Custom aquarium/terrarium size?

[SamanthaLovely]

So I have 6 Leopard geckos each in their own tank. And let me tell you it's a mismatch disaster in there. None of the tanks match and none of the stands match.

So I saw an ad on kijiji for a guy who makes aquariums and I was going to check it out. But then I had the though Why not make my own. They don't need to have water so I don't need to be crazy with the sealing.

So I'm contacting the glass place to check their prices later but I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for sizes. Right now my ideal size would be 35" long by 17" high and 17" wide.

I'd like to get a second level going in each one but if that ends up being unlikely I'll probably go with 12" high.

Sometime when I can convince my mother to give me the lumber chilling in her garage we're going to make a custom book shelf sort of thing for them. So no more mismatch mess.

 

[BonnieLorraine]

What you might want to think of doing, since it's a desert species and you're going to build it, is look into using melamine with sliding glass front doors. You only have to seal the inside edges with silicone to prevent crud buildup, and they can be very uniform looking and eliminate the need for a rack to go with it. I used to have some that were 4' long overall, and divided into 2 24" wide cages, stacked a few tall it was an easy and pretty way to display my desert gecko collection. Here's a pic from the company I use to give you an idea of what I'm talking about

 

[SamanthaLovely]

What you might want to think of doing, since it's a desert species and you're going to build it, is look into using melamine with sliding glass front doors. You only have to seal the inside edges with silicone to prevent crud buildup, and they can be very uniform looking and eliminate the need for a rack to go with it. I used to have some that were 4' long overall, and divided into 2 24" wide cages, stacked a few tall it was an easy and pretty way to display my desert gecko collection. Here's a pic from the company I use to give you an idea of what I'm talking about

I love those. They're so awesome. I don't think I could make something like that though. Someday I'll have something that cool for my geckos.

 

[Jarmst4]

This is what I'm working on for mine. I'm not fond of the sliding glass doors. Always have too many cricket escapes. I'm doing the doors on this one piece with hinges.

 

[nickexotics]

That picture reminds me of how the gorillas are kept in the zoo, lol
I hate melamine. I just throw one out a few months ago. The only water I used on it was to clean it and the piece of junk cracked along the glass rail. It's also heavy and if you live somewhere humid with a desert animal the humidity will be too high. Unless you add alot of vents. If you don't use AC they will overheat because it holds in alot of heat heat,

 

[frankenspud]

you should just get a 40 gallon breeder tank. they measure 36"L X 16"H X 18"W-almost the exact measurements you're thinking about and perfect for leos. it's not very cost effective to build your own tank unless you can get the glass for free. you can get one for $40 at petco or petsmart when they have they're $1 per gallon sale. then you can spend all the money/time you'll save on customizing the interior.

 

[SamanthaLovely]

you should just get a 40 gallon breeder tank. they measure 36"L X 16"H X 18"W-almost the exact measurements you're thinking about and perfect for leos. it's not very cost effective to build your own tank unless you can get the glass for free. you can get one for $40 at petco or petsmart when they have they're $1 per gallon sale. then you can spend all the money/time you'll save on customizing the interior.

I've heard alot of people talking about this sale but I've never heard or seen it happen around here. I'll have to ask them at the store.