Hi I have used plywood(cabinet grade) on all my dragon tanks and never had an issue and it is definitely lighter than melamine. For that grade of plywood it usually runs me about $50 for a 4x8 sheet. You can use cheaper grade if you want but it will prob have a lot of knots and blemishes. For the size you want to build you can get the bottom/back and both side pieces from one 4x8 sheet. The only thing you wood have to worry about is the front which you would have to put a runner around the edge and get some track for the bottom and top for your sliding glass doors...
here are some that I have built
I built these with removable covers(little more work) but if your just going to use screen no top needed. Also I went with drilling holes right into the wood for ventilation as in previous models I had used peg board cut outs but found it wasn't enough..
The track for the sliding glass doors can be bought at home depot or like business. It is a metal W shaped piece that the panes of glass fit into. As far as painting, I just use stain on the outside and use a clear coat sealer to cover both inside and out.
Here is a link to A similar cage but with more instructions... Lol
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/
Any more questions just ask I will try to find my other plans for you..
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