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Building an aquarium vs buying

Posted:
Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:20 pm
by 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!:)

Posted:
Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:42 pm
by 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.

Posted:
Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:49 am
by 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.

Posted:
Wed Mar 01, 2006 9:17 pm
by jeggy
where did you get the glass from? was the steel for the stand?

Posted:
Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:37 pm
by steve
The glass was from a glass distributor and the steel was for the stand and support for the glass (top and bottom).

Posted:
Fri Mar 17, 2006 5:40 pm
by Shorty's mom
Thanks you two. I think I will just stick with buying one then.

Posted:
Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:19 am
by 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