Daniel Builds an Aquarium, Part I

After going eight months without an aquarium, I decided it was time to revisit a hobby I took up during our time in Atlanta. The tank is to be a small saltwater reef tank -- a nano reef. Rather than purchase a pre-fab tank like the previous one, I intend for this aquarium to be a show of DIY muscle.

After a two-week search for a store that would cut glass to size, I went with Brooklyn-based Crystal Glass & Mirror. They cut 5 pieces of starfire (left) and regular (right) glass. The starfire is being used for the three viewing walls.



After making a mess out of silicone and relying on trusty duct tape, I assembled the tank (painting the back was a bad idea, so the paint was removed).


What good is an aquarium if it doesn't hold water? And the only place to test that in the apartment was the bathtub. No leaks!


Next up was the stand. With some help from Katie, I sawed away at 2x4's and 1x4's and assembled the frame.


As for the aquascaping, I decided that a rock wall would look best given the small space. I assembled the wall using eggcrate, rocks, and Great Stuff foam.