Building Q's

[Big_V]

Hey guys,
Well Ive been reading over the threads in this forum and have decided to start building some enclosures soon for my snakes. Now though im still not decided on the material Id like to use plywood and seal it because melamine is very very heavy. Now to the questions...

1) If I was to make stackable tanks would it be better to use melamine or plywood (3/4inch) for stability sake ? (The tanks will be 3 stacked on top of eachother...2 bottom tanks 5x2x1.5 and top 4x2x1.5)

2) Other than epoxy is there anything else I could use to seal the enclosure to make it water tight. And if not how much epoxy would I need in your opinion?

3) In regards to heating I'd like to go with RHP's, just wondering what your thoughts are on them ?

Thanks for your time and help, it is much appreciated.

[jjnnbns]

I used marine enamel (suggested by Jeff Favelle) and it should hopefully work as I plan on using it for my BRBs. Is RHP rheostat heat pad??? I'm not familiar with that acronym. I would suggest either heat tape or under tank heaters.

[Big_V]

jjnnbns- RHP means radiant heat panel.

[Big_V]

Anyone ???

[JRQ]

ALright watertight, I m building a tank setup similar you BIG V. Mne will be made for frogs so i really need it water tight.
THe tanks can be made of 3/4'' plywood becuase people use this size to make water holding aquariums, and they last for a lifetime under the amount of pressure exerted by water. Other stuff you can use to make the tank watertight is rhino truck liner, or youcan buy heruliner a do it yourself paint on truck liner. Itis completely safe and will take a little time to apply, plus it wont crack like some epoxy will in time. plus it looks cool when you use grey. ANother option is to have a bedliner shop in your area to spray it for you, more colors to choose from.

[retic]

whatever wood you use (iuse melamine) put and valance on the top and a litter dam on bottom, i ussually use 2 inch on bottom and 3 on top this will stop them from bowing in the middle, as for sealing it, i build them using 100% silicone between edges while building on then seal it all up with Thompsons water seal then i put a bead of silocone around the inside of enclosure on every edge, Hope this helps

[panther_dude]

Outdoor latex paint by C.I.L is water based and completly safe for your herps. Plus being outdoor paint will stand up to even snow .
A deffinate plus to using outdoor paint is your selection of colours.
I would make sure to paint all the pieces after they are cut then pre drill and assemble your setup.

[Lisa]

Waterbased paint will disolve with lots of water


We did our stackable cages out of melamine (see my herproom post)

[JRQ]

www.herculiner.com