Oh, thank you! I hadn't thought of the heat escaping that way... that is very helpful
But DAMN I won't be living up to my Canadian stereotype now. Hehe.

In all seriousness. The cage was pre-assembled, and it is not screwed. I guess it is epoxied...
The manufactorer said the PVC is 3/8" thick.
http://pvccages.com/

I will try finding something else to raise the tank on! I did buy a new UTH for the occasion, and it of course comes with those little stickies, but I thought with all the cords and the 4ft. tank they wouldn't do the job.