Better to DIY or buy?

[richardhmc]

I'm really looking at the 57 rimless by oceanic.
It's costing around 310 - 350 though which is a lot for a 50 gallon tank.
Would it save me a lot to build it myself? Thanks!

 

[lfsmarineguy]

well that all depends on how good you are at building tanks.

 

[richardhmc]

will the cost of materials be lower than the retail price of the tank?

 

[cali_reef]

I would think raw material is cheaper, but you will need some tools, space, and the know how to put one together.





Then you have to think about sleeping at night with a glass tank you put together that may or may not hold water.

 

[InfernoST]

You're better off buying the tank. I was going to build my own tank and the cost of the glass exceeded the cost of a new one, and that was without starphire glass.

 

[Chraddam]

IMO, the decision should be based not only on cost but also level of skill required AND amount of time involved. I would rather buy an LED fixture than spend hours and hours building it...and I am always concerned about little mishaps that can turn potentially fun projects into heartbreaking losses...

 

[armani4o3]

is saving a few bucks worth all the water on the floor if it doesn't hold? also lots of dead animals and the cost to fix the floor carpet etc.....this is what you need to ask your self

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I'll tell you what I tell my customers that ask me if they can build something cheaper. If you aren't positive you can do it yourself, than you are better off buying it. It's going to become far more expensive if you make a mistake or break something and have to rebuy parts. When it comes to the actual tank, if you have no experience with it, I'd say buy it because (as was already said) if you mess up on even one seam you will end up with a huge expensive mess. So, it boils down to your skill level, because that factors into both the initial cost and potential costs from issues down the line.

I don't know if you're married or have a GF but if you blow out a tank, you'll never hear the end of it. That's a sure way to lose any argument for the next few years at least.

 

[armani4o3]

i don't know if you're married or have a gf but if you blow out a tank, you'll never hear the end of it. That's a sure way to lose any argument for the next few years at least.

+9,999,999,999

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

If you can build it make sure you give yourself a good warranty in case things go bad lol

 

[richardhmc]

Thanks all to your replies! not wifed up yet but definitely family would riot against me as usual. They've experienced enough man-made floods created by me haha

 

[tosiek]

For the glass alone for the 57G rimless its going to run you around 150-225$ depending where you go. Your going to spend about 3-5 hours building it if you've done it before and spend extra for the overflow glass parts, silicone, masking tape, bulkheads, ect. Thats another 100+$ in your time (time that you can spend making more money or doing other productive things) and another 20-40$ in extra parts. Im not counting the time its going to take you driving around and getting all the parts. Just going to order the glass then going back to pick it up is going to take you about 2 hours of your time.

In the end it really comes down to the same price if you count your time put into the project with building the tank yourself. You also have 0 warranty on the tank, and if your not experienced in building one, one mistake can cost you thousands.

Go buy the 300$ rimless oceanic or if you want to save yourself $$ buy a AGA tank and pay the 1$ per gallon. I built all my tanks and said I never would again after my last one. Its really not worth it.

 

[richardhmc]

For the glass alone for the 57G rimless its going to run you around 150-225$ depending where you go. Your going to spend about 3-5 hours building it if you've done it before and spend extra for the overflow glass parts, silicone, masking tape, bulkheads, ect. Thats another 100+$ in your time (time that you can spend making more money or doing other productive things) and another 20-40$ in extra parts. Im not counting the time its going to take you driving around and getting all the parts. Just going to order the glass then going back to pick it up is going to take you about 2 hours of your time.

In the end it really comes down to the same price if you count your time put into the project with building the tank yourself. You also have 0 warranty on the tank, and if your not experienced in building one, one mistake can cost you thousands.

Go buy the 300$ rimless oceanic or if you want to save yourself $$ buy a AGA tank and pay the 1$ per gallon. I built all my tanks and said I never would again after my last one. Its really not worth it.

Alrighty thanks for your input! yeah it seems like it ain't worth the trouble and stress