My DIY glass terrarium

[Vanisher]

Those types of terrarium i have made many of in diffrent sizes. Both slidingglass terrariums for arboreal spiders and terrariums you open in the top ( like this one) This tank measures 30cm×30cmn×30cm. 30cm=13inch I made them by buying glasspenals with diffrent measurments at the glazier, and perforated metal sheets for ventilation! and glued them with siliconrubber! I bought the glass very cheap, and a tank with in this size i paid a total of 20 dollars (200 swedish crowns) for the glass, the metalsheets and the other stuff! Another advantages is that i could cousom build them with whatever measure one want! I just ordered diffrent size glasspanels and diffrent size ventilaton metal sheets! And they look good to, especially when one got the buildingskill up!

 

[Andrea82]

Looks good, but I think the ventilation is lacking. One strip of holes isn't enough imo. The standard European glass ones come with two strips, one at the top, and one at the front.

 

[Vanisher]

I havnt had any problems. The europeans ventilation sheets is much thinner than this one! If one has wide topventilation, crossventilation is not necessary! I have kept both moist living speicies and dry living speicies for years vith no problems in those kind of terrariums!

 

[Andrea82]

I havnt had any problems. The europeans ventilation sheets is much thinner than this one! If one has wide topventilation, crossventilation is not necessary! I have kept both moist living speicies and dry living speicies for years vith no problems in those kind of terrariums!

Okay! No need to put exclamation marks after every sentence! You can type without them you know! :wideyed:

I still prefer cross ventilation over only top ventilation

 

[Nonnack]

I also make enclosure in the same way But mine design is little bit different, doors are vertical. So I can open it without taking it out from shelf, and adds cross ventilation without second ventilation strip.

 

[Vanisher]

Okay! No need to put exclamation marks after every sentence! You can type without them you know! :wideyed:

I still prefer cross ventilation over only top ventilation

Sorry, i have a habit of doing that, other people have said! Yes crossventilation is good and i used to put them in when i builded terrariums for arboreals. But then you cant put in to much sub, because of the crossvent, in this type of "top opened tank" i increased the ventilation on the top so you now can put in lots of substrate! I like this type of "top opened"terrariums for housing terrestrials

 

[viper69]

If one has wide topventilation, crossventilation is not necessary!

If I recall correctly, the 2 vent design is for warm air to rise out the top, drawing in cooler air from the bottom. Mind you those setups are not strictly used for Ts, @Andrea82 is correct.

Now, whether it works for your specimens is a different story.

 

[Vanisher]

I agree that 2 vent tanks are ideal, from an ventilation point of view! The drawback is that if you have a 2 vent system in a tank build for burrowers it is impossible to add a deep layer of sub without blocking the side went! ( destroying the purpous!) One way is to make a slope with little substrate in the front where the went is located. But i like to ad a even layer of 10 inch substrate! I am therefor compromising and using a wider top went instead! But you are right! The ideal ventilation is a 2 vent system! But like i said, this solution works well!

 

[Nonnack]

You are wrong I don't want to act like smart ass but all things you mentioned above can be done. Convection is something you should consider, when you have tall container. even if you leave cover open, still without cross ventilation at bottom you will have moist and CO2 - great environment for mold etc.
. Here is my setup for Chilobrachys sp. vietnam blue :

 

[Vanisher]

I dont see any other vent than in the top, if you dont mean the gap between the glass? I have housed Chilobrachys fimbriatus and Haplopelma sp in the type of cage i put up picture of. I had a female C fimbriatus in the same tank for 6 years, even breeding her, with no mould problems. One has to be little careful when moising the tank, but it was troubled free! Plants certainly helps with access water. Only problems i had was funghus, but that was because there where funghus spores in the peat and i had mushrooms growing, but that is no danger for the spiders!

 

[Andrea82]

I dont see any other vent than in the top, if you dont mean the gap between the glass? I have housed Chilobrachys fimbriatus and Haplopelma sp in the type of cage i put up picture of. I had a female C fimbriatus in the same tank for 6 years, even breeding her, with no mould problems. One has to be little careful when moising the tank, but it was troubled free! Plants certainly helps with access water. Only problems i had was funghus, but that was because there where funghus spores in the peat and i had mushrooms growing, but that is no danger for the spiders!

The enclosure of @Nonnack while not having two strips of ventilation, allows for cross-ventilation when he opens the front pane of glass, I think. I still prefer two strips of holes though. I do not open my enclosures every day, some I only open once a week to fill waterdishes and feed, so I want cross ventilation regardless of opening.