okay, I will be the first to admit, I was an idiot when doing my research. Gotta say there is ALOT of conflicting info out there. That being said...i need to start planning out a plywood tank, something simple and effective, with reasonable dimensions. If you read my introductory post http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...the-RIGHT-info-a-bit-late-but-glad-I-found-it it explains it all....but the short story is that I have 3 ID sharks and a banded hifin sucker...all around 2-3" in size...and growing. Anyone out there have suggestions on size? filtration? I have never tried to conquer something this size, and people around here only suggest that I would be "...unable to do that myself..." and to "...leave it to the pro's..." which more or less tells me that they don't want to give up trade secrets, and would rather I dump money in their pockets, which I refuse to do, especially if I can do this myself. Any and all thoughts welcome.
Ideas for DIY?
- Thread starter serialblack
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anyone? I have seen several designs...plywood, concrete, acrylic, glass, with sumps, without...it's a little overwhelming, however given the right direction I am sure I can handle it, not asking for someone to hold my hand here, just a bit of guidance, maybe some info of what has worked and what has not. Maybe running costs would help a bit too, right now any info is good info, even what I should not do would help.okay, that is a start. Now, which is cheaper? Or at what size would acrylic be better then glass, or is it purely a cost/weight factor? One of my concerns is cleaning and filtration. If I go really big, its not like vacuuming the tank is possible, unless I want to go into the water with the fishes, and I have concerns about stressing the fish, not to mention things that may make the fish sick that happen to be stuck on my body. I just want to get as much info as possible so that I am not going blind into this, and can make the best setup without wasting unnecessary cash.
I have found that acrylic is less expensive.acrylic is also a lot stronger.
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okay thanks for that info. I was just looking at VLDesigns 2700k build...looks doable. I think it will take alot of time, planning and most of all money, seems as though he would go glass the next time he built one, but I suppose that is more for a cost factor, cause he said he likes the acrylic for the clarity.
Just finished a 500 gallon plywood tank with a glass front. Acrylic may be a little cheaper and lighter but keep in mind acrylic does scratch very easily. Glass can scratch as well but most tempered glass will have a soft side and a hard polished side. The hard side is very durable unless you really abuse it. Hope this helps
one thing I am still a bit confused on, is how to put the glass/acrylic in? do you frame it in, or does it butt against all sides, with just enough gap to add silicon? Or does that all depend on the build?