As of right now, I am currently exploring options primarily related to my readymade for my tank’s body. I’m trying to find if Craigslist would be a cheaper option for finding a suitable fish tank, however, most that I’ve seen appear to be pretty bulky and awkward looking.

Alas, I may be getting friendly with acrylic. Melting interlocking pieces together may be my best bet at a clean and relatively affordable form factor for the fish tank.

Perhaps the best would be to purchase an acrylic box such as this one: http://www.shoppopdisplays.com/10099/acrylic-5-sided-box-12h-x-12w-x-18l.html

and build in a base to reduce the cost of the structure. Perhaps I could house automation features (RaspberryPi and sensors) in the base ala the G4 iMac.

Right now most progress is pending me finding a new job before I spend any money!