New to Forum

illcyat420 · 03-07-10, 08:50 AM

Hi All,

New to the forum. I'm from Ontario and own a common boa. He is growing and I'm at the point I have to build a bigger enclosure...he is currently in a glass tank at the moment and roughly 4ft. I haver already started building and I came to this site to get some good ideas. I am building a 6x3x2 malamine enclosure and was wondering what some of you may use for ventilation (amount required and screens), heating devices for an enclosure of the mentioned size and type of thermostat/heat control. Any help would be greatly appreciated. By the way, the few pictures on this site of enclosures that I have access to look awesome! All help / comments is appreciated. Thanks guys.

shaunyboy · 03-10-10, 08:31 AM

hello and welcome.i use ceramic's to heat my tanks,with one exception being my diamond python tank (just incase you saw it in the enclosure section of this forum) for which i use basking bulb & uvb tube.for a ceramic set up you'd need,1 ceramic bulb,1 ceramic bulb holder,a cage to put round the bulb.i use microclimate thermostats.this is my prefered method and i find them very accurate and give consistant heat.i put the ceramic to the furthest right side,attatch it to the middle of the right side of tank top.i put the stat probe dead centre of the back of tank.that gives me,right side = hot end,left side = cool end.putting the probe in the middle gives me a nice temperature gradient between my hot and cool ends.hope this has been some help to you.there are many other ways to heat your tank this is just my prefered method.
cheers shaun

infernalis · 03-10-10, 09:34 AM

Enjoy your time here....

marvelfreak · 03-10-10, 10:32 AM

Hello and welcome! You'll find a lot of helpful people around here.

Will0W783 · 03-10-10, 03:17 PM

Welcome, and post pics of your boa if you can. We always love to show our herps off around here!

I hope you'll enjoy your time here and learn as much as I have. There are a lot of really good, nice people in the reptile keeping/breeding world.

illcyat420 · 03-10-10, 09:49 PM

I will post pictures of the new enclosure and boa when finished. Thanks for the advice shaunyboy....that is the route I think I will go....just debating on the required wattage for the size of enclosure to maintain proper temperatures

bighog85 · 03-10-10, 10:30 PM

I have also used the radiant heat panels made by Pro-Products with a lot of success. One panel is really all you need for the entire enclosure because if you place it right it will naturally create a thermal gradient. Plug it into a thermostat and you are set. You cannot just order them from their site, you actually have to call and tell them a bunch of stuff about your enclosure and setup and he will give you the panel specs that you need. They are more expensive but you will literally NEVER have to replace it.

bighog85 · 03-10-10, 10:32 PM

Pro-Products | Heating Solutions

There is the link to the website.

Feebo · 03-11-10, 05:36 AM

Welcome to the forum !

Yup, ceramic heaters are a good option there. I`ve made a few of my own tanks aswell and i`ve used ventilation panels from a hardware store or B&Q or something, the type you can open and close too might be good. They aren`t too expensive and they look nice and tidy. That`s a good size your planning for I think. It might be worth just considering other materials before you build, I`m not saying what you`ve chosen is no good, i`m just saying look into it and think carefully. In my experience with building you can plan as much as you like, you can build as carefully as you like, but the materials will let you down if you haven`t carefully checked them for suitability for purpose ! I used exterior quality ply for some of mine, they seem fine but don`tr like loads of humidity, fine for Boas though with enough YACHT VARNISH, ooooooh the magic of yacht varnish ! lol Good stuff that, you can basically seal up your build.....

shaunyboy · 03-11-10, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illcyat420

I will post pictures of the new enclosure and boa when finished. Thanks for the advice shaunyboy....that is the route I think I will go....just debating on the required wattage for the size of enclosure to maintain proper temperatures

none of my tanks are as big as yours,mines are 4ft x 2ft x 2ft,i have 100 watt bulbs in some 150 watt in others.both bulb sizes work for me.someone on here will have tanks the same size as the one your about to build.i'm sure they will let you know what they use.all the best with your build mate.
cheers shaun

fflamingmoe · 03-12-10, 12:27 AM

Wellcome from North Bay Ontaio.

Hillsberry · 03-12-10, 01:08 PM

Hey! Welcome to the forum!

illcyat420 · 03-12-10, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bighog85

I have also used the radiant heat panels made by Pro-Products with a lot of success. One panel is really all you need for the entire enclosure because if you place it right it will naturally create a thermal gradient. Plug it into a thermostat and you are set. You cannot just order them from their site, you actually have to call and tell them a bunch of stuff about your enclosure and setup and he will give you the panel specs that you need. They are more expensive but you will literally NEVER have to replace it.

How are they installed? I haven't called them yet but how much do you figure one would cost for the 6x3x2 enclosure? It will be kept in a room that is kept at roughly 70F. I do appreciate the advice. Thank you.

illcyat420 · 03-12-10, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feebo

Welcome to the forum !

Yup, ceramic heaters are a good option there. I`ve made a few of my own tanks aswell and i`ve used ventilation panels from a hardware store or B&Q or something, the type you can open and close too might be good. They aren`t too expensive and they look nice and tidy. That`s a good size your planning for I think. It might be worth just considering other materials before you build, I`m not saying what you`ve chosen is no good, i`m just saying look into it and think carefully. In my experience with building you can plan as much as you like, you can build as carefully as you like, but the materials will let you down if you haven`t carefully checked them for suitability for purpose ! I used exterior quality ply for some of mine, they seem fine but don`tr like loads of humidity, fine for Boas though with enough YACHT VARNISH, ooooooh the magic of yacht varnish ! lol Good stuff that, you can basically seal up your build.....

B&Q??? Not sure what you mean Feebo.
I plan to build my enclosure out of malemine. From what I've learned, it seems to be a material of choice. Thanks for the advice on the yacht varnish....I will look into using it to seal up the framing. Once again, thanks Feebo

shaunyboy · 03-13-10, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illcyat420

B&Q??? Not sure what you mean Feebo.
I plan to build my enclosure out of malemine. From what I've learned, it seems to be a material of choice. Thanks for the advice on the yacht varnish....I will look into using it to seal up the framing. Once again, thanks Feebo

B&Q is a DIY hardware supplier over here in the uk.they supply just about anything you need for jobs around the house,electrical,plumbing,wood work,etc,etc.all this can be used in the building of reptile tanks.theres one in most big towns.B&Q being the name of the company.
cheers shaun