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DIY Picture Frame Emersed Growth Setup


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#1 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 28 October 2013 - 09:43 PM

Using severel picture frames I've built this tank. Here's the supplies I used, but you can scale it to your project.
X6 5"x7"Picture Frames
X1 8"x10" Picture Frame
The extra two are for the top, but I haven't gotten that far yet.
Attached File  CAM00469.jpg   214.11KB   3 downloads
Attached File  CAM00468.jpg   198.06KB   1 downloads

#2 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 28 October 2013 - 11:23 PM

I don't get it ? Looks like a nice nano tank tho'.

BTW, you don't need to use that much silicone. One thing's fer sher - that tank aint gonna leak!

#3 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 09:00 AM

Ha, yeah, it was from a tube I had already cut so there was a large nozzle. The point of the tank is to be like a little desktop greenhouse for growing plants like Hairgrass emersed becayse they grow faster that way.

#4 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 10:11 AM

I also don't get it. Why is a picture frame involved?

#5 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 10:50 AM

The frames themselves weren't used - just the glass.

#6 Guest_Usil_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 11:18 AM

Making a tank can be messy and the glass from a picture frame has sharp edges and not as strong as aquarium glass. You can get a new 10 gallon tank on sale for 10 bucks and on Craigs list for 5. I think that is the better solution.

Usil

#7 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 11:31 AM

The frames themselves weren't used - just the glass.

ooooooooooooooooohh. That's smart! Document frames are $1 at Walmart.

Are there any other products that come with panes of glass that could be used to build aquariums?

I must say am really enjoying my bucket tank ( youtube.com/watch?v=-uIvjlV6Z38 ) and if I had a yard I'd definitely have kid swimming pools with plants and fish in them. It's cool learning about alternatives to pet store aquariums. :) One day when I have a basement I hope to build a DIY plywood liquid rubber aquarium. One day.

#8 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 12:32 PM

The point is to create a nice, cubical, desktop display tank for growing plants emersed. It's also just a fun little 10 minute project.

#9 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 12:41 PM

I think it's great. The strength of the glass is unimportant at that volume, so if it's more cost effective, it's downright better than a pet store tank of the same size. Actually, the smallest I've seen pet stores sell is like a 5 gallon but those are usually $20+ because you have to buy them in kits with filters and lights. The 10 gallon setups are $35 and up, which is sorta crazy. Walmart sells $14 10 gallons but for emersed plant growing sometimes a tiny little photo tank (ha ha) like this is all you want.

I bet this is how people made the super nano tanks for the AGA aquascaping competition. Pet store tanks have rims and score lower.

This is just a little 5 gallon tank but look how pretty it is.
Posted Image
Posted Image

http://showcase.aqua...12/show202.html


This topic finally solved the mystery of where everyone was getting their rimless 5 gallon tanks. From photo frames. Lol.
http://showcase.aqua...12/index0a.html

#10 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 09:16 PM

Well. I generally buy double-thick window glass for small tanks - it's cheap and easy to cut. MOSTLY I just scavenge whatever glass I run across. Old mirrors are good for bottoms and backs; retail glass shelving can sometimes be had for little or no cost. Then there's all the broken and leaking tanks you run across. Old discarded windows, doors, etc. are good sources for small panes.

"Some folks crazy 'bout silver dollars,
He's crazy 'bout glass!"

#11 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 29 October 2013 - 09:25 PM

This topic finally solved the mystery of where everyone was getting their rimless 5 gallon tanks. From photo frames. Lol.


Yeah, I have been jealous of those lush aquascapes ever since the first Amano book came out. It was kind of like hearing Leo Kottke for the first time.

#12 Guest_ShelleyD_*

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Posted 02 November 2013 - 02:35 AM

Neat idea! I was wondering where I could get more 5 gallon tanks to grow out guppy and endler fry...now I know :D

What would the volume of this tank be?

Edited by ShelleyD, 02 November 2013 - 02:41 AM.


#13 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 02 November 2013 - 08:02 AM

(using inches) height times width times depth times 0.004329 = gallons

so 7 x 7 x 7 is close to one and a half gallons
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#14 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 02 November 2013 - 01:56 PM

Actually, the dimensions are really 7x7x5, making it 1.06 gallons. However, you could use larger frames to make larger tanks.




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