Turning a wire rack into a cage?

[wodesorel]

Before I seriously start considering it I wanted to run it past the people here. The shelving unit is 18 x 48 and 72 high. The entire room is heated and there is a floor to ceiling gradient of around 73-85. This is for a female veiled.



What I want to do is chloroplast the sides and part of the back, and then aluminium screen the top, bottom, entire front, and the area where the window is in the back. Door in the front, and in the back where the window is. (So I can reach through and open it in the summer.)

I'm trying to find a way to boost the entire thing up another foot so there's more vertical height. Bottom shelf would be a drainage tray system, middle shelf with screening would be for the plants, top shelf would be for lights and a big dripper system so it could run all day long. (Not the configuration in the photo, the shelves would be moved to give as much open cage space as possible.)

Double 4 foot shoplights. (4 bulbs total) Would one UVB bulb be enough, or should I go with two?

Anyways, would this work out okay?

 

[jpowell86]

I think it would be incredible. They sell spare legs separately for that particular kind of rack, so you could simply thread another piece on each leg to raise it. Then you could put a drainage tub under the entire unit so you don't have to waste room inside the enclosure itself. I hope you decide to give this build a shot and I hope you post pics of the completed setup! Good luck!

 

[wodesorel]

I'd like to get the drainage tub(s) off the ground so I could put a tap on it and drain it into a small bucket. I have a pretty bad herniated disk, so the less bending and heavy lifting the better.

 

[jpowell86]

That's completely understandable.

 

[Carlton]

Before I seriously start considering it I wanted to run it past the people here. The shelving unit is 18 x 48 and 72 high. The entire room is heated and there is a floor to ceiling gradient of around 73-85. This is for a female veiled.

View attachment 147007

What I want to do is chloroplast the sides and part of the back, and then aluminium screen the top, bottom, entire front, and the area where the window is in the back. Door in the front, and in the back where the window is. (So I can reach through and open it in the summer.)

I'm trying to find a way to boost the entire thing up another foot so there's more vertical height. Bottom shelf would be a drainage tray system, middle shelf with screening would be for the plants, top shelf would be for lights and a big dripper system so it could run all day long. (Not the configuration in the photo, the shelves would be moved to give as much open cage space as possible.)

Double 4 foot shoplights. (4 bulbs total) Would one UVB bulb be enough, or should I go with two?

Anyways, would this work out okay?

You could always use one new UVB and one "spent" UVB in each of your fixtures. You'll get more general light by continuing to use the spent bulb, exposure to proper UV from the good bulb, and not have to replace them all at the same time.