Building tanks

[Oliverian]

I posted this on AllThingsAquatic as well, but I thought I'd better ask on here as well, as someone here might know what I need to know.

I'm thinking of building some fish tanks (for fish) with a LOT of extra glass I have available for fairly cheap. I just need to know a couple things.

First of all, can this be done safely without having the tank suddenly burst at the seams one day and leak everywhere?

Is there a limit to how large I can make it? Like, I was thinking if I made too large of a tank, it may not be able to support the water pressure.

And what kind of silicon (or what kind of 'anything') is best to use for holding a tank together. It has to be non-toxic to fish, hold well, and not be too pricey.

And one more thing.. do you think it would be worth it? Or would it be cheaper to just buy a tank? I was thinking of making a fairly large one (IF it's possible). I just want to know if anyone's done this before, and if it's something that's worth doing.

Thanks guys. If anyone has any advice on this, please let me know.

-TammyR

[Friodrago]

if you use an angle iron frame it would hold together,and as for sealent I use black as its stronger.it really depends on the type of glass and the thickness.I made a 300 gallon tank but it really didn't cost much less than one that was already built.I used 3/8 inch thick glass which is really heavy.About the only neat part was being able to say I built it?I build about every kind of cage or enclosure,myself.I raise several dif. herps and various food animals for them.So its a plus to keep the costs down.

[Lisa]

Do not use black, clear aquarium sealant (pure silicon) is is the only type you should be using as black has harmful chemicals in it.

[Neo]

the GE brand silicon stuff is good. My dad (who knows everything) recommended it cause it's the stuff they use to hold space ships together

[Lisa]

Originally posted by Neo
the GE brand silicon stuff is good. My dad (who knows everything) recommended it cause it's the stuff they use to hold space ships together

Hmm some of the space shuttles didn't hold together so well...

[Jeff Hathaway]

Hey Tammy,

I used to build custom tanks, so I think I can answer your questions. Yes, you can build tanks safely so that they are just as unlikely to leak as a commercial one. However, it does take some skill, so if you are making one for the first time, I recommend starting with something fairly small.

You can make a tank as large as your imagination and budget will allow, but the water pressure it must withstand increase drastically with the size of the tank, and therefore the thickness of glass must increase also. Translation- increased cost and difficulty. As a *general* guideline, I used to use 1/2" thick glass to go up to 24" high, and 3/4" glass to go up to 36" high. Beyond that it varied:-) The biggest I ever built was 10'x3'x6' high, with 2 1/4" thick tempered & laminated front glass that weighed ~2000 lbs! The height is the most critical aspect, but the length of a panel can be an issue as well. I never built anything smaller, as it was cheaper to buy any tank (at wholesale) small enough that 2 guys could carry it than it would have been to buy the glass (at wholesale) to make it. Mark ups on tanks are not huge, so this would apply in most cases for retail as well. Something to think about.

As for silicones- GE makes lots of different silicones. The RTV series (industrial line) is used by aquarium manufacturers. It comes in clear (RTV 108) and black (RTV 103?), and several other colours as well. GE Construction series is essentially the same product (not official tested on fish but not a problem), I believe Construction 1200 is the clear version, but it's been a while. Large commercial aquaria are generally manufactured with Dow 795, which is black, but this is tougher to acquire and not generally used for small tanks. The moral of the story- colour is not the important factor. Black isn't necessarily stronger, weaker, toxic, etc. You do need to use the right silicone for the job, though.

If you have a size/design in mind, post it or email it to me and I can probably give you specific advice.

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!

[Oliverian]

Alright, thanks guys. I was thinking it would be cheaper to build my own, but now I think it would be better to just buy them. You could get neat shapes and sizes though if you built your own. I usually buy mine from the local petstore, but is there anywhere that it would be cheaper? I saw you mentioned wholesale, but I don't know any dealers around here. If I bought more than one tank at a time, I may be able to get a better deal. I'll just have to check.

Anyways, thanks for the advice. If I do decide to build my own, I'll let you know Jeff. Thanks.

-TammyR

[Lisa]

Various pet stores often have them onsale $1/gallon. we've picked up a few 10 gallon and a 20 gallon tanks at these sales. You can also keep your eye open for used tanks, sometimes they will need patching though.

[Oliverian]

All right. I have two that I bough with small cracks in them for pretty cheap. Got herps in both of them right now. They do offer them on sale once in a while, which is always good.
-TammyR