New here. I need assistance in DIY large aquarium.

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BuildingBlocks

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 16, 2011
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Nj, flanders
I'm kinda new at this... So I'm trying to make a fishtank for a snapping turtle I wanna get. I wanna make sure I have it set up first before I buy it though. I want the glass to be 1/2 inch thick. I want it to be atleast 6feet long or 7. And it MUST be 3feet wide and 2feet tall. Now knowing that you glue the pannels ontop of the bottom glass... That means I need an extra piece of space for the glass to be glued on.

So counting all of that. If I wanna make a tank of those parameters as the end result. Would you guys happen to know what would the specific length and stuff for the sheets of glass? Like could one of you give me an exact measurement for each glass pannel? Since I'd like to order the pannels exactly as that. So I don't have to cut glass myself.

Does anyone know what's the strongest glue I can use to glue it together? And how to make a strong stand that will not wobble and will be able to support that amount of weight?

I'd also like it to have a glass rim that is big enough so that the turtle can't climb out. As well as will not make me have to use a lid and just a regular strip tube.

Please help!

How much will this cost in total?
 
bottom panel 72x36
front/back panel 72x24
sides 35x24

not sure how much this will cost due to local pricing. call glass companies around your area for the best price. or get on glasscages.com for their pricing. I use all glass brand silicone and the tank will need to be braced..
as for the stand, 2x4's will provide plenty of support and there are threads out there that will show you how to position the 2x4's
 
What's "braced"? I'm assuming it would turn into "bracing" which makes me ask what is "Bracing"? And glasscages sells a tank like that for like 900dollars. Sorta expensive. So I wanted to see If I can take this route. I'm hoping someone can give me the exact dimensions of the glass sheets. Because I dont know how to do that...
 
BuildingBlocks said:
What's "braced"? I'm assuming it would turn into "bracing" which makes me ask what is "Bracing"? And glasscages sells a tank like that for like 900dollars. Sorta expensive. So I wanted to see If I can take this route. I'm hoping someone can give me the exact dimensions of the glass sheets. Because I dont know how to do that...
Click to expand...

like with normal smaller tanks, the plastic around the top and bottom brace the tank and give extra support. you would need to brace the top from front to back in the middle of the tank.
if you are using 1/2" thick glass, these are your dimensions:
bottom panel 72x36
front/back panel 72x24
sides 35x24
 
check out the "DIY stands" section of the site for that, I had never built one before and I just made one for my 180 just off of what is on the site.

Are you buying a large adult snapper or something? If the turtle is young and still smaller, you could house in a 55 gal for awhile until you figure out the big tank. Or even just a large rubbermaid bin like a lot of people use for turtles. I picked up a florida snapper a few months ago who is just a yearling (about 2" long), and he is living very comfortably in a 55 gal I had extra.
 
also, I just priced some glass locally myself... 1/2" glass is the point at which most shops are going to have to order the glass in before they can cut it (at least in my area), so the cost is much higher. I was quoted for $74 for a 1/2" thick piece that was 16" x 12".... for 3/8" in glass (thickest the stores always keep around) it was $22.
 
biguebs said:
also, I just priced some glass locally myself... 1/2" glass is the point at which most shops are going to have to order the glass in before they can cut it (at least in my area), so the cost is much higher. I was quoted for $74 for a 1/2" thick piece that was 16" x 12".... for 3/8" in glass (thickest the stores always keep around) it was $22.
Click to expand...

yea at 1/2" it gets pretty expensive. but $74 for 16"x12" is way too expensive...Locally i can get 1/2" glass for $10 per square foot, 3/8" for $7.50. You can also have glasscages cut the glass and ship it to you..they are even cheaper per square foot but it equals out when you pay for shipping..
 
biguebs said:
check out the "DIY stands" section of the site for that, I had never built one before and I just made one for my 180 just off of what is on the site.

Are you buying a large adult snapper or something? If the turtle is young and still smaller, you could house in a 55 gal for awhile until you figure out the big tank. Or even just a large rubbermaid bin like a lot of people use for turtles. I picked up a florida snapper a few months ago who is just a yearling (about 2" long), and he is living very comfortably in a 55 gal I had extra.
Click to expand...
I'm wanting to get the snapper atleast 5-6inches long. I'll keep it in a spare tank I have.

Is there a way to make it easy to disassemble the tank? I'm thinking I could make the sides to be "sliding" but tightly sealed or something. You know what I mean? Like something that will keep the water inside but if I need to move ill be able to move it easily.
 
the best advice i can give you is to check out the plywood build sticky at the top of the page,
im just about ready to fill in my build and i spent weeks trawling these sites,
read read and read some more,
i started out knowing squat about building anything and thanks to the good people on here ive built a stand and aquarium in around 2 months.
hope your build goes great
keep the updates coming:)
 
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