New to DIY

[Deabrua]

After a bit of looking around at prices, I decided to go with building a new tank for my juvenile to finish growing in rather than buying a say... 40G breeder. But Id like to double check a few things.

I plan on building a 4x2x2. Would 1x2 boards be sufficient for the frame or would I need something thicker? I intend on using 1/4 inch plywood for the bottom, sides, and top.

I intend on using plexiglass in the front, any suggestions on how to go about doing that? Sliding doors? Swing open? Im not entirely sure.

What kind of flooring could be used? I currently have a zilla reptile carpet in her 20G tank but obviously Im not going to find a 4x2 reptile carpet for her. My initial thought was a large piece of dense felt but thats not easy to find either.

Would a 22 inch T5HO 10.0UVB tube be enough for such a large enclosure? Would it need multiple heat bulbs? I currently have a 100W heat and the above UVB as well as a spare 50W for if the 100W goes.

What all would need to be done to the plywood?

 

[Claudiusx]

I would forget the frame and flimsey 1/4 ply and just make the whole thing out of 3/4 ply. You can almost make a 4x2x2 out of one sheet of ply. If you modify the dimensions a bit smaller you can make a close to 4x2x2 out of 1 sheet. And you can get a nice smooth sanded sheet of pine ply for 30 bucks. Hardwood veneered ply for around 50.

I used glass that was sold at home depot in precut sizes. I cut groves into the wood to act as a track for the glass to slide. Look at my DIY thread here for a better picture of it.

Tile is what I use and a lot of others. You can also use non adhesive shelf liner or something similar.

If your going to make it 48 inches long I'd go with the next size up tube which is the 34" bulb I believe.
If you're gonna cut length a bit to be able to fit everything out of 1 sheet 9f ply the 22 might be suitable.

-Brandon

 

[Deabrua]

I would forget the frame and flimsey 1/4 ply and just make the whole thing out of 3/4 ply. You can almost make a 4x2x2 out of one sheet of ply. If you modify the dimensions a bit smaller you can make a close to 4x2x2 out of 1 sheet. And you can get a nice smooth sanded sheet of pine ply for 30 bucks. Hardwood veneered ply for around 50.

I used glass that was sold at home depot in precut sizes. I cut groves into the wood to act as a track for the glass to slide. Look at my DIY thread here for a better picture of it.

Tile is what I use and a lot of others. You can also use non adhesive shelf liner or something similar.

If your going to make it 48 inches long I'd go with the next size up tube which is the 34" bulb I believe.
If you're gonna cut length a bit to be able to fit everything out of 1 sheet 9f ply the 22 might be suitable.

-Brandon

Realized after making this post that I only have 45 inches for the tank. Are you suggesting that 3/4 plywood make up the entire tank? No frame? It would be $18 for the a nice piece of 1/4 inch plywood to do a 4x2x2 plus cost of the 1x2 frame which might be another $12 maybe since 8 feet of 2x4 is only $5 or so here much less 1x2. I already have a stand for it.

How would you suggest putting the plywood together without a frame?

Does the glass sit directly on the plywood or is there a rail of some sort? I was looking at precut plexiglass as well since I dont want to deal with cutting glass.

Im not worried about budget, I want something nice for my beardy that will last. That being said, nothing insane. I could do a thicker frame and thicker plywood together, I simply thought 1x2in frame and 1/4 inch plywood would be enough for the tank.

 

[Claudiusx]

3/4 ply makes for very sturdy structures depending on how you assemble it. Most people do it that way, or use melamine. Not very often do you see a frame built and then thin ply used. But you can if you want.

With my first tank I just butted edges together and glued and screwed. And then used wood filler to fill the screw holes before I stained.

With this current build I'm doing, I'm using pocket holes and glue.

My glass sits directly in a grove I cut into the plywood with my tablesaw. The kerf of my blade was the perfect width for the width of the glass, so everything slides well.
The glass you buy comes with sharp edges and corners. I simply sanded the edges, and rounded the corners. Everything slides smoothly, especially since the glass isn't very heavy.
I was originally going to go with lexan since you can cut it easier than glass. But Home depot had precut pieces of glass that happened to be the perfect size for my build. I was looking at over 25$ in lexan, and ended up spending 6 in glass instead.
Now I design my builds around the glass sizes home depot carries, as it's just easier and more convenient (And cheaper) for me.

-Brandon

 

[Claudiusx]

I take it back, frames and thin ply are used, but more so for monitor lizards or larger pets. 3/4 ply is heavy and the weight on a tank the size needed for a larger monitor would be great. It makes sense to use a frame system for those types of tanks.

I only say that because I remember watched a DIY vid the other night for a tegu lol.

-Brandon

 

[Deabrua]

I take it back, frames and thin ply are used, but more so for monitor lizards or larger pets. 3/4 ply is heavy and the weight on a tank the size needed for a larger monitor would be great. It makes sense to use a frame system for those types of tanks.

I only say that because I remember watched a DIY vid the other night for a tegu lol.

-Brandon

I originally thought to do a frame and plywood mix to go lightweight but still sturdy. The weight of the entire 1x2 inch wood frame might be around 8lbs. 1/4 inch plywood would be around 22lbs for a total of 30lbs or 1/2 inch plywood would be around 45lbs for a total of 53lbs. A purely 3/4 inch plywood tank would be around 70lbs. All numbers purely including wood.

EDIT: other relevant info...
Frame weight estimated on 45" by 24" by 24" inch at 0.27lbs per linear foot.
Plywood weight based off of one 4x8FT sheet from derose.net

 

[Claudiusx]

If weight is a factor it's definitely a better option to go in that sense. For me once I get it in place it's not moving so I dont mind the weight really.

Whichever route you go let us know how it goes. I just finished putting the first coat of poly on the inside of my build. Not gonna lie, wasnt very easy getting it out of the garage to spray lol. It's a double stacked 4x2x2 (4x2x4) and it's all 3/4 ply Haha

-Brandon

 

[Deabrua]

The stand is heavy enough as it is being made out of almost entirely 2x4" boards.
My room is small so it'll take awhile to figure out the best placement for everything.
On top of that, I'll be moving in 1-2 years and who knows how that will go.
I could possibly consider using 3/4" plywood since 70lbs isn't too bad but it would be a little bit annoying.

All this being said, do you think the 1/4" plywood would be enough with the frame given it'll never be off the stand with anything inside or should I go with 1/2" plywood with the frame? I've already settled on the frame being made out of 1x2" boards if I use 1/4" or 1/2" plywood.