DIY help!!

[blueturtle]

Hey everyone!

So after seeing everyone's custom viv I got the itch to do one as well. Not to mention the room it would save me from trying to find room for another tank to house one of snakes that's currently in a tub she's getting close to outgrowing. Okay, and it'll also give me room to get 1 or 2 more snakies!

Anyway, I'm nearing the final steps to this little project of mine and I had one question I couldn't seem to answer with the search option. All I need left is to order the acrylic doors and install them. I measured out the openings and I need 3 doors that are 30x12x0.25". My question is :With the doors being 30inches wide, will I need 2 latches or can I just use 1 in the center? I know after a certain length it's easy for the snakes to push the corners of the doors out if only using 1 center latch. I know I read it somewhere on here but for the life of me I can't seem to find the thread it was mentioned on.

Also, I was curious to know how everyone else felt about the smell of their viv once its been occupied. Currently I have 2 snakes. Alcy is in a 20L fish tank, which contains no odors whatsoever. Red, however, is in a 16qt sterilite tub. There are currently 3 rows of vent holes totaling 75 around the tub with 25 holes evenly placed across the lid. Yet, even with 100 total vent holes and immediate cleaning of any of her dirty business, there is still an odor every time I open the tub. I'm not exactly sure but I can only assume its because the plastic has just absorbed the smells. This has caused some concern to me though. With the viv that I currently put together, the only real ventilation is the pegboard back. So has anyone experienced an odor buildup in their custom vivs? Will it be a problem with only the pegboard ventilation? I was thinking of installing additional side vents on each of the 3 sections but I'm not exactly sure how I would cut into the bookcase to install them. My dad doesn't have any fancy tools and I don't really have the means to buy any additional tools to only be used once. So what do you all think I should do?

Here's a quick run down on this project.
+It's an ikea bookcase that I primed and sealed for waterproofing.
+All edges have been sealed with silicone.
+I've installed overhead lighting on each with a 20" strip light.
+On the right of each section I've created a cavity with an aluminum plate and silicone to allow the uth to slide in and out if need be. I protected the "wood" under the uth with aluminum foil.
+Heat mats will be hooked up to a Ranco t-stat for controlling.
+I will be attaching 2" dams the the front of each section but I ran out of silicone.

If there's anything that you think I missed please let me know. I appreciate any constructive criticism and/or praise!

Thank you and I hope someone can help me with my questions!

-Aida

 

[LostNFound]

hey ummm I know you are asking for suggestions but I got a question .... how did you create the cavity?!?! did you just put enough silicon that the plate is elevated?

 

[blueturtle]

hey ummm I know you are asking for suggestions but I got a question .... how did you create the cavity?!?! did you just put enough silicon that the plate is elevated?

oh I used those rubber spacers that come with the uth. i applied them to the corners of the plates and then siliconed them down for security. i then applied silicone to cover the edge of the plate and the gap. i used alot of silicone on the gap but i wanted to make sure the plate wouldnt cave under the snake's weight later on when it gets into the 100g+ range.

 

[EmJagsz]

That looks GREAT!! I can't wait to see what it looks like all finished. The uth cavity idea is awesome- if I ever get into making my own custom viv, I just might steal that idea off of you

 

[blueturtle]

That looks GREAT!! I can't wait to see what it looks like all finished. The uth cavity idea is awesome- if I ever get into making my own custom viv, I just might steal that idea off of you

Thank you! I will have to say though, that I myself stole the cavity idea. i first saw it in thread from Silvergrin. The thread was titled something like snake-mas or snake xmas, something like that. It's a good idea too. I like being able to take the uth in and out in case of any malfunctions or something.

 

[pwargcm]

the answer for the latch question would be use 2 latches. its not that much more money or time involved. and its just that much more security to say you wont lose one of your animals and get heartbroken when it was an easy fix right away.

as for the venting. try them out, and if later they do leave a smell you can get some of those mats for under substrate to control the odor. or if you wanted to put vents in you can just drill a hole and use a key saw, or buy a hole saw and hook it up to a drill and then just drill away and install a vent. depending on what style vent youd want to use.

 

[blueturtle]

the answer for the latch question would be use 2 latches. its not that much more money or time involved. and its just that much more security to say you wont lose one of your animals and get heartbroken when it was an easy fix right away.

as for the venting. try them out, and if later they do leave a smell you can get some of those mats for under substrate to control the odor. or if you wanted to put vents in you can just drill a hole and use a key saw, or buy a hole saw and hook it up to a drill and then just drill away and install a vent. depending on what style vent youd want to use.

there's an odor absorbing mat for under the substrate and i wasnt aware of this?! please share the name if you know it or where i can get one.

 

[pwargcm]

i think zoo med makes them. i know they have others you can get anywhere that are for like bottom of rodent cages. not sure if theyre good for reptiles. but im pretty sure it was zoomed who makes them, unless i was that far into the bag that night and am mistaken.

 

[pwargcm]

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/E...DYXRlZ29yeSI7czoxNToiQ2FnZSBTdWJzdHJhdGVzIjt9



that might help.

 

[blueturtle]

Does anyone foresee a problem with ordering my acrylic doors 3/16" rather than 1/4"? its only 1/16 of a difference but wanted to be sure before I went out and bought them. Turns out that 1/4" thickness would leave the door sticking out a bit rather than flush against the enclosure.


Btw, I've seen posts saying that they only paid $12-15 for their acrylic but I keep getting quoted at $25-30 per 30x12 sheet.

Has anyone gotten better prices by ordering online and who did you use? I currently don't have an extra $100 laying around to use on acrylic doors since I also gotta put in an order for mice in the next week or so.

 

[blueturtle]

Just wanna give this a bump in case any more experienced DIY-ers missed it, that could help me with my thickness question.

 

[jpccusa]

Does anyone foresee a problem with ordering my acrylic doors 3/16" rather than 1/4"? its only 1/16 of a difference but wanted to be sure before I went out and bought them. Turns out that 1/4" thickness would leave the door sticking out a bit rather than flush against the enclosure.


Btw, I've seen posts saying that they only paid $12-15 for their acrylic but I keep getting quoted at $25-30 per 30x12 sheet.

Has anyone gotten better prices by ordering online and who did you use? I currently don't have an extra $100 laying around to use on acrylic doors since I also gotta put in an order for mice in the next week or so.

I believe you will not see a big difference when buying 1/16 instead of the 1/4 thick. I would go w/ the cheapest.

As far as my acrylic, the best price I found was at Lowes for $45. It's a huge piece (6 x 3 feet) so shipping cost would be crazy in my case. The advantage of buying there also, they cut to size for me.