Nano Building Anyone...

So the wheels in my head are turning (scary I know).  And as many of you have probably already seen, my plan for the 20gal I got from Fax didn't work out, so I"m back to the drawing board.  I've been looking for a good nano, but haven't found one yet, so I'm thinking of building my own, say 14x18x oh I don't know 18-20 tall..  I'm thinking of building that actual tank 14x14 and then leaving 4 inches in the back to build somewhat of an internal sump, kind of like a nano cube.  Has anyone ever built a project like this?  Also, is acrylic going to be my best bet, or should I use glass?  Just a random idea I came up with at work today.  I'll play with google sketchup later to build a 3-D model.

Oh real quick on this topic.  I have a ballast for two 24" PC bulbs, could I use this to run shorter bulbs, possible 3 shorter bulbs over my creation? 

Thanks,

Tim

I built a small nano for my kids freshwater tank.  I think it turned out to be 11g or so.  If I had to do it again I would use 3/8" rather than 1/4".  It only scares me a little, being freshwater and on a very old dresser.

Mike Savage wrote: I don't think it would be too tough. I would figure out which lights you are going with first. Maybe a quad 96watt PC would work well?   Mike

I was thinking either 3, 28 watt bulbs, or 3, 36 watt bulbs... I wonder if that would work

superman1981 wrote: Mike Savage wrote: I don't think it would be too tough. I would figure out which lights you are going with first. Maybe a quad 96watt PC would work well?   Mike I was thinking either 3, 28 watt bulbs, or 3, 36 watt bulbs... I wonder if that would work

ya the quad 96w bulbs are about 45 bucks and if you do 3 you are gonna pay about 65 bucks for all 3 so you will save a little money there, i use the quad 96 and it works great. so basically you get 2 antics and 2 10k

I'm thinking about building it for a couple of reasons...  First off, I'm guessing I can save a few bucks.  Secondly, I want a narrow, but tall tank... the reason for this one will later be revealed...  Finally, I have a specific spot where I want to put it, and all though a 6 gal nano would fit there nicely, I'd rather a 12, but those are a little bit wider than what I want... So now I'm thinking I could build my own tank that would fit perfectly... and I could try out some crazy ideas with it...

Really, I'm thinking of building one, just because I can

superman1981 wrote: Really, I'm thinking of building one, just because I can

I'm sure it would perfect. You can use the calculator on GARF to size the glass. I can send you a link if you like about building a glass cube tank.

according to garf.org, if I make it 20" tall I need 3/8, if I make it 18" tall I only need 1/4.  Any thoughts as to why the 2 inches make such a difference.  Looking at glass prices online, 1/4 is about half the price of 3/8, so if two inches shorter saves me like $30 it may be the way to go.

anyone know where I can buy glass sheets at locally?  Also does the bottom need to be tempered, since it usually in on any tank you buy?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to decide whether this is even worth attempting...