DIY Large tank?

[Ethos]

I was woundering for how much (And how) it would cost to build a 75G -90G.
I was was also woundering if any of you have done it, and it turned out as good as the $299+ ones.........
And, I know this could make some of you write long posts, but how?

I am looking for a "bonding project" with my dad, and I think I've found it

Edit: I saw http://glasscages.com, but I need glass or acrilic, and I can't drive down and pick it up from TX.

 

[fish_r_great]

I think it would come out to be a little less than what you would pay for one. You could make a stand though.

 

[ecto1]

Dude, you can get acrylic at Home Depot. I got acrylic for my sump at the Home Depot in Plymouth.

But really, don't waste your time building a tank like that. It's much easier to buy a standard-sized tank.

 

[shuhu]

But really, don't waste your time building a tank like that. It's much easier to buy a standard-sized tank.

And waaaaay expensive too

I know this guys who owns a LFS and he builds tanks aswell, so he gave me an incredible price of around $110 USD for a 75Gal glass tank, its an aprox. since I converted it from Mexican Pesos.

I don't know how much it would cost to build one over Minnesota but I guess there wouldn't be much difference

 

[Paul_MTS]

I suggest you buy the actual tank and then build a stand and hood around that.

building a tank yourself works out very expensive as I have researched myself.

 

[The-Wolf]

if you that set on it checkout http/www.garf.org/
click on how to pages and follow the instruction therein.

 

[sarahw20000]

I was kinda thinking about building a 140 gallon tank if it was cheaper but if it wouldn't be can you buy just the tank that big and if so where from?

(i would make the hood and stand )

 

[Rivermud76]

Building a tank is NOT cheaper than buying one, however there are advantages...

1. It's the exact size you want.
2. You have a project that will consume untold hours of time. good for those people who have fidgety hands like me.

3. You can build it slowly based on cash flow.

Lets see, costing out a simple 100 gal...

50$ for A/A Oak Plywood (personal choice but I like it so)
50-100$ for sealant (depending on what you buy)
35-120$ for glass (tank height, 3/8 is expensive and 1/2 is outrageous)
20-50$ for finishing materials such as stain, paint, silicon...

So, the minimum you can expect to pay for a simple DIY wood tank is 150-170. Not much cheaper if it is even cheaper than a store bought tank. One thing to note: a sheet of 4x8 plywood is just barely enough to build a 100 gal tank, if you choose to build a larger tank expect to buy two sheets.

I chose to build my tank because i loved the project. i am working on several other DIY projects to go along with the tank such as the stand, the hood, the background, sump, fluidized bed filter, moonlighting... I just work on things in my spare time as I go and have the money to invest in them. I hope this helps you decide. If you are really curious about building a tank of your own you may want to refer to this link:

Plywood Tank

Plywood Tank 2

Oh, a neat trick not found in either one of these articles. When installing your glass you'll find that the weight of the glass pushes out the majority of the silicon. Not Good. What i did, (found it somewhere on the web but can't seem to find it again) was use thin squares of neoprene as spacers. The stuff I used might have been between a 1/32nd of an inch to a 16th of an inch thick. I spaced it evenly around the area where my glass was going to sit (one spacer every 6 inches or so) then spread my silicon generously. When I placed my glass the silicon squished around a bit and gave me a great coverage area. It didn't get squeezed out because the neoprene acted as a spacer. The silicon surrounded the neoprene. I placed pretty much my entire library on top of the glass and let it cure for a week. One thing to remember. Silicon, as it cures, is very hazardous to your health. Do this in a WELL VENTILATED AREA. Once it has cured you are home free.. well with the glass anyway lol

 

[inflexion]

building your own can be cheaper if you use second hand glass, in sheffield there are plenty of places that have it and thats how one of mine was built, it a 18x8x8 tank and he only charged a 5er