Advice on tank build
 

Hey everyone, I want to build a look down shallow tank. I have never built one, so any advice would be great!

I'm hoping to build it with 24" by 18" by 12" tall.

I would just order it from your favorite LFS.

That would take 1/2h to an hour tops it is all in the prep and layout. I HOPE to build my tanks this winter. I can try and answer any Q you have it is really quit ease

Yeah I considered it, but the quotes always seems to be crazy high. I figured it would have set me back $300 at the LFS. So for the cost of the glass, its worth a shot on my own!

I might take you up on that, I'm just waiting to hear back from a few places on the glass.

Anyone know where to get aquarium silicone in town?

Seastar. Or Safari.

When I was planning my own tank, the glass was going to cost me almost as much as having a tank made. And I knew someone working at a large glass shop in town. Hopefully you can find a better deal!

Okay I'll check them out later today!

Hmm I wonder if it was the thickness of the glass that bumped up the price? I'll let you know in a few hours when my glass quotes are completed! I'll let you know if it works out to cost more or less.

Do you know if safari can order sea star tanks?

Thickness will determine cost for sure. I was getting something like a cost +10 price and it still wasn't cheap enough for me to do it myself.

Yes, Safari can order from Sea Star.

You can come look at this one I'm setting up if you want.. It's 25x25x 12 ish

I'll definitely take you up on that!

So the glass place got back to me, and it looks like it will cost $50 with 5mm glass, or $58 with 6mm.

What do you guys think for thickness of the glass?

For $8 go with 6mm.

Yeah I was thinking that to. But I may go even thicker than that cause I want it to be rimless as well.

That's for 5 pieces of glass plus eurobracing?

No I forgot the euro bracing, but I figure it would be under $20 for the euro bracing. But I'm gonna spend that extra money on thicker glass and make it rimless.

But the quote was for the 5 main peices of glass, I have to polish the edges myself. But I have a polisher for doing that already.

I was expecting it to be closer to $100 myself. So I was kinda surprised.

Go thick enough that you won't have to use eurobracing, that would screw up the whole concept of a look down tank!

Good point.

I guess when I was pricing glass, I was looking at 1/2", which was quite a bit.

Yup I got a quote for 1/2" and it was over $150 for the same dimensions!

6mm is plenty thick enough without euro bracing IMHO.

Ive never seen a rimless tank under 3/8" but you may be right!

He may be right, but for the extra money, I'd go with the thicker glass just to sleep better at night :)

Yeah I think I'll end up going with 7mm glass. Being able to sleep at night is always a good thing!

Okay I'm gonna start a tank journal for this. I'm gonna start building it next week!