Building a custom tank.

[Tonynose188]

I have never built a glass tank with overflows. Does anyone know if it is,
Cost effective to build your own?
Average skill or extremely hard to build?

Or should I just buy the tank and stand from glasscages.com
Thanks
Tony


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[Jlobes]

its not easy...but its not hard. like anything, it takes, practice, patience, and skills. But, it is doable for a handy DIY type person. I have actually been thinking about building a few tanks myself. also, make sure you do your research if you decide to go the DIY route. you want to the glass to be the proper thickness for the size tank you are building. remember water is heavy and will produce many pounds of pressure!

 

[Tonynose188]

Is it cost effective to diy the job. I want a 70 gallon cube with overflows. I have got it online for around 400-500 depending on shipping.

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[Reefing Madness]

I've called on glass, for around here. Using Starfire Glass for the front and sides, its not costs effective to build your own, unless you can get the glass cheaply. The people building tank get the glass in bulk buys, therefore making it cheaper.
But if you like Do It Yourself stuff, then go for it, its not hard to do.

 

[kateater]

Def not cost effective with the amount of used tanks out there.

 

[M&M]

It is definitely not too hard if you DIY person and take your time to do it right. But it is not cost effective at all. I replaced a broken back panel on 120XL Elos that I got for next to nothing , but the one glass panel cost me $200 and it was not starphire. It went in the back so I don't care this much. Also bought 3 tubes of RTV 103 black silicone at about $15 a piece, so total was $245 plus other things like Acetone, razor blades etc. Since this was $2500 retail tank ,it was worth it to me. But building a tank from scratch ,I think it will cost you more at the end then buying a new one , ready to go. Plus if you not that sure about your ability to make one, I would just buy. But making your own, it is actually a lot of fun and you get a feeling of pride that you can actually build one.

 

[Zoanut]

IVe built many custom tanks and a few standard sizes....almost all of it was from scraps. I would not go out of my way to build a custom tank with new glass. Miracles Aquarium in Toronto (area) is VERY affordable and they are IMO one of the top builders in North America.