insulating and sectioning a glass tank

[dizzy]

I tried to do a search on insulating a glass tank, but I always come up with like a million unrelated threads... Must not be specific enough in my keywords or something...

I really don't want to keep my BPs in tubs, not yet anyway. But I want to cover 3 walls of the tank so they feel more secure, and to help keep the ambient air temps up. I'm running out of wall space and will probably have to put the next couple tanks nearer to the window than I would like to in this crappy climate so I think ambient temps might be a bit harder to keep up by the window.

I thought I had read here in the forums that a good way to insulate was to cover the inside of the 3 walls with that expanding foam in a can stuff for filling cracks... I tried that today and I don't know about it. It took a whole can to cover the rear wall (I think it's a 40 gal tank) and it looks weird. I hope I didn't misinterprate (sp) what I read and use the wrong stuff. Obviously you have to let it air out and dry and I was planning on painting it... After it's all dry and whatnot, it shouldn't be harmful to the snake, right? It just doesn't look like I thought it would so I'm wondering if I used the right stuff.

Has anyone used the foam in a can to insulate a glass tank? Pictures would be great.

Did I use the wrong stuff and have to scrape it all out before even thinking about putting my new bps in there on Tuesday?

Or is it the right stuff and I just have to paint it when I get home and let it air out all day tomorrow before putting the BPs in there on Tuesday?

What other ways are there to insulate? I've heard of corkboard covered in paper, but won't that get trashed when I mist with the spray bottle? Or if the snakes happen to somehow spill their soaking dishes on it?

Another thing I'm wondering, does the insulation have to be on the inside? I was under the impression that it did and if you had some sort of covering/insulation on the outside of the tank it will make the glass more reflective and the BP may see it's reflection and possibly strike at it or become stressed out by it. ???


Second topic... Sectioning off a larger tank for 2 bps... What do you use to section it off? Wood, plastic? Do you put holes in it for better air circulation if you've got the lid covered? Right now I've got Dali and Valo in a 40 gal breeder split in half. The divider is just a piece of bardboard wrapped in duct tape. I don't have any holes in the divider, I just have a couple little open squares on each side of the lid for air circulation.

The strange thing is, there must be a little bit of a gap between the divider and the lid because Dali manages to appear in Valo's side of the tank. I don't know why she climbs over to Valo's side... The temps, humidity, set up, hides are exactly the same on both sides and I've always read that BPs are not social creatures at all. They're both 08s and so not sexually mature at all. I decided maybe she just wanted that side of the tank, so I switched them and she still climbs over. I've switched them a couple times now...

Why would she do this?

I'll get a better divider this week. I just want to know why on earth she seems to prefer to be with Valo.


Thanks everyone

[dr del]

Hi,

Insulation goes on the outside of the tank so you can still clean the inside easily.

What you may have confused it with was the building of fake rock walls etc for decorative purposes.

Sheet polystyrene is a good material to use as it is easy to cut to size and work with.

Reflectix (sp) is also good - I used a couple of layers of sheet cork used to make pinboards and such.

I would also urge you to find some divider that has no tape inside the snakes enclosure whatsoever - it is a nightmare waiting to happen.


dr del

[dizzy]

Thank you. I'll scrape that crap out of the tank then.

Covering the outside won't make the glass reflective and stress out the BP?

What possible nightmare might tape cause inside the tank? I highly doubt they can get it loose and swallow it.

No idea as to why Dali might prefer being with Valo? I'm so confused about that. I'll get a better divider to prevent it and get rid of the tape, I just want to know exactly *why* my bps do the things they do.

Thanks

[dr del]

Hi,

I've never had a problem with covering the outside of the tank - I used aquarium background to make it look better for me and it never seemed to bother them.

As to the tape - here is a post I made collecting some of the tape damage threads.

On the rampant cohabitation it might simply be a case of exploring through a known escape route rather than a burning desire to be together.


dr del