Home made tank ??

[chrism]

has anybody made their own tank, i have not had one for about 8yrs now and am thinking of building my own.

would like to make 4 or 5ft long x18x18.

am ok for making stand and hood, (15 yrs cabinet making )but not sure about what glass type to use and what sealer to fix it all together with.
any help would be an advantage

thanks chris

 

[Macquatic]

Hi chrism, welcome to the best fish forum on the net! I've built most of my own tanks but nothing bigger than 4ftx2ftx2ft. I used 6mm laminated glass for this with 6mm plate glass for braces. This is probably about the biggest with this thickness. Next up is using a 10mm base if you want a 5 footer. I'll try and find a web page with complete instructions and post. P.S. cutting laminated glass is an absolute b.....d! You have to cut both sides in exactly the same place and then the plastic film in the middle. Mac.

 

[Macquatic]

Hi again chrism,try this pageDIY projects ,check out glass thickness table for whatever size of tank you are building although you can cheat a little by using brace bars over the length and width. Use Dow Corning Aquarium Sealant. Being a cabinetmaker you will have a supplier for silicone and the likes. Mac.

 

[pete]

To be quite honest you would be better off buying a ready made aquarium at your lfs as i was shocked to say the least when i got prices for 10mm plate glass to repair a badly scratched tank that i have.........the piece of glass in question was a 5 foot x 2 foot rectangle with no polishing etc included and it cost me £65.00 :0 ......so if you bare in mind that with a 5 foot tank you should "double bottom" it and the total area of 10mm glass involved :what: well i feel it would be more economical to buy new

Check out your lfs for prices and compare it to building your own.........and remember to take into account the hassle factor and the potential for dissaster if you get it wrong compared to a professionally built aquarium.....as well as that the size that you are thinking of is a readily available size that most lfs's actually carry in stock........most people who build their own tanks need a custom size that is not readily available in local stores :what:

I have built my own tanks before but if i can i always buy ready made ones as you also get a gaurantee with them

Hope this helps and welcome to what has to be one of the busiest and definately the best aquatic forum on the net!! :laugh:

 

[Great Lakes]

Chrism, absolutely agree with Pete,(no offense Mac), glass and acrylic prices are prohibitive.
The absolute best solution for a large tank is to keep your eyes open and buy it used. You usually get hundreds of dollars worth of equipment along with it if you are patient.
My best deal to date? A 65 gallon all glass brand with stand, and canopy, with reef lighting, including ice cap ballasts, for, I'm ashamed to admit it...85 dollars! I felt guilty talking the guy down from a 100 bucks.
The DIY aquarium building I have seen recently is for smaller odd size tanks used as refugiums and sumps in saltwater applications, or insanely large tanks that have to be built on site.

 

[Macquatic]

No offence taken G.L. As I said I've only made up to 4ft. I'm able to get plate & laminated glass f.o.c. so building them is cheap. I certainly agree on the second hand route as you can pick up real bargains. Maybe you should go this route chrism if you have no experience of building. Mac.

 

[adeyc]

The general concenses here is buy new or second hand. I agree. Glass is to expensive to buy and if you break a piece you need to replace it. I get mine cheap as I've a freind who is a glazier so get very cheap glass/laminate. But I would say to anyone until you have actually made a few tanks stick with a smaller size then you can work your way up. Some of the horror stories about self made glass tanks exploding etc are true. Any way if you feel you want to build your own don't forget to use proper aquarium sealent(the normal stuff contains toxins etc that are bad for fish) and lots of sandpaper. when it's finished take it outside and fill it to test it doesn't leek. you dont want 50 gallons of water all aover your carpet. Good luck with it.

 

[chrism]

thanks guys,

looks like i'll be buying second hand, i dont need it for about 4mths till we move so will have lots of time to shop around

 

[Great Lakes]

Chrism, I missed one buy when I moved two years ago. It hurts me to think about it. I found a 180 gallon with stand, heaters, lighting, and two eheim filters...400 bucks!

He was on the opposite side of the state, and had to have it gone the weekend I was moving. I just flat run out of cash that week, and didn't have the time. But there are bargains out there. Here is my rule of thumb for a good buy on used.
Empty tank, with no accessories. 50 cents a gallon
Tank with lighting and filters. One dollar a gallon
With a stand and hood, I'll go to two bucks a gallon. Now if it is really huge, Like the 180, I'd go more, but anything under 90 gallons, stick to that formula and you'll get a deal. It is also nice to have an idea of what you are willing to spend. This way when someone says "what will you give me for it?", you can give 'em an answer

 

[Rose]

I have to diagree with the not having a gurantee on a tank you make yourself. There's a gurantee that goes with....guranteed to bust at the wrong time. Rose

 

[Great Lakes]

Amen rose!
I am confident of stuff I make, but we are talking a lot of bucks down the drain if trouble comes knocking at your door.
Besides, I spend too much time here to have the time to build my own! :laugh:

 

[adeyc]

Here's a tip for budding tank builders. Don't use laminate for an eight foot tank or bigger I finaly got the courage to fill my 8' tank. No leaks everytink seemed ok, untill i looked at it from the side. Even with stregnthening bars, it still had bigger curves than Pamela Anderson.lol. I used triple laminate as I thought it would prevent this but it didn't. The tank will be stronger and sirvive getting cracked without a leak, but as the glass is more flexable it's a scarey sight. I'm still going to use it though. I took time building it and suffered numerous cuts etc and I never suffer for nothing.

 

[Great Lakes]

I was once considering an in wall aquarium. You know, easy, Just a couple of 4x8 foot sheets of acrylic. The stuff is $20 a sq ft! It's just plastic! :grumpy:

 

[pete]

Good idea G.L

I was considering building a large tank something like that myself not long ago but the approach i was gonna take to it was..........

Large pane of glass for the front set into a plastic coated steel frame and build the rest from concrete blocks (double thickness) and then once the cement had "gone off" fibre glass the lot!!!!

By doing it this way the walls would be extra strong and the only joints where it could leak (in theory) would be where the glass and steel frame would be set into the blockwork at the front

Sounds a bit excessive i know but bare in mind that this tank was gonna be about 12 foot long x 4 foot wide x 3 foot deep lol :0

 

[Great Lakes]

Pete. What got us thinking it was impractical, was how to clean it? We were thinking four feet deep eight feet long, and two feet wide. It works out in the 500gal neighborhood.
I was gonna frame it with steel. If I use the block way, on my cement slab home in my climate, I was afraid the block would leach a lot of heat out of the tank.