large tanks: build or buy?

cellodaisy

cellodaisy

AC Members
Jan 11, 2009
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Cincinnati OH 45219
meganstrickland.com
Like the title says, I'm curious what people think about building vs. buying larger tanks---let's say 100+ gallons. Building: glass, acrylic, or plywood? Buying: new or used? Pros? Cons? Please chime in!

Not in a huge hurry to have one myself, but I know I'll need something big for my turtle eventually and I'm interested in starting a discussion. Thanks!
 
cellodaisy said:
Like the title says, I'm curious what people think about building vs. buying larger tanks---let's say 100+ gallons. Building: glass, acrylic, or plywood? Buying: new or used? Pros? Cons? Please chime in!

Not in a huge hurry to have one myself, but I know I'll need something big for my turtle eventually and I'm interested in starting a discussion. Thanks!
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Buy, used if possible. (craigslist, freecycle, ebay, paper) I think its around the 300 gal mark that building becomes cheaper. But it all depends on the price you are paying for materials. If you work at a glass or plastics shop you may be able to get a better price than me! :)

Oh, if you do work at a glass or plastic shop and figure out how to build tanks cheap, PLEASE let us know!
 
Well, if you don't count labor time, I think the break even point is closer to 75-100gal or so when using plywood and glass (material cost compared to buying new). Full acrylic is obviously more expensive. The nice thing about building is that you can make it custom-fit and designed for exactly what you want it for. Personally, I also enjoy the construction so that's a plus for me. If you don't have the time, space, proper tools, or skills to do the kind of work necessary to build a solid tank, it might be more cost effective to buy one.
 
sploke said:
Well, if you don't count labor time, I think the break even point is closer to 75-100gal or so when using plywood and glass (material cost compared to buying new).
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Personally, I wouldn't count labor. I too enjoy building things and I have access to my dad's workshop and (more importantly) his knowledge and assistance. Labor and tools should certainly be part of the discussion, though, because not everyone is in the same boat.
 
My 180gal cost 120$ and that was with 2 18x24 peices of plexiglass for the top. Other wise it would have cost me about 95$. Putting a plexi window, add 50$ for hardware and 150-250$ for the window. Building is always cheaper, its just how you go about it.
 
The biggest con would be not planning out your build correctly and the structure fails. The pro would be you can build it as big as you like.
 
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