Terrarium as Aquarium...?

[CorydoraCat]

Hey guys, I'm not sure if anyone here has done this, but worth a shot.

I recently had a cory lay eggs, and decided to try to save some of them. I tried a few times but they never hatched. I was pretty sure these ones were. They hatched a week ago and are doing well. There's somewhere between 50-60 of them, and they've been doing well. All are eating well, and only a couple didn't make it the first few days. Since those losses, everyone else is doing well and growing.

I'd like to keep a bunch of them, but my 30 gallon isn't going to hold much more fish. I don't want to overcrowd.
I have multiple spare smaller tanks that can be set up, but I've also got this 40? 50? gallon terrarium that I used to use for a bearded dragon (it's a Zilla terrarium). I was curious if there's any way that terrarium could be used as an aquarium for some of the cory fry as they get bigger? I've heard the glass in terrariums tends to be thinner than in aquariums. If this is the case, can it be partially filled with water? Has anyone happened to have one of these particular terrariums and successfully used it as an aquarium?

If not, I'll likely try to sell it and buy a big aquarium instead. But it'd be much easier if I could reuse it. It's in really good condition too! Or set up one of the smaller tanks for a few of them and re-home the rest. I'm a member of a club full of people who would likely be more than happy to offer homes for them, but I'd definitely love to keep as many as I can first!

Thanks!

Edit: It's a Zilla, not a Zoomed.

[Shane]

Is the terrarium sealed with silicone? From what I have seen in U.S. chain pet stores their terrariums are just aquariums moved to the reptile aisle.
Place 3-4 inches of water in it (take it outside first!) and see if it leaks.
-Shane

[dpm1]

Not only is it likely the glass would be thinner but also the sealant may not be tested as 100% watertight which can make the tiniest of leaks turn in to a huge torrent with the added water pressure behind it.

Is it a Vivarium as opposed to a terrarium (ie primarily for animals not plants) as these are often not fully glass/acrylic but will be laminated or wood as part of the construction, obviously not grat in high humidity environments.

Many people use plastic storage containers as temporary tanks. These are cheap, tough, light, readily available in varying sizes up to 70l (18USg) (& occasionally more). They also have the added advantage of being easily reused as mine is proving at the moment as a plant store having previously been a temp fish tank during a house move, a gravel wash bin...

[bekateen]

Hi Corydoracat,

If you want to determine whether or not your glass is too thin, you can measure the actual thickness of your glass with a good ruler and compare your thickness to what is considered good enough for an aquarium using a calculator at this website: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/?p=1732.

Of course, this won't tell you if the aquarium leaks or not. For that, do what Shane recommended above - take it outside, fill it up as full as you would plan to if there were fish in it, and let it sit to check for leaks.

Good luck, Eric

[CorydoraCat]

It is silicone sealed. I'd have to test it still, just to be safe.

I suppose I can try measuring it. It does have black trim on it like any other terrarium/aquarium. I can probably pop one of the sides off to check though. The tank came with the larger of the two Zoomed Bearded Dragon Kits. So it's supposedly a "terrarium" by the manufacturer, anyways. I'll have to try measuring.

I'm just worried about it suddenly breaking and ending up with 40-50 gallons of water everywhere! That would not be nice!
But I'd love to use it again if possible.

[Jools]

What is sold in US chain pet stores (from dim memory) is thicker glass (8mm I'd guess) that the 4mm or 6mm you see in Europe's chain pet store herp aisles. Possibly because of cheaper transport costs / cleverer packing not making an impact on shipping costs.

Just saying that the products in the US are the UK, aimed at the same purpose, are often not the same.

Jools

[Shane]

As Jools points out US and UK tanks are manufactured very differently. US tanks (for fish, herps, or hamsters) are mass manufactured in standard sizes by 3 different companies. The standardized sizes allow them to nest like Russian dolls during shipping. A 5 gallon fits in a 10, a 10 in a 15, etc, etc until you get to a 55 gallon which is the largest "common" tank readily available. During shipping the footprint of a 55 gallon (12" x 48") can thus hold up to 6-8 tanks totaling well over 100 gallons of capacity. This is why we pay circa $1 per gallon for a new tank in the US. I believe tanks in the UK cost more than 75p a gallon.
-Shane

[Narwhal72]

I can't speak for Zoomed terrariums but I can tell you that the Central Aquatics made terrariums (Zilla brand) are made from a thinner glass than the comparably sized Aqueon Aquariums.

Now in a 10 gallon there isn't a lot of difference. But as you increase in size the difference in thickness becomes more pronounced. I would not put water in a 40 breeder terrarium. Although you may be able to fill it part way. If you are not sure measure the thickness and then compare it to the chart already provided. The method of construction (how it is sealed) is the same for both types of tanks so it will likely be sealed.

As Shane mentioned, a lot of tanks can nest inside of each other to save on freight. A 2.5 fits in a 5.5, a 5.5 fits in a 10, a 10 fits inside a 20, (3x10's, 2x5.5's, and 2x2.5's) fit inside a 55. One 10 has to go on it's end under the middle brace and you won't nest inside that one. Nesting does save on freight but it doesn't make a much difference in cost because few of the larger retailers even carry 2.5's and 5.5's and the tanks don't generally ship nested anymore anyways. It takes too much labor for the distribution centers to separate them.

I know because I used to have to unload Perfecto tank trucks once a month at TFP which would take a crew of 5-6 people 3-4 hours when they were floor loaded.

Now I work for Aqueon and get to see the process from the other side of the truck.

Andy

[CorydoraCat]

OH! It's a Zilla, not a Zoomed! I thought it sounded wrong when I said Zoomed...

It's the 40 breeder that came with the XL Bearded Dragon Kit.

Thank you!

[Narwhal72]

Yep. Don't put water in it. It wasn't made for that.

[CorydoraCat]

Darn, alright. I was hoping. But I'd rather not have an aquarium explode everywhere, so probably best to do some aquarium hunting!