100% DIY Nano

T

Tron87

New member
A little history to start.
I used to have a 50 gal corner Acrylic. It was ruled by my super cute Onyx Percula and his bed of GSP. Then one summer I went on a vacation and couldn't get anyone to look after the tank (I'd just moved.)

Needless to say when I got back home the tank had been nuked. On top of that I had been robbed. I needed to spend my money on neccessities, like a computer, before I could rebuild the tank.

Also, this happened about two week after I had just picked up my brand new custom 60 gal cube. That was 2.5 years ago.

I can't take it anymore. I'm going to start a nano tank. 3-5 gallons or so. I've found that building stuff is as fun as running the actual tank so I am going to be doing as much DIY as possible.



Now. I'm thinking I will go with 3/8 glass or acrylic but I haven't decided which. Anybody got preferences for this size tank? Will it be easier to to the silicone or the Weldon?

I've been looking into making an LED fixture for the tank. Just 4-6 LEDs but that can get a little pricey. Does anybody have good links to LED suppliers that I might check out?

If you think I should go PC or maybe a 70W halide please sound off. I am looking for any and all input.

Does anyone think it would be a mistake to drill a tank so small? I had a thought that it would be fun to treat it like a miniature of my 60 gal cube. Maybe even try a tiny little closed loop to save any powerhead space.

Lastly, anyone got links to fun DIY projects, skimmers, reactors, lights, that would be good for this size tank.

I am in the last few weeks of a crazy semester so I might not be getting a lot of building done but once summer starts . . . Oh yeah. I've been repressed for two years and now its time to go crazy.
 
I might have to do that.

I was thinking 3/8" because I really like the hefty look.

The dimensions I might settle on are 12"Lx10"Hx10"D.

I just called a glass shop for a quote and they wanted about $150 for

3 - 12X10
2 - 10x10

THAT JUST SOUNDS CRAZY TO ME.
 
You are in long beach cally.......not exacting the most inexpensive place to live................

That does sound like a bit much though considering I can buy a 30" by 4ft long panel of 1/4 for like $30 where I live from lowes but it is plexi-glass/acrylic not glass.......I would call around or think about doing a 12g nano cube that you could pick up with the lighting for less than $150.............
 
I was not expecting the prices to look like this.
Another place gave me $27 per piece for 3/8" and $16 each for 1/4"

I can get a 4' sq sheet of plexi for like $50 at Lowe's I just don't have the mean to cut it.

What really gets my goat is that Lowe's has 8X10 sheets of plexi for like $2 each. Probem is they are .080" and thats a little too thin.

This is an official call for any help in finding some cheaper glass. Should I buy some standard size sheets and practice making my own cuts?
 
you might want to ask lowes if they will cut it for you............

Otherwise you can get a scorer and score the plexi and then snap it.........or heat up a knife and melt it but the scoring will glue better and not like crap
 
Lowe's is bunk.

They only have 1/8" glass and can only cut up to 1/8" acrylic.

I'm heading toward acrylic or a pre-made tank pretty fast. Problem is you don't see many tanks below 5 gals and I was really hoping to choose my own dimensions.

I might just shell out for a 3/8" or 1/4" sheet of plexi and try to find someone with a table saw.

Maybe I'll ask someone for scraps. Were is melev and his mountains of acrylic when you need him?

Thanks for tagging along bsagecko.
 
Do you think that 1/4" would be enough for this tank? Longest span is 12" and only 10" or so deep.
I hear that 1/4" Acrylic bows a little at 12" but what about glass?
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14956599#post14956599 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FishyBiz
3 to 5 gallons with 3/8" glass? Your gonna have more glass then water. :lol:

Use 1/4"
Click to expand...

My 20L is 30"L x 12"H x 12"D and it's not got a central support. It's only 1/4" Glass.

The reason there is a huge difference in the cost is that 3/8 glass is not very useful as a size. I mean, what would you use that for? Maybe a coffee table, but that's not often enough that a glass shop would want to get a whole sheet in to have hanging around. So it's too thin for bullet proof etc. And thicker than most people need for other applications, so being it's such an odd size, you'll pay through the nose for it.

1/4 inch will be more than adequate, and I just paid a couple of bucks for a piece that was cut 10" x 8". Not too bad. It should run you about 1.45 per sq feet.

Good luck with the project.

Aaron
 
Well I can get a 12"x48" pice for about $20. Then I'd just cut it myself and put everything together.

On the other hand I could get a 12"x48" sheet of acrylic for $25. Things are starting to make sense finally.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14956987#post14956987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tron87
I might have to do that.

I was thinking 3/8" because I really like the hefty look.

The dimensions I might settle on are 12"Lx10"Hx10"D.

I just called a glass shop for a quote and they wanted about $150 for

3 - 12X10
2 - 10x10

THAT JUST SOUNDS CRAZY TO ME.
Click to expand...


If you want to see a truly DIY 10 gallon out of some wierdo material, click my red house above.


That being said, just know that the acrylic at Lowe's isn't necessarily the best. 1/4" acrylic will bend a LOT more than glass. For your tank it should be fine, but you really should consider putting a center brace on it.


FWIW, you can buy a cheap 10-gallon aquarium, use a very thin razor blade (ie, thinner than a standard razor box cutter) to cut the silicone seams, and scrape the glass clean. You'll need a dremel to cut the top and bottom plastic rim off, they are glued on pretty tight.


I did this to build a sump, works like a charm.
 
I have seen your nano redfishnc and it looks cool. I especially like the connected sump.

I am really surpised at how expensive all this looks to be. I thought something so small would be on my desk for under $20. There are places with 10 gallons for less.

I am going to have to get creativ with my materials hunt.

Can you just score and snap 1/4" inch glass?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14959177#post14959177 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tron87

I am really surpised at how expensive all this looks to be. I thought something so small would be on my desk for under $20. There are places with 10 gallons for less.
Click to expand...

:lol: This hobby and cheep dont go together.
Im building a custom 12 gallon for my desk and Im at about $700 right now. :eek1:
 
Scratch that..... $780.99

And that's for:
Custom Tank/Sump
Custom Overflow
RK lite
ATO
Bulkheads
and 70 watt fixture.

Boy am I glad I already have the sand.... :rolleye1:
 
You can buy a gless cutter at Lowes for under 5 bucks.It is easy to do just use veggy oil when you score the glass it makes a cleaner cut.Then sand the edges with some sand paper.Be careful glass does cut and chip pieces could fly so glasses too.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14962179#post14962179 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FishyBiz
:lol: This hobby and cheep dont go together.
Im building a custom 12 gallon for my desk and Im at about $700 right now. :eek1:
Click to expand...

I just meant the barebones tank itself. I'm sure this thing will const me a few bills by the time I'm done.
 
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