How to build a fish tank?

N

norcaltrojan

AC Members
Aug 16, 2005
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:huh: Alright folks, I'm in the process of turning one of my old speakers into a custom freshwater aquarium and am quickly realizing that it would probably be much easier just to build it myself. So my question to any of you out there is, how do I? I mean, I've had great success building stuff for myself in the past and have a basic knowledge of aquarium upkeep, but I have never made anything out of glass before.

1.) Do I need to use special glass (ie. tempered glass vs regular pane glass)?
2.) How thick should the glass be?
3.) What other materials might I need?
4.) Will epoxy work without contaminating the water (or have any other unforseen negative effects)?
5.) How should I build the base?
6.) Etc... any other problems or issues I should prepare myself for...

Oh yeah, not sure if this'll make a difference, but I'm building 2 tanks that measure 14" wide x 10" deep x 17-20" tall and 14 x 10 x 12" tall respectively.

Any advice will be much appreciated! Thanks! :hang:
 
I've built 3 tanks. It's not worth the effort IMO unless the tank is huge. (Over 300 gallons). Buying a new tank is cheaper. Getting custom cut pieces of glass is expensive.
 
i agree, buy the tank and eqiupment, and you could build your own stand. my boyfriend built mine for my 55 gal and he doesnt even really know much about woodworking. it turned out great and he gave me lots of extra space below to keep all of my supplies. it was still a little expensive for wood, but cheaper than buying a new stand.
 
Check out the DIY forum.
If you are convering speaker bokes, like kas asked, ou might consider using fiberglass.
 
Ok, I think I need to clarify a little here. The reason I am building it myself is because I need the exact dimensions that I mentioned and I don't feel like surfing the web for the next week just to find something that "might" fit. I need an exact fit. Oh, and I'm building litterally just the tanks... meaning no wooden stand or anything since both tanks will slide into the speaker enclosure and need to fit snug. So I guess all I'm really asking for are tips and tricks for gluing pieces of glass together... and the materials needed of course :)

One more thing: colors. What colors do you think I should paint the speaker when it's done. Keeping in mind that it should look like a speaker when it's done, I was thinking black with silver or white trim pieces... but I'm open to suggestions. Any thots?
 
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