DIY tank, cheap?

[rocks]

Hi,
I have a 75g tank, 48" long x18" wide x21" deep. I'm thinking about taking it apart and making a new tank thats 9' long, x24" wide and x24" deep. I'd make the bottom and back from plywood and use the front and back glass from the original tank as the front on the new tank. And I can use the two end pieces from the original tank for the ends on the new tank.

My questions are what wood would I use to frame in the front and ends? I want to be sure its strong enough to hold this together. Also, for the stand would 2x4's be strong enough? I'm not sure how many gallons this would be once completed, I'd guess about 200. I'm also considering making it a little bigger, like 9' long x3' wide x2' deep.

If I can do this I can cut my big tank build costs way down by using the glass from my original tank. I'd just need to find out how to take the old tank apart first without breaking the glass.

 

[arowanaking]

9x3x2 is 403 gallons lol just a bit off from 200

 

[Hdeuce]

the glass prolly would be too thin to hold that much water for one and for two i wouldnt reccomend using two seperate pieces of glass for one side of a tank without some serious reinforcement where the split is unless you like to swim so much that you would want to do so i your living room. :-D

 

[Hdeuce]

i would suggest use the 7f gallon tank panes as side panels , and get a 3/4 inch thick sheet of tempered glass cut to size for the fron using plywood foor the back and bottom ... but do whatever you want , just test it outside or in the garage for a month before you put it inside

 

[CHOMPERS]

My questions are what wood would I use to frame in the front and ends? I want to be sure its strong enough to hold this together.

Use 2x4 pine for vertical "studs" on 10-12 inch centers and 2-2x4 horizontal "top plates" to trim the top of the tank. For the front, frame it with 2x4's. The top will need horizontal bracing from the front to the back in three places (center of the tank and center of the panes). Use 1/2" plywood or better for the inside of the tank. Skin the outside with whatever you choose.

Also, for the stand would 2x4's be strong enough?

Yes. It will need to be skinned with plywood though. Don't go cheap on the 2x4's.

If I can do this I can cut my big tank build costs way down by using the glass from my original tank. I'd just need to find out how to take the old tank apart first without breaking the glass.

If the tank is held together with silicone, you can get a razor knife's blade between the panes from the outside without too much problem. You will need to first remove the inside seal.

 

[rocks]

the glass prolly would be too thin to hold that much water for one and for two i wouldnt reccomend using two seperate pieces of glass for one side of a tank without some serious reinforcement where the split is unless you like to swim so much that you would want to do so i your living room. :-D

I thought that only the height of the tank made the difference in how thick the glass needed to be?