Found some glass. Would like your advice on my first DIY aquarium

[Craw Chief]

Hey everyone!

I found two pieces of glass in an old door by my cousin's house. I've cleaned it up real good and would really love to do my first DIY aquarium. I would like yall's advice on what would be good dimensions to cut it to. I keep crawfish exclusively so I would really love to make the tank as long as possible. The water depth can be as low as 3 inches for all I care, I just want to get the tank as long as I possibly can to give the crawfish more crawling room.

The bigger piece of glass measures 39.25" x 22.5" and the glass is 4 mm thick. The smaller piece of glass measures 21.5" x 9" and the glass is 2 mm thick.

I was thinking I could even make two long rectangular tanks. I could cut the big of glass into six pieces of about 39.25" x 3.75". Then I could just cut 4 pieces out of the smaller glass for the sides to get whatever water depth (could do 9" or something).

Would there be an issue with using the two different kinds of glass thickness (4mm and 2mm) in the same tank?

Also, do yall have any tips for a first-timer? Anything you really wish you would've known before you did your first DIY aquarium? I've watched Joey's videos, but wanted to see if yall had any other advice. I'm especially nervous about cutting the glass as I have never done that before.

As a thank you for helping me, here is a picture of Sammy!

 

[armymp327]

cant really answer your question however im pretty sure that the glass needs to be float glass in order to work for an aquarium

oh and i have some experience cutting class when i made a DIY glass center brace, anyways when you cut make sure to measure measure measure, you only get one chance to get it right lol

 

[BillD]

The glass doesn't need to be float glass,it can be plate, but it can't be tempered.
If I read this correctly, the final tank dimension would be 39.25 x 3.75 x 3.75. The structure could work although the 2 mm glass is rather thin. How wold you keep the crayfish in a tank that shallow, and how would you filter it?

 

[rebar]

This doesn't answer your question but may be an alternative to glass on all sides. I made a large tank, 2' tall, many years ago out of glass and wood (if you can beleive that). I don't know what float glass is, I just got it locally from a store and then cut to size with a glass cutter. Anyways, the wood part was the back and base. I covered it with marine epoxy and then siliconed it together. It held for many years. After a while the epoxy must have got a crack because water got under the epoxy and came out a spot underneath. Anyways, i've never seen anyone else do that.

 

[Craw Chief]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

How wold you keep the crayfish in a tank that shallow, and how would you filter it?

crayfish only need as much water as is required to keep their gills wet, so generally about an inch over their head. I'd simply have a small sponge filter.