think this is final?

[Bartman]

I think this should do for my final plan. I took into consideration size of the animals, the fact that the 6 footers would sag if they were on the bottom (now on top) and I think this would work well. It would end up being about 5 or even 6 feet high. If it was 6 feet high the boa's would have 1.5 feet instead of 1 foot of height. Ill end up doing that.

Got some questions, how do you heat tanks like the boa tanks. Im used to the height so I mount a light fixture on top to heat them. I need to keep electricity bills low, so what other options for heating do I have. For the rubbermaid section I am going to use heat tape or something my dad said he has that should do the job. Id have to test temps before though. It would be heated from behind like any rack.

For the jcp I was thinking about an overhead heat light fixture like I usually do and put screen around it.

Im just not sure about the boa tanks..


Here is the new, possibly final, plans.
Any tips or suggestions are welcomed!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/jpeg.jpg


Thanks for putting up with my crazy ideas :D


EDIT: the wall on the left of the jcp tank will be one of the main supports to hold up everything so it doesnt sag.

[Mark]

What thickness are you using? Also the 6 footers will sag with just the weight of theirselves.

[BoAddict]

heating by lights is not cheaper than heating pads for electricity or on the pocket book.

you will be going through bulbs like 90 if you go that route

i would go with heating pads or heat tape

[boa_Jay]

you can put heat tape either in the back or under each cage at one end. 11" heat tape will do the job or those 25watt stick on heat matt will work well too

[Lindze]

The bottom six foot section shouldnt sag too badly, depending on the thickness of your wood, i would say a good 3/4" would help. But the bottom and the top of the top six foot section will still sag a little unless you incorporate some kind of support system...i dont have any ideas at the moment but maybe someone else has some.

[bighillreptiles]

heat rope at super pet in Oshawa is 50 bucks for 25 feet all you need is a dimmer and a good thermometer from Wallmart 18 bucks ,so for under 100 you can heat the hole thing at the price you would pay for two bulbs ,cheeper in the long run

[bighillreptiles]

as for sagging i would use 2x2 frame work that should help with the weight and 5/8th mallimine

[Invictus]

Or just put in a vertical support beam like any other house would have. It's that simple.

I think you should make it modular. If you build that all in one unit, good luck manouvering it around a corner or something if you ever move. Make sure you can take it apart easily.

[asphyxia]

"I think you should make it modular"...I agree with Invictus

Brian

[BornboreD]

I would invest the money in a thermostat and use heat tape for the rubbermiads and heat panels for the boa, and jcp enclosures. Yeah, and making it modular would be probably be smart as well.

[Bartman]

Alright...I dont know if I didnt say it clearly enough, but yea I want to stay away from bulb use and only go heatpads and ropes because I need this piece to cut down electricity bills that were getting to high.

The modular idea is very good, thanks for that...Ill make each section be able to pull apart and Ill try and make them attach with hooks or something that snap in.

Thanks for the tips!!

Im planning on using pretreated melamine thats most likely 5/8 inches thick.

[Mark]

your going to have to brace the center then or it will sag too much at 6' long. Also there is no need to attach the cages together. They are heavy enough to stay in place.

[BoidKeeper]

I would run a horozontal support "beam" accross the ceilling of the two 6 footers. And I also think it should be modular.
As for heat, why not go with radiant heat panels? They come in different sizes and would work fine for all of the animals you're putting in there. Or if you make it modular you can go with heat tape in between the cages. As for the rubbermaid section you can heat it with heat tape attacted to the back on the outside.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Bartman]

Thats what I was going to do for the rubbermaids. But for the other tanks I wanted to have dimmers on the front to adjust heat. Im no good with electric things, although my dad is,

But what would I need to adjust heat seperatly in each tank

Could it be done using the heat rope (my dads a plumber so he knows how to hook it up and already has this)

Or instead of heat rope, could I find radient heat panels at home depot or candian tire? How much would they run?

[BoidKeeper]

The radiant heat panels can be bought from Grant at PCPC or directly from Helix. They are not a hardware store product.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Bartman]

How would I get it directly from helix? Do they have a website?

EDIT: as well, do they sell heat tape at hardware stores?

[BoidKeeper]

Yes helix has a web site, it's http://helixcontrols.com/default.htm .
No heat tape is not CSZ approved because you have to wire it your self so it is not sold in hardware stores. Check the bean farm for it or maybe PCPC has it to.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Brent Strande]

think this is final?

probably not... JK

Make sure that you think this stuff through before going ahead so that you don't end up with even more animals to sell... I've also been learning the hard way not to jump in too deep right away with the critters!

[Bartman]

Yea well its not final plans..just final plans for the look and idea for what im going to build.

Now to figure out the details :D

[Bartman]

Would 2x4x2 be okay for a permenent jcp enclosure?

I was told 3x2x2 is perfect, but would the added width make up for the shorteneed height?

Thanks!

[BoidKeeper]

If it was me it would be 3x2x2.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Bartman]

Well because I figured out all the measurements and for it to all sit together like as if it was one piece, the jcp enclosure would need to be 2x4x2, unless I added more racks to even out 3 feet, which I could do , but I dont need all the racks. Id need maybe 6.

back to the drawing board :p

[Jeff_Favelle]

The "3" in the 3x2x2 is NOT height.

[Bartman]

Oh man..im so dumb, its LxWxH

Ok so then it would be enough, and even more then the minimum. Thanks for pointing out my stupidity :p :D

[Bartman]

Ok so here is my final plan, I think :D

JCP tank on the right, 8 rubbermaid (26.4 L), only one boa cage because ive decided to hold off on getting a female. Later if I want, since it will all be pieces, I could just make another 6x2x1.5 and sit it on top of the other.

I was thinking of continuing the heat system for the rubbermaids up the back for the boa cage too. Then it would heat the left side, the warm end, and not the right side, the cool end. Would this work? ( I would need to add grills to the back of the left side so the heat can come in easier)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/Untitled-1copy.jpg

The cham tank would sit on top and any small spare tanks I have for my leopard geckos and crested gecko could sit on top on the right side.

Any last suggestions before I start figuring out piece by piece measurments to get them precut at homedepot :D

[Bartman]

Im going to start building hopefully by this weekend. Before it gets to cold to even work in the garage!

the blueprints I made on photoshop are done. Then I made a list of the individual pieces id need (so i can just get em precut at homedepot and save time) That was the only difficult part. Now to get some heat tape!

(anyone in the gta have maybe 10 feet of 6 inch, or what do you think ill need?)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/tankplansjpeg.jpg