NEW four 4' x 2' x 2' enclosures lighting ???

[martindale]

I'm in the process of finishing up an entire wall of enclosures...it has a total of 6 enclosures...the top 4 are for housing my 4 dragons and the bottom 2 are going to be for egg laying. My question is...I have installed a 24' Reptisun 10.0 strip and a 90 watt energy effeceint (70 watt total usage) halogen for a basking light...will this provide sufficeint UVB exposure?

I have had a set back of a different issue...I purchased 1/8" NON tempered glass and due to lack of experience with glass I have managed to break 2 pieces of glass already. The 1st piece broke because of an error in design and the 2nd piece broke because of too much stress while the door was lifted up. The glass measures 21 1/2" (H) x 43" (L) therefore its long enough that the door can twist just enough to put stress on the glass...this is what broke the 2nd piece. I ordered 4 replacement 1/4" sheets of tempered glass, I worked out the kinks in the design and I'm hopeful that the 1/4" tempered will hold up and be ok. Do you think that the 1/4" glass will hold up to the flexing that goes on with the door moving? I have 3 hinges on the top of the door and it opens up...the door stays in the 'up' position by a chain and hook setup that is hooked (as needed) to an anchor in the ceiling...the frame is made of 1"x3" wood. Whatcha think...will going to the 1/4" tempered do the trick? Maybe the door should open 'down' as well as adding the 1/4" glass...I made a BAD decision buying the less expensive non tempered glass and Im hoping some of the experts here can chime and give me some good advice on what to do next...Thx in advance!

 

[Buggsy]

i found sliding doors to be better, so same height bu say 30" lenght. Tempering dosnt really strengthen the glass, it protects it from high heat, but if stressed it will shatter into thousands of pieces (so there are no large shards to hurt yourself on)

I have used 6mm thick normal glass for years and have had no issues, i had a temped glass sheet burst into pieced due to no stress at all, so i dont know what to tell you really!

As for the UVB as long as the basking bulb and UVB overlap on the basking spot it should be ok, i personally would have gone for the 36" bulb in that size cage to make sure there is UVB at the cool end, but you can update that in 6 months!

 

[martindale]

Hi Buggsy...thx for responding!!! Ok...the part of the frame that I will use to install the glass is made of 2"x4"x8'...I can cut a grove in both the top and bottom and slide the glass in on one side then screw the plywood on the end...how deep would I cut the grooves? I have seen the rails (for lack of better words) that are made for supporting the sliding glass...is this hardware available at a LHS or is it more of a spcialty item...I think I should be asking how you setup your sling glass? Did you install it yourself?

 

[Buggsy]

I got hold of the rails lol! It takes a bit of digging to find them, you may have to order them in but they are worth it! I just stuck it down with no-nials, let it set and its a bit of a wiggle getting the pannels in, usually 2 people, one to 'slightly' strech the middle of the tank out (bow it out by a few mm to make a little more room) the other to slot the sheet into place, like i say its a fiddle but when theyre in i never have to take them out again!