Screen repti breeze to bioactive

[CryptKeeper]

I’m turning my xl reptibreeze into a bioactive enclosure. I don’t want my guy to lose any space so ima build a 24x24x12” “box” for it to sit on and remove the floor so I can fill the box with the substrate etc.

My question is what can I use that will be good enough to not warp from the water it’ll be holding? I’ll have a drain at the bottom as well. I was first thinking plexiglass/acrylic but I read that warps easy. Also I’m gonna frame it with 1x3s and have the cage sit inside it. Or will plexiglass glued on all 4 sides be ok for this? If so what thickness should I be getting? Thanks in advance!

 

[CryptKeeper]

I could also build it out of that frame with plywood and line it with a pond liner too I guess. But I did kinda want it clear to see inside but not a necessity. Any ideas are helpful!

 

[MissSkittles]

I was going to say pond liner is probably your best bet. You could use Great Stuff pond and stone or 100% silicone to fill any gaps. The only part I’m not a fan of is having it all sit on the floor. If you can raise it by even just a couple of feet it would be better. Height = safety. How exactly will you be draining it? Usually what is done is notching an end of a pvc pipe to sit in the drainage layer and have a capped top extending up past your substrate that you can then drain excess water from. Like my pic below.

 

[CryptKeeper]

I was going to say pond liner is probably your best bet. You could use Great Stuff pond and stone or 100% silicone to fill any gaps. The only part I’m not a fan of is having it all sit on the floor. If you can raise it by even just a couple of feet it would be better. Height = safety. How exactly will you be draining it? Usually what is done is notching an end of a pvc pipe to sit in the drainage layer and have a capped top extending up past your substrate that you can then drain excess water from. Like my pic below.
View attachment 357522

Yeah I was gonna raise it a bit for sure and to drain it with plexiglass I was gonna use a bulkhead with a valve. If I use wood and pond liner I guess I could still go the same route though. I’m also using a substrate that advertises as “no drainage layer needed” lots of people used it saying they haven’t had a problem but I’m not gonna take a chance. I’ll either do the pvc or bulkhead

 

[CryptKeeper]

Decided to build a foundation with pvc board and a stand with 2x3s lined with pvc board all painted black. Same drain at bottom with cabinet doors that open. I will make a thread of the finished product and steps along the way