building my own small tank..well kinda lol

**rjl1213** · 02-06-2013, 04:00 AM

ok so im turning a gum ball machine into a small aquarium as a gift and im taking the glass into the glass company tomorrow to get a piece for the bottom . any suggestions as to how thick to make the bottom so it wont crack under the weight of the water and sand. also silicone what kind should i use thats good?

**gurglegurgle** · 02-06-2013, 04:06 AM

oh boy do we need pictures!

**Goes to 11!** · 02-06-2013, 04:07 AM

Any guess at a suitable thickness would require knowing the volume of water we are talking about. There's no way around that.

Also how do you intend to facilitate gas exchange & filtration in a closed system? Or will this be open top?

Is the giftee an experienced fishkeeper? Aquarium safe silicone is available at any LFS.

**Allesgut** · 02-06-2013, 06:50 AM

small vivarium could be an option

**Cliff** · 02-06-2013, 10:54 AM

I would suggest before you get too far along, to research fish that could live in that size of a bowl and what you need to modify to the bowel in order to provide for the fish. If I was you, I would want to make sure all your efforts are going to be worth it before starting to work on this project

DAP makes some silicone that is aquarium safe.

**rjl1213** · 02-06-2013, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by 850R

Any guess at a suitable thickness would require knowing the volume of water we are talking about. There's no way around that.

Also how do you intend to facilitate gas exchange & filtration in a closed system? Or will this be open top?

Is the giftee an experienced fishkeeper? Aquarium safe silicone is available at any LFS.

it will be 1-1.5 gallons
its going to be an open top, im putting a beta in it
shes had betas before but obviously is not an expert
thank you

**Triton** · 02-06-2013, 01:06 PM

Hate to say it, and I won't be the only one to say it, but 1.5 Gallons is not enough for a betta (even if a fish shop says so).

It would be considered cruel to keep anything in that size of a bowl, especially without any sort of filter or heater. I would say it may be best to toss the idea, as cool as it would be, this size really wouldn't work.

**Lady Hobbs** · 02-06-2013, 01:49 PM

Agree. No fish wants to spend it's life in a one gallon tank.

**Drumachine09** · 02-06-2013, 02:26 PM

As cool as an idea that is, i would have to agree with everyone else, that tank is a no go for fish. However, you could make a very interesting closed ecosystem with it, using some plants, dirt, and a bit of water. Would still make a great gift, and has a ton of educational value about how ecosystems work.