Finished Rack

[DecoGeckos]

I posted this on a different forum, but figured I would post it here as well, as it gave quite a few people ideas, and lots of questions surfaced. This rack was a JOY to make, and I think it turned out very well. It houses 40 geckos of any size (I use same size tubs for hatchlings/adults, only furniture varies), and has 4 breeding tubs on the bottom.

We decided to "daisy chain" all the rows of heat tape together, but being that I only have 12 geckos at this point (obviously going to change this season!) we didn't want the WHOLE rack running all the time. We decided to put a little LED rocker switch at the end of each row, to turn the individual shelves on by the flick of a switch.

The ONLY problem...the LED rocker switches we got were defective...they DO work, but the LED lights did not light up. We tried EVERYTHING, and finally contacted the seller, who is having us ship them back to him. So we are waiting on those!

A few people have asked for pictures, so here they are...

The whole rack with switches on the right, to turn on each individual row:

Close up of the geckos snug in their homes :

Wiring sticking out for the switches to connect to...then they push back into the holes and sit flush with the wood:

Wiring from the switches (left) to the heat tape (right). What I am holding is where we connected instead of running straight to the heat tape, so that if anything ever goes wrong with it, it is an easy fix!:

Heat tape running along the back of each row:

 

[phearamedusa]

Very nice set up. It looks like it is well thought out and easy to fix in the off chance of something going wrong. To bad I don't have enough geckos to warrant such a large system.

 

[GECKODUDE]

What size tubs are those and what size flew watt is that.

 

[DecoGeckos]

phearamedusa - I only have 12 atm, but have 5 breeding projects this season, so will easily fill the rack up I wanted to make sure I had the proper housing before even venturing into the breeding world!

GECKODUDE -
Flex Watt is 3" from The Bean Farm

Tubs are Men's Shoe Box size(approx 15qt) and Boot Box(approx 30qt.) from The Container Store - The Original Storage and Organization Store®

 

[GECKODUDE]

so 3 inch flex watt would work for 28 qt tubs. I am just asking because i am going to be building a rack soon. Nothing as nice as yours but it is going to be pvc piping with removable shelves and i am going to use 28 qt tubs. And i just want to have all my facts and what not straight before i start building.

 

[leogirl16]

what instructions did you use to make the rack? how long does the heat tape last? i was told my a few people that leos dont really need heat lamps, is this true? what tubs do you recommend for rack systems? what wood do you recommend for building a rack system? could the the rack system be permanent housing for the leos? sorry if i'm asking alot of questions, i'm wanting to build my own rack system for my leos, because one of my females is gravid and i'm running out of glass cages, and i know the plastic tubs are alot cheaper than the glass tanks i have.

 

[DecoGeckos]

what instructions did you use to make the rack?

No instructions. I planned the rack myself for some time, and as a birthday/Christmas present my husband and father made it with me. I made it to fit MY needs, not only my current collection but what I'll be producing...at least for now!

how long does the heat tape last?

I do not know the answer to this because I have not heard of anyone having any "go bad". I'm sure certain things can cause it to have a shorter life span like no air flow, or the wrong thermostat (an on/off instead of a proportional for example). I hope I don't have to find out the exact answer to this question any time soon! I ordered an extra shelves worth of heat tape just in case.

i was told my a few people that leos dont really need heat lamps, is this true?

Yes, this is true. Leopard geckos benefit most from belly heat, therefore under tank heaters are the preferred way to go. I have my heat tape set to 91*F, it seems to be where my geckos like it...88*-92*F is what I've been told are good temperatures. Ambient air temperature is not as important, but in saying that, it shouldn't be cold in their tanks either. Red light bulbs can be used if it is necessary to raise the temperature a bit. Another reason why not to use overhead lighting is that a lot of leopard geckos have very sensitive eyes, especially the albino strains.

what tubs do you recommend for rack systems?

Personally, I've tried many different kinds of tubs over the last year (before I had the rack system). I came to dislike many of them due to the bottoms. A lot of the more common tubs on the market have hollowed out areas on the interior bottom where feet come down on the outside. This makes it more difficult to get a thoroughly clean tub...or at least takes twice as long. I like The Container Store tubs (IRIS brand). Here is the link to the ones I bought:
Men's Shoe Box (for all ages of gecko): The Container Store > Our Shoe Boxes
and Boot Box (for breeding): The Container Store > Our Boot Box

what wood do you recommend for building a rack system?

Whatever wood you wish! It is really completely up to you, and your personal taste. We used finished Birch wood, but it is much more expensive than a lot of other woods. You could make this out of anything you wanted, as long as it was thick enough to support everything. 3/4" Birch still needed the center support pieces to keep the shelves from bowing (even though the boards were straight).

could the the rack system be permanent housing for the leos?

Yes, definitely. From what I have witnessed, and learned from talking to other breeders, leopard geckos do not NEED a ton of room. The people I got most of my geckos from house them in the same size I have them in now, and they are VERY healthy geckos, all of them. They are not lacking anything...it's easier to supply them with heat, that is for sure. Food and water are both easily accessed.

Hope that answered your questions! Feel free to ask any more, like I said, I am here to help

 

[slove1106]

Nice! Planning to build one next month myself. I'll probably implement lots of plans I've seen together and create my own masterpiece. (That only myself can appreciate lol)

 

[GECKODUDE]

Do you guys know anywhere else to get tubs like the ones shown above.

 

[DecoGeckos]

The IRIS tubs I have not found anywhere but at The Container Store. They are not sold at Walmarts, Targets, etc. You can look around for other brands that may work for you...personally I figured if I went to all the trouble of building the rack, I might as well have IMO the best tubs out there.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Heather, your husband is a lucky man to have a wife with a rack like that

 

[DecoGeckos]

Lol!!! Oh he knows he's lucky

 

[kare]

That is a great looking rack. I hope you fill it soon!
There is a Container Store here in the Minneapolis area, now. I have several AP Iris racks and use the men's shoe box and boot box for them, too. I have noticed, every once in awhile, that the local JoAnn's etc. and Mills Fleet Farm also carry a limited amount of Iris storage containers, now.

 

[leogirl16]

No instructions. I planned the rack myself for some time, and as a birthday/Christmas present my husband and father made it with me. I made it to fit MY needs, not only my current collection but what I'll be producing...at least for now!


I do not know the answer to this because I have not heard of anyone having any "go bad". I'm sure certain things can cause it to have a shorter life span like no air flow, or the wrong thermostat (an on/off instead of a proportional for example). I hope I don't have to find out the exact answer to this question any time soon! I ordered an extra shelves worth of heat tape just in case.


Yes, this is true. Leopard geckos benefit most from belly heat, therefore under tank heaters are the preferred way to go. I have my heat tape set to 91*F, it seems to be where my geckos like it...88*-92*F is what I've been told are good temperatures. Ambient air temperature is not as important, but in saying that, it shouldn't be cold in their tanks either. Red light bulbs can be used if it is necessary to raise the temperature a bit. Another reason why not to use overhead lighting is that a lot of leopard geckos have very sensitive eyes, especially the albino strains.

Personally, I've tried many different kinds of tubs over the last year (before I had the rack system). I came to dislike many of them due to the bottoms. A lot of the more common tubs on the market have hollowed out areas on the interior bottom where feet come down on the outside. This makes it more difficult to get a thoroughly clean tub...or at least takes twice as long. I like The Container Store tubs (IRIS brand). Here is the link to the ones I bought:
Men's Shoe Box (for all ages of gecko): The Container Store > Our Shoe Boxes
and Boot Box (for breeding): The Container Store > Our Boot Box


Whatever wood you wish! It is really completely up to you, and your personal taste. We used finished Birch wood, but it is much more expensive than a lot of other woods. You could make this out of anything you wanted, as long as it was thick enough to support everything. 3/4" Birch still needed the center support pieces to keep the shelves from bowing (even though the boards were straight).


Yes, definitely. From what I have witnessed, and learned from talking to other breeders, leopard geckos do not NEED a ton of room. The people I got most of my geckos from house them in the same size I have them in now, and they are VERY healthy geckos, all of them. They are not lacking anything...it's easier to supply them with heat, that is for sure. Food and water are both easily accessed.

Hope that answered your questions! Feel free to ask any more, like I said, I am here to help

thank you for all your help!

 

[Toxicwaste87]

Wow, that's amazing!