Benefits and questions about building custom tanks

[SammyTargo]

Hello all,

It seems I have another teeming question every day now , but that makes sense as I am only just getting back into the nook of the hobby.

Despite my many years of fishkeeping, I never thought of the benefits to building custom tanks. They always felt like too much work and my "donations" to my LFS(s) gave me store credit which I often used to lower the costs of my builds, though most were just smaller tanks for breeding and grow outs.

I had some questions about building custom tanks:

• Do they cost less, and if so how much?
• Does it require a lot of supplies?
• Where would I buy the glass that is properly fit for aquariums? (I would suppose IKEA but I'm not sure what brand/store is the best for it)
• Is it hard or tedious, because I would do this for the budget. If it is very time-consuming, I wouldn't bother and I'll spend the extra 50 bucks for those 2 weeks of my time building the tank.

 

[GaryE]

If you have a good glass company locally, all you need is the thickness for the size you want, and the dimensions for them to but it. If the cuts are square, silicone and duct tape'll do the job.

Using the IKEA shelving, I spent about 40 minutes per tank. They then had to sit and cure for 24 hours minimum, in my summertime garage. That gave me a good tank. If I had applied the silicone as the online directions counseled, they didn't leak. I got two tanks for a hair less than the off the shelf price for one.

Tanks are more expensive here, as we're off the beaten path for cheap shipping. You might find better deals in a major city, and would have to take that into account.

I met a young man in Benin, in a village with no electricity or running water. He built his own aquariums to breed local fish, his fascination. If he could do that with his limited resources, what's stopping us?

I'd be wary of my skills if I wanted a monster tank though. I don't know why, logically, but I'd want more experience before I did say a 75 or larger.

 

[MattW]

Tanner from Serpa Design has been making custom aquariums and enclosures for over 10 years. The video below shows his guide to an Ikea glass DIY aquarium.