# Open top aquarium construction (Update: Final pics!)



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

this isn't exactly a vivarium but this seems to be the place for all the photography so here's what i have.

i don't know if any of you have seen something like this, but i saw something similar at a local fish store and decided to try and build one. if you look at the fourth picture it's easiest to tell what's going on. the aquarium is filled with water to the top as well as the plastic tub underneath. you pump water from the tub up into the center of the aquarium and water spills over the edges, catches the water and drains back into the tub.

the one at the store had a nice even flow of water covering all four sides of the tank, and the water flows so smoothly that you can look right through the sides and top like glass. there's no waves or ripples from filters or anything, it's really sweet looking. with mine however, i don't have a pump that pumps enough water to cover all four sides nicely, only portions of each side. so right now i'm in the process of shaving the front side a bit lower, so all the water spills over just the one side to keep it nice and even looking.










































when it's finished i'll have white marine sand fill the bottom and rocks will be stacked in the middle that pile up over the water surface. it makes a perfect enclosure for a few small fish and crabs. it's nice because the crabs can crawl out of the water and just kinda chill out in your room, but not escape because they can only get up in the middle. hope you like it.


----------



## defaced (May 23, 2005)

One of those ideas that just makes me smile. That's so cool. I really want to see what it looks like when it's finished.



*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## Auhsoj27 (Jun 3, 2005)

Was obtaining a strong enough pump not an option? For as much work as your putting into this, I'd imagine you aren't trying to simply cut that corner, so I'm curious why you compromised there... Did you decide that only having one face of the tank spilling water would be easier to control?


I've seen tanks like this at the pet shops too, and they captured my attention as well... Very cool idea.


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

Auhsoj27:
the pump i have is 600gph. of course getting a more powerful pump is possible, with the extra expense, which for such a powerful pump could be quite a lot (my plan was for this to be a relatively cheap project for me to experiment with and have fun). 

also size is an issue, because i tried to make this thing small enough to sit on a table top, instead of making an entire stand just for the aquarium (again more expenses). all i have to store water and put the pump in is a little plastic tub, along with a heater and filter.

all i did was shave the front side a bit lower (about 1/16") so the water all flows over the one edge. it still looks really nice because it looks intentional, instead of just partially flowing over 2 or 3 sides. if i ever wanted to upgrade to a larger pump/stand, i could just shave the rest of the edges down to the same height.

i'll probably post some updated pics tonight or tomorrow, it should be finished by this weekend.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Neat, do you plan to put anything in it?


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

yes. i am going to put a couple of small crabs in it, along with 3 cherry barbs. just something to make it active. also i think it will be neat to have the crabs sitting on top of the rock, practically in the middle of my room

here's a couple of newer images. sorry they're pretty bad quality though, and on top of that the water's really foggy. once the sand, a few small plants, and animals are in there it should look much nicer. at least from the pics you can see how the water flows over the surface and down the front edge nice as smooth and you can right in without an ripples in the way.


----------



## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Cool. I might have to try this one day...
Is it very noisy?
Looks good!


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

nope. the front face of the stand is removable to get inside. when that's on you can barely hear it.


----------



## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

I'm worried about the crabs going over the edges... the barbs too.


----------



## Ghazanfar Ghori (Oct 5, 2005)

Did you cut the acrylic yourself? What glue/bonding agent did you
use to put this together? Very cool - I'd been thinking about
doing something like this for a planted cube tank and a lookdown
reef - never worked with acrylic though.


----------



## grech (Sep 15, 2005)

hey themann, those crabs will definitely climb over the sides, up the silicone


----------



## devin mac (Oct 4, 2004)

heh, awesome work. defiantely reminded me of an insanely nice setup i saw over on nano-reef.com awhile back. this one's set up so it just looks like a cube of water on the guy's desk.

2gal reef cube


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

joshkaptur, i'm assuming you're worried the barbs will go over the edge with the flow of the water? if so i'm not worried about it. the pump came with a valve to adjust the water flow, so there's just enough water getting pumped up to cause the overflow. the fish would actually have to jump out of the water and from what i know (though i've never kept them), they're pretty calm and should be fine. if worse comes to worse and i find one in the sump, they'll be moved to a new tank. 

as for the crabs, i think they should be ok too. grech, there's no silicone, but thanks for looking out. the pieces are bonded together with weld-on 3, which is water thin and is applied through capillary action, so there's nothing for them to cling to and climb up. i've had several types of crabs so i know how much of escape artists they are. if they do find a way out, i'll throw them in my 55gal.

ghazanfar ghori, yes i cut the acrylic myself. my dad has a table saw, and with the right blade, it cuts like butter. as i mentioned, i used weld-on 3 to glue. really neat stuff. if you ever decide to work with acrylic, feel free to let me know and i'll tell you all the things i've learned to do and what not to do, and also point you to some of the sources i researched.

devin mac that's a sweet tank. i've seen similar tanks to that before too. i don't really understand how he keeps a constant water level.


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

i have a slight problem, or annoyance rather, that maybe you guys could help me with. the front panel is removable so i can access the sump. well, as you can see in the pic, it's now warped a bit, probably from the moisture inside. i was suprised that it happened, the whole thing is painted and the interior has a protective urethane coating. it's not warped that bad, but i'd like to fix it if i can. the rest of the stand is fine because it's all screwed together.


----------



## defaced (May 23, 2005)

It looks like you used solid wood as opposted to plywood. It's because of the cup of the wood. Most likely from change in moisture content after planing. Finish the other side and flip it over, but you'll have a small gap in the center, which IMO looks better than splayed corners. Unless you want to put something on the corners to hold it down, that's the "quick and easy" without replaneing the piece, which still may not eliminate it. 

Or you could just replace it with some BC sanded plywood which if you look though the precut pieces are Lowes/HD you can find a straight piece. A 2' square of 3/4" will be about 5 bucks.



*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

well, today i put the sand, a couple plants, and a couple crabs in! it looks ten times better. only thing left to do is add a few little fish, and get a new light. right now it's using a regular desk lamp, which won't be enough for the plants i don't think. here are some pictures i took tonight. 

let me know what you think! (sorry 56k'rs )


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

That is really neat.


----------



## Guest (Feb 13, 2006)

that's actually amazing.


----------



## Ghazanfar Ghori (Oct 5, 2005)

what kind of rock is that?


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

the big piece above the water in the front is tufa, and in the back lace (if i remember right). and a few smaller pieces of each. the tufa is more bumpy and cooler looking, but the lace is a bit lighter and the crabs stand out more on them.


----------



## Ghazanfar Ghori (Oct 5, 2005)

Very nice looking stuff. I had a similar idea for a planted cube and
a look down reef - never worked with acrylic before so the projects
didnt get off the ground. you results look pretty good - may hit you
up for some info on your experiences.


----------



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

thanks. feel free to hit me up whenever you want.


----------



## Frog723 (Apr 1, 2005)

Just thought I would say that is a really cool idea. You did a great job.


----------

