Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am building a tank for two collared, it is 48x22x18. Now i need to decide if I want to put glass or plexiglass into it. Cost is going to be one of my major factors. I have looked into plexiglass and there is a 20$ difference in 1/8 thickness compared to 1/4 inch. Would 1/8 inch be thick enough??

Thanks

I started with plexiglass. I only needed it for the front sliding doors. Within a few days the collareds had scratched it pretty badly. And, it held onto the dust they kicked up like a magnet and was always filthy. I have replaced it with glass and don't have these problems anymore. It was made for very thin plexiglass, so I am using very thin glass, like for picture framing. It seems to hold in the heat fine, but I wish it were thicker. I think it would break easily if I did not keep the track it slides on very clean. They kick sand into that, too.
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

vrk.photosite.com

Plexiglas is technically the correct spelling, as it's a brand name.

Plexiglas advantages: cheaper, a little sturdier (and flexible).

Disadvantages: as previously described in the thread (scratches easily, static cling).

Glass advantages: much more scratch-resistant, easier to keep clean.

Disadvantages: heavy, breakable, more expensive.

There's also acryclic, which some people use for enclosures. More scratch-resistant than Plexiglas, but I think it costs quite a bit.

As far as the difference in thickness, it's not like the collareds are gonna "bust through" 1/8" material. However, it IS something to consider if going with glass--the thinner material will be easier to break through unfortunate accidents etc.
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

>>Plexiglas is technically the correct spelling, as it's a brand name.

I made some fake HTML tags on the above line to indicate the good nature in which the correction was intended, but I guess KS software deleted them.
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet