Building you own tank

[the cichlid kid]

I was just wondering if anyone has attempted to build their own aquarium (one of substantial size)?

I have accesss to some good size pieces of glass and was considering having a go at constructing it myself.

Any info or experiences would be appreciated

Beau.

[serkan]

You'll need to get yourself a glass cutter. Simple tool, just make sure you wear glasses when your snapping the glass.

Also if its a large tank, you'd best support the edges of the tank, as oppose to just the silicon holding the glass together.

This should have everything you need to know:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diytanksr...yaquarium_4.htm

[Colfish]

hi Beau

i make my own 4x18x18's and have put new front panels on a few 6ftrs.

you've not mentioned what size you intend to try or the thickness of the glasss you can get.

a few tips;

buy a decent glass cutter, don't go cheap here, you will lose more glass from poor cuts.

a good size T square, 18"/24" long, square tanks go together much easier.

a steel ruler or similar to use as a cutting edge, the cut must be done in a single pass. you can't cut halfway then have to move the cutting edge.

an oil stone [sharpening stone] to arise the edge of the cut [remove the razor sharp edges of the cut]

a flat level work area is essential to assemble the tank. the kitchen table is usually a good place, but the chef might have other thoughts about that. be sure to put newspaper under the tank base, you don't want it sticking to the table. use a quality aquarium safe silicone, your fishs life depend on it.

when the job is done, admire it for 48 hrs before leak testing.

just a few quick pointers, to give you step by step instructions? maybe i should write an ebook, make some $

any specific Q's drop me a pm, happy to help

cheers