has anyone here built a home aquarium..?

Question

if so please give me some details on the size , exspense, and so forth.

i want details about size, exspence, materials. also how has it held up over time things likek this.. im very interested in something over 500 gallons but anything is appreciated.

Answer 1

I have built many small aquariums over the years, mostly in the 1-2 gallon range for keeping bettas and killifish. I built them from windowpane glass and pure silicone sealant that's available from home centers and walmart. They were generally more expensive than the alternatives of plastic tanks and the like, but I needed a particular size and shape the fit well in a certain space.

I have only built one truely large tank (950 gallons) and it was built from plywood I used 3/4" plywood, a full sheet for the bottom back and front and a 1/2 sheet for each side making the tank roughly 8' X 4' X 4'. I used stainless steel screws and reinforced each corner with 2"X 2" strips. and screwed it together every inch. I painted the interior with marine grade epoxy paint and sealed the corners with pure silicone sealant. I cut out a 7' X 3' "window" in the front piece of plywood and installed 1/2 " glass behind it so as to see into the tank. I have had the tank for 15 years or so and have never had a problem with it. Makes a nice breeding take for large species, but a kind of poor display tank.

MM

Answer 2

I build a water wall in my home. I purchased the glass (now it will depend on the thickness and type you buy. I used 3/4" due to the height of the tank...it was a wall. The glass pieces front and back were roughly 12' x 9' and (12 sq. feet) at now I got a deal for buying so much at the local hardware store here. I am not sure what home depot costs and I bought shadder proof glass ( just like glass better than acrylic). $6.50 per sq foot. The sides were a lot less since they were only 12" wide. this I build years ago in my large victorian home. I had removed the pocket doors and wanted something different. I got it. The lighting was the most expensive since I wanted something different. The lighting was on the bottom, in my floor and had 4 different color lights so I could change the color and the color of the large bubbles coming from the bottom. The people who bought my house still have the water wall and love it. I had to go over and show them how I cleaned the darn thing! If you are wondering, my first floor had 15or 16 foot ceilings)

Silicon was fairly inexpensive around $4.49 a tube I believe.

It takes time that is the bulk of your project.

The trim moulding was .39 cents a linear foot and I trimmed that off with routed 2x2 I think 1.95 each.

Here are a few sites you can get a really good idea about power tools etc you will need. Some also have blueprints and materials lists.
http://www.garf.org/140.gallon.html
saltaquarium.about.com/od/diytanksrefugiums/DIY_AquariumTank_Plans

I wished these were around when I ventured into my project!

there are also plans for various stands on that page as well.