bulkheads in plywood tank

[N. Wise]

I am in the process of building a 180 gallon plywood and glass tank.
I have built these in the past and had good success with them,
however, with this tank being much larger than previous tanks, I am
planning on using a wet/dry trickle w/ a sump. I am curious if anyone
has any experience drilling and installing a bulkhead in the bottom of
one of these tanks. Obviously, the drilling is simple, but I wonder
about the bulkhead. Will it seal properly against the epoxy? Or
should I silicone a drilled piece of plexiglass around the hole to
seal it better?

Because of the tanks location, an overflow w/ external stand pipe is
not going to be an option. That is why I am planning on the internal
stand pipe.

Nick Wise







Nick Wise
http://members.aol.com/nwwise01

[Tom]

"N. Wise" > wrote in message
...
>
> I am in the process of building a 180 gallon plywood and glass tank.
> I have built these in the past and had good success with them,
> however, with this tank being much larger than previous tanks, I am
> planning on using a wet/dry trickle w/ a sump. I am curious if anyone
> has any experience drilling and installing a bulkhead in the bottom of
> one of these tanks. Obviously, the drilling is simple, but I wonder
> about the bulkhead. Will it seal properly against the epoxy? Or
> should I silicone a drilled piece of plexiglass around the hole to
> seal it better?
>
> Because of the tanks location, an overflow w/ external stand pipe is
> not going to be an option. That is why I am planning on the internal
> stand pipe.
>
> Nick Wise
>



I have never had a problem with bulkheads in my plywood grow-out tanks.
After drilling the holes however, I always coated the exposed wood with a
couple of coats of epoxy.

Tom

[N. Wise]

"Tom" wrote:

>N. Wise" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> I am in the process of building a 180 gallon plywood and glass tank.
>> I have built these in the past and had good success with them,
>> however, with this tank being much larger than previous tanks, I am
>> planning on using a wet/dry trickle w/ a sump. I am curious if anyone
>> has any experience drilling and installing a bulkhead in the bottom of
>> one of these tanks. Obviously, the drilling is simple, but I wonder
>> about the bulkhead. Will it seal properly against the epoxy? Or
>> should I silicone a drilled piece of plexiglass around the hole to
>> seal it better?
>>
>> Because of the tanks location, an overflow w/ external stand pipe is
>> not going to be an option. That is why I am planning on the internal
>> stand pipe.
>>
>> Nick Wise
>>
>I have never had a problem with bulkheads in my plywood grow-out tanks.
>After drilling the holes however, I always coated the exposed wood with a
>couple of coats of epoxy.
>
>Tom

That is what I planned on doing, I just needed some kind of reassurance before
I started drilling away! Thanks for easing my nervousness!



Nick Wise
http://members.aol.com/nwwise01

[Bob Ross]

(N. Wise) wrote in
:

>
> I am in the process of building a 180 gallon plywood and glass tank.
> I have built these in the past and had good success with them,
> however, with this tank being much larger than previous tanks, I am
> planning on using a wet/dry trickle w/ a sump. I am curious if anyone
> has any experience drilling and installing a bulkhead in the bottom of
> one of these tanks. Obviously, the drilling is simple, but I wonder
> about the bulkhead. Will it seal properly against the epoxy? Or
> should I silicone a drilled piece of plexiglass around the hole to
> seal it better?
>
> Because of the tanks location, an overflow w/ external stand pipe is
> not going to be an option. That is why I am planning on the internal
> stand pipe.
>
> Nick Wise
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Nick Wise
> http://members.aol.com/nwwise01
>

Hey Nick,

You are ok, aquarium silicone on all 4 surfaces (enough to squeeze out of
the gasket when you tighten it) then use your finger to spread a nice
seal from the excess. Never underestimate the power of silicone. You may
want to rough up the epoxy around the holes with some sandpaper to help
adhesion. I have found that the most common problem with leaky bulkheads
in any type aquarium is due to over tightening of the bulkheads which
deforms the gasket. Otherwise they are more reliable than you would think
although they do age and after 5 years often start to seep and leak.
That's why I use the silicone. It will seal the glass and the ply well
too.

Bob