# Need Some Advice For My Future Diy Pywood Aquarium



## pro68camaro (Jun 22, 2012)

Hi I need some advice.
right now I have 4 juvinille red bellies in a 30 gallon tank. im planning on building a new home for them as they grow up. Im planning on building a 8 ft long by 1 ft deep by 2 foot tall aquarium.

I was going to use plywood and with a glass front and seal it with rubberize it. Im just wondering if anyone has done this and have some tips for me. would love to see pics.

another question I have is would this be top big for a upper level of a house? could the floor hold it?

another thing im wondering is whats the best way to make a diy rock background?

here is my tank I have them in now. it used to be a saltwater reef till I turned it into this


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## Trevorjm (Nov 7, 2011)

I wouldn't trust the floor to hold it. The basement is the best place for a tank that size. I have a 200 gallon tank that in my basement, it isn't cement, but the floor is 2x6's so I still have lots of support. Would it not be simpler to but a 125g or something near to that size just to be safe?

Best 3d background tutorial that I've seen is here....Click Here

Your tank looks great btw, if you have any more questions... shoot away


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## pro68camaro (Jun 22, 2012)

Yea id put it in the basement if my basement wasn't like over 100 years old. Its dirt flours in some spots. It looks like a torture chamber lol. And my room is upstairs. Yes I probibly would be best of buying one on craigslist. UK check out your background link.


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## Bawb2u (May 27, 2004)

If your house is 100, you don't want to be putting a heavy tank upstairs. It'll end up downstairs and not in a good way.


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## pro68camaro (Jun 22, 2012)

Bawb2u said:


> If your house is 100, you don't want to be putting a heavy tank upstairs. It'll end up downstairs and not in a good way.


Haha yea that's what I'm worried about. I've been thinking more
And more about it and I think ill just go a 75 gallon from craigslist. I had a 55 gallon up in my room for like 3 years and never had problems. Its a 75 bug enough to house 4 red belies you think. They are in a 30 right now. Their juvinilles right now. Like 2.5 inches. Hire long do I have til I should upgrade. The only reason their in a 30 now is cuz out was my old reef tank.

Here is one of them


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## Trevorjm (Nov 7, 2011)

A 75 will be enough, but a bigger is always better so go as big as you can without having issues with your floor.
Here's the link again... I don't know why it didn't work before.

http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Aquarium-Background/


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## pro68camaro (Jun 22, 2012)

Thanks for the link. I think I'll use that to follow how to do it.


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## pro68camaro (Jun 22, 2012)

Here is the new tank! Its smaller than what i wanted but it was free onvthe side of the road. I made a diy background for it

.


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## Trevorjm (Nov 7, 2011)

Totally sweet man


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## zackmorrisl (Mar 15, 2011)

even a 75 gal is to big for a upper floor...yes ppl do it but your floors are rated for about 50 pounds a square foot believe it or not! This is a safety factor that engineers use...yes maybe it could hold more but this is what they are rated for. I've been going through this for months now with various engineers trying to get my tank approved for my property management. I have 10 inch concrete floors and they are actually only rated for 50 psf as well, which is preventing me from filling the tank all the way up...I'm sitting at about 130 psf right now and so far so good. It is unlikely the floors will cave in, more likely your floors will start to droop and sink, walls will crack etc. which will eventually cause your tank to become unevenly supported, this could cause the tank to crack or silicone to tear. In regards to the footprint of that tank, 12 inches deep is not really wide enough, 18 inches min. for full grown rbp and thats still narrow imo.


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