DIY Office fishtank

So, to start off I have worked at Arkwin Industries for almost five years now and they just installed new cubicles. One of my coworkers and I were joking around about what to do with the hollow glass portion at the top. The glass on either side pops out revealing a beautiful chamber, but we had to figure out what to fill it with. We ruled out snakes, scorpions, ants, and hamsters.... which left us with fish!! But not just any fish, something that was colorful (and blue, our companies color); which left us with one of my favorite fish, the Betta. 

Now before you get your claws ready to pounce on me for keeping fish in a tank like this, a Betta needs about a half gallon tank, I'm currently keeping two Bettas in mine (separated of course) and this tank is 1.49 Gallons. Not only is it big enough but it has places for them to hide and  has a filter. They are very well taken care of.

On to the Instructable!

Step 1 Materials

The decision to build this tank was made after a great deal of searching for a commercial tank or clear container that would fit our needs, however the tank could not be wider than 2.4" and of course the next highest standard is 2.5", the next size down we found was 2.25" which was too small so I decided to build the tank. Due to the size constraints I wanted to give my fish the largest volume of water so I opted for 1/8" thick polycarbonate, however if you are planning to build a larger tank I would highly suggest moving up to 3/16" or 1/4" thick polycarb for strength. I also suggest reinforcing the corners with extruded acrylic, I used triangular pieces but I would suggest using square bars as they will be easier to work with.

You will need the following for the tank:

1. Polycarbonate: [Mcmaster Carr]
2. Extruded Acrylic: [Ridout Plastics]
3. Acrylic Glue: [Ridout Plastics] 

The amount of these items will vary on the size of your tank, but for a small one like mine you are looking at 2 sheets of Polycarbonate (1' x 2'), 2' worth of Acrylic Extrusion, and about 3 ounces of Glue. This is for a 2.40" x 6.00" x 24.00" Tank. 

Tools you will need:

1. Cutting Implement: I used a bandsaw with a guide to get nice strait cuts. You could also use a dremel with the linear guide attachment. (Would have been really easy with a laser cutte... winkwink r ;) )
2. News Paper to cover your work area.
3. A drinking straw (I'll explain later)

Things you will need for your fish:

1. Well.... The fish themselves of course, I wouldn't put more than two Bettas in this size tank unless you are mean. 
2. Water conditioner, Assuming you are using Tap water
3. Food, mine seem to hate dried bloodworms and prefer the pellets.... go figure. 
4. Filter, there are a couple that will fit my size tank but look below for the one I purchased. It works phenomenally well for $15. 
5. Fake plants (Or real if you know what to do)
6. Gravel, to hold your plants down and make the bottom look nice.
7. An Easter Island head, optional of course. 
8. A mesh net for when you have to transplant the fish

So far my tank has been running for four weeks going strong, I run the filter during lunch for an hour a day and it keeps the water sparkling clean. Just add some of the water treatment of your choice each week to replenish the minerals in the water. 

On to construction!! 

Comments

[Reflez]

Quick question, what did your boss say when they found out?

[tycoon12]

THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[ZoDo]

Really great idea. Congratulations.

[andydrumer12]

Sooo cool. Great idea man! I've been wanting to make my own fish tank for awhile now and this is almost exactly what I wanted to build. Hopefully with in the next couple weeks I can put one of these together. nice job!

[Philysteak527]

Glad to hear it, good luck on your build!