I have had my Hex tank for years and up until now I have used it for freshwater fish and it has been a beautiful tank. recently I have been increasingly interested in a crested gecko vivarium. would a hex work well for a crestie viv? the way I would have to get in the tank is from the top as it being a fish tank previously there is no doors. I keep going back and forth on the topic. advice?
Should i keep my hex tank for a new viv or start new and get a exo terra?
- Thread starter Jennmarie
- Start date
I think it could be done. You just have to be careful about the crestie getting out when you open the top. If you decide to have plants with a light, you'll either have to suspend the light above the tank, or move it every time you want to take the top off. Otherwise, it should be fine.
Aliza
Aliza
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Hi Jennmarie ~
Welcome aboard!
Do you need a custom screen top for your hex? Click right here: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/do-yourself-diy/77953-screen-cover-hexagon-tank.html
Welcome aboard!
Do you need a custom screen top for your hex? Click right here: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/do-yourself-diy/77953-screen-cover-hexagon-tank.html
Jenn, I actually am in the process of turning a 30gal Hex tank into a vivarium now. I have a build thread in this section of the forums and the DIY lid that Elizabeth linked to you is the top I built for it a couple weeks ago. Its very do-able and I think its gonna turn out great! my only problem is ima have to redo the silicone because my grandparents let the tank sit too long and the silicone looks like crap lol. Good luck on whatever avenue you decide to take.
If you're fairly comfortable with DIY projects, you could pull out a pane of glass, and turn it into a door. I've personally done it. It took a couple of days of effort and cursing. If you aren't comfortable with cutting glass, you could probably find a glass shop to do it for you, although it's not particularly challenging.
Here are a few of the links I used when I was doing the research for it.
Hexagon Conversion - Dendroboard
Converting a Pentagon to Front Opening? - Dendroboard
Planted hexagonal vivarium for crested gecko (lots of pics) - Reptile Forums
I also took pictures during the process, if you're interested in seeing them. It's been a few years now, I still use the tank, and I'm pretty happy with it. I would totally do it again in a heart beat.
Here are a few of the links I used when I was doing the research for it.
Hexagon Conversion - Dendroboard
Converting a Pentagon to Front Opening? - Dendroboard
Planted hexagonal vivarium for crested gecko (lots of pics) - Reptile Forums
I also took pictures during the process, if you're interested in seeing them. It's been a few years now, I still use the tank, and I'm pretty happy with it. I would totally do it again in a heart beat.
I started out by scoring a used, 27 gallon hex for 10 bucks at a local thrift store, and a hex end table of an appropriate size, for another 10 dollars.
This tank was exceptionally old. So old, that instead of a solid plastic rim that's standard now days, it had a pre-segmented plastic rim. I sliced between the two pieces, loosening the glue.
And slowly worked my way down the silicone surrounding the pane I was trying to remove.
Eventually, I had the pane mostly loosened.
And with some careful carving at the bottom, removed.
Evidently, I skipped a few steps in the picture taking process. But, after removal of the pane of glass, I cut it twice, once about 4 inches from the bottom, and once two inches from the top. My cuts weren't terribly straight, as I'm not terribly practiced in glass cutting, but I didn't snap the whole thing into a million pieces, so I ran with it. I sanded all of the cut edges with a 60 grit wet sanding block until all the rough edges were smooth, and the fit was easy to open, but tight.
Dry fit.
Then I turned the tank on it's side, and glued the top and bottom pieces back into place. As the glass was beveled, it sat nicely in place, with only a couple pieces of tape to keep it secure while it dried. I picked up a couple 1 1/2" hinges from the local hardware store, scuffed up te back with sand paper, and glued them to the door, and the tank. I laid the tank back on its side, taped up around the places I didn't want glue, and set the door into place, then just glued the hinges on.
This would have been much more difficult if the glass hadn't been beveled.
Which brings us to this picture.
You can see, the gaps between the door, and the frame are pretty tiny.
My closure method can be seen here.
I also made a top out of 1/2"x1/2" square dowel, cut to fit. Then I taped wax paper to the frame of the tank, set the pieces in for gluing, to get a snug, but not permanent fit, and painted the whole thing black.
I cut a piece of fiberglass window screening to fit the frame, and glued it on with E6000, which I pressed into the screen for a good tight seal. I lack a picture of that, though if you really want to see it, I can go pop it off the tank and snap a photo for you.
This tank was exceptionally old. So old, that instead of a solid plastic rim that's standard now days, it had a pre-segmented plastic rim. I sliced between the two pieces, loosening the glue.
And slowly worked my way down the silicone surrounding the pane I was trying to remove.
Eventually, I had the pane mostly loosened.
And with some careful carving at the bottom, removed.
Evidently, I skipped a few steps in the picture taking process. But, after removal of the pane of glass, I cut it twice, once about 4 inches from the bottom, and once two inches from the top. My cuts weren't terribly straight, as I'm not terribly practiced in glass cutting, but I didn't snap the whole thing into a million pieces, so I ran with it. I sanded all of the cut edges with a 60 grit wet sanding block until all the rough edges were smooth, and the fit was easy to open, but tight.
Dry fit.
Then I turned the tank on it's side, and glued the top and bottom pieces back into place. As the glass was beveled, it sat nicely in place, with only a couple pieces of tape to keep it secure while it dried. I picked up a couple 1 1/2" hinges from the local hardware store, scuffed up te back with sand paper, and glued them to the door, and the tank. I laid the tank back on its side, taped up around the places I didn't want glue, and set the door into place, then just glued the hinges on.
This would have been much more difficult if the glass hadn't been beveled.
Which brings us to this picture.
You can see, the gaps between the door, and the frame are pretty tiny.
My closure method can be seen here.
I also made a top out of 1/2"x1/2" square dowel, cut to fit. Then I taped wax paper to the frame of the tank, set the pieces in for gluing, to get a snug, but not permanent fit, and painted the whole thing black.
I cut a piece of fiberglass window screening to fit the frame, and glued it on with E6000, which I pressed into the screen for a good tight seal. I lack a picture of that, though if you really want to see it, I can go pop it off the tank and snap a photo for you.
It wasn't particularly complicated. Mostly just really, really time consuming. If you're willing (and able) to spend the money to get someone to cut and finish the glass for you, then it's a snap. If not, slightly more work, but really not to bad. And so much easier to work on. Let me know if you have any other questions about it. I would be happy to help!