Building A New Tank

[atnixon]

Hello there people,

I am thinking about making a new aquarium. Dont if to use Glass or acrylic yet..But, to start off with, am going to pricing up a glass version..

What would the prefered types of glass to be used for both bottom and sides? Tempered, safety etc etc..

Hope you can al help me here..

Niko

 

[Anonymous]

Don't know why use safety, since the water going to push thru it no matter what.

Tempered is alright if you don't have to drill it. If it is a large tank, you may need to consider using Starphire for the sides, but most DIY tank is usually not that big.

 

[Anonymous]

Unless you want a custom sized tank, or have access to cheap glass (IE you know a glass distributor) building a glass tank is usually more expensive than just buying one.

Acrylic is cheaper to build a tank, if you have the correct tools.

If you're looking to build a small tank (under 50 gallons or so) look on about.com. they have step by step instructions.

B

 

[atnixon]

Thanks alot Bingo and Dupa...You have answered my questions...Looks like the acrylic route is the way ahead..However, in the meantime, last night i was " Gifted " a 5 foot long tank, picking it up on Sunday this week. Dont know the exact measurements till i get it home...I would imagine being 5 foot long, that it will hold a good gallan'age...

We shall see..Now i am gonna have to build a stand for it, as my other is only 4 foot long...bummer....

Niko

 

[Anonymous]

Can you add an extra foot to the stand by put a leg in the middle? Oh... wait, I see that you need a five-feet stand, not a five-legged stand.

Seriously, there are at least two DIY stands on this forum that are five feet wide. Do a search, and see if they give you enough to get started. Working with wood is a lot easier than building a tank, I would say.

 

[atnixon]

Yes, i agree Dupa.....from quick calculations, the new tank will be about 135 US gals....plenty big enough for what i want to have in there. Also, i been out today and brought a 20 gallon tank so i can turn that into a sump / fuge ....something else to start studying on now....he he he

Am lookin forward to making a start on the new stand in my christmas break from work..

Anybody know of any issues when transfering a complete tank setup ( water, sand, rock, fish etc ) to another tank?

Thanks in advance

Niko

 

[Anonymous]

I would post this question about transfer on the GRD instead. Unless the water is very good, I would make the saltwater from scratch. Think of it as a 100% water, and how often can you get around to do that!?!?

But if you anticipated some die offs and ammonia spike, then I may want to use the old water and get ready for a large water change later. Just my two cents.