Custom Aquariums

Custom Tanks

Design your own aquarium in the shape and size to fit your individual taste & decor. Aquariums are no longer an ordinary box, you can have a room divider, a shape, a feature wall, etc. Bring us your ideas and we will work with you to create a jaw dropping, one-of-a-kind display for your home or office. Custom aquariums are affordable and can fit any budget.

Source Aquatics has extensive experience designing, building, and installing custom aquariums. We can offer you many custom options that are not available in standard aquariums sold a most pets stores.

YOUR AQUARIUM OPTIONS:
Custom Sizes
We can design and build an aquarium to fit into any nook and cranny in you house or one that encompasses an entire wall. 

ULTRACLEAR Low Iron Glass
We can construct your tank from ULTRACLEAR Low Iron. Slow Iron glass has higher visual and light transmittance than standard glass. This glass gives your aquarium a look like no other. It is visually pristine! Low Iron Glass is more expensive than standard glass (up to 50% more cost for materials), but well worth it. We can construct the tank completely out of Starphire or just the viewing sides to help to keep the cost down. ULTRACLEAR glass tops and bracing also available to allow for optimum light penetration into your new custom aquarium.

Tempered Glass
Tempered glass increases the integral strength of the aquarium by 7 times.  Tempered glass is necessary in very large or public facility commercial applications or when there is numerous holes drilled in a glass panel.

Polished Edges
Polished beveled edges give a tank a very professional finished look. If the corners of your tank are going to be exposed to viewing, this option is highly recommended. All exposed edges can be polished for tanks that have no top/bottom trim.

Silicone Color Choice
All glass aquariums are built with a construction grade silicone. You can choose from clear or black silicone. Black silicone is beneficial for it will not take on dye from medication and if algae collects in the corners, it will not be as visible. Black Silicone adds 5% to the overall cost of the aquarium.

Bracing and Bottom Cleats
Bracing is necessary the majority of time for the integral strength of your aquarium.  We offer a number of bracing styles to meet your particular needs, such as:

Standard Bracing Small tanks are braced sufficiently by the PVC extruded top & bottom moulds. Larger tanks require glass bracing for strength. Standard glass bracing is characterized by a narrow glass strip that runs around the top entire top perimeter of the tank, as well as a center glass brace the runs front to back.

Staggered Bracing This bracing style is beneficial when trying to optimize light penetration from your lighting. The bracing & pendant style bulbs are off set from each other. For example: a 6’ tank will have the narrow perimeter bracing as well as 2 or 3 ‘front to back’ braces.

Euro Bracing Euro bracing is an approx. 3” wide strip of glass that runs all around the perimeter of the tank. It gives you complete & free access to the inside of your tank without any cross braces. This is also a favored option for those optimizing on the light penetration into their tank. This bracing can also be polished for a very refined look. In very large tank applications, euro bracing is tempered.

RIMLESS Depending on the tank size and configuration, we can construct tanks with no bracing at all. These tanks will be made with thicker glass and possibly tempered depending on the situation.

Closed Loops
When running a ‘closed system’ we can drill holes in the bottom or sides of your tank. These holes can be used for closed filtration systems or for obtaining more water flow without the use of submersible pumps. You will use an additional inline pump or “T” in your main system pump to provide flow to the extra closed loop circulation bulkheads. For independent return lines that are up and out of the way, we can drill holes in the braces.

Overflow Chambers
Overflow Chambers are used for saltwater as well as freshwater aquariums. Overflows allow you to use the superior sump style filtration and allow for maximum water turnover rates. Most canister style filters achieve a maximum of 360 gallons per hour, a typical 1 1/2″ overflow drain can handle 1200 gallons per hour!
The number of overflows and their position will be determined by the size of your tank and its placement. Our overflows are constructed out of glass with a black acrylic overlay that completely obscures any view into the overflow.
The overflow chamber can also be constructed to hide the return plumbing, or the return can be independent. The overflow holes can be installed also to conceal equipment cords and aeration accessories (this is especially beneficial with tanks viewed from all 4 sides).

Vinyl Backing
If you want to cover the back of your aquarium in a neat & professional way, consider our vinyl wraps in black or blue. Other colors available, please inquire for more details. The vinyl is adhered to the back of the tank and gives a clean & professional look to your tank.