I visited a friend who works at a pet store today, and while checking out the new fishies that had came in I made the decision to either save up for a simple aquarium or build one myself.
Constructing the aquarium doesn't appear to be that difficult; however, it's a personal project and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Most of the simpler builds just look like simple plate glass net + silicone sealant. That's what I'll be going on.
The dimensions I'm looking at for my build are 750mm x 300mm x 350mm, which would give me about 135L.
The source of plate glass I plan on using is a solid annealed glass shower door, 10mm thick. There is also another piece of the same material with dimensions 780mm x 710mm.
I've had trouble visualising the use of materials though. Will the door and extra piece suffice for the 5 solid sections required for the project?
Cost: $30 total for the plate glass. Will update on supplies and equipment soon.
Anyone else working on some aquarium and aquaculture projects?
Bump for interest
So based on my spurious calculations, I think I'm going to have to downsize to 745 X 30 X 60 to ensure I have enough material.
That would give me a total volume of 134L, which is still okay.
The idea was to have a narrow, tall shape for the aquarium. Pic related; look at the tv. It's at the foot of my bed. I occasionally use it but would prefer something more ambient and less intrusive.
Ideally I would have an aquarium the same shape and rough dimensions as the tv.
10mm is pretty heavy glass, you can usually get by with 5-6mm, but if you're down to using whatever you can grab I guess it'll do.
Problem with the tall, narrow tanks is they're both a bit of a shit to clean and its sometimes hard to fit gear like filters and powerheads in them, don't forget a lid as well to bounce any fish that get airborne in them.
Bump interested
>>993705
Be sure to clean the glass very carefully before bonding the plates, especially the areas you glue
>wash with soap
>rinse with a lot of water
>let dry
>wipe down with aceton
>make sure not to touch it anymore and avoid it getting dusty
every little bit of dirt can become a weak point and you don't want that for obvious reasons
Use high grade aquarium silicone, it's UV resistant and strong binding
Normal silicone sealant works too but is less reliable
A few extra $$$ beats a puddle in your room
>>993705
There are things not worth /diy/ing
This is one of them.
You ARE going to fuck up and WILL end up with 35 gallons of water on your floor.
How much are you going to spend on the aquarium safe silicone?
And what exactly are you going to brace the top with?
You do know that big name pet sores do a 1$ a gallon deal almost every year?
You can buy a 40 gallon breeder tank for 40$, they are the best small tank in terms of space for the fish.
Your tank dimensions are shit and you are going to stress fish by cramping them.
Go to an aquarium forum, they will tell you the same exact thing.
>>994663
this this this this this this this
I'm in every fish group in my state. People that build their own tanks often regret it in the end.
Do yourself a favor, and just buy a good one.
I have a JBJ 30 RL. I recommend it. Good for fresh or saltwater. I run a reef tank with a mated pair of clowns in mine.
>>993705
As someone who's built their own fish tank, >>994663 is both correct and wrong.
You're not going to /diy/ any reasonable tank beyond something for some basic plecos and golfish the way you're going about it, figure out some dimensions as stated above, and replicate a proper tank. Use the correct materials, follow >>994652 advice, doing this is something to spend the few extra bucks on, don't skimp, you will regret it. Wear some gloves while handling the glass, it'll help in keeping things clean, mineral spirits/acetone are fantastic for any sort of glue/paint surfaces you're prepping, and handy to keep in the house.
Also, if you can't manage to figure out if your glass pieces will be enough, you may want to reconsider /diy/'ng this one, not trying to be offensive.
>source, my tank is ~60Lx36Hx36W at around 335 gallons or so
>>994663
Seconded
This is a bad idea. Craigslist has tons of cheap ones.
I remember years ago, what a lot of people used to do was make the bottom and 2 or 3 sides out of something like plywood and coat it in fiberglass.
>Obviously, if you do go through with this, use non mold resistant silicone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_932469655&feature=iv&src_vid=HSKIT2OLOYQ&v=b99AArbBm4E
the playlist has a video for most tank types and the channel has loads of diy aquarium equipment
just added my first 7 cichlids to my 220L
wish i had built a sump instead of a canister filter
