Has anyone ever tried building an aquarium?

[Trohr]

In the last few weeks my White's frogs have grown considerably- in the next year or two i'm sure they're going to need more space. Not only will they need more space, but I want them to have more space so they have plenty to explore.

I've been searching around on Craigslist quite a bit the last month or so and have found some pretty damn amazing deals. I found a 120 gallon tank for $250 with stand, lighting, pumps, etc. 80-90 gallon tanks for $100.00 with stands.... 12,000 gallon tank for $20,000.00 with.... Well.... A lot.

It wouldn't pain me at all to drop $250.00 on a 120 gallon tank with stand, but if I can avoid it I will. Have any of you guys ever tried building an aquarium? At a local hardware store they sell really high grade, tempered glass sheets for pretty damn cheap, and they'll cut the stuff to size as well.

I figured I could cut the glass to size, build a jig to hold it all in place, get some extreme epoxy, glue the glass together with epoxy, caulk the inside seams to form a water tight seal, and then build a frame out of wood- which is also epoxied to the glass- held together with screws, and wood glue.

I think it could work, and if I went a DIY approach I could build something pretty damn big for my frogs for cheap.

Input, experiences, opinions greatly appreciated.

[Kurt]

You want silicone for that project, not epoxy. If the tank it going to hold water, you will need more than standard thickness window glass. Look at professionally made aquariums to see what thickness they use.

[Wyomingite]

Is yer heart set on a totally glass enclosure? There are plenty of builds for Do It Yourself plywood tanks using 3/4" exterior or marine grade plywood, using various non-toxic watertight coatings for the interior (Pond Armor, for one example off the top of my head), with a sheet of glass for the front. Ya can see one build in progress here: http://www.freshwatermadness.com/diy...-bulid-t26.htm. Another good place for ideas is Monsterfishkeepers.com, though those tanks tend to be extremely large.

Google Do It Yourself plywood aquariums (or fish tanks); there are dozens of resources out there. Some of these tanks have been in service for 20 years. I've been doin' my homework for a while now, 'cuz I planned on building a 675 gallon tank in my fishroom up until a coupla weeks ago. Then Mrs. WYite decided she didn't want my 180 in the family room after all. So my 10' of space suddenly became 4'.

These builds take into account the final product being used solely for fish and are built to withstand the weight of water. For a vivarium, I wouldn't expect you'd need a full 3/4" for the sides and back; 1/2" or maybe 3/8" would be adequate, depending on the height to length ratio. Ya would likely have to add a couple of braces along the back and sides for long and tall tanks, and would probably want 3/4" for the bottom to account for the weight of the substrate, water, landscaping, etc.

Wood is easier to work with than glass, it's more forgiving of error, and far cheaper when ya start looking at builds for large enclosures. I do a bit of woodworking on one side of this, and I've repaired, disassembled, reapplied silicon, and rebuilt numerous glass tanks on the other side. I've bought a lotta wood and a lotta glass over the years. The biggest financial outlays of a wood build would be for the glass front piece and the coating used to waterproof the wood. Even then, though, the cost is reflective of the builder's choices. The idea that appeals to me is the options, your imagination is the limit.

WYite

[Kerry1968]

I built a small vivarium out of an old 2 foot by 1 foot tank. I siliconed a 15" tall piece of glass on the front of the tank and built a wood and net door for the gap. It has been a bit of trial and error, but I'm pleased with the result. The glass for the front of the tank only cost £3.00, so it was cheap too! I asked for glass the same thickness as my tank (think it was 5mm) and the edges smoothed.

Over on caudata.org, Mark who is based in Bristol, England, has built complete glass enclosures for his newts, if you have a look at this link it will show how he did it.

Custom Built Glass Aquaria - Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Forum

I think it's worth doing, I have an idea of making a glass cube for my newts and a glass sided coffee table for my axolotls! Perhaps one day!

[SludgeMunkey]

I have built quite a few myself, both glass and acrylic. With acrylic, it is a real money saver if you are building large tanks. With glass, to build an aquarium it is cheaper to just buy them off the shelf. For terraria and pauladria, DIY glass can save you money, but only if you already have the experience in working with glass.

Tips I can give you:

If you have never cut glass and do not own the proper equipment to do so, pay to have a professional glazier do it for you. Trust me on this one.

Do the math! Plan out your dimensions and know the volume of water you need to support BEFORE you buy any materials or have glass custom cut. A column of water one foot high, any volume, exerts .433 PSI. Water weighs 8.33 lbs per US gallon @ 62F. Chose materials that can withstand these forces, or get good insurance for your floors and carpeting. Acrylic, not matter the sheet thickness WILL sag and warp over time. This is the leading cause of leaks in acrylic aquaria. Glass has a very low tolerance of pressures exerted on the wide plane of the sheet. I have seen, and had, many a beautiful glass tank collapse and leak with only a few gallons of water in it.

Do not use tempered glass. Structurally it is unsuitable and will result in a beautiful but expensive pile of small glass chunks and silicone strips.

For your initial bond, use a five minute epoxy in addition to glazier's tape. This will provide enough temporary structure to your form until the sealant cures.

For sealing, only use aquarium safe silicone. After writing the manufacturers GE and DOW, it turns out that structural strength is what defines aquarium rated silicone. Products designed for windows and bathrooms are "...not structurally rated to support the glass and water weight of a freestanding form due to the addition of coloring agents and antimicrobials nor are they designed to bond properly with glass." (Personal correspondence from DOW Chemical)

Always wear proper eye protection when working with glass or acrylic. Or, start practicing talking like a pirate now.

Finally, build a support frame for the base. I have seen people build glass enclosures without, but this is a poor choice to make. A solid wooden or metal base-frame will prevent collapse of the structure should you need to move it. It will also place less strain on the silicone seal around the base resulting in even more leak proofing.

[StephenLS]

If your heart isn't set completely on glass you can just covert a large cupboard and create a front made of perspex - this is the very simple and some may say, lazy way to do things!