Has anyone made their own enclosers with acrylic?

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
Im going to defiantly be making my own when the time comes, just wondering if anyone else has as well and if so what thickness of acrylic was used, post your set ups :D
 

JoshDM020

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
356
Id like to recommend @petkokc on youtube. His channel us called The Dark Den. This guy makes some insanely cool enclosers.
Ive rigged a couple of glass enclosures to be more T-suitable with acrylic. I use 2mm but 4mm would be sturdier and more recommended for a whole enclosure, probably. PRO-TIP, DO NOT FORGET: Make sure you have a way to cut it accurately. You can have a store cut it for you or do it by yourself but that was the hardest part of it for me.
 

ThisMeansWAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
97
I second the Dark Den recommendation, good stuff.

I replaced the mesh lid on my geniculata's exo terra yesterday with an acrylic lid, it was easier to work with than I thought. I used a "Dremel" tool for the cutting and a universal drillbit with a powerdrill for the holes. Go very easy on the material, it cracks easily.
 

JoshDM020

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
356
I second the Dark Den recommendation, good stuff.

I replaced the mesh lid on my geniculata's exo terra yesterday with an acrylic lid, it was easier to work with than I thought. I used a "Dremel" tool for the cutting and a universal drillbit with a powerdrill for the holes. Go very easy on the material, it cracks easily.
Cracks. Yes, forgot about those. That said, thicker stuff is harder to crack. Too thick, though, and it starts to look funny.
 

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
Id like to recommend @petkokc on youtube. His channel us called The Dark Den. This guy makes some insanely cool enclosers.
Ive rigged a couple of glass enclosures to be more T-suitable with acrylic. I use 2mm but 4mm would be sturdier and more recommended for a whole enclosure, probably. PRO-TIP, DO NOT FORGET: Make sure you have a way to cut it accurately. You can have a store cut it for you or do it by yourself but that was the hardest part of it for me.
:) im a fan of petkokc's videos, been watching for a few weeks now. I agree with you about the cutting of the acrylic lol its also the hardest part for me too so ill probably have the store cut it for me.
 

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
I second the Dark Den recommendation, good stuff.

I replaced the mesh lid on my geniculata's exo terra yesterday with an acrylic lid, it was easier to work with than I thought. I used a "Dremel" tool for the cutting and a universal drillbit with a powerdrill for the holes. Go very easy on the material, it cracks easily.
I legitimately did the exact same thing a few days ago, and for an A.Genic as well lol
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
3mm cast acrylic is OK for small jobs like replacing Exo Terra mesh screens or converting old aquariums but I'd imagine you'd need 5mm thick extruded acrylic for building enclosures from scratch to prevent warping (I used 3mm 'glass look' acrylic to make a lid for an old aquarium that I wanted to use for my A. geniculata and it has warped slightly since I started using it).
 

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
3mm cast acrylic is OK for small jobs like replacing Exo Terra mesh screens or converting old aquariums but I'd imagine you'd need 5mm thick extruded acrylic for building enclosures from scratch to prevent warping (I used 3mm 'glass look' acrylic to make a lid for an old aquarium that I wanted to use for my A. geniculata and it has warped slightly since I started using it).
Thats what i was thinking as well, on a side note seeing as acrylic starts to become expensive the thicker it gets, do you or anyone else know of a good place to buy acrylic sheets?
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
Thats what i was thinking as well, on a side note seeing as acrylic starts to become expensive the thicker it gets, do you or anyone else know of a good place to buy acrylic sheets?

I'm in the UK so I'm afraid I can't help with that, your best bet would probably be to figure out the measurements you need and have a hunt around online for quotes.
 

Jason B

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2016
Messages
88
I don't know how there prices are compared to the other guys or even local stores, but in the past I've gotten acrylic sheets from amazon.. works better if you've got prime and get the 2 day shipping.
 

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
I don't know how there prices are compared to the other guys or even local stores, but in the past I've gotten acrylic sheets from amazon.. works better if you've got prime and get the 2 day shipping.
i didnt even think of that :) thanks!
 

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
I have 4 other glass tanks in my garage ranging from 5 gallons up to 20 but as i said are glass, im pretty sure they are fairly wide though and would work well if i replaced the lid with acrylic. I have never tried this but does anyone know a way to cut ventilation wholes in the side of a glass tank without cracking/breaking it? (for cross venting) :bookworm:
 

Jason B

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2016
Messages
88
I don't know about cutting the glass but they do work fine as long as the acrylic is ventilated enough, I personally like these for Arboreal setups standing on there side. They can be used for terrestrials but I always feel like its wasted space unless their burrowers. Though I do like a GBB in a tank like that.
 

ThisMeansWAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
97
I legitimately did the exact same thing a few days ago, and for an A.Genic as well lol
Heh, cool! I decided to take action when I heard a racket from the enclosure the other day and found my geni dangling from one leg with her claw stuck in the mesh. I freaked out and purchased acrylic the next day. Now I'm an anti-mesh crusader.
 

TRection

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
267
I don't know about cutting the glass but they do work fine as long as the acrylic is ventilated enough, I personally like these for Arboreal setups standing on there side. They can be used for terrestrials but I always feel like its wasted space unless their burrowers. Though I do like a GBB in a tank like that.
Ok great, that saves me quite a bit of cash then, and as for the space i cant say for sure until i check tomorrow but im pretty sure the large one is wide and shorter because it was a reptile tank originally :D
 
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The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
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Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
I have 4 other glass tanks in my garage ranging from 5 gallons up to 20 but as i said are glass, im pretty sure they are fairly wide though and would work well if i replaced the lid with acrylic. I have never tried this but does anyone know a way to cut ventilation wholes in the side of a glass tank without cracking/breaking it? (for cross venting) :bookworm:
You don't need to do that, just make loads of holes in the lid and you're good.

Here's my 6.5gal, got another one of these lying about and a 3ft one that I might use for an adult Theraposa one day.

DSC00001.JPG

I just used aquarium silicone to attach a 10mm acrylic rod to each side and attached 5 pairs of neodymium magnets each end to hold the lid in place.

DSC00002.JPG
 

kmhvmh

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 7, 2017
Messages
2
I will be building some out of plexi glass in the future when my P Metallicas grow up. I went to Lowe's and priced some. it's cheap and they will cut it for you in any size you want
 

petkokc

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
79
I'm in the process of testing out acrylic build, got all sides cut with laser and just waiting for acrylic sealant to arrive :)
 

patriotgator

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
34
I haven't made any enclosures but I have cut the lids off of sterlite containers and replaced them with clear acrylic.
 
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