Im new and I just built a tank

[MrMustang]

Ok so my name is Eli, I have done multiple fresh water tanks before but never had done a saltwater tank. My friend Zack (Zswift) got me into the salt water hobby and it is crazy addicting. So about a month ago I started a small 16 gallon tank and a small 10 gallon sw tank, after getting fish and sand rock and all the good stuff I decided it was time to upgrade. I decided to do a coffee table tank. My compromise was a tank which sets on my small coffee table and will eventually have a glass top so it will act like the top of my table where I can set stuff on it and still look at it from the sides and top.
i set out to by the material. I got a sheet of acrylic; i believe it was 44in by 36 inches. i drew up my plans before i bought the material. I went home and with the help of my dad we cut the acrylic and glued it all up using aquarium safe silicone. we built a neat little wooden frame around the tank as i chose to us a thin acrylic (1/8 inch) I know it’s too thin so don’t ride me on it. Next tank i build i will use 1/4 inch, i learned my lesson. after the silicone was all dry i filled it with water and let it set (my second mistake was using salt water, i had "cleaned" the tank with fresh water first) about 30 minutes after it was full and i had already put the sand in it decided to spring a leak forcing me to drain it and store the water. i resealed it with the same silicone stuff and did the whole process. This time i was smart and used fresh water for the test and of course 30 minutes after it had been sitting it leaked. i tore this sucker down and stripped it of all the silicone. I than built the tank around the tank frame, trimming and sanding the acrylic so it would be perfectly square. This time i silicone it up with GE window and door silicone and let it dry, I filled it with water and let it sit. 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours... no leaks. So I drained it and re-filled it and once again NO LEAKS . I then put sw and my sand and rock in the tank and let it sit... NO LEAKS so far i now have my few fish in the tank and it is doing fine all I have to do now is build the lights!


the first photos are the first design, then what it looked like before it leaked then what it lookes like now. or should be, this is my first post

[lauremf2002]

Ok, I really hate to burst your bubble but silicone was a bad choice for an all acrylic tank imo. You should have used acrylic glue. Not sure what its called (Eaton and Quade sold me a little bottle when I bout the acrylic from them) but it actually melts the two sides of acrylic together bonding them. I am pretty sure you will eventually have a leak again. Silicone will seal acrylic but it wont bond it permanantly. And I know you said not to ride you about the thickness but that tank might crack. many tanks use even thicker than 1/4 inch on the outside walls. One last thing, I would leave those fishies in the older tanks until this even newer one has had time to mature. I dont see any live rock or live sand in there, so I am going to assume you have zero beneficial bacteria starting out. Be patient, get some test kits (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) and get a couple of pieces of Live rock to "seed" your tank with some starter bacteria. Do some research on cycling a saltwater tank. I dont mean to "blast you" but I trying to save you the headache and heartache of dead fish and a broken leaking tank. Nothing in saltwater is fast. Its all about research and patience, and unfortunately, investing in the right supplies. It can be a little pricey, but if you take your time you can purchase things as you can afford them and build the perfect tank. I think this is an awesome idea and it looks really cool. Please dont be discouraged and I hope we will see you at the meeting tonight at UCO. You will meet alot of people with tons of knowledge who would love to help you out

[MrMustang]

yea i know, the thickness is pretty thin but it should hold fine for now, the tank was just a test to see how i liked the sw and im hooked, i will be investing in a bigger tank and new set up with live rock. im not sold on the live sand cause i just dont like the look of some of it. the fish i have in there are just "starter" (only mollys, and some damsels) fish and seem to be doing fine. i have had them about 2 weeks and i will be getting live rock to put in the tank but will take the fish out while the tank cycles. the acrylic tank is just a test so dont worry it is not perminant and i know it will not last. without the frame the tank will not be supported and will brake that is why the tank is build around the frame. as far as the cracking, i did the math before i built it and it will not crack, i am certain of that. and i had heard of the glue for acrylic but could not find it at the store or i would have used it for sure! and i have learned my lesson, i will only be using glass... i hate the acrylic, it is way to flexible and scraches to easy!!!

one question though about the live rock.. do i really need 1-3 pounds per gallon, i like the lime stone look more than the live rock. and my sand is not live but i figured later on down the road it would become live, am i right (of course i will need lr though and will be getting some in about a week when i have time)?

[TeHGuy]

this thing is a ticking time bomb. I really hope it doesnt sour your taste for saltwater if it detonates...

[MrMustang]

i know it is, it will last until i decide the tank size i want and get the tank and set it all up like i want it. i know nothing happens instantly but it will give me time to make decisions. i already have 2 other sw tanks (i dont have mts, they are all at different places) which are cycled and one of them has fish in it the other one is just waiting for fish. this tank is just a test and i cant stress that enough, i just thought it would be a fun project and it was but i admitted from the begining it would not last.

[MrMustang]

oh and i was wrong the 10 gal is not a ten gallon it was a 30

[lauremf2002]

Ok, just be careful not ruin your floor! You can use sand that is not live, it will eventually acquire bacteria and is limestone the same thing as Texas holey rock? If so, I believe it is not porous enough to really be benificial bacteria wise and is very heavy because of this. I try to find rock with as many knooks and crannies as possible to hold more bacteria and copepods. And yes, you really do need at least 1-3 lbs of live rock per gallon. Put as much in there as you can fit and still have some room for fish to swim. The more the better.

[lauremf2002]

Oh and there is black live sand, if you would prefer that. (I see you have an affinity for black substrate) Just be warned it is slightly magnetic and gets picked up in those magnetic glass/acrylic cleaners and will scratch the tarnation out of your tank if it is drug around in them. So be careful if you do decide to get it

[MrMustang]

really black live sand? now i am interested. i did not see that at wet pets or petco. when we started our other sw tanks we used the regular sand and i just liked the black. and on the lime stone i am not sure, all i know is its not live. and on the floor... yea i got lucky and only had about 2 gal of salt water the first time is leaked, nothing like getting sw off the carpet!!! lol. are there any other great places to get sw stuff other than wet pets and petco? not sure where in ok you are but i am in moore/okc and those are the only places i am aware of. i am happy though cause there is a new store opening 2 miles away from me so i hope it is a good store. and i am impressed, everyone is so helpful on this forum and at the stores... very pleased so far.

[MrMustang]

how long do you think the tank will last? i like the look and my initial design was for it to be a table so if it does crack i will re-do it and use the other glue that melts the acrylic but for what its worth im happy with it now.

[MrMustang]

i meant leak, like i said the pressure is not great enough to crack it. lol

[ghellin]

Nobody can really say how long your tank would last, this kind of thing is just not done. When building aquariums acrylic is just fine if you use the correct size. A 10 gallon tank may be fine with 1/4" even still I would euro-brace it. I would stay with 3/8 as a minimum and still do a euro-brace. You will want to use an acrylic solvent like weldon 3 this is available at any acrylic shop. I have a glass 58 and an acrylic 24 nano I absolutely hate my acrylic aquarium I don't even clean the front since it is such a hassle in fear of scratching it. (this tank will be for sale very soon!). IMHO at the scale of tank your wanting it would just be easier to buy a glass tank. I wouldn't recommend an acrylic tank to anyone unless its like Pauls a Hybrid with a glass front.

[ghellin]

Originally Posted by MrMustang

i meant leak, like i said the pressure is not great enough to crack it. lol

Instead of crack or leak I think "burst" might be the actual outcome. BTW what are the dimensions and what sand are you using?

Oh and you said ge silicone It's not ge silicon II is it?

[lauremf2002]

There is Reef Shop Warehouse on the south side, and Aquariums in Edmond

[cjilge]

There are multiple places to buy SW goods at HIGHDEF Corals, Aquariums of Edmond, Reefshop, Tanks Alot "yukon", Wet Pets, Custom Reef Creations, There is one off 15th & High in okc but not as much sw yet, and there are others in mustang and Tulsa. As far as LR or Lime stone, don't use limestone as it will not carry the bacteria needed to support you tank, it is very heavy and not porus at all where as LR is extremely porus and will help with the filtration of youyr tank. You can get the acrylic glue at regal Plastics or Eaton Quade is called Weldon and I prefer the # 16 as it is a gel but if your good you can use the more instant wich gives a better finnish to your project. Also on your sand there is black sand but make sure it is for SW and should say Aroganite sand. You want to stay away from Silica sand as it will promote algea growth. All I can say is read alot and ask questions, also join the club. you will find it is much cheaper and makes you happier to go extremely slow in this hobby and do it right the 1st time. Anyway Welcome and good luck!

[madkat]

Aragomax makes a hawaiian black crushed sand and they also make a salt and pepper one. I tun salt and pepper in my tank and love it. It will just be a matter of time until that silicone gives way and you have a mess on your hands.

[MrMustang]

well i have decided that i love the look of the tank so i will be re-constructing it soon hopefully before it does leak. this time i will use 1/4 inch glass or thicker.. no acrylic! I am going today to get some LR but i am not going to buy a ton right now. i learned my lesson with fish... a top is soon to be coming, my cat was not very kind to them and so you can imagine what happened i left the door open (i thought i closed it) and now i have 2 mollys left, no big deal those fish where not going to last cause they are agressive and not the fish i really wanted so i am not too worried or bummed.
i am now on the hunt for the sand, but am not to worried now.


as far as the silicone, it is not ge II from what iv read that has the mold resitance stuff in it and i heard that was poison to fish
the dimensions of the tank are 3ft long, 1ft wide, and 8 inches tall. when full it holds around 17 gallons of water not including sand and rocks.

[MrMustang]

oh and when i re-do the tank i will be making it bigger.

[MrMustang]

i am not sure whaT sand i have... i know thats bad but it says on the package "safe for FW or SW tanks" so i thought it would work for what i want.

[luvabunny]

I know that you have received lots of opinions to not use limestone, and to be cautious on what black sand you buy.

I am going to preface this with....I grow lots of caulerpa's on purpose....so for my needs, it works just fine.

I have a 75g seahorse tank. The only rock in it is TX holey rock (limestone) and black sand that I purchased from George Townsend Co for about 13.00 for 50 lbs. Neither were live when added. The tank has been up and running for nearly 2 years now. I don't believe I have any problems with the bacteria or "live-ness" of either the rock or the sand.
Again, I grow caulerpa's on purpose, and I'm sure that helps with everything. I have had 2 litters of baby seahorses, so something must be right.

For someone who wants to grow SPS corals, or have an immaculate reef tank, this is probably not the way to go, however, for my needs, it has worked out perfectly, and been relatively inexpensive.

My suggestion would be to have a plan as to what type tank you want to end up with, and go from there. As a general rule, you are probably going to want to stick with "normal" reef live rock and use something like aragonite for your sand. I just wanted you to know that there are other viable options, depending on what you wanted the finished project to be.

[ghellin]

On a good note if you have a cat capable of catching damsels in a reef tank there may be several people here that might want to rent your cat LOL.

[MrMustang]

haha yes our family cat is fast, i had to use a huge net to catch the damsels in the 10 gallon tank and she caught them in no time wth no problem... i have taken everones advice and i switched the tanks i have around so now there are no worries of the tank leaking (i switched my 20 gallon fw and my acrylic tank sw so now the sw is the 20 gal glass and the fw is the acrylic tank). now if the tank does leak its just fw and is easy and cheap to fix unlike with the sw.

my original plan was to eventually get a yellow tang, these are my favorit and seem popular so i would have no problem getting one. everyone says they need room to swim and i hop to upgrade my tank to a 55 or 75 gal and get one. but for now i am going to stick with clown fish and some damsels and a crab. later on down the road i will get the yallow tang and bigger tank.

today i purchased black live sand (replaced the old fake sand). petco had a bag in stock so i got it! i stole a piece of live rock from one of our other tanks and stuck it in mine. i hope to get more live rock soon like sometime this week. THERE ARE NO FISH IN THE TANK so i am not going to kill anything... my cat did that for me. i am also going tomorrow to the new store here in moore in hopes to get a few snails and maybe live rock if they have it.
thanks for all the advice, is there anything i have missed or need now? what about an airstone, from what i have read it seems like its not really needed but its no problem to put one in there.

[ghellin]

You do need to make sure you have good flow at the surface to prevent a film so if you are using a hob you would have no need for an airstone. In all honesty unless your raising fry or have some specific purpose an airstone is used in the Saltwater hobby.

[MrMustang]

ok cool. i am now on the right track i have an hob that i am using just as the primary filter. i am using a 160 gph (thats the pump rate at 2ft) pump right now for the water movement but i will get a small power head later on down the road. any specific fish i should get when the tank is ready?

[MrMustang]

ok so the new store opening tomorrow, is that open to everyone? i wanna get snails for my tank. also will crabs add any bio load? and can i place crabs in the tank while its cycling like i can snail?