Habitat - Indoor :: Bow Front Tank

[vear]

Hi everyone. I found a great deal on a bowfront tank, stand and all on CL. I need to replace my current tank because it is chipped and it makes me nervous.

Anybody have a bow front? Any ideas on basking areas? I want to fill it up to the top but I don't know how I'm going to build something in that tank with curvature. The project went from a simple box to "what am I gonna do? " really fast. Any ideas??

[steve]

Get the tank first, then worry about the details

You could trim egg grate to fit a bow front. Tile is harder to cut but it's possible to make it work. Cork can easily be trimmed but hard to find in long pieces. You can make an ATBA to fit a bow front if you want too. I think Briegh with the original ATBA had one. Lastly, you can look for an acrylic type basking area with suction cups.

[vear]

I'm picking up the tank tomorrow morning. Before i knew i was getting a bow front I wanted to do something similar to this:
I got it from the ATBA thread. They have a piece of cork bark as the platform. I figure I can do the same thing but use acrylic for the front so I can bend it to shape. I just don't know how to do that, heat it up?

[steve]

If it's a slight bend, then it'll flex pretty easily and won't need heating.

[vear]

Yeah, I'll try it. Got the tank and stand this morning. I really need to reinforce the stand, I can't believe people were using it like that. It's literally held together by staples! So I can't set it up yet, maybe next weekend

[steve]

Sounds great, looking forward to the pics

[VeipaCray]

Yes you heat acrylic to bend it. It will bend towards the heat source. I would suggest you make a mold before you bend the acrylic. Trace the top of the tank shape on cardboard then maybe take a jigsaw or scrollsaw and trace that arc into wood. Use the wood to help you shape the acrylic.

If you want to curve the wood that's a different story. It can be done but it's easier to cut multiple mitre cuts to recreate the curve is easier than trying to bend a solid piece of wood.

[vear]

Yes you heat acrylic to bend it. It will bend towards the heat source. I would suggest you make a mold before you bend the acrylic. Trace the top of the tank shape on cardboard then maybe take a jigsaw or scrollsaw and trace that arc into wood. Use the wood to help you shape the acrylic.

If you want to curve the wood that's a different story. It can be done but it's easier to cut multiple mitre cuts to recreate the curve is easier than trying to bend a solid piece of wood.

Tracing the top of the tank is such a great idea, I was trying to figure out how to measure everything perfectly! I don't know when I'll have time to do this ::sigh::. We have other projects in the house and can only get them done one at a time on the weekends. It's difficult doing anything with a 5month old baby!! So I have this beautiful tank just sitting there empty waiting for me to do something with it. Whenever I do get around to it I'll post pictures. Reinforcing the stand is priority though.

[VeipaCray]

Yes small children definitely eat up a LOT of time. My two are now 3 and 19 months and I'm no where near as active on this forum as I once was. When you do get around to working on that stand and canopy/ATBA please post some pics for all of us to see / learn.

[steve]

It's awesome when the kids still take naps. Once that's over, you're really screwed

[ljapa]

It's awesome when the kids still take naps. Once that's over, you're really screwed

Totally not turtle related, but appropriate given the recent posts.

http://m.imgur.com/Qw5Huzu

I remember being active in online communities when my son was born and then telling all my friends if you don't have kids in your your twenties, don't do it because sleep deprivation is much harsher in your thirties.

I have an early teenager, which means a whole other set of issues, but at least I get time online because he doesn't want to interact with me much.

[vear]

Yes small children definitely eat up a LOT of time. My two are now 3 and 19 months and I'm no where near as active on this forum as I once was. When you do get around to working on that stand and canopy/ATBA please post some pics for all of us to see / learn.

I will most definitely take pictures. This weekend I'm switching my outlet to a GFCI, it needs to be replaced so might as well do it right. Question about this, can I still plug in a power strip to the GFCI, will it be just as safe? I don't really know how it works exactly, my husband does the electrical. I still need a power strip b/c as you all know there are at least 4 things that need to get plugged in.

After the outlet, I'll be reinforcing the stand. Once that's done I can empty my old tank, move it and put the new one in place... then fill Transferring 100lbs of sand is going to be a pain. I have a feeling I won't have enough time to do this on Sunday!

It's awesome when the kids still take naps. Once that's over, you're really screwed

My daughter is 5 months and doesn't nap. Maybe 10 minutes once a day. It's rough. lol. She does sleep all night though so I can't complain too much.

It's awesome when the kids still take naps. Once that's over, you're really screwed

Totally not turtle related, but appropriate given the recent posts.

http://m.imgur.com/Qw5Huzu

I remember being active in online communities when my son was born and then telling all my friends if you don't have kids in your your twenties, don't do it because sleep deprivation is much harsher in your thirties.

I have an early teenager, which means a whole other set of issues, but at least I get time online because he doesn't want to interact with me much.

That pic is hilarious, love it!

[steve]

I think ljapa nailed it. You have to keep your head on a swivel

I user a power strip with a built-in timer. I'm not sure if it offers surge protection as well but I think they can be used together.

[vear]

So here's a very crappy picture of Tomi's new home:


For now it's just stuck in a corner feeling very lonely asking me to please set it up.

I also got the most amazing corkbark in the mail yesterday. I bought them from "josh's frogs", they were so reasonably priced I bought 2 of them. These things are huge, I'm so excited!! I'll probably only end up using one. The good thing about the site is that they have a picture of the exact piece you'll be getting, plus they have a ruler next to it so you know the exact size.

Here's another terrible picture, but you get the idea:


I'll probably end up using this one:



Also, the husband bought me the GFCI and will be installing it this weekend.

[steve]

Very nice... and yea, a new place to buy cork.