>Hello! I was wondering if it is possible to buy glass at a hardware
>store and silicone glue and just make my own tank. How well
>would it hold together do you think? I have tons of spare wood
>here so I can could make a wooden holder and everything.
>Anyone know how to make a glass tank?
I do not suggest people make their own tanks. I have made
glass tanks to special sizes for (my hubby and I raise) fancy
goldfish.
This is not an easy undertaking, it is a lot of work, and it is not
cheap. We made some and will probably do so in the future
because we needed some for very special reasons for rearing
fish from egg to maturity. Plus for housing some special filter
systems for the indoor systems.
And the glass you get 'at the hardware store' is not tempered
nor is it safety nor is it very strong. You are more likely to
have it break and injure yourself and your animals. It is too thin.
I strongly suggest that if someone wants to house their gerbils
in tanks to look for 'leakers' at rummage sales, thrift stores,
charity (goodwill or salvation army). The repairing of a broken
side or bottom is about the most I suggest the hobby gerbil
keeper undertake. [which I very recently posted about doing]
The hardware store or home center does not have the
equipment to take the sharp edges off the glass, plus it is
too thin and not strong enough. Go to a glass shop to
get any replacement or patching glass and pay them to
take the sharp edges off. That is very important because
it doesn't take much to severely injure yourself with glass!
My profession and job (career) includes working with glass
all the time. It is a very dangerous thing to deal with, and it
is a lot more likely you will get hurt than not.
I have professional tools, equipment, and safety equipment
to help reduce the chance I will be severely injured or cut
by glass, but I still do get hurt. Last time, I barely brushed
a piece that was on a work surface when I bent over, and it
laid my forehead open over my right eye. An inch and a half
that needed five stitches and a cosmetic surgeon so it didn't
scar very badly. I 'barely touched it'. Right above my
safety goggles.
The custom tanks we have built for ourselves, are almost as
expensive as buying ready-made tanks when everything is
factored in.
It is not worth it. Buy a ready made aquarium at the store
if you want to house your gerbils in a tank, go to a shop
(some saltwater specialty aquaria stores might be able to)
that does such things all the time, or look for a leaker or
one with one cracked pane that you can sandwich a
repair onto and leave it at that.
Doing a tank properly is not for the amateur nor the faint
of heart, and it can be quite dangerous to handle the materials.
The first three my hubby and I built were laborously taken
apart again because we messed it up. Plus the time involved.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
