4' depth which means a slightly higher wall. Each tier fill the spaces with pored mix with ree bar through them. Others just have free poured walls, usually about 6" wide. When finished coat inside, and outside if you want with sealer, lot of types available. Be sure to use a non-toxic one. Dont worry about leaching, it'll stop, but if its sealed its sealed. Best get some pro advice on the glass and installing it. I think I'd make it with two pcs of glass with a support divider between.
If the pvc is mortared in it's protected by the wall,
why so wide ? After 4' you are going to be losing visibility. Plus working in it would be a bear.
aquarookie
Pure Poison :)
I know very little about concrete tanks, but there is a guy who built a 4000 gallon concrete tank in his basement. You might want to try searching for him on google... Maybe some good advice on his web site.
endo
New member
I know this is a little late, but you may want to keep in mind the effects of the increased humidity on your house's structual integrity.
If you use decent-quality concrete (I would go with a six-sack mixture), and cure the inside with freshwater prior to filling with saltwater, the leaching from the concrete will be minimal. There is a lot of water volume, and (relatively) not that much concrete surface area. The leaching will be further reduced if you ask them for a concrete mixture with five sacks of cement and an additional 100 lbs of flyash (per cubic yard).
Portland cement (used to make concrete) contains excess calcium oxide. (more calcium oxide than is necessary for the chemical reaction to occur) Some of this calcium oxide can leach out into the water, leading to a slight pH increase (as well as an increase in calcium content). The local flyash (local to the seattle area) contains almost no calcium, and by asking for a concrete mixture with approximately 20% flyash (by weight of total cementitious material), there will be practically no excess calcium when the cement has completely hydrated.
Probably the biggest problem you will have making this tank out of concrete is the fact that it isn't large enough. Not in terms of tank volume, but in terms of the amount of concrete used. When you use less than about 5 cubic yards of concrete, it is hard to get a major supplier to pay attention to you. You might want to plan another project (sidewalk? slab for a storage shed?) for the same time so you can order enough concrete to get a decent mixture from a reputable supplier.
Portland cement (used to make concrete) contains excess calcium oxide. (more calcium oxide than is necessary for the chemical reaction to occur) Some of this calcium oxide can leach out into the water, leading to a slight pH increase (as well as an increase in calcium content). The local flyash (local to the seattle area) contains almost no calcium, and by asking for a concrete mixture with approximately 20% flyash (by weight of total cementitious material), there will be practically no excess calcium when the cement has completely hydrated.
Probably the biggest problem you will have making this tank out of concrete is the fact that it isn't large enough. Not in terms of tank volume, but in terms of the amount of concrete used. When you use less than about 5 cubic yards of concrete, it is hard to get a major supplier to pay attention to you. You might want to plan another project (sidewalk? slab for a storage shed?) for the same time so you can order enough concrete to get a decent mixture from a reputable supplier.
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