10 Gallon Conversion for Clown Tree Frogs

[Tony]

I would drill the top and install round vents like invert keepers use, but I'm a glass geek...

[UncleChester]

I would drill the top and install round vents like invert keepers use, but I'm a glass geek...

I'd love to know how you would go about making 1" or larger holes in glass. Seriously if you could make a thread about drilling and other techniques of messing with glass that come in handy for vivariums I'd love to learn some new stuff. I'm fine with cutting straight lines and siliconing the heck out of it, but that's about it. As a plus, I have as much glass to practice with as I want

I'd also love to hear your thoughts on how much ventilation is needed in a tank this size? How many of the holes of what size on top and how much area of screen in the front would you consider as a minimum?

[Tony]

I'd love to know how you would go about making 1" or larger holes in glass. Seriously if you could make a thread about drilling and other techniques of messing with glass that come in handy for vivariums I'd love to learn some new stuff. I'm fine with cutting straight lines and siliconing the heck out of it, but that's about it. As a plus, I have as much glass to practice with as I want

I'd also love to hear your thoughts on how much ventilation is needed in a tank this size? How many of the holes of what size on top and how much area of screen in the front would you consider as a minimum?

I'm working on setting up my own little glass workshop at home, once I have everything together and start building tanks again I will post some tutorials.

The amount of ventilation needed depends on the species being housed, in this case I would go with a pair of 2" round vents in the top and a front vent of about 3.5".

[UncleChester]

I'm working on setting up my own little glass workshop at home, once I have everything together and start building tanks again I will post some tutorials.

I am eagerly looking forward to it

[Grrrit]

Does glass shop mean made to order, converted tanks? This could be big money.

[Kisa]

Wow guys thanks so much for all the advice! I'll look over all your suggestions and post as to what I decide. I have another HUGE tank (131 gallons) that is made of wood and has built in vents. I was going to pop these out and cover the holes with plexi (I"m going to be putting darts in there and don't want any escapes) so maybe I can use some of those to create vents for this tank?

And as for the suggestions by Brian to just build my own tank out of the free plexi and silicone, I would rather just re-use what I have now instead of building a whole other tank. I don't really have the room to store other unused tanks in my room or in the garage, so I think reusing this tank would be the best route for now. Maybe if I plan to get more frogs (lord help me, you'll never find my body if I do. XD) I can do a custom build, but for now I'd like to work with what I have. I'll repost in a minute with my decision on the vent or drills, though I think a combination of both (as per Tony's suggestion) would be best.

Thanks so much guys, this really helps!

[Kisa]

The amount of ventilation needed depends on the species being housed, in this case I would go with a pair of 2" round vents in the top and a front vent of about 3.5".

Thanks for this info! The vent I have are about 8 inches in diameter, is this too big? They're made of some sort of thin metal, probably aluminum.

[Kisa]

As always Brian your tanks are just beautiful.

I am tempted to use Brian's egg crate and screen on top idea to create a top screen but when I mentioned taking the top plate off of the tank to my dad (trade show decorator, he knows a fair bit about construction) he said it would compromise the structural integrity of the tank. Replacing it with another material such as egg crate should solve this problem, right? Or does he even have any merit in this idea?

If I don't do an entire screen top I may be able to find a way to mount those 8" vents I have from the other tank into a piece of plexi and have it above the door? I'm pretty sure I'm going to be doing a hinge for that, as the magnets and other methods make me a little nervous. Where can I find a latch and handle for the door? Should I just look in a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes?

I'm going to have to ask my dad about drilling holes into the tank (which I think is made of acrylic now...), I don't have that kind of technical knowledge in the back of my mind. XD

[Tony]

Are your 8" vents round? If so then drilling the hole may not be possible, I don't believe anyone makes drill bits for such a large diameter. A good glass shop should be able to cut a circular hole for you, and if you go that route then I would do the single vent in the top and skip the front vent, an 8" opening should allow for plenty of airflow. Do your vents have screen in them, or are they louvered aluminum?

[Kisa]

As always, my dad is super difficult to work with...>>

Anyway! Yes Tony, they are round. They aren't screened, so I'm assuming they're louvered aluminum, here's a picture to clarify. They're kind of bent and old...

[Tony]

I would invest in screened vents, clowns would be very likely to squeeze through the louvers.

[Kisa]

I'd also love to hear your thoughts on how much ventilation is needed in a tank this size? How many of the holes of what size on top and how much area of screen in the front would you consider as a minimum?

Thanks for asking this for me Brian, I may not have asked it myself. XD

And thanks to Tony for answering, great info!