# Lining a viv with......



## Woody82 (Dec 23, 2010)

I hear lots of people lining wood vivs with glass to aid with limiting moisture damage etc but has anyone used thin acrylic?? Its cheap and i think would do a similar job..

theory does not always = experience.....


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## JPalmer (Jul 7, 2012)

One thing some people have said is that Perspex and other plastics can Dis colour and doesn't age too well but Iv used it as replacing glass in the front of a mates tank and its still perfect for him and he needs to see though it, for your purpose it should do fine! If you need info about the fitting speak to Dave (my_shed?) i was chatting about him glassing his tanks a few days ago! Here is the link to that chat  http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/914379-no-rest-wicked.html
Good luck
Josh


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Hi, cheers for the referral Josh  I've tried thin acrylic in the past, it has a couple of advantages, easy cutting, drilling , flexibility etc. It does however have a major downfall. Silicine sealants don't adhere to acrylic, the only adhesive to ensure waterproof joints is an acrylic solvent cement. This can be difficult to work with, and nearly impossible in situ, so you'd need to build an acrylic box outside the viv and then fit it in. This, combined with the cost (perspex and solvent cement is more expensive than glass of a similar thickness and sealant) meant I never personally really got into perspex. 

Hope this helps

Dave


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

I've done just the thing mate recently. Built a large arboreal vivarium for my male Iggy and knowing that he requires relatively high humidity, I lined the entire inner with 4mm polycarbonate. The poly is twin lined so does two things.... it is 100% water resistant so I can hook up some misters and being twin walled means that it retains the heat very well and insulates the entire vivarium. Because the polycarbonate is 4mm, cutting it can be done with a pair of scissors to get the exact measurement you require. I then simply use marine HA6 sealant to bond it to the inner walls and make water tight seals in and around the edges. The end result is a fully lined, waterproof wooden vivarum that is bullet proof!


You can kinda see the size of the vivarium in one of my threads below:


http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...arge-arboreal-phyllomedusa-racking-build.html


Hope that helps mate.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Terrarium Supplies said:


> I've done just the thing mate recently. Built a large arboreal vivarium for my male Iggy and knowing that he requires relatively high humidity, I lined the entire inner with 4mm polycarbonate. The poly is twin lined so does two things.... it is 100% water resistant so I can hook up some misters and being twin walled means that it retains the heat very well and insulates the entire vivarium. Because the polycarbonate is 4mm, cutting it can be done with a pair of scissors to get the exact measurement you require. I then simply use marine HA6 sealant to bond it to the inner walls and make water tight seals in and around the edges. The end result is a fully lined, waterproof wooden vivarum that is bullet proof!
> 
> 
> You can kinda see the size of the vivarium in one of my threads below:
> ...


Hi, is it confirmed that sealant maintains a waterproof joint with polycarbonate? A lot of sealants advertise that they'll bond to "most plastics" but actually don't bond with acrylic, and I wonder whether it's the same for polycarbonate?

Dave


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

It works a treat with the Poly I use Dave. On another forum, a guy slightly sanded the bonding areas prior to application to get his method to stick but all in all, yes Poly can be made 100% watertight is done correctly and is relatively cheap to do so.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Terrarium Supplies said:


> It works a treat with the Poly I use Dave. On another forum, a guy slightly sanded the bonding areas prior to application to get his method to stick but all in all, yes Poly can be made 100% watertight is done correctly and is relatively cheap to do so.


Ah thats good to hear, do you use this method with false floors and drainage layers, i.e. standing water, or is it just to protect from humidty and misting?

Dave


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

Just for water protection in the Iggy vivarium. However in the above thread I am making 7 custom vivariums with false floors early next week which will be fun lol! I'll be going through each step along with full pics and technical data if anyone would like to mirror the steps.

I think Poly vivariums are the step forward - cheap, easy, 100% water tight and very good insulators.


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## Woody82 (Dec 23, 2010)

cheers for all the input, i was planning on a build early next year so i will be watching your thread very closely to see how it goes etc, looking cracking so far though must admit......


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

Cheers Woody, I'll be firing up some pics of the Iggy vivarium over the weekend so you'll know exactly what it looks like when fully lined.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

For my crestie viv I just lined the bottom with a fish tank and built the viv around it. It cost me £26 for the sliding glass doors at the top but only £21 for the fish tank that seals the bottom and saved me having to buy doors for the bottom.


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## Paul112 (Apr 6, 2007)

Polycarbonate seems like a great material, but wouldn't an iggy just shred through it? Twin wall stuff is easy to cut, I would have thought that any kind of claws would make short work of it?

Best,
Paul


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

Paul112 said:


> Polycarbonate seems like a great material, but wouldn't an iggy just shred through it? Twin wall stuff is easy to cut, I would have thought that any kind of claws would make short work of it?
> 
> Best,
> Paul


Maybe if an Iggy had super sharp claws but my guys is.... well what can I say, he likes his manicures :mf_dribble:


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Terrarium Supplies said:


> Maybe if an Iggy had super sharp claws but my guys is.... well what can I say, he likes his manicures :mf_dribble:


Are youusing the white twin wall, the quite thin stuff used for sign making, or the thicker more rigid transparent stuff often used for replacement glazing, conservatories, etc?

Dave


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

Its for glazing Dave, the stuff you see on car ports, conservatories and greenhouses. Pretty solid stuff to be honest and considering that it is only 4mm.

For the custom vivariums I use 10mm - not sure if you guys have seen this put this is along the same lines of mine - stunning!!

Duplex Terrarium - Enclosure Plans


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Terrarium Supplies said:


> Its for glazing Dave, the stuff you see on car ports, conservatories and greenhouses. Pretty solid stuff to be honest and considering that it is only 4mm.
> 
> For the custom vivariums I use 10mm - not sure if you guys have seen this put this is along the same lines of mine - stunning!!
> 
> Duplex Terrarium - Enclosure Plans


Oh yeah i've seen them before, tidy and smart enclosures. Look forward to seeing how it goes with the false floors, i used acrylic in the past for misting protection and so on, it was only when it had to cope with standing water that the joints failed. Fingers crossed you don't have any issues with the polycarbonate.

Dave


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## Terrarium Supplies (May 12, 2012)

Completed and fully lined vivarium

Without hijacking this thread, there's loads more pictures and info on the main thread here: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...ge-arboreal-phyllomedusa-racking-build-4.html


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