# wanting to build a tank.....



## jasminec (Sep 15, 2005)

Ok. With the stand I have I can go up to 37x13x?. I'm sure you can see my question. I would rather have a glass tank vs an acrylic. How high can I be realistic about going? I keep ending up at 28. Inches that is. 30 and up starts seeming hard to clean. Also what about stability in height? I will get thick enough glass for the chosen height so that is not an issue. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

I'm curious why you don't get a ready built tank with the dimensions you have. There are several 3 foot tanks that would fit on that stand. I would guess that it isn't all that cost effective to build your own that small.


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## boostspike (Apr 3, 2007)

Agree, why not just buy a tank.. both a 30g or 36g tank (36x12) will fit great on your stand. I just picked up a 30g last month for $50. If you want a higher tank, a 45g is 24" high i think..


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## mepeterser2451 (Mar 23, 2007)

i agree with these guys. I dont see the point in having a three foot wide skyscraper. 
Also, I built my 50 gal acrylic myself because I had free acrylic sheet from a neighbor and i still ended up paying a bit, so if you've already got glass go for it but otherwise you might as well just buy a brand new tank or find one for free on craigslist( which is what i did next). Whatever you decide, learning how to do it and feeling accomplished after making one is the best part about making your own tank. good luck


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## jasminec (Sep 15, 2005)

If it came down to it I would go with the 45g. I have a 30g long right now. However I really wanted at least 55 gallons and the stand is a really nice custom built stand. That is why I was looking into building one. At 37x13x28 I could have around a 58g tank. Just a direction I was thinking.....hadn't made a final decision though. I was just weighing out my options. Thanks for the info and suggestions.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

I think that you'll be fine with 28" height. A standard 55g is 48x13x20. you are only talking about an additional 8". If you keep the center of gravity as low as possible their shouldn't be an issue with it tipping over. I would go for it!


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

How long are your arms? Problem with a tank over 24" tall, is you can't reach the bottom. A narrow tank (front to back) just makesit worse.


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

BillD said:


> How long are your arms? Problem with a tank over 24" tall, is you can't reach the bottom. A narrow tank (front to back) just makesit worse.


interesting thought. i had a 150 that was 28 tall or so and it was a pain to reach the bottom. I had to take. my shirt off to do any serious maintenance. However that tank was also a lot deeper


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## bentcountershaft (Nov 23, 2007)

I would be a little leary of going 28" tall one a tank with a 13" depth. That's more than twice as tall as it is deep. To me that adds up to instability. Of course how stable it is depends on the construction of the stand itself. Is it capable of holding nearly twice the water it was designed to hold? Does the tank sit down inside a lip, and if so how deep? Is there anyway to secure the tank to the wall to help with stability? What kind of fish will you be stocking the tank with and will those fish actually utilize the upper portion of tank enough to justify the risks? If it were me I think I'd go with the 45. Anything more than 24" is pushing a little too much in my opinion. Not that it's impossible, and not that it wouldn't be fine. It would just make me nervous unless you had a lot of very good answers for the questions above.


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## jasminec (Sep 15, 2005)

The stand is basically this exact one:
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/75g_stand/index.shtml

Note that the stand pictured, nor the plans, are my idea. I found this site and really liked the stability. I just changed the dimensions for my 30g. I'm looking at putting yellow labs, pseudotropheus acei and pseudotropheus saulosi in the tank in harems. I'm going to research the species more about the height. I know that more length is better than more height, but I'm trying to work with my current situation. How many of these do you think I could fit in a 45g vs the 58g I could build? And that is another thing. I really plan on having plenty of rocks and hiding places which will be tall. The reason I was asking about the height was the stability. I really want to plan this out well......I want it right the first time around. Thanks again to all.


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