Habitat - Indoor :: DIY 40 Gallon Tank Attempt

[Rhodesl2]

My red-eared slider has grown quite a bit since we've been together and recently I've been faced with the harsh reality that my beat up 10 gallon isn't going to cut it anymore. Being basically broke and unable to afford a commercial tank, my relative poverty has led me to develop a rather unusual plan b. I'm going to try to build my own tank.

First thing you need to know is the type of glass you're going to need. It needs to be relatively untreated. That is, if it breaks, you want it to crack instead of shatter. It also needs to have the appropriate thickness to withstand the weight of the water. A tank with dimensions 36''x15''x18'' (42 gallons) needs to have 2 mm thick glass. I used an online calculator that can be found here:
http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

The individual pieces of glass can be connected and sealed with silicone. From what I've read, the silicone sealant shouldn't have any additives to control fungus and other gross stuff because that can be harmful to your tank fauna (aka turtle).

That be said, I've made a list of the necessary components:
-4 18''x36'' pieces of plate glass (Home Depot)-$ 39.92
-finished wood for base- robbing dad's workshop
-GE Silicone I 9.8-oz. Clear Window and Door Caulk (still have to check ingredients)(Home Depot)- $5.21

The whole project should cost $45.15, and considering that a commercial 40 gallon is around 100 dollars, it seems like a pretty good deal.
If you know anything about the silicone sealant, please reply with the details.

[dumbork14]

Great plan. I'm a fan of DIY, so you are off to a great start. The silicon cures for 24 hours or longer, depending on the brand and type. You can always check your local petstore for cheap finds, at usually 1$ for 1gallon. Good luck!

[steve]

Unless you get all the materials for free, it's not worth making a turtle tank under 55 gallons.

[VeipaCray]

The whole project should cost $45.15, and considering that a commercial 40 gallon is around 100 dollars, it seems like a pretty good deal.
If you know anything about the silicone sealant, please reply with the details.

Petco has a dollar per gallon sale on a very regular basis - several times per year. Many competing pet stores are doing the same. That being said, a commercial 40 gallon tank = $40.

How do you plan on cutting the glass? Most glass shops do charge for cutting and polishing of edges.

You also need tank rims. $15 for each and you need 2 (top and bottom) http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=43
If you're trying to build a rimless aquarium for your first build... I'd suggest you practice building a small test tank first. Rimless are NOT EASY to build. You need much thicker glass for a rimless tank to support the weight of the water from bowing the glass and breaking the joints. If you want a rimless tank you should consider acrylic. You CAN do a glass rimless but they are usually 5-10mm very clear glass.

Do you have enough of the proper right angle clamps to square up the tank as you are assembling? You'll need 8-12 right angle clamps with rubber claws to hold the aquarium square while you silicone a joint.

For a tank that small, your best bet is to get a tube of the AGA (all-glass aquarium) silicone. It's usually $12-14 in most peststores.
You COULD use clear GE Silicone-1 (100% silicone, no mold inhibitors or other chemicals). Not really worth the savings... I'd just grab the AGA branded silicone.

http://www.rescuepetstore.com/product/A ... Mgod-woAhQ
http://www.marineandreef.com/Aqueon_Cle ... MgodSyYA-w

[Kansasslider]

Petco for $40 and a 55 for $55. building your own tank is tricky I would stick with buying one.

[cutepanda86]

^^Sounds like a plan.

I appreciate the effort and the idea but I worry.

[Rhodesl2]

Yeah the tank thing didn't work so well. I'm more of a chemist than an engineer and I ended up cutting the glass improperly Upon seeing my failure though, a lot of my relatives started offering my tanks around the size that I was trying to construct. It served its purpose I suppose. Now I have a really big tank that I just setup, a new filter I'm trying to figure out, and a water siphon all for free. I built a divider about 7 inches in out of scrap acrylic and filled it with rocks to make a sort of land section.

Tank in progress

The turtle (because I like taking pictures)

[ljapa]

Looks good. Though, be prepared for your turtle to outgrow that tank.

On suggestion: build the rocks up higher, or put a piece of slate there. You want your turtle to be able to get the bottom of the plastron dry when it basks.

Are there holes in the acrylic or any way to get water flow in that land side?

[Rhodesl2]

Yes the divider is not water proof so there is an equal level of water on each side. I have lowered the water level so that the topmost rocks are dry.