Another homemade terrarium.

[HDreptiles]

Ok, I am not the first to use this design, nor will I be the last. It is a good design and fairly easy to do. So here goes. I am not a carpenter, however, I do have a small history with power tools. So here goes.

First you need to determine what size you want. I am making one with the same dimensions as a 20 gallon long fish tank. 30"x12"x12". This is going to be for a fire skink and the lights will not be on the inside of the terrarium. I will be cutting holes in the outside to place the fixtures in.

Ok, so lets begin. First you will need some supplies. I am going to use 1/2" MDF. You will also need some 1 1/4" inch wood screws and some wood glue.



The screws.



The glue.

[HDreptiles]

First you will need some pieces cut to size. You will need the following:

2 pieces of 11"x11" for the sides.
1 piece of 30"x12" for the bottom.
1 piece of 30"x11" for the back.
1 piece of 30"x11 1/2" for the top.
1 piece of 30"x1 1/2" for the front.

First, you will need to dry fit everything. The sides and back will be placed on top the bottom piece. It is easier to assemble the sides and back first.



Make sure you predrill and use glue on all joints. It should look like this. Glue it first and set it in place, then you can predrill and put screws in.

[HDreptiles]

Next, place your bottom piece on the sides and back. Line it all up and glue and predrill and screw it together. When the bottom is in place and fastened together, flip it on its back. You can then put on your front piece. Again use glue and screws on all seams. Attach the two side edges to the sides and the bottom edge to the bottom piece of your terrarium.



This is how your seams should look at this point.



And this is how your terrarium should look.

[HDreptiles]

Make sure you wipe any excess glue off the terrarium. Next you can put the top on. Use the same method as putting the bottom on. Make sure you line the rear edge of the top board with the back panel. It should fit flush on all sides and not hang over the front at all. Glue all joints, predrill and screw in all 3 edges.



It should look like this. Let the glue dry for some time before you do anything else to the terrarium.

[HDreptiles]

Your shell is for the, most part, done. I am going to make some doors in the next day or so and start sealing the inside. I will be using aquarium safe silicone and Drylok on the interior. The outside I will paint black to match my bedroom furniture. I will also be marking and cutting holes for vents and lights. As I make progress, I will keep you updated, and post as many pictures as I can.

[stephanbakir]

Looking forward to the rest. I'm planning on building a terrarium like this for a retic I should be getting shortly. Any idea if plywood would work? 8 feet long 4 feet wide/high.

[HDreptiles]

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Looking forward to the rest. I'm planning on building a terrarium like this for a retic I should be getting shortly. Any idea if plywood would work? 8 feet long 4 feet wide/high.

I am thinking that would have been the better choice. If you are going that large though, you may want to think about 3/4" thick though. And maybe a frame of some sort for the added support. I am thinking the next ones I do, I am going to use plywood as they are going to be larger then this one and they will have those spiffy fake rock backgrounds.

[stephanbakir]

I plan on building in a shelf on one side, so that will help with support. A frame will be a must though, prolly gona use a 2 by 2 or something, not sure yet.

[HDreptiles]

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

I plan on building in a shelf on one side, so that will help with support. A frame will be a must though, prolly gona use a 2 by 2 or something, not sure yet.

The shelf will for sure help with support. And I think the 2x2 would be sufficient and not detract from the all around look of the terrarium, especially not a terrarium that size.

[HDreptiles]

Ok, boys and girls, I'm back, and I have vents!

You will need the following:

Wood glue
A hole saw, I used a 2 1/4"
Some screen
And some screws that will not poke out of 2 layers of the MDF



The hole saw



Screws

[HDreptiles]

First, use the hole saw to put a hole in the side of the terrarium. This is going to be the vent and should look like this.



Next you need a square piece of wood for the frame. I cut a 4" square and centered the hole in it like this.



Then cut your screen to fit over the hole, but well inside the frame edges like so,

[HDreptiles]

Apply the glue and put it over the hole in your terrarium. Next predrill the corners and put your screws in. It should now look like this.



And you have a vent. All the seams and screws will get covered with sealant. Silicone in the joints and drylok on the screws.

[HDreptiles]

OK, boys and girls. Let's get this thing almost done. I cut the door out and got the holes for the lights cut today.



This is the hole for the fluorescent fixture. It is a 24" fish tank hood with a 25% uvb bulb in it. I think the bulb is Zilla.



Here is the hole for the heat lamp. I simply traced the lamp and cut it out.



The door. Pretty straight forward. It will have a piece of plexi siliconed to the inside of it to act as the viewing pane.
__________________

[HDreptiles]

Then I used silicone on all the inside seams. This is what I used.



I covered all the seams with a liberal helping of it.



And that is it for now. It is now ready for paint, plexi and finish hardware.



I am going to Maryland for a week on thurs, so all the painting will be done when I get back.

Another thing I will change on future terrariums is that it will be tall enough for all of the lights to be mounted inside the terrarium.

[Marica]

Looking good. You could always build a cover to encase the lights. Personally I think it looks nicer and it's safer for the reptile.