second story?

C

clementine

Guest
our gecko's kind of outgrowing his ten-gallon aquarium. due to restrictions beyond my control, i can't upgrade to a bigger size tank. it has to fit on a stand in the living room, and it has to "look pretty" so i can't really build a topper at this point. i'm pretty much stuck with the ten-gallon, at least for the next six months or so. BUT what i can do is build a second level INSIDE the ten-gallon.

he's not a climber. it seems like there's a lot of wasted space above his head. so i'd like some advice on a DIY second-level inside a ten-gallon, that would take up maybe half the tank, have a ramp, and give him a little more space to stretch out horizontally.

what should i make it out of? wood? do i need to seal it? i'd appreciate some ideas and some hints, pictures if you've built a second level. i have access to almost any tool i might need and i can probably get any materials.

thanks!
 

Bling_my_leo

Lizard Lady ツ
Messages
1,508
Location
The sticks
I have a two story for my leos. My dad made it out of reagular wood, he didn't seal it. I have a strip of reptile carpet hanging down so they can crawl up onto the second story. They love it.
 

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,118
Location
Somerville, MA
My picture of my upstairs isn't up anymore and I'm not on the right computer to re-submit, so I'll have to describe and hope you can picture it. For a 10 gallon, I'd use an 8"x10" tile and put it on four 5" wooden dowels. To make the dowels more stable, go to a HOme Depot and look in the PVC (white plastic plumbing pipe) department to find some short tubes that you can put the dowels in, like little feet. If you want heat in the "upstairs", use 2 8"x10" tiles, one on top of the other. Separate them by putting a small tile (look in bathroom section) at each corner in between the bigger tiles. Then you can put a zoo-med mini heater in between the tiles like meat in a sandwich (the tile is the bread, get it?). The tiles are remarkably stable, but if you're worried you can glue everything together (I don't for ease of cleaning) or lean something heavy against it. To help the geckos get up there, I either lean a log there or put a hide that they can climb on downstairs.

Aliza
 
C

clementine

Guest
that's really helpful, thank you. maybe i'll do a combination of wood and tile. i don't think i need it heated, but that's a good idea. thanks!
 

OHRobert

New Member
Messages
16
I made my second story out of balsa wood I got at a craft store. I used the pieces that you put in the corner when doing molding as legs(got them at home depot for a couple dollars). I then just used screws to put the legs on. I used another piece of balsa wood to make a ramp and used a small hinge to connect it to the floor of the second level. I covered the top of it in reptile carpet with a couple clasps holding it on so I can easily remove it to clean / replace. Just a couple of ideas for you.
 

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