Dividing a 55 Gallon Tank for Foster?

[JinxtheBP]

Hey, everyone!

Someone recently gave me a brand new 55 gallon tank with a screen top. Since none of my critters are large enough to really need such a massive enclosure at this point, I was thinking about dividing it and using it to foster a couple of smaller animals (most likely snakes) for a local reptile rescue. They're always in need of more temporary homes and the tank is just sitting empty otherwise!

My father is in woodworking and production, so I have affordable access to just about any tools and materials I decide upon. I trust him to help me make sure it's totally secure, or to tell me if there's really no good way to make it happen, but I'd love your thoughts and suggestions before I start asking him to help me brainstorm further!

Ideally, I'd like the divider to be opaque, so the neighbors don't stress one another out, and removable, so that I can eventually use the tank for one of my permanent pets when they require a move to a bigger space.

Whatcha think?

[JinxtheBP]

Aha! I just found this:

HerpSupplies.com - Tank Divider, 15/20L (Large) - Penn Plax - Clear plastic tank dividers - split your tank into two (or more) sections...

If anyone has experience with using these, let me know! Certainly seems like the simplest solution, if it's sturdy.

[Minkness]

My only concern is that reptiles can have some baaaad stuff come in with them. So if you decide to be a temp rescue home for needy reptiles, make sure to keep your personal reptiles in a separate room and to wash your hands between any handling of animals, products, or supplies.

That being said, good luck!

[JinxtheBP]

Originally Posted by Minkness

My only concern is that reptiles can have some baaaad stuff come in with them. So if you decide to be a temp rescue home for needy reptiles, make sure to keep your personal reptiles in a separate room and to wash your hands between any handling of animals, products, or supplies.

That being said, good luck!

That is a really, really great point! Thank you for bringing it up. Fortunately, I'm already in the habit of doing that! I wash my hands between each one and always with the same soap so that I smell familiar. No idea if that matters in the least, but it's a habit now from when I brought home a couple nippy babies within just a few weeks of each other!

[reptiledude987]

I had a tank that i divided into 2 compartments. what I did was cut a piece of plexi glass that fit snug into the tank then cut a couple little squares of plexi and glued them to hold the big piece in place with non toxic silicone. the product you shared a link for I'm not familiar with myself but thats what I did to divide my tank.

[JinxtheBP]

Originally Posted by reptiledude987

I had a tank that i divided into 2 compartments. what I did was cut a piece of plexi glass that fit snug into the tank then cut a couple little squares of plexi and glued them to hold the big piece in place with non toxic silicone. the product you shared a link for I'm not familiar with myself but thats what I did to divide my tank.

That sounds like a good, simple design. I like that that would keep things fairly see-through, just using a couple squares of plexiglass, instead of an opaque rail running down the middle of the tank! That way, when I remove the divider, there's not too much of a visual barrier down the middle for when the tank is used at its full size.

I like it!