[iball1804]

I recently acquired a 30 gallon long aquarium off of Craigslist for 30$! My end goal is to have a tank suited for a Phelsuma (tall, mesh top, opening front door, etc.) And so I began (attached thumbnails correspond with the steps - step 1=picture 1).

Step 1. Derimming the tank. This can be tricky. Luckily for me, my new tank is very old and so I was able to pop the rim off by hand while we stopped at Kohl's.

Step 2. Tearing apart the tank. I used a box knife to get in the seams and slit them. This wasn't too hard, just watch for broken blades.

Step 3. Cut the glass. Simply scoring the glass and then bending it works. CAUTION: If you intend to cut off less than 6 inches on a two foot sheet of glass, get this done professionally. You might end up with thumbnail 3

Step 4. I went to Lowe's and got some plexiglass replacement, it's expensive stuff! 17$ for an 18x24 inch sheet. Silicone all the glass pieces together and let it sit for around 24 hours.

Step 5. I used two 2 inch narrow hinges to hinge the front plexiglass, it has so far worked out great.

Step 6. Using L channel, Gorilla Glue, Black spray paint, L corner hinges and chicken wire, I made my own mesh top. (only the frame is currently shown).

Update: currently the silicone is drying and the mesh top is drying as well. More pics to come!

Comment on how I am doing please!!

[bouncer36]

lookin good can't wait to see the finish project

[panthergecko]

petco has sale 1 dollar for 1 gallong

[Sgvreptiles]

Looks pretty good. your gona want to put some sort of locking device on the door. That looks like it will swing wide open. Also watch out for your plexi warping. I hate plexi personally for that reason. what are the dimensions of the finished tank? Did you just modify the one you got or did you completely tare it apart and make it a new size?

[iball1804]

Yes I added a cabinet magnet to the front door and side. So far it works perfectly! The final dimensions are 24Hx16Lx12W (inches).

Yeah the first picture is the original tank, and I cut it to fit the dimensions I wanted.