Inquiries for Aquarium Tank Construction

[David K. Bradley]

I have a desire to make an aquarium tank for my personal use. I have a retail source for my materials I desire to make the tank out of.

My questions I have regarding this construction are:

1) Most of the Aquatic Tanks I have seen in pet or aquarium retail stores make the majority of their tanks with 1/4" thick sheets of glass or acryllic material. At what gallon capicity is the thickness increased to 1/2" thick? I have never seen tanks with glass this thick before and would like to know the answer to this before I start the construction of my tank.

2) In the construction of a tank using glass, what is the best and most reliable type of adhesive to use as a sealer?

3) In the construction of a tank using Acryllic, what is the best and most reliable type of adhesive to use as a sealer?

4) Why do some prefere glass tanks as opposed to acryllic tanks and vice versa?

5) Looking through the Forum, I have noticed some MFK'ers construct Aquarium Tanks from 3/4" or thicker plywood. Other than personal preferrence and possibly expenses, What are the pro's and con's of doing this?

I have not been able to find much on Aquarium construction, even in my public library. I would appreciate any constructive, positive feedback from those of you who may be of help. Thank you.

 

[BadOleRoss]

David, welcome to MFK! What size tank are you wanting to build? As far as sealing glass, you will need silicone rated for underwater use. Most of us here havebeen using GE Silicne 1, it doesnt say anything on the tube about using it underwater, but it has been working just fie. As far as sealing acrylics, they are fused together using a product called Weld-On, it melts the 2 edges together. Plywood tanks, because the size and designs are endless, they are cheap to buid compared to glass and acrylics and the build ishalf the fun.

 

[jimolds8862]

wooot to that

 

[David K. Bradley]

BadOleRoss, because of the difference in the weight catagory of plywood vs. glass or acryllic, wouldn't the weight of the plywood be more than the use of glass or acryllic?
In response to the size of tank, weight is a real issue, do to the type of material used in the build + the water and habitat decor in the tank, it causes me great concern to weather or not if I have to reinforce the floor joists in my house or not. But I am pondering somewhere 250 to 300 gallons in volume.

 

[kzimmerman]

Water weighs about 8.5 lbs a gallon, combined with the weight of the tank itself, you could be looking close to 2,500 lbs. A tank of that size is generally 6-8 foot long, given an 8 foot tank, and normal floor joist spacing, and you would be looking at about 200-300 lbs a joist. Not that bad, but the tank will not be sitting on the joint, so it will tend to bow the floor some, not good. Your best bet with a tank that size is to put it on a concrete floor.
There is a DIY area on here, plus some stuff in the articles section about building tanks. You can also google it and get some good info.

 

[Bderick67]

Glass thickness is dependent on tank height not volume