How much did your DIY tank cost?

[nolapete]

Sounds stupid I guess, but i was refering to all of the hours it takes for you to build the tank.

I restore cars and motorcycles as a hobby, and when i look back into how many hours I must have spent on a project I laugh. I couldnt imagine how much it would have cost to pay someone for the work I've done restoring my '69 Mustang or when I built up small blocks.

Just saying that the amount of time spent doing it yourself cant really compare to buying a pre-built tank

I was just picking on you. I've seen some people pay people to work on their builds, so it kind of takes the "Do-It-Yourself" out of the equation. I've had friends help, but I've never paid them, well, unless you count beer. If you include your own labor cost, how much is an hour of your time worth? Me, a bazillion dollars, so multiply that times about 10 weekends at double time and a half. Wow, my tank is really expensive. LOL

 

[KLee79]

lol..I take it this is in regards to my build. If so, take into account that my cost is in Australian $. My build is Epoxy/fiberglassed inside and out and not really comparable to the typical seal the inside only method. If you notice, the front piece of glass was $1400 alone. Imagine building this size tank in glass here. I can't buy an all glass 96"x 30"x 30"/370g tank only for under $1500 over here.
Take that dimension out to 106"x 47"x41"/885g and the cost of a glass/acrylic tank would be far more substantial than what I have built it for.
No offense, but you can't compare the build cost of a tank this big to your 100g just as I couldn't compare mine to Nolapetes build. 2 complete different methods, 2 different sizes. It is apples and oranges.

Just so were clear. You're comparing build cost difference between these, correct?

I hate to do this on this guys thread, but here it goes. Lets clarify for greenterra. No, im not comparing the build cost between my L shaped tank and your tank. I was sharing the cost of my 100g to contribute to the purpose of this thread. I mentioned your tank because I dont see how you spent $2700 on a diy build of that size-hence the question that it might be a currency difference.

We could easily see if its a currency difference. The AUS dollar is 1.0991=1 U.S. dollar. I looked up your dimensions on glass. 3/4" x9ftx3.5ft is $660 here. I couldnt imagine shipping being more than $200. So, $900 vs $1400?? I'm not even going to look up the rest...But I'd be happy to build the same tank here and show receipts.

 

[KLee79]

The top part of this post was supposed to be in quotes...oh well, I think you guys get the idea.

 

[KLee79]

Oh and I was talking about this tank. My first tank, built in '07.

 

[tuffy_rana]

The stand, filter, lighting, epoxy, glass and wood cost me about $250. Add another $100 and I could build a 400g

I looked up your dimensions on glass. 3/4" x9ftx3.5ft is $660 here

sorry klee79 you lost me you say you could build a 400g for $350 all up but then say the glass is $660.00 plus shipping. not trying to be a smartass but i dont get it????

 

[KLee79]

The stand, filter, lighting, epoxy, glass and wood cost me about $250. Add another $100 and I could build a 400g

I looked up your dimensions on glass. 3/4" x9ftx3.5ft is $660 here

sorry klee79 you lost me you say you could build a 400g for $350 all up but then say the glass is $660.00 plus shipping. not trying to be a smartass but i dont get it????

lol Didnt mean to confuse anyone. I was saying for $350 I can build a 400g tank. greenterra's tank is 885g. For this size tank a piece of glass would cost $660...

 

[tuffy_rana]

oh ok i get it. but i do think our raw materials to build these tanks are far higher in costs to what you guys would pay in the states. even the lumber/wood seems a lot dearer in price. i would love to build a 400g for $350 it would make the hobby a lot more affordable. a 240g 8x2x2 store bought glass tank retails here for $600 plus just out of curiosity whats a similar tank go forr there?

 

[KLee79]

I get ya...thats the only thing I could think of-Materials are probably more expensive.
Im not trying to be an A-hole by any means..just offering my point of view.

A 240g over there is $600?? Suprisingly ours is more expensive. About $660 here and thats without shipping it from Glasscages.com. I dont know how much they are in the retail stores-probably more.

 

[Satan's Goldfish]

Not quite finished yet, but worked this out a few weeks ago. Capacity of 1000gal us.

Cost so far? i think: £80 for 10mm glass, £90 for metal work, £60 for 4 sheets of MDF, £120 for 40 2x4s, £23 on tarps, £30 ish on sealant, and got through about 500 3" screws so far and 100 or so 1.5" screws, can't remember how much they were. The 8000ltr per hour pump was £50 off ebay, home made filters were about £40. So just over £500 ish probably. A new liner will probably be about £25 on top. Total cost of £525 works out about $800 i think.

 

[greenterra]

Oh and I was talking about this tank. My first tank, built in '07.

We can all build things at different costs. That will always vary on locality, materials used, build method and especially build quality. My statement still stands.