# How can I turn a fish tank into a vivarium??



## Leigh 1978 (Jul 17, 2010)

Hi everyone, I have been given a 5 foot fish tank (with cabinet) to make into a vivarium for my bearded dragon, as I'm not particularly great at diy, any suggestions on what to do would be greatly appreciated, has anyone out there done this before, did it work well?????


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## mr stroudy (Mar 11, 2008)

would not bother tbh glass tanks are crap for bds


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## kizzyfur (Jun 22, 2010)

be easier to e bay or gumtree new viv


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## _Ben_ (Feb 27, 2010)

Leigh 1978 said:


> Hi everyone, I have been given a 5 foot fish tank (with cabinet) to make into a vivarium for my bearded dragon, as I'm not particularly great at diy, any suggestions on what to do would be greatly appreciated, has anyone out there done this before, did it work well?????


Personally I wouldnt bother. But consider the following.....


glass doesnt hold the heat well, so would need to look into insulating probably 3 of the sides.
its an old fish tank? ditch the canopy for the lighting, you will need a UVB tube (4ft minimum for a 5ft viv) to be hung on the back wall.
some sort of heat lamp suspended from the roof.
replace the old fishtank roof, maybe with mesh? or just something lightweight to keep the heat in but wont affect your access to the viv.
you will need to cover 3 sides of the viv from the inside, this will stop your beardie from feeling exposed and also prevent him from seeing his own reflection too much and reduce the chances of him getting stressed out.
how olds the beardie? if its a nice tame adult it should be a problem, but if its still a young thing, it might not appreciate the access from above (but I would think in time it would calm down and be ok).
If it was me, I would sell the fish tank, and use the money to buy a nice second hand wooden 4ft viv, but there are people on here who have made glass tanks work you just need to understand them.


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## Jeffers3 (May 18, 2010)

It's good advice from Ben. The big issue is that the container (wood or glass) actually makes up quite a small proportion of the cost of the viv. You'll need a UV lamp, starter unit, heater, thermostat, thermometers, timers, decoration, vents, bowls and substrate. That lot will set you back over £100. You'll need these bits whichever type of viv you have. You can save (a bit of) money by getting these on ebay, but you'll need a new UV lamp and this will need to be replaced every 6 months or so.

Building a wooden viv is easy. Go to one of the major DIY places like B&Q and they'll cut the contiboard to size for you. Any glazier should be able to supply you with a couple of bits of toughened glass and the runners. The wood and glass should come to less than £50.

A wooden viv will be easier to ventilate and to incorporate all the other equipment. If you sell the aquarium, it will subsidise your other costs.

Hope this helps. If you want help with designing a wooden viv, let me know.


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## 1uk3 (Jun 18, 2010)

If your asking how to change that into a viv for a bd then follow this 

Remove all glass and replace with wood using left over glass make some sliding doors. And there u go a nice viv all you need now is a heat source and uv and decor 

Enjoy


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## _Ben_ (Feb 27, 2010)

As I said I know people on here have used glass tanks for beardies, and finally found the one I remember reading about.....

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/550680-d-got-new-tank.html
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/575623-my-bearded-dragon-his-home.html

Might be worth contacting Reptile Forums - View Profile: Marc'sDragon to ask for advice : victory:


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## 1uk3 (Jun 18, 2010)

If you did really wanna use it then you would neef to insulate it with some jablight or just polystyrine(sp?) Not gonna look great but will hold in the heat and keep out the cold that way


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

buy a wooden viv and make a amphibian tank with the fish tank...


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## thetong6969 (Apr 20, 2009)

AS MENTIONED GET RID OF THE GLASS TANK
as they do not hold heat they are useless make or buy a wooden vivarium
as people have mentioned ,this is good genuine advice: victory:


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