is it practical or easy? i cus i want to build something that would be like 5-6ft long, a foot wide, and maybe a foot tall. not to heavy, but with alot of floor space. what do you need to build one, and how do you do it?
building a custom tank?
- Thread starter austinpetemo
- Start date
Easy to build. Go buy plywood, 2x4's then glass or acrylic. Then pond liner or epoxy paint and ur done.
Check out the build that Badoleross has done as well as the other post, I have been building on myself, not too difficult and enjoyable. I Just need to spread the time between work, wife, kids, and the build, LOL, so slow going. Good luck
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218626&highlight=plywood+build
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219043&highlight=plywood+build
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218626&highlight=plywood+build
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219043&highlight=plywood+build
actually. i was thinking something more along the lines of all glass. this will be sitting in my room, so really i want to have at least 3 walls of glass to see through. the dementions i have in mind all come in at around 45-60 gallons. so i dont think ill need to make one out of plywood. idk. what do yal think?
Yeah, thats practical to make from glass because it's only 12" deep.
Go to this page
http://www.garf.org/Tank/BuildTank.asp
Plug in your intended measurements and it will give you the exact glass sizes, bracing needed and instructions.
45gal is about right if you go for 6ft long.
Ian
Go to this page
http://www.garf.org/Tank/BuildTank.asp
Plug in your intended measurements and it will give you the exact glass sizes, bracing needed and instructions.
45gal is about right if you go for 6ft long.
Ian
im looking at making it from 6-8ft long. it would cover my entire wall. the instrustions given are kind of clear as mud. they need some diagrams....
Hello,
I was looking at doing my own tank about two months ago. I ended up just picking up a used tank and stand off of craigslist to save money (i got a 29g with welded steel stand for $30). I found that the cost of doing my own tank and stand would have been pretty high and even more time consuming than just cleaning up a rusty metal stand and heavily crusted tank.
i digress... The prices i got for glass were
1/4" $3.75 per square foot
3/8" $7.75 per square foot
and $.10 per linear foot for edge finishing
my cost for glass alone to build a rimless 24" x 16" x 16" would have been $135. It did not make any sense for me build my own. I am sure prices will be lower in your area as i live in a relatively small town in northern Michigan, Look in the yellowpages of a phone book for "glass" to find suppliers. I am not entirely sure of your budget but you may want to consider starphire glass or low iron high clarity glass.
If you do decide to build your own glass aquarium, the silicone you should go with is Momentive RTV108 or 103 (scroll to the bottom).
another glass thickness calculator is This One. it is all in metric which is a little annoying but it allows you to control the "factor of safety". if you would like to build a rimless tank, which i am not sure is feasible on a 6' or 8' tank, then a factor of safety of 7.8 should be used.
You may want to consider acrylic, it is lighter than glass and is considered to have higher clarity. check out This Thread.
Good luck in your endeavors.
I was looking at doing my own tank about two months ago. I ended up just picking up a used tank and stand off of craigslist to save money (i got a 29g with welded steel stand for $30). I found that the cost of doing my own tank and stand would have been pretty high and even more time consuming than just cleaning up a rusty metal stand and heavily crusted tank.
i digress... The prices i got for glass were
1/4" $3.75 per square foot
3/8" $7.75 per square foot
and $.10 per linear foot for edge finishing
my cost for glass alone to build a rimless 24" x 16" x 16" would have been $135. It did not make any sense for me build my own. I am sure prices will be lower in your area as i live in a relatively small town in northern Michigan, Look in the yellowpages of a phone book for "glass" to find suppliers. I am not entirely sure of your budget but you may want to consider starphire glass or low iron high clarity glass.
If you do decide to build your own glass aquarium, the silicone you should go with is Momentive RTV108 or 103 (scroll to the bottom).
another glass thickness calculator is This One. it is all in metric which is a little annoying but it allows you to control the "factor of safety". if you would like to build a rimless tank, which i am not sure is feasible on a 6' or 8' tank, then a factor of safety of 7.8 should be used.
You may want to consider acrylic, it is lighter than glass and is considered to have higher clarity. check out This Thread.
Good luck in your endeavors.
Small tanks are not cost worthy. You dont start saving money until u reach the upper few hundred gallon mark. Unless all your supplies are free.
