Equipment Review and Discussion :: Help finding plexi glass

[Brianthedog18]

Does anyone know where I can go to get plexiglass cut to certain measurements? I want to build a new basking area that fits on the lip of the tank made of plexiglass with walls and stuff so he can't get out, but I don't know where to find the actual glass.

Or, does anyone know a different material I should use? Plexi glass looks kind of expensive to get cut, so if someone knows something else that is better or cheaper, let me know. Thanks for your help everyone!

[Spookster]

I would suggest just going with wood. Plexiglass is very expensive and can be difficult to cut unless it is very thin. I went through a fiasco building an in-tank basking area with plexiglass in the last tank I had. This time I built one like you are about to but did it with wood and it was so much easier and less expensive.

http://www.designqueue.com/photos/turtle/P1010028.JPG
http://www.designqueue.com/photos/turtle/P1010014.JPG
http://www.designqueue.com/photos/turtle/P1010029.JPG

But if you really want to go with plexiglass you can buy sheets of it at most hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot.

[Brianthedog18]

Well I was thinking of using wood, but I would have to wait until I go home (I'm at college right now). Plus I'm not much of a handy man, but I can figure it out. A few questions though, how high are those walls (I'm worried about how tall I should make it because of my basking lamp).

Also, how are you making it stay there, is it resting on the lip of the tank or something?

[Spookster]

Honestly working with plexiglass was harder than working with wood. Cutting and fastening wood together is easy. Cutting plexiglass requires a special blade using a power tool and you have to be careful because you can end up melting the plexiglass with the saw. Plus you have to worry about all the sharp edges and getting rid of them. With wood it's easy. No special blades needed, easy to nail together and sandpaper will take care of any sharp edges. Plus attaching ramps is a cinch with some metal braces and some bolts. With plexiglass you'll have to figure out a way to attach the ramp. Bolting is not the best idea because you have to drill holes and you run the risk of it cracking. That happened to me with the last tank.

As for how tall to make it I measured around 8 inches above the height of my turtle so the height ended up being around 10 inches.

It is sitting on the lip around the top of the tank. I measured the frame to rest on three of the lips. I didn't build it to cover the back 3 inches or so to leave room for putting the filter hoses and stuff in.

[flutterby]

Brian,

You can get plexiglass at Home Depot. They also sell cutters there as well, its not too difficult to cut, its just like a knife. Took us maybe half an hour or so to build the basking area that my mother had above her tank (not counting drying time). Not sure where the picture of it is.

[Brianthedog18]

yeah i remember that picture. That was actually what I was basing my idea off of. I went back before to find the pic but the link doesn't work anymore. I think I sent either you or your mom a private message but I can't remember lol

[marisa]

Brianthedog, there's a Home Depot and Lowes in Manchester...

[Brianthedog18]

Yeah, i just have trouble borrowing a car (plus my scedule is CRAZY, but that's the life of a musician). I might just take a trip to the Christmas Tree Shop and get a crate or something, I saw someone else use it and it worked pretty well.

[jdub1107]

I went to Home Depot, in El Monte, CA a couple of months ago and was told that they no longer cut plexiglass. So I instead went to OSH, they did a horrible job of cutting the plexiglass. All the edges were uneven, so I had to manually sand the edges down. Hope you have better luck.