Fiberglass resin ok to use?
 

Does anyone have any info on using a fiberglass resin in a reef tank?

iam thinking of doing a plywood tank and then coating the inside with fiberglass mat and resin.

anyone.....?

Thanks!

:mrgreen:

you don't expose the resin directly. When you're done you paint it with a two part epoxy. There are only a couple brands that are safe for in the reef. maybe send a pm to michika, as she figured out what epoxy paint you can use in a plywood tank for reef.

thought I seen some plywood tank builds on RC with the resin exposed

If I could get away with just the resin and save a step or two that would be a good thing, but if I need to seal the resin with the 2 part epoxy to keep the resin from leaching into the water then I would have to do that.

Iam just looking to build a grow out tank with a couple of MH light over it so iam not worried how the inside of the tank looks.

thanks everyone.

Check out GARF, I was looking around there today and found a prop tank made of 4mm coroplast. I didn't look at it closely, but it would be super cheap. Last time I bought coro it was about $15 for a 4x8 sheet.

http://www.garf.org/_2008b/show/index.htm

African Fever on Alberta Aquatica has built a couple large plywood tanks. In one thread he gives a breakdown of materials and costs of what he used. Both threads are a good read for information. He's a good guy and would answer any questions you may have about plywood tanks.

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php...l=plywood+tank
http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php...l=plywood+tank

HTH

Thanks for the links, Iam going to look into this.

99% sure you can't expose the bare resin to moisture, fiberglass boats are still epoxy painted. If fiberglass is not properly protected it will rot.

also look for superfudge's tank journal here.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=31113

Cheers,
Vic

Most boats are gel-coated.
Gel Coat is resin with pigment, but they are painted with anti fouling paint below the water line. Prolonged water submersion can lead to osmosis.
Just use Fiberglass mat and epoxy resin to lay up the tank. Will cost a bit more but will last longer.

Again not positive as been awhile but when I was looking into a DIY kayak, sure it was just fibreglass and epoxy resin.