Second Story Living.

[GeckDude]

Hey everyone. I have been browsing through a lot of the Housing section. I want to expand the living space for my girl. Since I can't modify the size of the tank, I have been trying to come up with ways to make a second story. I'm thinking it needs to be washable but I also don't want it to be too heavy. I was thinking plastic but I really don't know where I would be able to find the supplies for this. Maybe a craft store? I went to Home Depot and I was looking around there but nothing looked promising (although they had some interesting PVC pipe bends and connectors that might be fun for her to explore. Lol.).

I've been rackin' my brain, people! Lol.

 

[Brawler]

alot of people are making their peices out of foam, and they come out very real looking, do a search on making caves or backgrounds, personally im using stone for mine.

 

[GeckDude]

I've been checking out a lot of DIY's and I can't seem to determine if the sealant for the grout (popular choice) makes it washable. I mean, I'm not planning on dunking it in water but wiping it off maybe?

 

[LizMarie]

i know people that have bought pieces of acrylic., had it cut down and they glued it it the tank, then had a log or something for them to climb up. They either place a piece of tile on it get, glue down stones or use double sided tape to put down reptile carpet.

 

[Brawler]

i can tell you from my expeirence in construction if you seal grout you can clean it, i dont know i would soak it in a sink or put it thru the dishwasher as if theres any holes itll leak thru and may damage your object(the foam), but you can very easily wipe it off with a wet cloth. grout isnt water proof but water resistant, its like a good pair of boots, you soak them in water long enough it'll soak thru. Thou technically you should wait 3-4 weeks to apply sealer to grout.

 

[Patrick Long]

i know people that have bought pieces of acrylic., had it cut down and they glued it it the tank, then had a log or something for them to climb up. They either place a piece of tile on it get, glue down stones or use double sided tape to put down reptile carpet.

Thats an excellent idea!

Local sign shops would be able to sell you, maybe even give you a scrap piece small enough to fit in.

 

[amv123]

i went to home depot and got a really small and thin piece of plywood and 4 1/2 inch square wood columns and cut them to about 8 inches high and used wood glue to stick them to the plywood which is about 12x12 in dimension...its farely easy to clean and its been sturdy

 

[voretaq7]

My second level is dirt simple - two boards hot-glued together with some repti-carpet and a tile (for the litter box area), up on 4 stilts (I have a conveniently placed warm hide that acts as a ramp, as well as being the 5th leg). I don't see her up there often, but I know it gets used because I find poo up there most mornings

Hindsight being 20/20, plastic would have been a better choice (in case poo soaks through the carpeting, so the boards don't get nasty) -- My ghetto solution was to glue cling wrap to the boards, which seems to be working pretty well.


You can get a LOT more elaborate with foam and grout, but my tank is only an 18x18x18 terrarium and I didn't want to sacrifice any first-level floor space for footings if I didn't have to


http://www.bsd-box.net/~mikeg/liz5.JPG
http://www.bsd-box.net/~mikeg/liz6.JPG

 

[SLY]

I've been checking out a lot of DIY's and I can't seem to determine if the sealant for the grout (popular choice) makes it washable. I mean, I'm not planning on dunking it in water but wiping it off maybe?

From what i did here, i can easily wipe it down using a wet paper towel, and looks great. Took about a week and a half to be complete, including dry times, and cost about $100, excluding the lights.

 

[acpart]

I'm another Home Depot second story builder: wood dowels for legs, PVC small connectors for "feet", two 12"x12" ceramic tiles with a mini UTH between them for heat for the upstairs hide. I have not had to glue anything together; it's very stable.

Aliza

 

[SLY]

Edit to my above post....$50, not $100. I was counting all the extra stuff I bought, too.

 

[GeckDude]

I just went to Home Depot today and got some polystyrene, non-sanded grout, and some foam glue. I have read on here that people use a specific non-toxic sealant but I wasn't sure what it's called. I held off on that for now so I could look it up and find out where I can get it.

Other that that, I've started a project for making a sort of condo hide. Lol. We will see how it turns out.

This is the basic design....

Front
Side

There will be another "room" on the top over to the right side. The stairs will be over the doorway on the left side. I'll try and keep posting my progress.

 

[astronut1885]

Take a look at my post "updates on my 50gal colony tank" for ideas. I used slate tiles and birch limb sections for a natural look, and my geckos are all over them. It's like 1 or 2 threads below this.