Building a black water tank and shower base.

[smitty500]

Anybody got any good ideas about building either a black water tank or shower base. I’m thinking a reinforced rubber maid tub about 40 gallons? How about the bottom of a hard plastic garden tun for a shower base? Hit me with some ideas. Thanks Smitty500

[paul iossi]

the big box stores sell shower base membrane by the foot, on a roll, 5 or 6 ft wide. IIRC it's the same stuff that is used for rubber roofs except it is code rated to passify the building inspectors. either product should work, just use the recommended proceedure to seal any seams and use folded seamless corners wherever possible. make sure to leak test your work before you cover it.

[TygerCub]

Hi guys. I'm not close to building my tanks yet, but remember ReserectionFern's idea of building their own tanks out of plywood reinforced fiberglass . This idea intrigued me so I looked up the method behind that madness and found this site:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article..._aquarium3.php.
After reading how this guy did his, the whole idea doesn't look so crazy to me anymore! I really like the idea of being able to customize the tank to fit odd spaces. As long as the floor is sloped to a single corner for draining, I don't see why this couldn't work. No more trying find a space that's "just right" for that pre-made tank.

As for the shower pan, I'm really lovin' the idea of using a mortar mixing tray.

I found one that's 2' x 3' at Lowes that's just about the perfect size. Just add a little reinforcement on the side walls, add a drain, and walla! Cheap shower pan that fits perfectly next to the back door, or next to the kitchen area for ease in plumbing. I'll probably add a curved curtain rod to the top to give a little more room to move, but with the curtain pulled to the side, the walkway would open back up again.

Just my two cents worth...

[newbusser]

lovin that idea of making my own tanks. i like working with fiberglass, so will have to give this some more thought.

I will be using plastic 55gallon drums for fresh water, but this would be great for gray and black.