# In my ignorance.....



## Timstrk (Jun 9, 2010)

Truly a beginner. Interested in building an aquarium. I saw one years ago that was very tall, ie. 36", and 48" wide. It wasn't very thick from front to back but looked like a picture window. This is what I want. What thickness of glass, etc would be needed to accomplish this? Still have not decided on salt/fresh as I'm more interested in the challenge of building the take and stand. Doing research now. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Tim


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Generally buying a used aquarium is cheaper. Thin tanks such as those "wall mounted" tanks that are a few inches thick are also not appreciated by fish and they'll be much happier and healthy if you get a normal tank. It's like having you live in a narrow hallway instead of a normal room, it's just not natural. Approximately $1 per gallon for used tanks. I would strongly suggest against tall aquariums unless you are getting fish that aren't active swimmers and prefer height such as discus or angel fish. Tall aquariums are also extremely hard and expensive to light since you need powerful bulbs to penetrate that amount of water so a planted tall tank is nearly impossible unless you have a decently sized budget.  For most fish, the longer the better therefore I would suggest getting either a standard or long tank. Tall tanks are also harder to clean since it's hard to remove ornaments and such from the bottom as well as cleaning the bottom of the tank with a gravel vacuum can be a nightmare unless you have insanely long arms...like 3 feet long . The kind of tank you need truly depends on what fish you want to get, if you have something in mind we as a community can help you achieve your dream tank with those species


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

The first time you try to service a tank deeper than 24" you're going to be a very sad person. Anything up to 30 can be done-- usually tongs are needed unless you're very tall. Over 30... you need tongs and a step ladder or a snorkel.


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> The first time you try to service a tank deeper than 24" you're going to be a very sad person. Anything up to 30 can be done-- usually tongs are needed unless you're very tall. Over 30... you need tongs and a step ladder or a snorkel.


When I read the word snorkel, I pictured a small old woman with a mop trying to clean the algae inside of her tank.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Why is everybody saying crazy things out of nowhere that have nothing to do with the question being asked or the thread... Its happening a lot lately.


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Anyways, bottom line. Tall tanks are hard to maintain, don't do it unless you already have the tank or if you TRULY are passionate about the look.


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## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

Timstrk said:


> Truly a beginner. Interested in building an aquarium. I saw one years ago that was very tall, ie. 36", and 48" wide. It wasn't very thick from front to back but looked like a picture window. This is what I want. What thickness of glass, etc would be needed to accomplish this?
> 
> You can easily accomplish a tall tank like that with 1 cm think glass. I wouldnt wanna go any thinner then that, and anything thicker would be overkill i believe.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

I would say you are better off buying a fully made tank than making one of your own. Unless you are extremely experienced with glass. Otherwise you're just looking ways to loose a few fingers as glass of that size are difficult to handle. I was once offered a 4' X 8' X 1" think glass for free. It was tempting to take it, but I walked away because the chance of something bad happening was very high too.

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## freddymp (Jan 15, 2010)

I would second the opinion of buying a pre-made tanks, or having it made by someone with experience.

My old 140 gal tank was about that size. It was custom ordered, I believe it uses 10 mm glass (at least). On top and bottom, there were braces on the perimeter as well as from front to back on on the mid point. I have experience in building my own glass tanks and sump, including a 24x24x36" (H) glass, which I believe uses 6 mm (or maybe 8 mm?) glass. The cabinet was also custom made.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

OP, please don't do this to yourself. It's one thing to decide after years of fishkeeping and having it down to do a 3 foot tall tank. It won't be an issue for you so much at that point. But being new, it's really not going to be a good experience. If you're sure you absolutely want a 'cube' type form factor or a rectangle you can get tanks that are smaller and will only really go up to your elbow but still have the proportions you're after. If you're flexible I'd suggest something like a 36x12x18" tall tank, about 35 gallons, as a good, affordable (in terms of the tank and accessories) and versatile first go.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

LOL, I only have 4 hours of sleep that night. So sue me for typing like a drunk.

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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

DO NOT try to build your first tank.  It ain't 1902. The ones that are factory made will NOT ruin your house, like your homemade one almost certainly will. Think about the mold and mildew and the fun cleaning up after X gallons of water escape from a burst seam in your tank. Imagine it happens after you loaded it up with fish and rock. Imagine it happens at 3 AM while you're asleep. With me? Not a pretty picture.

If you're feeling like a handy-man, build the stand and the hood. Do the electrical wiring and put ONLY GFCI outlets in your fishroom. A DIY stand + hood + lighting is a great project. If you want to go marine, you can get the diamond holesaws and drill it yourself. 

DO NOT BUILD A TANK.

W


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> DO NOT try to build your first tank.  It ain't 1902. The ones that are factory made will NOT ruin your house, like your homemade one almost certainly will. Think about the mold and mildew and the fun cleaning up after X gallons of water escape from a burst seam in your tank. Imagine it happens after you loaded it up with fish and rock. Imagine it happens at 3 AM while you're asleep. With me? Not a pretty picture.
> 
> If you're feeling like a handy-man, build the stand and the hood. Do the electrical wiring and put ONLY GFCI outlets in your fishroom. A DIY stand + hood + lighting is a great project. If you want to go marine, you can get the diamond holesaws and drill it yourself.
> 
> ...


+1

I wouldn't do it either. Even with ones made by large mfg's I look at all the X gal tanks they have and pick the one with the best seams


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