That sounds like a great idea, but you will still need a frame right? I don't mean to nitpick but I'm interested building one. A DIY tank is a great project but water is very heavy and the force of water pushing out is something to consider. Given my 55 center bar failure I think if I would do a DIY tank I'd be doing it in arcylic.
By frame do you mean the black plastic parts one the top and bottom of a store bought tank? These are just added for stability. There are such things as “seamless” tanks, where they don’t have any frame and look really good.
I've been doing a lot of reading on this, and I should be OK. Silicone glue is amazingly strong stuff once it cures, and since the water in this tank will only about 6" deep, I should be fine. I am going to put a center brace on top, similar to what one would see in a 55 gallon or bigger tank. This is mostly just to hold the lid up, but it should help provide rigidity too. If I were building a taller tank, I'd probably build a wooden or metal frame around the top and bottom. I might anyway, but it would be just for looks.
Acrylic is lighter, but other than that I think glass is the way to go.Ah ha I forgot you only have 6" of water, looking forward to see your project. You are correct about acrylic being chemically welded, it's done with a thin liquid cement. I've been playing around with it and some scrap pieces. Not ready for a tank but I'm sure it's one of those thing that should be left to pros, especially for large tanks. But I'm thinking about a glass 40 breeder with an acrylic insert for a terrarium portion. hopefully next year I get in on the $1 per gallon sale at Petco...I've been doing a lot of reading on this, and I should be OK. Silicone glue is amazingly strong stuff once it cures, and since the water in this tank will only about 6" deep, I should be fine. I am going to put a center brace on top, similar to what one would see in a 55 gallon or bigger tank. This is mostly just to hold the lid up, but it should help provide rigidity too. If I were building a taller tank, I'd probably build a wooden or metal frame around the top and bottom. I might anyway, but it would be just for looks.
By the way, my understanding of acrylic is that it has to be chemically welded. So, a DIY acrylic tank is a little beyond my abilities. Also, I hear that acrylic scratches if you breathe on it just the wrong way. So, it's easy to move around, and it's nice and clear...until it gets coated with algae because you're afraid to scrape it.
It’s normal to add imbellus pairs together. Just to be clear to newbies...betta imbellus are different than betta splendens. Do not attempt to put regular pet shop bettas together. Looking forward to seeing the completed project!Awesome!
So you are going to make it look like a section of rice patty? I also like that you are adding two Bettas in the same tank.
They're awesome, the fluval range that is, i have the Plant 3.0 rather than the aquasky but pretty much the same thing except for a few different coloured LEDs.
Seemless tanks are very cool but usually I only see them as acrylic tanks. I usually don't see seemless glass tanks unless they are on the small size < 10 gals.
Agreed. The biggest one I have ever seen (that was seamless) was a 15g tank. Anything above that needs more support I guess.
why didn't you just buy some from a supermarket?
Ha ha, yeah. I thought of that, though I've never tried to germinate it before. We pretty much only have "white rice," which of course won't germinate, and "brown rice," which looks suspiciously like it's been pearled, so I doubt it would either. It's possible that American supermarkets aren't quite as rice-savvy as Australian ones. This kind is supposed to be somewhat decorative, with purplish leaves, and also it's a semi-dwarf variety. So I thought that would be nice. And it was pretty cheap as such things go.why didn't you just buy some from a supermarket?
my local supermarket sells about 8 different types of rice and they all germinate well. plant some and eat the rest
I have the Aquasky 2.0 and am quite happy with it. Easy to use, and the options they give to simulate lighting conditions are quite nice.
Or you are Takashi Amano...
