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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
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    40 Gallon Breeder Ideas

    Hey guys!

    As I continue patiently waiting for my BP's T10 to arrive, I've been putting a lot of thought into what to do with his current 40 gallon breeder front opening enclosure. So far the only thing I've come up with is to silicone a piece of plexiglass in the middle, and turning it into two, giant, crested gecko enclosures. Has anyone pulled this off or seen something similar? I feel like this would be a relatively simply project, but I just want to get a feeling for how complicated this may end up being as I've never attempted any enclosure modifications myself.

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    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I've sub-divided a glass tank in the past for a similar purpose. I would recommend that for stability, you first install some narrow molding on either side of where you want the partition to be (using silicone seal) so that the molding holds it in place. You could then either glue the plexi (or glass divider*) in place, or leave it supported by the molding so it's removeable as needed. *If you have a piece of glass cut to fit, it probably won't cost much (a place that cuts glass & mirrors may have a remnant they'll sell cheaply) but the advantage of glass is that it doesn't scratch up easily as plexi does with repeated cleanings. Personally, I'd use glass. You can find all types of molding (aluminum, etc) in a Home Depot/Lowes or other hardware store, but don't use wood unless you seal it very well first. I think this will be more awkward with a front opening tank- I've only converted a normal tank (top opening) The biggest problem: the flexible screen top, which animals can & will push thru to get to the other side! You'll have to find a way to prevent that.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
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    Re: 40 Gallon Breeder Ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    . I think this will be more awkward with a front opening tank- I've only converted a normal tank (top opening) The biggest problem: the flexible screen top, which animals can & will push thru to get to the other side! You'll have to find a way to prevent that.
    Thanks as always! This is one of Zilla's enclosures, so the top basically has a brace that runs from front to back and the two areas of screen are removable and framed in plastic. The brace in the middle conveniently has a channel that I think will work perfect to hold the top of the partition if that makes sense. I'm probably explaining that terribly but I hope it helps picture it a little. I didn't think about the scratching on the plexi so I will probably go with glass, and I have a place that cuts glass right down the road so I shouldn't be too hard, the weird part will be getting the measurements and then of course fitting everything in, as like you said, we're not sliding right down into the tank. It'll probably be a swear filled Saturday lol but I think I can make it work.

    Thanks for the tip on the molding too, I like the idea of being able to take it out if needed, so I'll look into that as well.

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    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: 40 Gallon Breeder Ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Hugsplox View Post
    Thanks as always! This is one of Zilla's enclosures, so the top basically has a brace that runs from front to back and the two areas of screen are removable and framed in plastic. The brace in the middle conveniently has a channel that I think will work perfect to hold the top of the partition if that makes sense. I'm probably explaining that terribly but I hope it helps picture it a little. I didn't think about the scratching on the plexi so I will probably go with glass, and I have a place that cuts glass right down the road so I shouldn't be too hard, the weird part will be getting the measurements and then of course fitting everything in, as like you said, we're not sliding right down into the tank. It'll probably be a swear filled Saturday lol but I think I can make it work.

    Thanks for the tip on the molding too, I like the idea of being able to take it out if needed, so I'll look into that as well.
    You'll have to tweak my suggestion to accommodate how your tank is built, but I think you can make it work. You want tempered glass, btw. I haven't bought any for a long time, but it wasn't a big expense. I once put sliding glass doors on a cabinet that I converted into a snake home. (The top was solid & the sides were ventilated metal.) Fun projects! BTW, they even make U-shaped aluminum track- (actually square on bottom, btw)- so instead of molding on either side, you might look for that- I used some just slightly wider than the glass & I put in narrow strip of fuzzy fabric so the glass slid better.) I love "solving" these puzzles...
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    By the way, if you're just using silicone seal (& not some more permanent type of glue) to cement the partition into place, it can also be removed in the future if your needs change (or if you wanted to sell the tank).
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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  9. #6
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
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    Re: 40 Gallon Breeder Ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    By the way, if you're just using silicone seal (& not some more permanent type of glue) to cement the partition into place, it can also be removed in the future if your needs change (or if you wanted to sell the tank).
    Yea I thought about that as well. I'm familiar with using silicone to reseal aquariums, but I've never used it to add something entirely new to a tank, so it'll be an interested project. I just thought it would be neat to give these two crested geckos I have more room to move around in, and I plan to breed them in a year or two just for fun, my local pet shop loves getting "locally breed" reptiles in to sell, so this is the the unofficial start of that project.

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