?'s about making your own glass tank.

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oii

Candiru
MFK Member
Oct 22, 2007
489
2
46
Michigan
I just recently learned that the place that my dad works at has the ability to cut glass and has a account to get sheets of glass at wholesale prices. He told me they get 8x4 sheets of it (I think) so I would either build a 4'x2'x2'(120g) or a 80"x16"16"(88g). I have never built a tank before but I am assuming the more water the tank is going to hold the harder it is going to be to keep all of the glass together, correct?

I'm just wondering If I were going to build a tank that big what kind of glass I should get, how thick should it be, should it be tempered, and what would I hold it all together with? I'd also be looking to build my own filtration, any recommendations? I really have no idea what a sump, wet/dry, or overflow is. Any DIY would be appreciated.

If you wanted to know what I'd be keeping in it I still haven't decided. Right now I have a 1'midas, a 4"trimac, a 2"buttikoferi, and a 1"managuense/texas hybrid that would all like to see a bigger home.
 
I'm thinking I want to go bigger but I have no idea how much a piece of glass that big is going to cost me but If I got two I could make a way bigger tank. Anything smaller I might as well save my money and just buy from a store. If I am going to build this I might as well build it for as much room as I have for it. The new dimensions are 8'x2'x2'(240g).
 
maybe instead of wasting so much on glass I'll do 75% plywood tank?
 
IMO to go BIG it's a lot more cost effective to go plywood, I wouldn't even want to know what a 8x4 sheet of glass would cost...but I can tell you that here, for my friend's tank, the 8x2 sheet was $200 for 3/8" glass. We are making a 8Lx2Hx3W tank, and it has been MUCH cheaper than the $1400 tank that I was looking at from all glass, and we've made the tank, stand and canopy. However, for a smaller tank, like the 88g and the 120g you mentioned, it is usually cheaper to buy the tank, rather than go through the trouble of making one, as they are mass produced and relatively reasonably priced (even though it seems expensive, if you priced the glass for one, it's not too bad really).
 
i think this oii is crazylike a month ago he had a 14" midas in a 20 or 30 gallon tank and now he can make his own all glass tanks give me a break kid and leave the fish keeping to people that know how and do not lie about what they got yeah this is a call out lets see all your stuff!!!!
 
bengalsfan47025;1298518; said:
i think this oii is crazylike a month ago he had a 14" midas in a 20 or 30 gallon tank and now he can make his own all glass tanks give me a break kid and leave the fish keeping to people that know how and do not lie about what they got yeah this is a call out lets see all your stuff!!!!
Click to expand...

what are you blathering about? My midas is between 10-13" and he grew up in a 30g with 2jd's and 2convicts. I got them all when they were small when I didn't know anything about fish. Why would I lie about what fish I have? I have nothing to prove to you, how about just not post in my thread? Just about everything I know about my fish I have learned with the past month or two. I'm trying to get them all in better tanks but I don't have any money to spend so why not try to do it the cheapest way I can think of. I could just give up and flush my small fish and dump the bigger ones in a lake, does that sound better?
 
Some people like to flame.

I would go with plywood. Unless you have the upper and lower frames already, an all glass tank will not be supported with silicone alone.

Plywood tanks can get expensive as well. It all depends on how much you want to do with it.

A basic plywood box, with epoxy, becomes cost effective when you start making 8 foot tanks. Cost effective because most places where the average joe can buy a tank usually do not sell tanks that big, if they do they are high priced. Online suppliers have good starting prices but the freight on a large tank is outrageous, when buying one for personal use.

Use the basic GARF tank as a starting point and go from there.
http://www.garf.org/140.gallon.html
 
tunerX;1299589; said:
Some people like to flame.

I would go with plywood. Unless you have the upper and lower frames already, an all glass tank will not be supported with silicone alone.

Plywood tanks can get expensive as well. It all depends on how much you want to do with it.

A basic plywood box, with epoxy, becomes cost effective when you start making 8 foot tanks. Cost effective because most places where the average joe can buy a tank usually do not sell tanks that big, if they do they are high priced. Online suppliers have good starting prices but the freight on a large tank is outrageous, when buying one for personal use.

Use the basic GARF tank as a starting point and go from there.
http://www.garf.org/140.gallon.html
Click to expand...

yeah thats the link I have been looking at. I think a 6'x2'x3' is what I am looking to build. My budget is around $200. I haven't really found a estimate anywhere around there though. :-/
 
200 will be hard to pull off, unless you can get most of your materials free. A box of screws will cost about 20-30 depending on what kind you use. Plus you need to make a stand.

If you are sitting at 200 firm, try craigslist.com and ebay for your area. If you live in the Down river area, you can surely pick up a nice tank for a dollar/gallon or less.
 
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