building small tanks?

[CHINABOY1021]

what exactly is needed. i've read some articles about building large tank for saving money.

but if i want to build a simple cube tank, must i buy all those clamps and such? what exactly do i use to hold the sides together? considering my tank is giong to be very small. under 10 gallons.

[polosniffer]

For a tank that small I don't think you have to bother with the clamps and things. I've built myself a bunch of tanks ranging from a 5gal up to a 40gal and think it's pretty straightforward. All you need is the glass, the silicone sealant and a couple of bricks. If the glass is pretty thin a tri-square or other accurate right-angled object might be useful. I experimented with cutting my own glass but couldn't quite get the hang of it so I'd suggest you go to a proffessional glass cutter for that. Make sure to account for the thickness of the glass and get the pieces cut so that the sides will all be flush with the base. All you do is start with one side, lay down a line of silicone on the base and press the side down onto it. Ensure that the two pieces are at right angles using the tri-square. If the glass is thick enough, it should settle into a right angle by itself pretty comfortably. For a tank that small you could probably just hold it firmly against the base with your hands until the joint feels pretty firm. Then use one of the bricks to support it until it's completely solid. Next repeat the process using the back, gluing it to the base and the side that you just finished. Don't wait until the first joint has completely hardened - if you can finish them both pretty quickly the back and side will support each other and ensure that you have them at right angles. That way, you'll need the minumum of additional support. Again, just use your hand to firmly press it against the base and completed side until it feels pretty stable. Then use another brick to support it until the joint is completely solid. Then do the other side, and lastly the front. Lastly, once all the pieces are firmly glued together, to seal the tank apply a line of sealant to each of the inside joints and smear it with your fingers or a spatula to get a nice, clean, unbroken layer. As a precaution, with any tank I've built I always place a 1/2" thick layer of polystyrene foam between the base of the tank and whatever I'm using as a stand. When the tank is full the weight will make it sink down and the polystyrene will ensure that its level to negate any potential errors. As a final precaution, always fill a homemade tank up outside and let it sit for a couple of days so you can check for leaks or unstable sides before you realize your carpet is drenched. Wow, I'm sure I could have said that in a more concise fashion, but it sounds simple enough right? :)

[nvision]

check this out. (http://www.garf.org/tank/BuildTank.asp)

give credit to the guy; he's done a good job with the site.

[ewok]

just a little side note.... depending on where you live, in the us at least, it's actually cheaper to buy the tanks than make them. it isn't until you get to 120g or more that you actually start to save any money..... someone actually compared prices for materials or something at one point.

i know i can get a 10g around here for like $10-20 dollars. $20 is allglass at petco, walmart has some cheap specials and another LFS sells kits for $20 that have a tank, gravel, airpump and air filter and usually a cheesy decoration or two...... i think i saw a place that does those kits for $14.99 even.....

the glass is how much? the silcone is around $5 a tube... the aggravation? priceless! :D (j/k, never assembled one, didn't seem cost effective.)

[tricksterpup]

I am with Ewok on this. Unless you want something unusual, like make your own cube or a really odd shape. It would be cheaper to take a drive to the local LFS or Petco/Petsmart or walmart and pick up a small tank for 10 bucks. From what i have priced in this area, 2.5,5 and 10 gallons are all about the same price or close to it. ALso there are so many types of small acrylic tanks that are really cheap also. I think Lee's Kritter keepers are fairly cheap in this regards with all sorts of sizes.

jim

[CHINABOY1021]

yea. 10 gallon tanks go for 15 bucks CND here. very cheap!.

but im looking to build a rimless cube that i cant seem to find.

[ewok]

the rim is sort of structural....? :confused:

probably why you can't find it. ;)

it may not be black, but there needs to be a rim around the top i would imagine. "just" silicone isn't strong enuf to hold a full tank together i don't think. fill it up and bump it right and you're liable to lose a seam or 2.......

try the prefab acrylics, they usually just have a top rim that's just thickened plastic. :)

[petes]

you actually don't need the rim for structural purposes from what i hear from tank builders, but i may be wrong. you might need them for much larger tanks though. i dont think the silicone is the problem for keeping large tanks together.. i think its mainly the glass width that people worry about

but i thought you could just take the rim off any tanks? they come off my miracle and hagen tanks without much effort

[polosniffer]

just to drive the point home, the rim isn't necessary on small tanks - i can vouch for that by the fact that my tanks never fell apart. On larger tanks I think cross struts are more useful for support than rims. Rims are generally just aesthetic and make it easier to place a lid. Also, the only times when I found it cheaper to build my own tanks was when I managed to score a free sheet of glass from an old window or something (as long as it was thick enough). Again, this worked with small tanks, but I wouldn't trust old, non-aquarium glass on larger tanks, where pressure forces would be greater. The optical quality of glass wasn't great either, but I was mainly using the tanks as breeders so it wasn't much of a problem.