Building a 187 gallon tank?

[Yuko]

I'm brand new to this forum. So hi! I normally go to koko's goldfish forum for help but now that I want to build a 187 gallon tank, I need some real expert advice. I want to be able to grow some giant goldfish

I want it to be 80" long by 18" high, by 30" wide. I figure the more surface area, the better.

Other than size, I don't really know where I need to go from this point. I am at a college apartment right now and I called my landlord and they don't want something that big on the second floor. So this tank will not be used until May when I move back in with my parents.

There is a company near my apartment that might be able to supply glass or acrylic so both are available but I don't know of one by my home yet. I remember moving my 75 gallon glass one in here and we had to wait for my old roommate's boyfriend to show up and help. My 60 year old dad and my 21 year old girl arms couldn't get it up the stairs by ourselves.

Any suggestions? Materials, time, tips?

 

[lukester825]

are you trying to build a wooden tank or all glass? -- both are very time consuming and hard

 

[Yuko]

I'm not really sure. I've been leaning more towards all acrylic recently but I'm worried about scratching it. I have till May to make this if I decide to so time isn't much of an issue yet. I've done a little looking into plywood since I didn't know something like that could be done. It's very interesting. If I could make it blue on the inside, it would look pretty cool since I have orange, white, black, and brown fish. Cost is an issue so I'm guessing wood and acrylic is cheaper than glass. Lighter too. We'll end up bringing this down a total of two flights of stairs. I really want something solid and is least likely to leak or break for the first year. My 75 gallon glass tank is 8 years old and going strong but I need something bigger now.

 

[Noto]

Hey Yuko,

First ask yourself why you want to build a tank. If you want to do it for the fun of it, great! Check out the stickies for some build threads to give you ideas. If your main goal is to save money, you may be better off buying a tank. DIY is not that cheap!

To give you an idea of what you'll be spending, you can plan on using:

two 4' X 8' sheets of 3/4" plywood
two boxes of screws
one big bottle of wood glue
80" X 18" window in 1/2" or greater acrylic or glass (these are estimates on my part, please get better advice before you buy the window)
one pint of paint or stain for outside of tank
one pint of sealer for outside of tank
two or three tubes of sealer for window

Plus whatever material you use to seal the inside of the tank. Many of those materials, such as epoxy paints and liquid rubber, are not available in small quantities; you'll have plenty left over. You might be able to cut costs by going in on it with another DIY tank builder in your area.

You'll also need, at minimum, a circular saw, drill, clamps, and brushes.

If you are going all glass/acrylic, then your materials are reduced to the five solid faces, smaller pieces for the top braces, and a few tubes of adhesive (glass) or solvent cement (acrylic). You should probably get the pieces pre-cut. You'll need clamps for assembly.

So, my suggestion is to go to your local home center, jot down some prices for these things, and then see how that compares to a ready-made tank, or a custom-made tank from Glasscages or another manufacturer. I would guess your tank size would run $600-800 if custom built, plus delivery of course. You might be able to find a local who can do it cheaper.

 

[Yuko]

I'm doing it for the experience and to give my fish tons of room so they can't get stunted.

I'm still waiting for the local company to get back to me. I'll probably end up going over there next week. GARF.org said i'd need 3/8" acrylic though I'll talk with the supplier and see what they say. I would hope these supplies can be gotten for under $400 then add on my time.

Thanks for the list! This will test my craft abilities