Create your own Aquarium

After the initial design I needed to decide the size and shape of the fish tank I was going to build.

I wanted a tank that was going to be fairly big; to be able to safetly hold at least 120 litres of water.
After much research I chose a clear float glass thickness of 8mm, which is ample for the 100 odd litres of pressure.

When measuring up for size I had to take into account that the bottom glass would be the base; the side pieces would be glued directly onto it.

I bought 5 pieces of glass,(bottom, front,back, left side and right side), from a good glass cutter,at the thickness specified.

The glass cutter had already smoothed off the sharp edges but I went over it again with an emery cloth.....just to be safe; I didnt want my fingers sliced off during the building proccess!
That would kinda take the fun out of it!

I had a piece of one inch thick MDF cut to size for a more sturdier base.

The adhesive was spread onto the top edges of the MDF base, making sure all important areas were covered, and then I placed the glass base ontop of it.....pressing hard.

I measured and cut the thin metal lengths to fit perfectly around the sides of the base.
Then glued and screwed them in.

These lengths will act as stoppers for the side glass panels to be glued to.

When cutting the thin metal lengths I made sure to mitre the underside to make for a better fit. Use a mitre block for a smoother fit.

The whole thing dried hard in under 30mins.

Now the fish tank is ready to be put together.

First I glued all corners and edges on the inside of the base ready to take the glass sides.

With a friends help we were able to glue any edges of glass on glass. We were careful not to put too much on because it will just squeeze out when pressed together.

This was a bit tricky trying to get all four glass sides up and glued with as little mess as possible....but we did it.

Once all four panels were up, hand pressed together and leveled off we then clamped the whole thing together.

Using the U clamps and the wood blocks to protect the glass from any scratches..etc..

Any excess glue was cleaned away with a damp cloth.

I left the clamps on overnight while the glue dried.

The next day when all was dry I carefully removed the U clamps and blocks.

I cleaned off any dirt with a bit of cleaning liquid in warm water.

To add to the strength of the aquarium I used a strong duct tape to wrap around the top part of the tank a couple of times...just to be sure.

This tape will stay on.

While the tank was held together and drying I measured up for the wood lengths and cut them using the mitre block.

Now I can glue the wood around the base to hide the thin metal.

Wooden corner strips were also measured,cut and now glued to neaten up the corners of the tank.

Now it was time for the big test.

I filled the aquarium up with water and left it for 24 hours to watch for any slow leaks that could form on the joints.

Any small leaks were repaired with the sealant.

Thats it!

It can be used for Tropical Fish Saltwater, Freshwater or whatever you decide.

In under two days I had a 100 litre fish aquarium, designed just the way I want it, safetly built and ready to use for no more than 50 euros!

A cost effective tank build.