Hello all this is my first try at tank building...so don't laugh if this is a bad question but I want to build a tank that is 4 feet tall 6 inches wide and 50 inches long its for a wall devide... all I want to put in it is small tetras but I am wondering if this is beyond difficult and way to expensive to even attempt
very tall narrow tank
- Thread starter coryliv
- Start date
I definitely agree with Kerry, you need to consider maintenance. If it is difficult to do, it won't get done and it is obviously in a location where it will be part of the decor. You also need to consider the support equipment for any tank - there has to be a place for filters and heaters. And one more thing - the vulnerability of a glass wall with water in it!
Support and maintenance won't be an issue and I'm going to use 1/2" acrylic so the possibility of it breaking will be very low I'm going to have an overhang of 3inches which will allow me to access for cleaning and it's only 60 gallons so it will be approx 420 pounds I'm hoping this should still work out I'm just wondering if I need to brace it from the inside in the middle perhaps
Where are you located? This would obviously be a custom build job, so the tank manufacturer should be able to make it structurally sound for you. I think those dimensions would be a lot easier than 4' by 6" (length doesn't matter here for maintenance purposes). It will make it easier to get any kind of decorations / plants in there too, without them brushing the glass on each side. That has the potential to be a very cool, unique tank - if you do it, I'd love to see pictures.
Before ordering one, it would be a good idea to grab a poster board or roll of paper or something (even a shower curtain) to draw the rough sketch on, and stick right to the wall in the intended place. Then you can pretend to reach into it and see if there are any other modifications to shape or locations, before creating a hole or spending money to have it built. Also stand back and look at it, draw some intended decor, that kind of thing. Try to figure out where heater, filter, cords, etc. will be, so that you have electricity available at the right locations. It is a lot easier to draw it out, and replan ahead of time as needed, than to have it sitting in a hole in the wall, and thinking "huh, how do I get this cord to an outlet now." I'm assuming you'd want to have the electric setup in the wall if possible (lighting too, unless you're wanting to go with just ambient lighting). Actually, I saw some "under the rim" lighting at Petsmart recently, which might work well for that kind of build.
Before ordering one, it would be a good idea to grab a poster board or roll of paper or something (even a shower curtain) to draw the rough sketch on, and stick right to the wall in the intended place. Then you can pretend to reach into it and see if there are any other modifications to shape or locations, before creating a hole or spending money to have it built. Also stand back and look at it, draw some intended decor, that kind of thing. Try to figure out where heater, filter, cords, etc. will be, so that you have electricity available at the right locations. It is a lot easier to draw it out, and replan ahead of time as needed, than to have it sitting in a hole in the wall, and thinking "huh, how do I get this cord to an outlet now." I'm assuming you'd want to have the electric setup in the wall if possible (lighting too, unless you're wanting to go with just ambient lighting). Actually, I saw some "under the rim" lighting at Petsmart recently, which might work well for that kind of build.