building an aquarium

Holly9937

Holly9937

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Jan 20, 2005
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Sorry if this is a dumb question, but my husband is very handy and I was wondering if it is difficult to build a tank. I would like 150-200 gallons, would it be cheaper to build than to buy assebled? And where do you get glass/acrylic from?
Thanks, any thoughts are appreciated!
 
Is DIY cheaper? Maybe. Is it difficult? That depends on who's building it. IMO, if your going to build 1 tank to try to save a buck, don't bother. The person building the tank should have some experience in tank building process before trying to tackle such a large tank. Try building a 30g tank with success first, then a 90g, then a 200g tank. Also if time is tight, alot of big DIY projects can take forever to complete. Building a tank usually means building a stand and hood also. It's not something you can do in one weekend or even a week, probably not a even a month either. I know a few people who started building their dream tanks about a year ago and still haven't finished them. It takes lots of time, planning, tools, and some skill.

The tank itself is only a fraction of the cost of an aquarium.
 
Here is a link to a good page on building a DIY tank. There can be many benefits to a DIY plywood & glass tank, but you must be patient and diligent as was mentioned above.
 
Well, my husband is looking for things to do, he used to coach high school football, so he is anticipating alot of extra time on his hands. Also he is an engineer, and does alot of DIY projects. If he thinks it would save any money, in addition to the fact that we are in no rush... who knows!! Thanks for the link, I'll pass that along!
 
Forgot to mention, I just bought an 8 foot by 33", by 30" tank stand on ebay for a dollar :D , so I may need a custom tank and thought we may take it on. The stand was built for a 400 gallon tank, which I don't see having, but something a bit smaller would sit on it just as nicely!!
 
Here are more good links for diy tanks-

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_acrylic_aquarium.php
http://www.garf.org/tank/BuildTank.asp
http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm
http://www.kingvinnie.com/aquaria/diy/


Plywood tanks are the cheapest to build, but they are also the least forgiving. If you ever have to move a large plywood tank, you'll probably end up with some minor cracks or leaks. Plywood tanks require the most work, skill, and patience to build. Also ordering all the supplies needed to build a plywood tank can be a difficult task itself.

Acrylic tanks will cost atleast 2x what a plywood tank costs to build, but acrylic is the most forgiving. Acrylic really is to great to work with. It is light, durable, and is the best for fabricating custom tanks.

Glass tanks are probably the least complicated to build, but they are extremely heavy for one person to work with. A 8 foot by 2 foot sheet of glass 1/2" thick will weigh about 107#'s. While a 8'x2' sheet of 1/2" cell- cast acrylic weights about 50#'s. The cost of a glass tank all depends on how well you find a glass supplier. It could be the most expensive, but it could also be the cheapest tank to build if you can find a good deal.
 
I have seen a large tank made of glass and concrete. The obvious draw back is that it isn't going anywhere. If you want to do this though, you better be good with concrete and making very precise cuts and measurements. If something is off center, it can easily cause a crack. The water in a 55 gallon tank is over 500 lbs so the weight of a tank 125 or more would be enormous.

You also have to make sure that you put in a drain pipe under the tank. This is highly suggested incase of leak. That much water would be a mess if it spilled.

I would definately not recomment and type of irregular shape. Some tanks have curved sides and and other irregularities that would probably not be a good idea for the first tank. Be very careful not to create a flood.

One last suggestion is to put a vertical support at least every four of five feet of glass even if there isn't a break in the peices of glass. The pressure can be very large in the center of the glass so a support is needed.

The best advice is google. There are lots of step by step guides. You will quickly see the benefits and draw backs of each. Some sites have a plan to follow. You can follow their plan or modify it.
 
probably cheaper to buy if your in a bigger city or if your near glass cages. if you build you can build to any specs you like. lots of people i know followed the garf plans and it turned out nice.
 
Ditto what chefkeith said. Don't even think about building a large tank as a first project. Unless you need an odd sized tank the bigger you go the less likely you'll save any money building your own. I would also think it would be impossible to sell a DIY tank if you ever needed to.
 
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