thebigcatch Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Hey guys, I'm planning to build a tank in my basement. It will be in an area where the ceiling is 6 feet high, so no use for it really other than storage or an aquarium! The space I have to work with is Length - 8ft, Height - 4 feet max to allow top access, width - well about 10 feet but not going that big. I was wanting something cost effictive and with tht I was thinking a plywood build. 8x4x3,8x3x3,8x3x2 or the same mesurements except 7feet length. My firest question is, acrylic vs glass? What thickness? Who has the hook up on either of these materials?! I have been told that I will need between 3/4" to 1.5" thickness which is a huge range. I really do not want to do something that is 24" height. I am hoing to accomplish something to the concept of what the guy in this link did. My space is pretty similar minus my roof cleareance beinga little over 6feet. His tank is HUGE, but I want the idea of having it sit low to allow the access from above due and because of this I would like to have it have a height of at least 3 feet as anything less sitting that low would look stupid I think. http://www.monsterfi...ead.php?t=45035 I would like to do salt water but I have only had experience with fresh water and as far as I know, Its cheaper to do a fresh water build. If anyone can provide some cheap DIY projects on thefiltation systems, by all means.... Thank you to all who reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I would say first of all that your cheapest option would be a plywood tank with a glass/acyrlic viewing pane. Also you don't have that much room to work with behind your tank saying that I think you cheapest option would be a sump for filtration whether you go saltwater or fresh. i believe if you go over 36'' you have to start to build differently to accompany the bowing of the viewing pane. I think your glass/acyrlic should be sitting around 2.5'' actually @ 8x3x3 --- http://www.theaquatools.com/aquarium-diagnoser Kind of a nice tool for the DIY'er I think your best option would be to post on MFK, Their most likely alot more expirenced in building something along these lines from first handers rather then in the AA forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I would do 8x3x3 - if you go 4' deep, you may never see your fish, no matter how big they are. They'll just hide at the back of the tank b/c they can. SW would be cool, but it's also about 8x more expensive than FW - and not just because you have to mix your water. Livestock and filtering are also more expensive. I have no idea where to get large pieces of glass or acrylic, but I'd call a few glass shops and plastics shops to see what they have or can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 What type of fish do you want to keep. Saltwater will require a different build than some freshwater builds when it comes to the waterproofing. I have built a 2200 gallon plywood tank and can give you alot of pointers along the way. If you like monster freshwater fish like arrows or stingrays than I would reccomend a 8 x 5 x 40 inch tank. If you are looking at smaller fish then do not go as deep. As far as filtration goes I would go with a ultima filter or a sand filter with a bio tower, if your budget can go bigger I can help there too. For a 8 foot by 40 inch high piece of acrylic you would need it 1.25 inches thick and that cost me around $1700 and it is crystal clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengu Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 i agree with skynoch it depends on what you want to do, bigger is always better i built a 300 g with zavlar but wish i went bigger. width is more important then hight if you want to keep larger fish and a tank gets alot more expensive the taller you build because of the cost of the acrylic or glass, also my tank is 36" deep but only filled 32" and it sucks to try and reach to bottom of the tank. if you can keep it around 30" it will make it alot cheaper to build. for a filter a diy sump would be the cheapest way but if you can afford it i agree to go with ultima filter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I would say first of all that your cheapest option would be a plywood tank with a glass/acyrlic viewing pane. Also you don't have that much room to work with behind your tank saying that I think you cheapest option would be a sump for filtration whether you go saltwater or fresh. i believe if you go over 36'' you have to start to build differently to accompany the bowing of the viewing pane. I think your glass/acyrlic should be sitting around 2.5'' actually @ 8x3x3 --- http://www.theaquato...arium-diagnoser Kind of a nice tool for the DIY'er I think your best option would be to post on MFK, Their most likely alot more expirenced in building something along these lines from first handers rather then in the AA forum. I was told today that there is no such thing as 2.5 inch glass and that for a built that big you would not need more than 3/4 inch as the builder at this aquarium shop said he just built a tank a little bigger than I want out of it for a customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 i agree with skynoch it depends on what you want to do, bigger is always better i built a 300 g with zavlar but wish i went bigger. width is more important then hight if you want to keep larger fish and a tank gets alot more expensive the taller you build because of the cost of the acrylic or glass, also my tank is 36" deep but only filled 32" and it sucks to try and reach to bottom of the tank. if you can keep it around 30" it will make it alot cheaper to build. for a filter a diy sump would be the cheapest way but if you can afford it i agree to go with ultima filter Good point about not being able to reach to the bottom when it gets deeper. Guess I was figuring I'd just jump in and take a swim if I needed to clean it... haha. With the quotes on glass, building an all glass and type of fish i'd keep I think I'm scaling down. The reason I wanted a 4 feet high tank is because the space I have to work with ( as shown in the picture) is an odd space. i want this aquarium to be done as an in wall aquarium when done. There is no wall as of now but will be built around it after. The wood beam is 8 feet long and about 8 inches wide. I need space above the tank to work so the tank will have to sit a little lower than the wood beam. I plan on building the tank behind the beam how ever as there is about a foot clearence above the tank if it is mounted behind the beam. This will mean I will have an 8 inch ledge going around the face of the tank which is fine. I think it will look stupid if I have a 2 foot high aquarium sitting low to the floor. I'm thinking of a tank, 7 or 8 feet long, 2 feet wide(3 feet if cost isnt that much more), and 30-36 inch high. i dont want to cheap out but then again I dont want to be broke at the end of this that I have a nice tank but no pump! I think I will do Africans and freshwater first. I'd love an arowana and Sting ray but in time. This is quite a hard decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I would say first of all that your cheapest option would be a plywood tank with a glass/acyrlic viewing pane. Also you don't have that much room to work with behind your tank saying that I think you cheapest option would be a sump for filtration whether you go saltwater or fresh. i believe if you go over 36'' you have to start to build differently to accompany the bowing of the viewing pane. I think your glass/acyrlic should be sitting around 2.5'' actually @ 8x3x3 --- http://www.theaquato...arium-diagnoser Kind of a nice tool for the DIY'er I think your best option would be to post on MFK, Their most likely alot more expirenced in building something along these lines from first handers rather then in the AA forum. The post you are referring to is nt in inches. You gave me the biggest freak out for the past 3 weeks as you could only imagine my face seeing that you suggest 2.5 inch glass and the responses on prices i got for 1 inch glass, never mind 2.5 inch glass. What you ment to say is, half inch at least, 3/4 to be very safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted January 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rED O Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 if you go 4' deep, you may never see your fish, no matter how big they are. They'll just hide at the back of the tank b/c they can. I am guessing you have never owned a 4' tank before, this is absolutely not the case.Here http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288821 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 If your planning a stingray in the future I would reccomend at least 3' deep. My tank is 8' deep and I have no problem seeing to the back of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted January 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Ok, I thin i'm aiming to do an 8'x30"x30". Do you think 1/2" plate glass is sufficent for the front face of a plywood build or should it be tempered? Also I have heard that glass will not stick to plywood. How do I fix that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hope this helps http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/planasystem/ig/Guide-Charts--Tables--Diagrams/Glass-Thickness-Calculator.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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