Building 200 gallon Aquarium materials

[Arowana99cy]

Hello,
We hae a Silver Arowana..
We are looking at building our own 200 gallon Aquarium but we are a little lost on finding the right materials and a decent DIY guide on how to build it...
Can someone please help us and outlay what materials are needed, how you build it and also how to keep it stable and hold together strong as the biggest worry is that the glass will scratch and leak..
Thank you to anyone who replies and takes their time to help on the matter

 

[Uberhoust]

First I will say I haven't built a tank myself, only stands.

First thing to consider is that 200 gallons with decorations substrate and water will weigh close to or over a ton (1000 kg). Everything you do will have to take that into mind.

You have a number construction techniques to consider
- All Glass
- All Acrylic
- Plywood with Fiberglass with Glass or Acrylic front
- Metal with Fiberglass with Glass or Acrylic front

For basic construction and some ideas on the glass thickness, if you go that route, try https://www.thesprucepets.com/saltwater-aquariums-charts-diagrams-4122023 as a starting point

You will have to decide on the dimensions before you can finalize the materials you need. I don't know the requirements for an arowana but I would start with the fishes requirements for length depth and width.

Here are some ideas for the stand. https://www.guidepatterns.com/28-diy-aquarium-stands.php. Some of these look good others maybe not so good. If in doubt go larger and beefier.

There are some people in this forum that have built plywood tanks and they might be encouraged to help here.

I would be a little cautious, I don't know your construction history but if you don't have a lot of construction experience it might be better to start smaller. 200 gallons of water on the floor from a failed tank is a lot of water.

I believe that normally plywood and fiberglass is the least expensive, but with lumber prices now it might not still be the case.

Good luck with your endeavors.

 

[Colin_T]

How big do you want the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?