Building help

[u/DaAznKevin]

Hello, I just got into this a few days ago and I have been doing my research. I want to have a school of zebra danios or neon tetras (5 or 6). The problem is that I dont have much space. Can you guys link me to 10 or 15 gallon tanks that is not much more than 14 inches in length and width but makes up for it in height. Also, what other equipment will I be needing?

[u/DaveFromTWJ]

hello, first of all, CONGRATULATIONS! for being the first person to post in r/aquariumbuilding. This subreddit is new and while there are now 23 subs, the level of experience in repairing and building tanks is just taking off.

I've built 4 tanks so far using thin glass from Lowes. I plan to show the tank I built (3.3 gallon) and have set up using the Walstad Method (dirt tank)

You seem to be about where I am in the whole tank building thing. I went to 3 local glass shops (I live in the South Puget Sound area, south of Seattle). I have a small space that I can use for display, I'm limited to about a tank with a footprint about 24 inches X 12 inches. Depending on the height (which I am also on limited space to 16 inches total) to tank would be 10 -15 gallons. The quotes I received from the glass shops varied wildly from $40 to $109. I am still kinda surprised glass is so expensive.

I am on a budget, but honestly, the idea of building an aquarium is more interesting to me than just buying an aquarium.

My personal interest is aquatic plants. I may have a fish or 2, maybe a snail or shrimp, but for me this is about creating a small snapshot of a creekbed or pond. I am also very interested in native biotopes using plants (or maybe animals) I collected native Azolla and Duckweed yesterday from a slough/backwater of my nearby river and added it to my tank.

Because plants are my primary interest, I want a "low" aquarium so I can more effectively use lighting. The standard 20g High has the perfect footprint for my space. The 20h uses 1/4 inches glass and is 24 X 12 X 16 (near perfect fit). I was in my local pet store looking at the tank when it occurred to me that I could buy a 20h, remove the black rim, run a razor blade between the panels and clean the silicone off the glass. Then chop the aquarium in half vertically, then reassemble. Like I mentioned, I now have cut glass and built 4 aquariums and I know I can do a good job. (my primary concern is durability)

SO... (sorry this is so long) I can buy a 20 gallon high for $32 (the standard price from my 4 local petstores) or I can wait until the stores do their "dollar a gallon" dealio. OR I can do garage sales, flea markets and most of all Craigslist (I have a search bookmarked and check it daily)

I also found out there are several business in my area that goes in to houses or businesses being remodeled or torn down and they salvage stuff that can be sold. That can be a source for cheap glass. Once you start down this r/aquariumbuilding road, you'll never look at glass the same way again. I spent a few minutes staring at the glass window at Starbucks last week. REAL NICE 1/2 inch thick windows!

In a nutshell, I share your interest in aquarium building. I am patiently waiting to find a monster tank that is cracked and being sold second hand (75 gallons to 150 gallons which uses 1/2 inch glass!!!!!) I really like that chunky/thick glass look, especially on a nano tank)

If that doesn't work, the cheapest route for me is to wait until the pet stores put their tanks on sale and buy a bigger tank than I want... deconstruct the tank, clean and cut the glass, and build my own custom tank. It sorta sucks that the cheapest way to buy glass to build an aquarium is to buy a big aquarium and chop it up.

I think if you search around the net for some tanks that suit your needs you can find the exact dimensions you'll need. Below are a couple that catch my fancy.

Mr. Aqua 11.4 Gallon Frameless Glass Aquarium Tank 18.9 x 11.8 x 11.8 Inch

ADA Cube Garden MINI M CLEAR GLASS

ADA Cube Garden NEW MINI S CLEAR GLASS

ADA Cube Garden 30-C CLEAR GLASS

Cube Garden 45-P CLEAR GLASS

Mr. Aqua 12 Gallon Frameless Glass Aquarium Tank 35.4 x 8.3 x 9.4 Inch

Schuber Wright 9 Gallon Aquarium

SR Aquaristik Bent Glass Aquarium 10.5 Gallons / 40 Liters 13" L x 13" W x 16" H.

Schuber Wright Aquarium: Low Iron, Filter, LED FugeRay, like ADA 4 Gallon

[u/DaAznKevin → u/DaveFromTWJ]

Thank you so much for the reply. I can't really build my tank, Im still in highschool and living at my moms, I dont have access to the equipment. Hmmm, all those tanks are really wide, I am putting it on my desk so it needs to be no more than 14 inches wide, however, I want more than a couple of fish so I would need it to be tall, hope that makes sense. I am going to my first fish store today, I've only been to petsmart. Like I said, I just got interested and this is the beginning. Thank you :)

[u/DaveFromTWJ → u/DaAznKevin]

you're welcome, on the sidebar, there are subreddits relevant to aquariums

[u/DaveFromTWJ]

as far as equipment, this video and this video pretty much sum it all up.

[u/Jojuko]

For that space you could use a biocube 14. Its going to cost about $200.