Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a couple 55 gallon aquariums lying around and I was wondering if anyone knows of any plans for how to build a secure lid on them. My thought is actually to lay them down, so they have more floor space, and use them to house a couple of my jungle carpets. Anyone know of a secure way to do this? I'm thinking there should be some type of material that would bond to the plastic rim of the 55, and I'd be able to put glass/plexi doors on it, whether sliding or hinged. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Ronnie Nocera

I've got a set of plans for a top on a 55-gallon tank on my DIY page of my website. Not all 55-gal tanks are exact same size so you might have to make minor adjustments.

I created the DIY page just to help people in the community and it's not to be confused in any way of promoting anything for personal gain. www.natures-signature.com/diy/

The 2nd aquarium top plans on the DIY page gives instructions for adding nylon bolts for securing the top. This can be done to the 55-gal top as well.

One problem I see with laying tanks on the side is poor air circulation as the vents are only on one side. There may be a workaround but I've not put any thought into what it may be.

Yell if you have any questions.
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Thanks for the link there. I may end up doing one of those. I'm also looking into prices to see if I can't order a sheet of expanded PVC or some other sheet of plastic. If I could do that, I could glue/silicone/(pvc weld?) it right in to the plastic frame of the aquarium, and put hinged or sliding doors on it.

And for ventilation, yeah, there won't be a ton of ventilation. But I can make it with just as much ventilation as you'd find in any of the plastic cages. Boaphiles specifically come to mind- my boaphiles only have a small gap around the door for ventilation, and they work fine. If I ended up really needing to, I could always drill the back/bottom of the aquarium and make that into a vent. If I ever ended up using the aquarium to hold water again (doubtful) I could just use that kind of hole as an overflow.

I want to lay it down because if I can lay these two tanks down, I can build a stand/rack to hold them and use them. If I can't, I'm going to have to sell them (and old 55s that don't hold water are worth . . . $20 each?) and buy cages that will work. And I really don't have the money for that right now. I've been trying to put all of my money into making things look nicer in the snake room (building racks & stands, decorating cages, etc. . .) and I really don't want to have to spend more money on another cage that's going to sit on the floor.

Check to make sure the glass isn't tempered where you want to drill.....it makes a big mess!! I was working on something like you described, was is the operative word!