# How to make an acrylic terrarium



## Richard77

Ok People,
As promised a step by step guide of how to build an acrylic terrarium.

*STEP 1: MITRE BLOCK*








Before building and terrarium, you will need to build this little bit of kit, it's my mitre block so to speak, it has perfect 90 degree angles which is vital for making a successful and professional looking tank.

This one here is made from MDF wood, which can be bought at any DIY shop, or (for all the school kids out there) nicked from any DT work shop class. The wood pieces to construct this must be cut on a band saw, or any other saw that can give you the perfect 90 degree angle on the cut edge. This is vital, if your mitre block is wrong, your tank will end up like the leaning tower of pisa. The wood is cut and just screwed into place, no trick to that.
I use MDF because its soft and smooth surfaced so i wont scratch the acrylic when i'm sliding the tank around when constructing it, plus it's cheap as chips!

*STEP 2: ACRYLIC*

Before you order you acrylic, it is vital that you order it with POLISHED EDGES, if you don't have polished edges, the technique i'm about to show you will not work.

So before you order you obviously have a plan of what your building then work out all the pieces that are needed, sorry to sound like a teacher talking to fools, but you wouldn't believe how easy it is to get your measurements wrong and realise it after you have placed your order, double check everything!

*IMPORTANT WARNING: YOUR ACRYLIC SHEETS MUST BE 5MM THICK OR MORE, OR YOUR HEAT MATT WILL WARP THE ARYLIC AND IT WILL FALL APART.*









You will also need 2 clear acrylic hinges and 1 medium hasp and staple, i get mine from here:

Alternative Plastics - Acrylic and perspex suppliers

*STEP 3: SOLVENT*

You will need to purchase this amazing stuff, again from any diy store, best bit is, it dries in about 8 seconds flat, beats waiting 24 hours for that smelly bathroom sealer! (Is it me, or does bathroom sealant smell like really strong salt and vinegar crisps?Anyway...)








Also a small paint brush is needed for the application of the solvent.

*STEP 4: CONSTRUCTION*

Ok, now all elements are purchased, your plan of measurements were correct i hope (unlike my first attempt)

Peal the protective film from the acrylic








By the way, i had these lazer cut by a friend, plastic companies do offer this service, but thats up to you. If your using a drill to make ventilation, obviously now would be a good time to drill the holes before the construction.

Place the pieces of acrylic tight into the corners so that they are at the perfect angle and position and then use your brush to dab the solvent down the inner edge of the acrylic. The solvent works by running between both pieces of acrylic and creating a vacuum that melts both pieces together, hence the polished edges, the vacuum can only occur on a smooth surface, a rough surface wont work.
























Repeat the gluing process, ad a bit more where needed, you'll have to do this by eye when holding it up to the light (you'll see what i mean).

Applying the front bottom panel, glue this with the tank in the upright position so it runs flush with the rest of the base.








Now applying the door, i leave a small gap between the bottom panel and the door, 1 for ventilation, 2 so the door acrylic doesn't scrape along the bottom panel when opening and closing the door.








Hinge
once your door is in its right position, place the hinges in their position symmetrically spaced and check they touch flat on the side and door surface before applying the solvent glue to the hinge surfaces.
















Clasp and hisp
measure to the center of the door to position you clasp.









When applying my hisp and clasp i keep the clasp attached to the hisp in its location so when positioning it, the overhang is in the right place... confused? me to, it's is hard to explain, so i made a diagram for you to see how the clasp overhangs for the right angle positioning. Hope this makes sense!









And la Voila!








One great looking spider acrylic terrarium!:2thumb:


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## promarc73

Richard77 said:


> Ok People,
> As promised a step by step guide of how to build an acrylic terrarium.
> 
> *STEP 1: MITRE BLOCK*
> image
> Before building and terrarium, you will need to build this little bit of kit, it's my mitre block so to speak, it has perfect 90 degree angles which is vital for making a successful and professional looking tank.
> 
> This one here is made from MDF wood, which can be bought at any DIY shop, or (for all the school kids out there) nicked from any DT work shop class. The wood pieces to construct this must be cut on a band saw, or any other saw that can give you the perfect 90 degree angle on the cut edge. This is vital, if your mitre block is wrong, your tank will end up like the leaning tower of pisa. The wood is cut and just screwed into place, no trick to that.
> I use MDF because its soft and smooth surfaced so i wont scratch the acrylic when i'm sliding the tank around when constructing it, plus it's cheap as chips!
> 
> *STEP 2: ACRYLIC*
> 
> Before you order you acrylic, it is vital that you order it with POLISHED EDGES, if you don't have polished edges, the technique i'm about to show you will not work.
> 
> So before you order you obviously have a plan of what your building then work out all the pieces that are needed, sorry to sound like a teacher talking to fools, but you wouldn't believe how easy it is to get your measurements wrong and realise it after you have placed your order, double check everything!
> 
> *IMPORTANT WARNING: YOUR ACRYLIC SHEETS MUST BE 5MM THICK OR MORE, OR YOUR HEAT MATT WILL WARP THE ARYLIC AND IT WILL FALL APART.*
> image
> 
> You will also need 2 clear acrylic hinges and 1 medium hasp and staple, i get mine from here:
> 
> Alternative Plastics - Acrylic and perspex suppliers
> 
> *STEP 3: SOLVENT*
> 
> You will need to purchase this amazing stuff, again from any diy store, best bit is, it dries in about 8 seconds flat, beats waiting 24 hours for that smelly bathroom sealer! (Is it me, or does bathroom sealant smell like really strong salt and vinegar crisps?Anyway...)
> image
> Also a small paint brush is needed for the application of the solvent.
> 
> *STEP 4: CONSTRUCTION*
> 
> Ok, now all elements are purchased, your plan of measurements were correct i hope (unlike my first attempt)
> 
> Peal the protective film from the acrylic
> image
> By the way, i had these lazer cut by a friend, plastic companies do offer this service, but thats up to you. If your using a drill to make ventilation, obviously now would be a good time to drill the holes before the construction.
> 
> Place the pieces of acrylic tight into the corners so that they are at the perfect angle and position and then use your brush to dab the solvent down the inner edge of the acrylic. The solvent works by running between both pieces of acrylic and creating a vacuum that melts both pieces together, hence the polished edges, the vacuum can only occur on a smooth surface, a rough surface wont work.
> image
> image
> image
> Repeat the gluing process, ad a bit more where needed, you'll have to do this by eye when holding it up to the light (you'll see what i mean).
> 
> Applying the front bottom panel, glue this with the tank in the upright position so it runs flush with the rest of the base.
> image
> Now applying the door, i leave a small gap between the bottom panel and the door, 1 for ventilation, 2 so the door acrylic doesn't scrape along the bottom panel when opening and closing the door.
> image
> Hinge
> once your door is in its right position, place the hinges in their position symmetrically spaced and check they touch flat on the side and door surface before applying the solvent glue to the hinge surfaces.
> image
> image
> Clasp and hisp
> measure to the center of the door to position you clasp.
> 
> image
> When applying my hisp and clasp i keep the clasp attached to the hisp in its location so when positioning it, the overhang is in the right place... confused? me to, it's is hard to explain, so i made a diagram for you to see how the clasp overhangs for the right angle positioning. Hope this makes sense!
> image
> 
> And la Voila!
> image
> One great looking spider acrylic terrarium!:2thumb:




OMFG thats mint m8 fantastic job you've done there, how much would you charge for these, could do it but dont have the tools unless i go smilling at my neighbours lol


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## Danhalen

Absolutely top notch post. Good job mentioning the 5mm - A lot of people try and cut corners with cheaper material, but it really isn't worth it.

Well done.


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## Nicquita

:eek4: i don't think i'll ever attempt that. i'm having difficulty just measuring sliding doors for my vivarium...


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## ShouldIBeDamned

excellent post... have been thinking how I'm going to go about making one of these, thank you!! :no1::no1::no1:

(sticky??)


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## Richard77

Thanks people for all your comments.

I've just built this one for someone on here, this size, i charge between £30-35, wish i could charge less, but sadly acrylic costs more than glass believe it or not, even selling them at this price i make very little, i do it for the love of the hobby really.

I have a full time job and i do these when i can fit them in, when there are more available i'll let people know.

I have 1 terrestrial one left at the moment for £35 if anyone is interested

it's 16" wide x 8" x 8"


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_

Yeah that's amazing! I think this needs to be stickied so i can find it when i plan to make one


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## The Sandman

That inc postage mate? if not, how much to send?


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## tarantulamatt

thats a awesome tank mate:mf_dribble:


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## Whosthedaddy

That is superb, shame I cant stand spiders!!!!!

Love the laser cutting detail too.


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_

The site where you get your board from is a little confusing, like i see no prices or anything


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## ShouldIBeDamned

_TiMiSdRuNk_ said:


> Yeah that's amazing! I think this needs to be stickied so i can find it when i plan to make one


I've book marked it just in case :whistling2:


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## DannyB

Great looking tanks.

Your right about the cost of proper Perspex, the real stuff not the cheapo stuff, i was shocked when they quoted me £200 for an 8x4 sheet!!!

I wondered how you stuck it together, but am i right in thinking you cant use the same technique to stick perspex to glass?


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## george dobson

awesome , This must be stickied


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## Richard77

cheers guy's.

Postage is seperate, it's £9 the reason being more expensive is for the insurance and signature required, as the tanks are so brittle i don't take ant chances and if royal mail break em i can get my money back through them and send another to you free of charge.
I ordered an exo to be delivered once, it came in a bout 7 more pieces than it should have, god know what the mail man did with it?
I'm just covering myself thats all.

Reason my website is a holding page at the moment is because i'm so busy at work, i don't have much time to order and build these and won't have a constant supply, i buy enough for 10 tanks at each time then sell em, once they are gone and get more time, i order some more etc.

I think i'll only be selling them here now when i have some available and just put a page up on my site with prices and descriptions etc.


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## Richard77

how do i sticky?


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_

A mod needs to sticky it. The sandman seems interested in your tank, i'd pm him if i were you and i can vouch for him being a good payer with things


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## Stelios

Really good post mate, but I would rather buy one of yours.


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## The Sandman

Cheers Tim,

yea im just thinking about something new for my Velvet worms as one has just had babies woop woop.


How big are the vents?


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## mythicdawn07

I would also like this stickied please. : victory:


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_

The Sandman said:


> Cheers Tim,
> 
> yea im just thinking about something new for my Velvet worms as one has just had babies woop woop.
> 
> 
> How big are the vents?


Ohhh what are they like to keep? You selling any at some point?


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## Kizzu

Excellent post mate.

I unfortunately no longer have access to a laser cutter now I've finished my Product Design course and there's no way they will look as impressive without one. I'll be placing an order with you very soon :2thumb:


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## schumi

great info mate This has to be stickied :2thumb:


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## MissyBats

I am inspired, but also dubious of my skills lol


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## Ozgi

I've been thinking of trying my hand at one of these for a while now, this post has made my decision a lot easier!

My boss has just started a second business which involves acrylic and laser cutters, so I have access to everything I need :mf_dribble:


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## Richard77

wish my boss had a lazer cutting business, i'd be working late every night, i have so many plans and designs for all sorts of acrylic tanks and accessories but no access or time to do them  
Best of luck with that!


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## Richard77

I'll take a pic of the vents with a measuring tape over the weekend and post it up, i don't have the sizes at hand sorry.


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## Ozgi

Richard77 said:


> wish my boss had a lazer cutting business, i'd be working late every night, i have so many plans and designs for all sorts of acrylic tanks and accessories but no access or time to do them
> Best of luck with that!


Lol, I have loads of ideas but don't have the skill to put them into practice. 

I'd also have to buy my own acrylic, and as you say, the prices are astronomical!


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## Richard77

Ozgi said:


> Lol, I have loads of ideas but don't have the skill to put them into practice.
> 
> I'd also have to buy my own acrylic, and as you say, the prices are astronomical!


Yup! anyone who has done some research will realise how much good acrylic costs, plus those hisp and clasps i use made from clear acrylic are £7 each :eek4:

I'm going to try and get a quote for acrylic sheets to make a 12"x12"x18", i guarantee you it will cost more than an exo at that size


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## mcluskyisms

STICKY!!!!!

Marvelous post!

Inspirational to say the least!!!

Well done


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## rudy691

looks great mate  will try to make my own soon !


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## rudy691

any info where to find cheap acrylic sheets ?


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## beardies_dragon

what thickness acrylic would you suggest for 2x2x2 and 4x2x2


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## wilson1983

Richard77 said:


> Ok People,
> As promised a step by step guide of how to build an acrylic terrarium.
> 
> *STEP 1: MITRE BLOCK*
> image
> Before building and terrarium, you will need to build this little bit of kit, it's my mitre block so to speak, it has perfect 90 degree angles which is vital for making a successful and professional looking tank.
> 
> This one here is made from MDF wood, which can be bought at any DIY shop, or (for all the school kids out there) nicked from any DT work shop class. The wood pieces to construct this must be cut on a band saw, or any other saw that can give you the perfect 90 degree angle on the cut edge. This is vital, if your mitre block is wrong, your tank will end up like the leaning tower of pisa. The wood is cut and just screwed into place, no trick to that.
> I use MDF because its soft and smooth surfaced so i wont scratch the acrylic when i'm sliding the tank around when constructing it, plus it's cheap as chips!
> 
> *STEP 2: ACRYLIC*
> 
> Before you order you acrylic, it is vital that you order it with POLISHED EDGES, if you don't have polished edges, the technique i'm about to show you will not work.
> 
> So before you order you obviously have a plan of what your building then work out all the pieces that are needed, sorry to sound like a teacher talking to fools, but you wouldn't believe how easy it is to get your measurements wrong and realise it after you have placed your order, double check everything!
> 
> *IMPORTANT WARNING: YOUR ACRYLIC SHEETS MUST BE 5MM THICK OR MORE, OR YOUR HEAT MATT WILL WARP THE ARYLIC AND IT WILL FALL APART.*
> image
> 
> You will also need 2 clear acrylic hinges and 1 medium hasp and staple, i get mine from here:
> 
> Alternative Plastics - Acrylic and perspex suppliers
> 
> *STEP 3: SOLVENT*
> 
> You will need to purchase this amazing stuff, again from any diy store, best bit is, it dries in about 8 seconds flat, beats waiting 24 hours for that smelly bathroom sealer! (Is it me, or does bathroom sealant smell like really strong salt and vinegar crisps?Anyway...)
> image
> Also a small paint brush is needed for the application of the solvent.
> 
> *STEP 4: CONSTRUCTION*
> 
> Ok, now all elements are purchased, your plan of measurements were correct i hope (unlike my first attempt)
> 
> Peal the protective film from the acrylic
> image
> By the way, i had these lazer cut by a friend, plastic companies do offer this service, but thats up to you. If your using a drill to make ventilation, obviously now would be a good time to drill the holes before the construction.
> 
> Place the pieces of acrylic tight into the corners so that they are at the perfect angle and position and then use your brush to dab the solvent down the inner edge of the acrylic. The solvent works by running between both pieces of acrylic and creating a vacuum that melts both pieces together, hence the polished edges, the vacuum can only occur on a smooth surface, a rough surface wont work.
> image
> image
> image
> Repeat the gluing process, ad a bit more where needed, you'll have to do this by eye when holding it up to the light (you'll see what i mean).
> 
> Applying the front bottom panel, glue this with the tank in the upright position so it runs flush with the rest of the base.
> image
> Now applying the door, i leave a small gap between the bottom panel and the door, 1 for ventilation, 2 so the door acrylic doesn't scrape along the bottom panel when opening and closing the door.
> image
> Hinge
> once your door is in its right position, place the hinges in their position symmetrically spaced and check they touch flat on the side and door surface before applying the solvent glue to the hinge surfaces.
> image
> image
> Clasp and hisp
> measure to the center of the door to position you clasp.
> 
> image
> When applying my hisp and clasp i keep the clasp attached to the hisp in its location so when positioning it, the overhang is in the right place... confused? me to, it's is hard to explain, so i made a diagram for you to see how the clasp overhangs for the right angle positioning. Hope this makes sense!
> image
> 
> And la Voila!
> image
> One great looking spider acrylic terrarium!:2thumb:


hey mate thanks to this thread i have been able to make my own. 

thanks matey!!


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## afanexotichobby

*any tips*

Hey that terrarium is aweome iv watched the videos on youtube great job  im going to be making a vivarium for my snake and its going to be 5ft long 2ft wide 2ft high and ill be using 5mm thick acrylic. i want it to have a simple lid on hinges nothing fancy as this is my first attempt at anything like this also inside on 1 side of the viv i want it to put a 5" piece of acrylic in so that i can make a water pool in there for him. do you know if the normal acrylic glue stuff would be ok and keep water in or would i have to go along all the seems with silicone to make it water tight it will only have about 3 inches of water so not much. also wanted to know if 5mm acrylic would be ok with a heat mat? i hope someone can give me some little pointers and help answer some of my questions. i will be doing a photo log when i start but want to know everything before i spend the money as its going to cost a lot of money. any suggestions on a good cheap acrylic supplier?
kind regards
Jamie


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## 8and6

for a 5' acrylic viv you would need much thicker acrylic..about 12mm and it would also have to be braced to help cut down warpage, especially with heat.

sealing with silicone wouldnt do any good, the silicone really struggles to get an airtight seal on the acrylic too and will peal off in a short amount of time.
i've built large aquaria for people in the past and the best thing to use is straight dichloromethane for the strength, durability and waterproofing


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## afanexotichobby

ohhh right well time to rethink the idea then as it is wayyyyy to expensive to do it in that thickness, if i was to drop the viv down to 3ft long 2ft wide 2ft high would 5mm be ok for that?
thanks
Jamie


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## 8and6

nope...you'd still need thicker...maybe 8-10mm and braced.
long expanses of flat acrylic warp very easy


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## Dannydarby86

Subscribed :notworthy:


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## DrummyGooders

*backdrop Q*

Can you glue backdrops to acryic tanks? foam / substrate style or just gluing the bark straight onto the back. If so what glue would be best or is the normal silicone stuff ok to use?


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## Adam B Jones

DrummyGooders said:


> Can you glue backdrops to acryic tanks? foam / substrate style or just gluing the bark straight onto the back. If so what glue would be best or is the normal silicone stuff ok to use?


I just did a backdrop on an acrylic tank bought from house of spiders, was all fine. I glued bark on with a glue gun, used silicone in between and stuck substrate to that... (Following Rob C's tutorials on youtube). Worked a treat!


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## gtpgazza

*arcylic enclosures*

hi richard so 5mm acrylic would be ok for keeping my green tree pythons or would 8mm be better hows your acrylic tanks doing at 5mm thick


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