Building a New Display...Need Input

[Alias47]

Okay...I need all the suggestions and idea I can get.

Today I picked up a 40 gallon long tank, a 20 gallon tank, and a 10 gallon tank. I may be getting another 40 tomorrow. I am planning on building a shelf unit to hold all these tanks (I only have a month and a half...Chicago Herp Show is right around the corner and I have to be ready :wink: ) Let me get some feedback. If I divide the 40's in the center will that be enough space to house an adult corn? What should I divide it with? Can I use acrylic or is clear a bad idea (want my snakes to feel lonely and secure)? I was thinking melamine or sealed hardwood. I have a pretty good plan for building my own screen tops that will open separately on the two halves. What about undertank heating ideas for providing a good temp gradient for the two separate halves (I am thinking ten gallon heaters in opposite corners)? I may keep one 40 whole and use the 20 long for 2 corns and keep kings in one 40 I divide, but ideally I want to divide both (more room for snakes). Now on the shelf unit, I realize that snakes and pine don't mix, but would it be alright to build the shelf out of standard lumber (generally kiln dried pine) or do I have to shell out the big bucks for some hardwood lumber or melamine? Any other ideas questions, opinions would greatly help me.
Thanks,
Derek

[Alias47]

I'm getting the other 40 this week as well...

:evil: <My Wife when she finds out
:? <My wife when I give her jewelry immediately after telling her about the 6 additions we can expect to our family!
:evil: <My wife after the jewelry wears off!! LOL

[kenster]

here is my take on aquariums....they take up way too much space and are way too over priced. Not to mention they suck at keeping in humidity. Which may not be a point to think about depending on what you are getting. The other thing with aquariums is that they are tall. Maybe if you have an aboreal species you could use height, but with most species that is just wasted space. I stick with the rubbermaids and they work great, you can stack them on top of each other. Pick up a cheap sheveling unit to place them on. plus the fact they are smaller than aquariums and can be hid where the wife can't find them (not that I would ever do something like that :wink: :twisted: ). Oh and did I mention that they are CHEAP..LOL


You may want to try dinner and the jewlery..and a lot of "yes dears", and " i love you dear".... :wink:

[Detroit Boas]

Co0uld not have said it better myself..Aquariums should be used with the purpose of fish and other herps.....Holding heat and humidity are a constant battle unless you have a very high ambient tempeture in the room the tank is in...Hear are just a couple of cheap tanks that i use they are affordable and well worth the money...www.prcisioncaging.com
www.moonstruckexotics.com
www.reptiletubs.com
Hope these help..or as Ken said you can build a rack fairly easy with melamine and rubbermaid and or steralite and reptiletubs...

[Alias47]

I went with the aquariums, because I am not planning on breeding (at least not yet) and I want to set up a display where all the snakes can be seen while I sit in the la-z-boy I am going to buy to sit in front of it!
I got the aquariums cheap (I got a 40 and a 10 with a UTH on the 40 and a piece of driftwood for 13 dollars) I got another 20 with 2 water dishes multiple habba huts and fake plants for $17 and I am picking up another 40 this week for $35 with screen top, uth, two heat emitters, a full florescent and three incandescent light with timer, four water dishes, multiple pieces of furniture...so pricewise I didn't do TOO bad. Besides, if I start a racking system now, my wife will FLIP OUT. I figure if I get a couple more good hatchlings this year, I have two or three years to work on the incubator and racks :D
This unit I want to build will go in my basement, so humidity will be higher than in other areas of the house. I have had great success with getting a good gradient out of my other glass tanks, and I can think of a few ways to adjust humidity and temperature to suit whatever breeds I get. I am not planning any tropicals anyway, all colubrids(kings and corns, maybe a milk and a rat), which are lower humidity, lower temp gradient snakes. I figure with this setup, I will be about 7.5 foot wide and about 2.5 foot deep for ALL the tanks. Not too bad for space(although it would hold a TON of sterilite). If I ever start breeding I will move this display to my bedroom (since my wife will no longer be there :P ) and build a rack.
Can you help me with what I need to do now?
If I paint the pine shelves (no direct contact with the snakes anyway) can I use standard lumber? Or do you recommend hardwood or melamine anyway?

[youritworks]

I've used 3/4 inch plywood and 2x4's for most of my at home shelving. The last set I built I could stand on one shelf with 2 of my uncles approx. 600+ pounds and the shelf didnt even bow. Once you have the framing up you can trim and add side panels till your hearts content or just paint the thing.

However for shows I would design something a lot lighter.

[Alias47]

It is for a home display, as long as painted lumber (kiln dried pine) won't bother the snakes (didn't think so, but would hate to be wrong) that is the way I will go. Custom hinged screen tops will have to be hardwood, but I can afford that, hate to have to build the whole thing out of oak though.