The Puffer Forum

Could someone give me a link to information on how to make your own fish tanks..or perhaps a video? 100 gallons or less

I am trying to tank my husband into building tanks and I want him to know it can be done

Thanks!!!!!!!

Of course it can be done but I'd imagine having the glass cut alone would cost more. And keeping it square( level on everyside) may be a pain. Why not snag a cheap one in CL. They're usually going for a 1$ a gallon. You can't beat that. Plus 90% of the time you'll get some freebies with it. Like extra equipment n stuff. Always good for backups if you already have stuff.

I love CL

But really, me and hubby are trying to find a hobby to do together..We have so much fun decorating tanks..I thought making the tanks would be fun as well..Plus hubby is excited about making stands...I am trying to tell him we can make the tanks..

I am looking through youtube for a good video.

ic definetly making stands can be fun but I just would be afraid for some reason the homemade tank wouldn't last as long as one that's bought. Bc if it's not perfectly square then one or more sides takes a much larger load weakening the rest of the tank. I just would be afraid to come home and find water on the floor. A tank you buy can is gonna be square and load barring in it's beads possible way. I just would rather spend more time aquascaping and building my stand. This way there's no rough edges on the glass or unevenly distributed loads. Unless hubby is good with that stuff go for it...

purplecandle wrote:I love CL

But really, me and hubby are trying to find a hobby to do together..We have so much fun decorating tanks..I thought making the tanks would be fun as well..Plus hubby is excited about making stands...I am trying to tell him we can make the tanks..

I am looking through youtube for a good video.

too bad you don't live near me. There was an LFS that the son took over and now they focus on specialty tank building. Very cool stuff.

I have seen articles on building tanks out of plywood with just a front window and using two part epoxy paint to seal the inside wood, the author claimed to have had these tanks last 15 to 20 years.

that is true.. MFK has several such articles but usually in the 100+ gal range not the smaller tank sizes

Whis is COOL. BUT how do you clean it ???

purple candle I read this, I found it to be quite informative.
Link

There is no reason to think that a DIY built aquarium is going to last less time than one from a tank supplier. Use quality silicone and get the technique right to get good joins with no bubbles and it should be as water tight as any manufactured glass tank. Its going to be the technique to build them that will be the hardest part as you have limited time to get it squared up.

J-P wrote:that is true.. MFK has several such articles but usually in the 100+ gal range not the smaller tank sizes

That is why I had to say <100 gallons...and why I came here to ask this Q.

every time I did a search on diy tank building..more than half the time I was lead to a monsterfish member's tank build...

Which is awesome to see, but dang those guys are like the adrenaline junkies of the fish keeping world.

I just do not have a spare basement to build an ocean in

Hilly wrote:purple candle I read this, I found it to be quite informative.
Link

There is no reason to think that a DIY built aquarium is going to last less time than one from a tank supplier. Use quality silicone and get the technique right to get good joins with no bubbles and it should be as water tight as any manufactured glass tank. Its going to be the technique to build them that will be the hardest part as you have limited time to get it squared up.

Thanks! I have it in my book marks now My only concerns is how to make or were to buy braces..

I found this video..what do yall think of it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-lE_Wn9Z3Y

PolishPuff wrote:Whis is COOL. BUT how do you clean it ???

Put a small child with sponges in it?

I was actually looking for that video. In the UK all the tanks I have ever seen are braced by pieces of glass 2 pieces running slightly shorter than the length of the tank and then pieces running front to back at interval. So for example my 90 gallon is 48" long, 24" high 18" wide constructed of 10mm glass. there are 2 lengths of glass inside that are slightly shorter than the length of the tank a brace at each end and then 1 slap bang in the middle, all these pieces are constructed from 10mm glass as well.

On larger tanks I have seen bracing being put in the bottom as well. Some builders also use 2 pieces of the glass sandwiched together for the base, I can only assume to make a greater contact area.

I believe there is a section on that webpage that talks about the bracing and calculating the lengths of glass required.

If you're only looking at tanks with a maximum width and depth of 24" then 10mm glass seems to be the norm, as the height increases then the thickness of the glass goes up and so does the price. Although I would imagine there is also a limit in the width of the tank that have not found a definitive answer on that as 10mm glass on a 4ft wide tank surely cant handle the pressure from the body of water exerting on it.

You can use Aquatools to get an idea of the size of pieces required and safety in glass thickness.

Something that might be helpful, Find a good trustworthy carpenter. Someone who does tile work and finish work. My dad is a finish carpenter who does amazing detail work. He has a Tile cutter that easily cuts trough glass. He cut some old bottles for my tank for my fish to hide in. (dont worry they were sanded and throughly cleaned first)
What im getting at is if you can find someone like that in your area they would be able to help with the actual structural parts of it. And they could cut the glass for you too. With some of the things ive seen my dad build, im sure with the proper resources you can build a great tank.

pictures if you do it

I was also thinking of doing a DIY tank build, not sure what type of glass to use.. I know to stay away from tempered glass if you are going to drill.

I also thought of using double paned window glass but there is apparently a gas between the panes that expires in 5~15 years