Looking To Build My First Large Aquarium.

JaysLittleOcean · Jul 7, 2015

Well let me start right off at saying I have never done this before and I could purchase an aquarium manufactured by a professional aquarium company but I don't want to do that. I want to build everything from scratch and have the pleasure (or misery if it bursts a seem) of saying that this was something I built from the ground up. So with that being said who on within the community has every built an aquarium? I have always preferred glass aquariums but in this case I am also considering acrylic. Any thoughts or suggestions. I'm looking to go 60 inches wide x 60 inches deep x 24 inches tall. That should give me roughly 374 gallons in the display alone.

mikey_p · Jul 7, 2015

I have rebuilt my 220 before when it busted a seem wasn't to hard to do but also wasn't fun just have patience

JaysLittleOcean · Jul 7, 2015

mikey_p said:
I have rebuilt my 220 before when it busted a seem wasn't to hard to do but also wasn't fun just have patience

Was your 220 gallon glass or Acrylic? I am always concerned with how easily acrylic can scratch. I am also concerned about clarity.

mikey_p · Jul 8, 2015

My 220 is glass 3/4" all the way around heavy as all hell

JaysLittleOcean · Jul 8, 2015

mikey_p said:
My 220 is glass 3/4" all the way around heavy as all hell

That is my only gripe about the project using glass. But I guess that is a small price to pay for awesomeness.

mikey_p · Jul 8, 2015

I would say call around and get prices for both n then just decide wich way u wanna go but I think glass will be alot cheaper

AlexG · Jul 9, 2015

Personally I would go with glass. I used to do a lot of maintenance in homes/businesses and acrylic was always an issue with scratching.

malira · Jul 9, 2015

If you go glass consider low iron, starfire glass. I have both a 90g aqueon lfs special and a 10g IM Fusion with low iron glass. The difference is stunning. I wish I would have known about low iron glass when I bought the 90g.
Even if it is only the front panel.

JaysLittleOcean · Jul 9, 2015

malira said:
If you go glass consider low iron, starfire glass. I have both a 90g aqueon lfs special and a 10g IM Fusion with low iron glass. The difference is stunning. I wish I would have known about low iron glass when I bought the 90g.
Even if it is only the front panel.

Low Iron glass would be my only choice. It really is amazing.

SantaMonicaHelp · Jul 23, 2015

I love the idea of building everything from scratch, sounds adventurous & fun! Here's some great info on building your own scrubber as well, it works really great:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/l...urf-and-slime-algae-from-your-aquarium.86207/

Good luck! And keep us posted with updates and pictures

~SF

JaysLittleOcean · Jul 27, 2015

Thank you!

Maximizer · Aug 8, 2015

What thickness of glass would you use? All the glass thickness calculators I have seen would recommend 1\2".

Pepcrylic · Aug 19, 2015

Glass requires less tools to build. 1/2'' will be fine as long as you run a euro brace on top and bottom. If building with acrylic I would use 3/4'' with a full euro on top

Maximizer · Aug 19, 2015

I've always wanted to build my own tank. Just don't know if I would trust it haha. Maybe I'll try it on one of my next tanks.

Rinks · Aug 23, 2015

In all honesty I would let one of the custom pros construct your tank. Soooo many options just at that stage alone... Glass, acrylic, star fire, thickness etc. From this point your on easy street the customization options are endless for you.

reefwiser · Aug 23, 2015

I have built aquarium's up to 1500 gallons for zoo displays. It is a major task to do this an I have been doing this for 30 years professionally. You need to have a good amount of equipment to fabricate a tank. It may look simple but it requires exacting cuts and proper alignment. There is a lot of pressure going on. [emoji3]

Jlobes · Aug 23, 2015

im all for a DIY, but if you insist on doing it all, please start small. Learn the procedure and tasks involved and if that is a success, step up from there. Just going for it sounds great, but perhaps you havent quite thought through what 400+ gallons of H2O is going to look like on your living room floor.

whatever you decide, have fun and do it right/safe. Lots of DIY to be had that doesnt involve critical tolerances and withstanding the pressure of 1 1/2 tons of water.

Rinks · Aug 23, 2015

Trust me there is plenty of customizable options in this hobby. Let the pros build the tank. That's the boring part lol . Picking out your other gear is the fun part!!

GrampaDon · Aug 23, 2015

I luv to DIY but.....
After you price the glass , you will see there isn't much difference in price to have a Pro doit for you.
And they have skilz that take years to build. So in the end it wasn't worth the chance of failure with 180g.

I have built a few small tanks , 10 or more stands , reactors , large acrylic sumps ,ect.
But of course YMMV

Harold Green · Aug 24, 2015

I've built several smaller tanks and there's no way I would attempt something that large. As Grampa mentioned the cost of glass is often about what the completed tank can be purchased for. Something else, have you researched just how thick the bottom pane needs to be when you're talking about a five by five foot tank. Any flex at all will break that large a sheet to say nothing about the weight of the rocks and sand on it. Most tanks are designed for the weight of the tank to rest on edges of the tank and not on the mid bottom. If you actually want to build something that large I'd suggest a wood and glass tank. I've built one that was eight feet by 30 inches deep by 18 tall for less than 200 dollars and had it for many years before I gave it away.