DIY Custom 66 Gallon - Help?

[FrogFarm]

CALLING ALL DIY MASTERS!! Advice, opinions & suggestions needed!

I've got this awesome aspiration/idea to build my own 66 gallon custom tank (hopefully for my birthday!) and so I have come here for any advice, tips, suggestions, etc on tank-building - as well as to ask some questions!



Above is a general idea of tank I want to build, I have a stand that is perfect for it.
My main concern is, well, I have never built a tank of any size before.
I will have help, but not from anyone who has built a tank so I thought I would come here and ask.

(In case anyone is wondering, this aquarium is intended to become an african biotope riparium.)

It'll most likely be a riparium and only 1/2 - 2/3 full, though I would like to make it strong enough to hold 66 gallons though, in case I ever decide to fill it all of the way.

My questions are in regards to materials and the actual construction of the tank.

How thick should the glass be?
How much (roughly) do you think this will cost?
considering I am really into my frogs, but relatively low on $, is this project even worth it?
Should I build a frame to hold everything in place while it's being put together/cured/dried?
What glues/silicons would you reccomend?
Any DIY lighting ideas?

As said above, any input at all is much obliged!

[UncleChester]

Just so you know where my advice is coming from, I've built a few terrariums- largest is 16x16x26, and a few very small (1~3 gallon) aquariums. I've never made anything quite this big, not rectangular, nor holding anywhere near this amount of water.

There are lots of glass thickness calculators for rectangular tanks, but I haven't seen a hex one. You could find an appropriate sized hex tank and measure the thickness. Err on the side of caution. I won't even make a guess, being wrong can be messy.

Can you cut the glass yourself? My glass is all salvaged from old slider windows, if you aren't picky about the size you could possibly do the same for free/cheap at the cost of time. Though you might need glass that's thicker than available scrap windows. I think buying and repairing old tanks is typically cheaper than building it yourself, unless you happen to have free materials, but not as satisfying

I don't think a frame is necessary while curing. I've just used a couple small pieces of duct tape on the outside while curing the silicone. You'll probably want a friend to help put it together for an extra pair of hands though.

I use the house brand clear silicone from Home Hardware. It's in green and white containers, sold in 3 packs for $10, individually for $4(?), and says aquarium safe on it. You'll need a caulking gun to go with it, and make sure you get the 'clear' kind, not the 'white' kind. 1 tube would probably be enough, but it's so useful and doesn't go bad, and you would also cry if you ran out partway through the assembly that you might as well get extra.

My lights are so far pretty lame, just desk lamps resting on top. I do have some aluminum cladding (used to frame windows and doors) that I'll be building hoods out of at some point.

That's the best I can do, good luck!

[FrogFarm]

Wow thanks for all the great advice and suggestions!