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Hi all,
I finally got around to getting a tank set up for my girlfriend's RES. It's a 75Gal with a Fluval FX6 filter. Currently he is in a 30 gal tank (a prison cell for his size) so I'm very eager to get him into this new tank. I'm in the process of building an in-tank basking area of out PVC pipe, but with how high the water level is to the top of the tank, I'm positive he'll try to escape. I can't lower the water level because the filter's manual said it needs to be that high and I'd rather not put a lid/cage ontop of the tank for looks purpose (and it'll be a pain with how big that fluval intake is)

My question is, I saw some people suggesting attaching plexiglass to the the tank to prevent him from crawling out and I was curious how they were doing the "attaching". Are you guys using clamps to hold it to the tank or something? I plan on hanging his basking area between the fluval intake and the center brace (Pic #1 in the link) and thought attaching a sheet of plexi glass there would keep him safe. I'm very new to aquarium stuff and am completely up for suggestions if anybody has any. Long term I'm going to look into building an above the tank basking area.

Link to the photos in case they don't embed into the post: http://imgur.com/a/bmSFs

Anyone know if the plexi will shield the UVB? That would be my concern. Lighting diffuser would work, but it's sorta unsightly. Why not an ATBA? It only took a weekend to build, and it really wasn't very costly. Mine doesn't go all the way to the back of the tank (which is covered with lighting diffuser) so there's plenty of space for filter hoses. I even have a aquaponics planter behind it now.





Here's my build thread:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=37388

If you do 4 "walls", it should be able to stand on it's own but don't place anything on it. Lights should be hanged from the wall or ceiling.

Thanks for the replies guys!

OtisDriftwood, what material is your ATBA? The main deterrent for building one was figuring out what to do with the hoses and stuff. I don't know why it never occurred to me to leave the space lol. I guess I have my project for my time off during the holidays this week.

The box is made of 1/4" sanded plywood with 1x2 framing. The viewing panel is acrylic. You can find everything you need at the Home Depot.