Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi,
don't get discouraged about the cost and time. building a front opening home for your frogs is worth every penny you put into them. all my homes are slidding door fronts, and i would not go back to using regular tanks.
my homes are made from acrilic. they are the "european style" home. i have the vent holes under the front doors and one vent hole in the back with a 1 1/2" computer fan in place. the cage design with the vents make it's own are flow with out using the fans. i use the computer fans during the summer for cooling, and once in a while for my bromilaids.
the nice thing about building your own homes (what i really like) is you can build what you like and what best meets your frogs needs.
for a stand i bought "bakers racks" from my local costco. they can handle alot of weight, and are adjustable different home sizes, and needs.
acrilic is a little more expencive. my largest home cost me $70 for the acrilic alone. it's 19t X 17d X 16w, and my smallest home cost $50, and its 19t X 17d X 11w. acrilic has a special glue, and if you prep it right you don't need silicone. i do use silicone for added protection. it' light weight, and can be drilled, and cut with out bying special tools.
if you would like to see pics let me know i can e-mail you some. i don't know how to post pics at this time.
thanks for reading
troy
2.2. lueucs
1.1. pumilios "solid red"
1.1. azureus
0.0.2. orange terrebilis
2.1. tinc "oyapok"
1.1. tinc "alinas"
1.0. tinc citronella
1.0. orange galac

These prices still sound cheap , I know others who have had similar size tanks made at $150 each. So making them yourself saves alot of money. I too will use acrylic to build my own when I can.

You need to check out D&H Acrylic Designs. They sell nice front opening 15 gallon terrariums (1/4" acrylic--12" x 12" x 24" drilled with misting and drain holes and small vent holes at the top for around $80-$90 each. I bought one at the Indy Show last month, and I know they'll give you a discount for quantity orders. You might want to check with them, because they can make custom sizes and charge very little over the cost of the material (or at least very little over what it would have cost me for the same material).

Contact me off the forum for their e-mail address. I'll post a pic of mine if there's interest. I'm planning on putting my vents in this bad boy.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

Hi Troy,

If you have time I'd love to see some pictures of your terrariums. My email address is devin@amphibiancare.com I looked into creating sliding fronts but ran into a problem. With all of the sliding window frames that I found there was always an 1/8 inch gap or more between the two pieces of glass where fruit flies and small frogs could escape from. What type of system do you use for your acrylic tanks and where did you buy it? I too use those metal bakors shelving units for my tanks, they work very well. Thanks for your time,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
3.2 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys scripta
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

I concocted a method to address the 1/8" gap. What I did was place a few layers of electrical tape on the sliding front right where it lines up with the perpendicular glass side (or wherever the front overlaps). Then, you caulk the gap with clear silicone. 24 hours later, you can carefully peel off the electrical tape, the silicone is stuck to the fixed part of the glass, and the sliding front now slides free. What you are left with is a custom formed gasket the perfect size for your gap.

There are probably better ways to handle this problem, but this worked for me.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

Sounds good e-mail me some pics. Where did you get the acrilic? Do you have problems with bowing or warping?

Don't get me wrong I still plan on building some tanks, but I may not for my next set of tanks. Either way it will cost about double to build them rather than buy them.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators