How to make an aquarium by yourself: step by step instructions

How to make an aquarium with your own hands? This question is occupied by the minds of many newcomers in aquarium, and they repeatedly ask it on thematic forums. Of course, you can buy a ready-made aquarium or order from a master, but if you want to test your hands, or maybe you do not have a model of the right model on the market, in any case, a home water body will be a good option, and this article will help youin that.

The most common forms of

Aquariums are:

• rectangular;
• round;
• angled;
• panoramic.

The round aquarium is very aesthetically pleasing and well suited to the interior, but without special equipment and skills of glass blowers at home, it is unlikely to work. Angled and panoramic aquariums in the manufacture will require considerable experience in creating elements of the frame and working with glass. Therefore, if you are not a pro, but decided to make your first aquarium, it's best to start with the simplest rectangular.

Decide how you want to see your aquarium in the end. An important parameter is the size. Start your path in aquarium art better with a small copy, a liter of 40. Even if something goes wrong, you can always quickly fix the situation by rebuilding the aquarium again.

Choose a glass

When choosing a glass for an aquarium, special attention should be paid to its grade."Ideal" varieties lie in the interval M-1-M-8, with M-1 being the highest. We advise you to choose a grade not lower than M-3.

Regarding the material, it is better at home, without further ado, to stop at the usual glass case. Make sure when buying that it is absolutely whole, without cracks, chips and scratches.

For choosing the thickness of the glass, you need to know the dimensions of the finished aquarium. And the table below will help you choose the right wall thickness.

Stiffeners are glass strips, which serve to strengthen the aquarium walls from the deflection under the pressure of water. They are made from the same glass as the aquarium itself, the same length, and the width is 5 cm.

Glass cutting

If you do not own a glass cutter masterfully, it is better to entrust this operation to a professional glass workshop, especially since the cutting procedure is usually included in thecost of glass. Also, you can order the procedure for processing the edges of glass, but if there is no such service, you yourself can cope with it.

Choosing a sealant

Thinking about how to make an aquarium yourself, the choice of glue rises. The best choice is 100% silicone sealant. Make sure that it is not antifungal - such glue has a bad effect on life in the aquarium. Its color, by and large, is not important, but it is better to choose a transparent one, so as not to bother with the accuracy of the boundaries.

Bonding the aquarium

For work useful:

• grindstone;
• syringe for 20 dice;
• wipes;
• degreaser;
• blade.

Please note that the side wall must be shorter than the bottom width by 2 glass thicknesses + 1 mm for the stock.

1. If the edges of the glass have not been processed in the workshop, do it yourself by putting the glass in the bathtub on a soft terry towel and carefully piling stone.

2. Dry the glass and degrease.

3. On the substrate from the newspapers stack the bottom. On the tube with the sealant put on the nose, cut it so that the hole was 2/3 of the thickness of the cut. If the cut is 4 mm, then it will be more convenient to use a syringe. We try not to allow cavities and thinning, we immediately correct the inaccuracy of the work. If the glue has got out of bounds, we leave it as it is until it dries completely, and then we cut it off.

The glued front wall is supported by something.

4. Similarly, glue and side wall.

5. Do not forget to monitor the quality of joints, glue the rest of the face.

6. Leave the aquarium to dry for 24 hours. Do not move it.

7. We glue the stiffeners. The aquarium is placed on its side, the edge is smeared with glue evenly on three sides. Have they glued it? We wait for drying 24, and it is better 48 hours.

8. Remove excess sealant with a blade or knife.

9. Check the tightness, typing in the aquarium water and leaving for a couple of hours. If after this time you have not noticed the trickling water from the crevices, you can put the equipment in an aquarium and populate it with flora and fauna.

Video selection

We draw your attention to the video on the subject: