Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok I am thinking of trying a 10gal vert, but need to find a couple of things. I am hoping to find them local.

What type of glass, or acrylic do you guys use. I would like to use acrylic so I can drill vents in it very easy. Will warping be a issue with such a small tank?

Thanks for any ideas, I might buy some stuff this weekend to try it.
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

Hey Kyle,

I bought 1/4" acrylic at home depot. It was called Hobby acrylic, but I could not tell a difference between it and more expensive brand name acrylic. They also sell 1/8" sheet/window glass...both for good prices. You will need a glass cutter if you use the glass, which I did for the door. I probably could have used acrylic and not had warping, but I had some glass left over. If you want to use glass, I could mail my glass cutter to you(its a good one I use for stained glass), and you could just send it back to me when you finish.
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Matt

So what is better? Glass or acrylic? I really work about making a glass door, since all it take is one slip and its done for. How bad does acrylic warp. They sell very thick acrylic at homedepot.
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

np

Kyle,

I have tried to use acrylic before on a 10 vert and it did warp. I now use glass for all my doors. You can get it from Home Depot, ACE ect and they will cut it to the size you need.
I don't like using their window pane glass because it so thin only like 1/8". I get all my glass from a local glass shop and it is 3/16" if you use the aquarium channel as a hinge it holds it better.

Ben

How think of acrylic was it? I'm a little worried about using glass. I think I can get both at homedepot, but I do not think they sell very think glass. They do sell some thick acrylic.
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

The acrylic was 1/8", but I even had U-channel around the edges to help hold it straight and it still warped. It all depends on the design, and how many locks you use, and on a vert 10 the room is limited and locks on the sides can be difficult to fashion. I won't use acrylic for any of my vert door. Are you thinking about making these for thumbnails? Because it doesn't take much for them to squeese through as you know.

Ben

I know, thats my worry... For some reason working with glass bothers me. I just know how easy it is to break.

Glass is not out of the question, but I do not think home depot sells anything but very thin windows glass.

I thought the warping most people were talking about was caused by the heat from the lights when using acrylic on top of a tank. Is this wrong?
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

Well I have several extra doors cut for those just in case times. I would check around for a glass shop locally, mine sells the thicker glass and its the same price.
Most do say that acrylic warp do to heat, but it warped even at the bottom of my tank. The temp was 75-80deg.
The hinge I use is the stuff from the glass aquarium tops, but I have seen a lot of people using the hinges like Ken sells.

Ben

Right, but where do you get the stuff used on aquarium tops, and does it require specific glass size?
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

I get a lot of mine from the pet store, or you can even order it from ALL Glass Aquariums 414-421-9670. If you ask for a 20 gallon high top length then you can cut it in half for 2 vert 10's and the 3/16 glass fits it thigh enought to hold while folded down, but I have tacked (siliconed) the smaller 1/8" glass before and it holds fine.

Ben

Hey Kyle,
I would personally stay away from acrylic. I won't use anything but glass and I get it cut at a local glass. It will be cheaper and they can do whatever size you want. If your concerned about ventilation holes you could pay a little extra and have the glass cutters drill them for you. I do all my tops custom glass. I got frustrated losing frogs with those crappy glass fishtank tops with the plastic backing that bows. And for hinges, if you are looking for cheap and easy. Here are two links. The first is like the hinges on store bought tops and the other is just one sided and you silicone it on to the glass. I use the one sided and have absolutely no problems with it. You can get the really long pieces and just cut them to size.

http://www.jmkdisplays.homestead.com/hinge.html
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=12&PHPSESSID=5daa6d8733c24ac920162cfd35ce4bdb

Good luck and hope this helps.

Kevin Hoff
2.2 D.azureus
3.0 Powder blue(looking to trade for female)
0.0.5 yellowbacks
1.0 ventrimaculatus (more soon)
0.2? terribilis
0.2? G&B auratus
0.1 tricolor
1.1 chocolate spotted auratus
1.0 lozenzo (looking for female)
2 morphing azureus froglets
approx. 15 fertile azureus eggs

I was just looking at the first link you sent right before reading your msg and thought about the 1 sidded stuff. I have had very good luck with normal lids on my tanks, but I silicon the backs down, so they do not warp at all. I silicon all but the front that opens, this also helps keep the ff's in.

So will any glass shop do? I have just never bought glass, and have looked at what they have at home depot and it just did not seem nice enough to use.

I really want to try one of these tanks, as I can get 10gals for $6-8, and have the rest of the supplies. I would also like to make one, then if I like it make 3 more. Then I can run a normal shop light over them. The other thing I would like to try is to use screen or metal mesh under the hinge and at the very top to allow the front to stay clear.

>>Hey Kyle,
>>I would personally stay away from acrylic. I won't use anything but glass and I get it cut at a local glass. It will be cheaper and they can do whatever size you want. If your concerned about ventilation holes you could pay a little extra and have the glass cutters drill them for you. I do all my tops custom glass. I got frustrated losing frogs with those crappy glass fishtank tops with the plastic backing that bows. And for hinges, if you are looking for cheap and easy. Here are two links. The first is like the hinges on store bought tops and the other is just one sided and you silicone it on to the glass. I use the one sided and have absolutely no problems with it. You can get the really long pieces and just cut them to size.
>>
>>http://www.jmkdisplays.homestead.com/hinge.html
>>http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=12&PHPSESSID=5daa6d8733c24ac920162cfd35ce4bdb
>>
>>Good luck and hope this helps.
>>
>>Kevin Hoff
>>2.2 D.azureus
>>3.0 Powder blue(looking to trade for female)
>>0.0.5 yellowbacks
>>1.0 ventrimaculatus (more soon)
>>0.2? terribilis
>>0.2? G&B auratus
>>0.1 tricolor
>>1.1 chocolate spotted auratus
>>1.0 lozenzo (looking for female)
>>2 morphing azureus froglets
>>approx. 15 fertile azureus eggs
-----
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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

Kyle look in your phone book under glass, in my city there are at least 50. I had them cut me some glass for a vert lid door, and a 20h top and it came to 15 bucks. Just call around and see who has the best prices, I used 1/4 inch just incase it get banged against the table I have it on, it slipped when I was opening the door for my imitator tank and fell around 6 inches and hit the edge of the desk and didn't have a scratch on it. You can have the glass stores drill holes for you, I priced bits and for one that will do 1-2 holes is 30, and one that will drill 500-1000 is 108 so it would be cheaper to have a glass shop drill it, and plus they usually will replace the glass if they break it. I found a place that gurantees they will replace the tank if they break it, and for a 1/2" hole it is 10 dollars a hole. But since I need 8 tanks drilled for drains they went down to 7 bucks a hole. I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND ken's acrylic hinges, they look really professional and I haven't had any problems with them at all.
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As of 1/16/04
1.2.3 Leucomelas (the 3 juveniles are the brightest orange I've seen there almost red, there not from my trio)
1.1.16 Green and Bronze Auratus
0.0.2 Imitators
0.0.1 Vents (more soon)
0.0.2 Nicaraguan Green and Black Auratus
0.0.3 Citronella Tincs
0.0.2 Powder Blue Tincs
0.0.2 Yellow Back Tincs
1.1.0 Surinam Cobalts (extremely soon)
0.0.3 Bastimentos Pumilio (on waiting list)
0.0.3 Red Pumilio (on waiting list)
0.0.4 Green Pumilio (on waiting list)

Thanks for the info, I'm sure there are a ton of glass places here, just a matter of calling some. I have a 1/2 inch glass drill bit I bought when I started my first tank. I was going to drill it, but did not. So I could drill a hole for a vent if I needed to.

I think I got it here:
www.shopsmartxpress.com/AmeriGls/W9.htm

I will have to pick up a 10gal, and find a glass shop this weekend. I plan to make the bottom very low, say 2-3 inches to offer the best viewing.
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

Cant go wrong with ken from peace of the tropics. I have ordered twice from him and will order again when i need parts. Prices are really cheap too.
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Jason
2.1 azureus
pumilio bastimentos (as soon as it gets warmer)

The screen section at the top works great!

I am passing on the screen on my next ones and trying uv-resistant mosquito netting, I got it from REI. I am having problems with the flies crawling through the regular screen.

Hope this helps,
Benjamin Green

More pics

I have the no-see-um neting that stops about any sized bug, but I do not see how you make the frame for the screen. I would like to avoid the extra cost of forced air solution, but at this point its a not a big deal.
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus

The frame is a DIY screen frame. Home Depot sells a differnt kind that has a cheap plastic corner. The frame I am using is from the same glass shop I get my glass from.
If you need any of this email me and I can get some headed your way.

Benjamin Green
www.thechocohut.com

Also where do you get the stuff to make the hinge?
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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
0.0.2 D. ventrimaculatus