Help Anyone ?

i have a 180litre aqualantis aquarium , beech in colour ,
the tank is 3foot in lenght but quite tall and wide ,

id be looking for something around 5 foot in lenght and i would like it to be quite tall and wide as i understand that 3d backgrounds take up quite a bit of space

i feel like i need a bigger tank as my fish will eventually get too big ,

the fish i have are 5 discus , 3 parrots ( 2 breed ) , 2 angel fish (breeding pair) , 3 small bn's , 2 cory's

i don't have an awful lot of money at all as i dont work , and im only 16
is anyone selling a tank and stand extremely cheap / affordable
or
would it be dear to construct my own tank and stand ?
is it hard too construct your own tank and stand , is there much work involved ,
thinking on doing it as a summer project ,
i used to do woodwork , got an a+ in my j.c on building a table with shelves and drawers

what is involved in making a sump ,
and would i need an external filter ?

i have also seen alot of 3d backgrounds ,
are they hard to make and how are they made

if i end up making it , there will be a story book of pictures and questions to follow

where would i get the glass and where would i get thick beech wood for stand ,

and how would i make a lid

anything i left out please let me know ,

thanks

eric

oh and what would i do about lighting ?

something this shape would be great either

does the glass have to be a certain thickness etc...

thanks

So, have I got this right?

You want to upgrade from your 180 litre, to a 5 foot, tall (so 500 to 800 litres or so) tank?

I doubt you will get something like that cheap unless you are very lucky. The closest I got to building a tank was resealing a Juwel Rio 180 and it wasn't much fun. I would think you would need a fair bit of experience, or a very experienced guide to help you build a tank that size. Getting a custom tank built would cost even more than buying a decent sized second hand one.

You want to have a sump?

On a tank that size your 180 litre would do as a sump. You'd need to decide if you want to drill the display tank or use and overflow box. You'll also need to invest in a return pump. Researching and putting in the baffles yourself would be a good project to help you decide if you are ready to build your own large display tank and would help bring down the cost. Check out Puddlefish's post on here recently about building a marine tank.


You want to build a cabinet for it?

You know more about woodwork than I do. I'd be wary of building a cabinet myself because I only have a heat-seaking hammer that targets my thumb instead of the nails. Work out the weight of your tank and consider how well designed and constructed the cabinet needs to be. Also when designing it, remember that ease of access to the sump will be really important - as will ventilation as a sump tends to lead to more evaporation. If you have a sump you won't need an external.

You want a 3D background for it?

Some good posts here on 3D backgrounds.

I reckon if you could take your time you'll find a decent priced large tank, maybe with a cabinet included. As you have woodwork skills you should be able to build a lid for it that will suit it, that and converting your tank to a sump, and making a 3D background, would be pretty damn good summer projects that I'd be pretty pleased with if I had the time to do them instead of going to work everyday.

As regards lighting, if you are planning on a planted tank then lighting is very important, otherwise you might get away with the lights you have at the moment to save some cash and you can upgrade them later on down the line.

Good luck.

building my own tank is something i would love to do, but i wouldnt dare chance it especially a tank that size you really need to know what your doing,
could you imagine a tank that size splitting!!!!
if you got someone to make you a tank, you could build the cabinet and hood yourself,
that would be my advice,
good luck..

Oh god no haha
I meant 5 foot long by 2 x 2 or similar

Or I was just thinking on a more cubed like tank

Maybe 3.5 foot long by 3 high by 1.5 deep

Would that size be much more than 180 litre ,

Anyone got any prices or info on glass ?

I just seen a tank with the light for it hanging out of the roof
looked great !!


Would it be easiler just buying an external filter maybe a cheap second hand one rather than drilling etc for the sump ?
Thanks
a mil

if anyone has suggestions on sizes or shapes Id love to hear them

Thanks

eric

ejgibbo wrote:

Oh god no haha
I meant 5 foot long by 2 x 2 or similar

Or I was just thinking on a more cubed like tank

Maybe 3.5 foot long by 3 high by 1.5 deep

Would that size be much more than 180 litre ,

Anyone got any prices or info on glass ?

I just seen a tank with the light for it hanging out of the roof
looked great !!


Would it be easiler just buying an external filter maybe a cheap second hand one rather than drilling etc for the sump ?
Thanks
a mil

if anyone has suggestions on sizes or shapes Id love to hear them

Thanks

eric

hi eric
will pm u

Okay I'll be waiting haha
thanks

Anyone got size or shape suggestions ?
Thanks

Size, as big as you can afford and have space for. Shape, rectangular???