DIY Concrete Aquarium 5,000 gallon - Anderson Family Reef
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dca22anderson
Valuable Member
Silicone was today’s activity
I think your wife is going to be upset when she sees you used her nice couch pillows to hold the acrylic in place
I’ll clean it again and silicone it in place tomorrow!!
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They probably just wanted their pillows back!
My wife and daughter were a huge help today doing the silicone on that first panel!!
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dca22anderson
Valuable Member
I will owe her some new pillows
HeyLookItsCaps
Well-Known Member
Went through every page when I should be getting something done for my wedding in 3 weeks…. Oops!
I have a 5000 gallon koi pond in my back yard that was a PITA to get up and dialed in, I can’t imagine going UP and adding viewing panels, hole in the ground was enough for me!
Here’s a video of me feeding today if you’re curious what 5000 gallons looks like from above, ha.
Koi Pond
One thing I didn’t see asked and I’m curious about…. You went with blue epoxy for the inside of the tank, was there a specific reason you went that route? I know for us “normie” tank folk that black is the go-to for background color, wanted to hear your thoughts.
I have a 5000 gallon koi pond in my back yard that was a PITA to get up and dialed in, I can’t imagine going UP and adding viewing panels, hole in the ground was enough for me!
Here’s a video of me feeding today if you’re curious what 5000 gallons looks like from above, ha.
Koi Pond
One thing I didn’t see asked and I’m curious about…. You went with blue epoxy for the inside of the tank, was there a specific reason you went that route? I know for us “normie” tank folk that black is the go-to for background color, wanted to hear your thoughts.
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dca22anderson
Valuable Member
Hehehe “playing fish” is a great relaxing activity to prepare for your wedding!! Congratulations on your wedding!!
Love your pond thanks for sharing!! My youngest son Kenny (10) and I watch pond building videos every night before bed!! Do you have a turtle (I see a ramp)? Love your waterfall and the shape of your pond!! That’s sweet!!
The light blue reminds me of the open water in the ocean as you look off in the distance when diving. It’s going to be covered in coraline algae over time anyway so i didn’t think too hard about it. Good question.
Thanks for checking it out!!
Love your pond thanks for sharing!! My youngest son Kenny (10) and I watch pond building videos every night before bed!! Do you have a turtle (I see a ramp)? Love your waterfall and the shape of your pond!! That’s sweet!!
The light blue reminds me of the open water in the ocean as you look off in the distance when diving. It’s going to be covered in coraline algae over time anyway so i didn’t think too hard about it. Good question.
Thanks for checking it out!!
HeyLookItsCaps
Well-Known Member
Actually that’s for our dang DUCKS!Hehehe “playing fish” is a great relaxing activity to prepare for your wedding!! Congratulations on your wedding!!
Love your pond thanks for sharing!! My youngest son Kenny (10) and I watch pond building videos every night before bed!! Do you have a turtle (I see a ramp)? Love your waterfall and the shape of your pond!! That’s sweet!!
The light blue reminds me of the open water in the ocean as you look off in the distance when diving. It’s going to be covered in coraline algae over time anyway so i didn’t think too hard about it. Good question.
Thanks for checking it out!!
15lb ducks that think they’re dogs.
I don’t know why I never thought of a turtle or two though??? maybe there’s a surprise in my almost wife’s future…
That ramp is the most RIGGED point of sale that I have ever built, but when our big ol Muscovys were still too small to get out of the pond my fiancé was freaking out about them drowning. (they’re ducks…but let’s not go there.) so I built that out of pallet wood, a vertical 4 inch PVC pipe as a kick stand, and a ton of brown flex seal to protect it. It’s been up for at least 6 months with no issues so as long as it works who cares!
great point on the natural reef blue though, I just know people like the contrast of black and as I was scrolling I was
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dca22anderson
Valuable Member
Them ducks are BIG!! That ramp is going to last a long time!!
Ooooo I see, I haven't seen silicone done like this before on a front panel. I've typically seen people put silicone on first and then place the panel. What made you chose this injection type method?
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dca22anderson
Valuable Member
Kind of a hybrid of what I have seen done… built a few glass tanks using the injection method in the past. Bill Wann shared how he did his panels with the bumpers.
Just figured I would silicone from the inside out and the outside in. Gives it about a 5” + silicone bead.
Thank you for the detailed response, that makes a lot of sense. I asked because I am looking at designing my own tank (plywood) and was curious about the method. It isn't one I've seen used on here before, but I like it. Better to over silicone than under silicone!Kind of a hybrid of what I have seen done… built a few glass tanks using the injection method in the past. Bill Wann shared how he did his panels with the bumpers.
Just figured I would silicone from the inside out and the outside in. Gives it about a 5” + silicone bead.
RGoltz
Active Member
This story within the story is the best part of this build thread.
Cally my daughter checking on the 750gal sump…
Cally my daughter still playing fish with me checking on the viewing panel install!!
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