Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted this before but no one answered the questions at hand. If you have experience with this please respond

I am planning on building a shelf this weekend to hold some 28 qt sterilite cages. To obtain good circulation, should I leave a small gap of 1/8 - 3/16 above the tank rims (between the sterilite and the next shelf) - OR - should I make the cage touch the next shelf (full seal), and drill holes and install a piece of screen in the front and back of the cage so air can pass through. Any difference between the two? I am leaning toward the full seal as I figure there would not be a risk of over heating the cage as long as I put enough holes/screen at the top edge of the cage to allow for heat to leave (and not build up) Any experience appreciated! Thanks!
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livXpreshun
1.1 High Yellow Leopard Geckos [seperate cages]

"I've thought about things that kings and queens cannot spell." - Gary Busey

you will need to make a small gap between to tub and the wood so that the tubs will slide in and out easier. When im making a rack, i tape some quarters to the bottom of a tub and make the rack to fit that snug that way when you put in a normal tub without the quarters you have a bit of a gap.

As far as ventelation goes, get a drill and drill some holes in the tub near the top and go all the way around, that should be plenty of ventelation
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Coming Soon
www.hubcitygeckos.com

Thank you - the quarters tip sounds great. I am going to be making the rack later on - ill be sure to post when its done.

>>you will need to make a small gap between to tub and the wood so that the tubs will slide in and out easier. When im making a rack, i tape some quarters to the bottom of a tub and make the rack to fit that snug that way when you put in a normal tub without the quarters you have a bit of a gap.
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>> As far as ventelation goes, get a drill and drill some holes in the tub near the top and go all the way around, that should be plenty of ventelation
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>>Coming Soon
>>www.hubcitygeckos.com
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livXpreshun
1.1 High Yellow Leopard Geckos [seperate cages]

"I've thought about things that kings and queens cannot spell." - Gary Busey

Livxpreshun,

I've onlu built two racks so far, one for my Corn Snake collection and one for my Fattails, but I guess I would lean towards the no gap thought.

My thinking on this relates to a couple things. One is that I assume you will be using a thermostat or a dimmer type heat controling device so the odds of overheating should be taken care of through those items. Secondly, depending on your choice of food items, i.e crickets, roaches...some of which climb the tub surfaces, I would be reluctant to leave any gap no matter how slight.

As far as air circulation is concerned the holes you provide in the sterilite tubs can help in controling the amount of air coming in and leaving and I would guess having the tub fluch with the rack would also help in retaining small percentage of humidity which may be beneficial in aiding with sheding.

Just my thoughts, hope it helps.

Lee

My thoughts are in the same place. I will leave a ever so slight gap to allow for any warping of the tubs, etc., but the heat retaining is a nice thing too.
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livXpreshun
1.1 High Yellow Leopard Geckos [seperate cages]

"I've thought about things that kings and queens cannot spell." - Gary Busey