Habitat - Indoor :: Indoor pond build

[brain55]

I barely know anything myself. This so far exceeds my previous experiences with fiberglass. I've done spot repair in automotive type applications. Nothing like building my own forms or building walls a 1/2" thick. Hoping my mechanical knowledge and experience will carry me through. Once the "pond" is build I still need to construct the steel frame/cradle it's going to sit in.

Brian

[brain55]

I just saw in another thread the issue of traction on the ramp to the basking area. I'm thinking I may add some sand to the last coat of resin on half of the ramp leading out of the tank, hopefully adding some grip. The ramp will be close to 24" wide. I only want to do half hoping she'll use the smooth side like a slide. It may be wishful thinking, but she seems to enjoy rocking herself off her basking rock so she kind of slides into the water.

Brian

[brain55]

A tiny bit more progress. Decided on this thin tempered board to form the walls. It's starting to get easier to visualize. The PVC pipe is the suction for the filter. It will of course have holes drilled in it, and there will be about 2 1/2 - 3" of pool sand in the bottom for substrate so the holes will be a couple of inches off the bottom.

Brian

[steve]

Looks great, very impressive progress.

[brain55]

Here are some more pics. The major parts are built, now just some tweaking and a few small parts. Still hoping to lay some glass over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Brian

[brain55]

A few more.

Brian

[steve]

Pretty nice pics. Do the walls have to be 1/2" thick? Are there color options with fiberglass?

[brain55]

Pretty nice pics. Do the walls have to be 1/2" thick? Are there color options with fiberglass?

Tap Plastics recommends that aquariums over 75 gallons be 1/2" thick. It doesn't seem too unreasonable if you think about how thick 200 gallon glass or acrylic aquariums are. I'm pretty sure I can add pigment to the resin. There are lots of colors to choose from. If I can't add pigment to the resin I can do a gel coat, but I'm concerned if Penny's claws can scratch off the gel coat.

Brian

[steve]

Will you be adding a plastic or pond liner, just for extra assurance?

[brain55]

Will you be adding a plastic or pond liner, just for extra assurance?

No, I hadn't even considered it. I'm not concerned about it being watertight and I was only concerned about the gel coat getting scratched.

Brian

[steve]

I was thinking of having that layer outside of pond shell. Does the gel coat harden?

[brain55]

The pond shape is too complex especially with the ramp, shallow area, and filter plumbing. I was figuring on trying to insulate the sides with foam insulation sheets and or spray foam like a hot tub.

The reading I've done on gel coat seems like it is fairly soft. I'm going to research it more before I decide, but right now I'm leaning towards not using it.

Right now I have the form deconstructed and I'm taping everything with packing tape to seal it. I also need to move it from the living room to the garage, I don't think fiberglassing in the house would be a good idea. I don't think I'm going to get any glass down today, we are expecting more rain on Tuesday so hopefully I'll be able to get started then.

Brian

[Kansasslider]

That's a ton of work for a tank. I admire that. Keep up the good work, looking forward to see how it turns out.

[brain55]

Thanks. Yeah it is a lot of work. It's a nice project though and gives me something to do rather than watch mindless tv. It certainly isn't a money saving endeavor for sure.

Brian

[brain55]

Okay, finally laying some glass.

The first 2 pics are how I made the rounded inside corners where the walls meet. I used a clear florescent tube cover that I cut down and taped it in with the same packing tape I used to keep the resin from sticking to the wood walls and plastic tubs.

More to come since I can only post 3 pics at a time.

Brian