Making An Aquarium From Scratch

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Norlian_Ali]Norlian Ali

An "aquarium" is a casing of 4 glass sheets glued together. It doesn't take a genius to assemble this. The secret here is to have all the materials available before hand.

A person can build a tank single handedly. The glass and other materials can be purchased from the hard ware store. Someone can cut it to the proper size, or if there is equipment in the house, it can be done at home. The steps are:-

(1.) As soon as you cut the glass sheets to the appropriate length, the edges must be sanded and cleaned using a piece of sand paper. Even if there isn't any grease or dirt, the edges should still be wiped clean using an acetone cleaner. This must be done carefully so that the glue will be able to stick properly when it is finally put together.

(2.) Better SAFE than sorry, so during assembly, a middle brace should be placed inside. This does not have to go all the way to the top but just enough so as to hold things together and provide stability and prevent DANGEROUS slip ups.

Aquarium factories use a steal tank stand. Another way to save on time and labor will be to use a Styrofoam pad. Thus, this will allow you to use thinner glass for the other sides.

(3.) The difficult part is applying the glue. Application should be done slowly so there will not be any gaps or bubbles. The best glue to use when sticking the glass together is the Silicone type. This dries fast so you should be complete the gluing in approximately 3 to 5 minutes.

(4.) The aquarium should be left to dry for a few hours and then when it is ready, the last thing to do will be to apply a little on the glass brace. Good duct tape can also be used as an additional precaution.

(5.) The "baptism by fire" will come when water is placed in the aquarium. If there are no leaks, then you have just successfully built a tank. Congratulations !

Having been able to make an aquarium without a hitch will make it easier to make smaller or lager ones later on. You could price it correctly and then sell aquariums to aquaria shops and offer customized versions to those who are willing to pay the price.

From this experience, you can experiment making aquariums of different forms. However, do note that if the core is shaped in the form of a rectangle, it will be easier to sell since this is the kind frequently bought by those who want to have fish in their house.

Well if you do fail, chalk it up to experience, and then go buy a ready made aquarium !

Norlian Ali is an expert in [http://aquariumfishguides.bestguidesnow.com/]fish aquarium. She has 15 years experience in handling different types of aquarium and growing hundreds type of fish. She is a fish lover too and spending most of her free time with her fish at home. Read her latest article on [http://aquariumfishguides.bestguidesnow.com/Aquarium_Fish_Maintenance.html] aquarium fish maintenance which was published in the local magazine recently.