DIY aquarium 200 gallon

[Kalifornia]

Would love some insite on if it is a worthy venture to build a tank with these dims from starch
48x36x27

Looking forward to your guys and gals input

Got a quote of 2200 from a tank manufacture

Chad

[DiverDude]

I think you need to get some more quotes -that's high.

There is no rocket science in building a tank but it does take some skill and tools and the consequences of getting it wrong can be significant in terms of cost and mess.

I have the tools and ability to build my own however I choose to let someone with more experience build them for me. I'm happy to DIY just about anything else.

Just my $0.02

[monocus]

i've built a couple of breeding tanks and it is alot cheaper to get a tank built for you-the only reason i did it is because i needed a specific size

[Kalifornia]

Thanks for the input I will defiantly look for more quotes
Little hesitant about building it myself
If there are any tank builders in the lower mainland that can quote me please feel free to contact me
c.bb.74@hotmail.com

Cheers

[phi delt reefer]

try Miracles - they ship tanks all the time. Also ask your local LFS if they know of a "hobbyiest" builder.

[dsaundry]

Are you going to do glass or acrylic?

[Kalifornia]

Glass as acrylic marks up to easy

[Kalifornia]

More thoughts come to mind as the tank will be in wall I am thinking Plywood on 4 sides and a starfire front panel

Input

[sphelps]

Plywood could probably save you some money but it will be more work than all glass. For long term reliability I think the wood should be lined with fiberglass or something alone those lines and then epoxy painted. Many people will just epoxy over the wood and this can work but I’ve seen many of these tanks in person and after a few years they start to show signs of seepage, nothing major but I could tell the wood was taking on moisture. For an idea on cost I would say you’d be looking at $800 to $1000 to build the wood portion properly including the epoxy paint, fiberglass sheet and resin. Then add the glass front which won’t be that cheap either. So realistically if you can get a better price on an all glass tank you’d be better off. For reference I know someone who had a 200 gallon tank built from 19mm starphire all around for $1200 but this was from BWA and a better deal than the average Joe would get. Going with standard glass and bracing I would think $1500 would be a good price to pay for the tank you’re looking at from a reputable builder.

As for building the tank yourself from all glass, I doubt you’ll save much money. It really depends what you can get the glass for but most of the time you’ll pay more for the glass alone than you’ll pay for the tank from a manufacturer.

[Kalifornia]

Thanks sphelps

I really appreciated your detailed input and well as we all know doing a system right means a long slow process which I am taking, I have in the past threw together systems and never been completely happy with it.
This time I am going to go very slow and research all the aspects as this will be the last build period.
But I tell you it’s going to be one that’s extremely power efficient with the highest quality equipment
Lighting is either going to be 2 Vertex 260 36” fixtures facing front to back or one Stray Light G2 Plasma fixture with a coralvue reflector and Hamilton LED’s to accent
Defiantly a Vertex cone skimmer
Red dragon return pump
Tunze wave box
Haven’t worked out all the details but something along those lines

I will have a detailed tank journal when it all begins