Hey(: i was going to make my baby crested gecko a vertical tank for more 'climbing space' I was just wondering...
-How do you make the lid?
-is the false bottom needed?
-what is safe to use for my crestie?
- and any other helpful tips??
Thanks in advance guys!!!
by lid i'm assuming you are talking about enclosing the front? If so, most people use two pieces of glass with a screen at the top.
false bottoms using eggcrate provide an area for excess water to go to so that your soil does not become water logged. LECA can be used instead of eggcrate but it will wick the water back up into the substrate. I drilled my tank in the bottom and put in a bulkhead drain and plumbed it with a ballvalve so that i can do several things. I can leave the valve open so that the water drains out into the bucket i have underneath it, or i can close the valve so that there is some water under the false bottom to help with humidity and open the drain valve and drain out water when i want.
yeah I meant the front and any specific way to put them together. The false bottom seems so difficult to put together though:/
Hmmmmmm....well thanks
false bottom is super easy to make. Eggcrate, window screen, some snips to cut the eggcrate
Ive had on my eye on this because I'm thinking about converting a 10 gallon I have laying around. 10 Gallon vertical conversion kit – Jungle Box
with shipping thsoe kits are like $40. You can buy everything needed to make a conversion yourself for way cheaper
yeah the shipping is almost as much as the product! Seriously though it aint hard to make your own conversion.
Window screen material, frame, and corner pieces
2 pieces of glass
hinge and a hasp
silicone
Once you get the glass cut it takes about 15 minutes tops to set it up.
Yeah, I did some google searching and found this thread. DIY: 10 Gallon Vertical Vivarium - ReptileOverload pretty sick DIY. Might be doing this but for my 20 gallon instead of 10 gallon. Go all out
yep thats pretty much all there is to it. If you plan on drilling your tank make sure you get a proper drill bit. My opinion with drilling glass is its a hit or miss situation. Either you get through cleanly or you get unlucky and get a crack. I got unlucky when we drilled my drain hole in my 10 gallon and got a crack right as we broke all the way through, but we patched it with a piece of plexi. I don't know how i feel about siliconing real rocks to the glass like he did, seems like alot of weight to be attaching like that.
oh cool(: thanks guys!! Any idea of where to get the glass drilled? and also do you need a bucket under the tank?
good luck finding someone to drill glass for you, you'll most likely have to buy a drill bit and do it yourself. You can try calling some aquarium and glass shops in your area and ask them but most will probably tell you NO because of the risk of cracking the glass and they don't want to be responsible if they crack your glass
You are asking about a bucket under tank because why? Are you planning on drilling the tank in the bottom to install a drain like i did on mine? If so you would need a bucket under the tank if you plan to leave the ball valve open all the time, otherwise you would only need a bucket for when you drain. If you are drilling in the bottom like i did on my tank remember you need a bulkhead as well. And you will also need to make a hole in your stand for all the plumbing pieces to go through. Also just an FYI when installing a drain in the bottom like I did you will always have a tiny bit of water in the bottom because of the lip of the bulkhead, the water doesn't start to drain until the water level gets over that lip.
here's a couple pics of my drain
I actuall took an old floor speaker and removed all the speaker pieces of it to use a temporary stand until i build something a tad bit nicer, plus the speaker can't fit a 5 gallon bucket in it .
here's the tank upside down so you can see the bulkhead and plumbing
if you are going to drill your glass, glass-holes.com sells bulkheads and the drill bits
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)