Habitat - Indoor :: Building an aquarium vs buying

[Shorty's mom]

Just wanted to get some opinions about wether it would be cheaper to buy a tank or build my own. I have been looking on ebay and locally but to no avail. I would like to get 135gal or bigger. I can't do a stock tank or a rubbermaid container. They just wouldn't work in my house So what do you all think would I be ahead to just build my own or is it more costly? Any advice is greatly appreciated!:)

[jeggy]

135 gal would require at least 1/2 inch thick glass. i dont even know where to begin to look to purchase that.
i was gonna build my own tank but i needed a new one asap so i just went out and bought one.
i think it's cheaper to build a tank if it were smaller.
personally, i would buy the tank because:
1)i think 100+ gallon tanks needs to be buitls a lil differently then smaller ones.
2)you would also have to build a stand strong enought to hold that size tank.
3)if a tank that size bursts from the water pressure.....youre in trouble.

[steve]

My home built 125 gallon tank uses 3/8" thick glass. The height is only 20", but if it were 24" or higher then 1/2" should be considered. I recently found my old receipts... $225 for glass, $70 for steel. Not the best prices out there. If you know someone who can weld and work with silicone, then it's possible to make a good one.

[jeggy]

where did you get the glass from? was the steel for the stand?

[steve]

The glass was from a glass distributor and the steel was for the stand and support for the glass (top and bottom).

[Shorty's mom]

Thanks you two. I think I will just stick with buying one then.

[kona1224]

I've found a couple great tanks on craigslist.com give that a try for a used tank. I did look into building one about 10 years ago and the cost seemed to be very similar to buying. Sometimes with a little patience you can find some great deals