PlanetCatfish.com

hi ,
im uk based and after a 10+ year lay off from fish im about to start a new fish house build for small cats and killie fish and will probably need to build most of the tanks myself ! do the diy tank builders out there think that i could get away with using horticultural glass 3mm for the tanks braced around the top as per normal commercial aquariums the largest will be 24lx12wx10"h and down through 18x12x10h,18x10x10 and 12x8x8?

its basically going to be a 7'x7' external shed under a lean to for protection from the elements and built with 3/4"stirling board on 4x2 frameing,insulation wise im thinking of a layer of eco foil(foil bubble wrap) then a 4" layer of kingspan/celotex then another moisture barrier then lined , its been suggested by a non fishkeeper builder freind that i could use moisture board for the lining (green plasterboard used in bathrooms ) then painted with silk emulsion, whats the general thoughts on this because of the humidity ?

@ridout, this is your knowledge base. What would you suggest?

Glyn,
I am not sure what tank prices are like in the UK right now, but the sizes listed above would all cost less than $20 in the US with the smaller tanks costing $10 each. From talking to several tank building hobbyists, building your own tank only makes economic sense over about 200 gallons or for a tank with really strange dimensions.
@Jools should also have some good advice.
-Shane

shane
thanks for the reply from what i can see a basic naked (no hood)tank in 12x8x8" flavor is around 20--£25 i guess around $30 each so quite an expense if a quantity is needed i can build the same size for around £5 each if using 3mm poorer quality greenhouse glass .
at this stage its possible to sort staging out to suit the tanks , main interest is corydoras sp and smaller l no's hypan sp
hopefully jools will have some advice as if he has a local supplier im just down the road