Building vivs

[ajler]

Iam building new vivariums and would like to know if the glass sizes are right . I plan to use 6mm glass also the only track I can get in this town is plastic, is this strong enough or will I have to get metal tracks if metal is the go doe,s any one in the Adelaide area know where I can get some .The sizes are 900+600+600 and 1.8+1200+600 my little coastal is getting a big girl and i,ve got some little water pythons on the way so I,ll have to pull my finger out. The viv I have got now has a lift up perspex door I am not real happy with it . Gratefull for any help
Regards ajler

[craig]

plastic tracks are fine i've used both.

[Ella]

Hi ajler, sorry to change the direction of ur post slightly but I didn't want to make a new topic.

I too am building a new viv and wanted to know whether I should do sliding glass doors or a big hinged door (I want unobstructed viewing so two hinged doors is out) They'd be about 4ft H, 31/2 W

[ajler]

Hi Ella,Looks like you got the same problem as me,if your cage is 4ft high you need 4ft of room in front to lift or drop the door .Hinged in the middle you will only need 2ft so I reckon slidders are the only way to go.

[ajler]

Thanks Craig, it makes things easier if I can use plastic.

[sxereturn]

Before you order the glass, make sure you measure the inside of the enclosure very accurately. Otherwise your glass won't fit. And just because the enclosures are the same, doesn't mean they are the exact same size...

[Simon_Archibald]

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[ajler]

Dead right Simon , thats why I would like to know if 6mm is thick enough.The door will be 153cms tall .

[africancichlidau]

Depends what type of glass you are using but I would say for standard window glass 6mm would be nowhere near thich enough.

[ajler]

What thicknes would you recomend Afro, the people here in town only build furniture I havent the guts to tell them it,s for a snake they might think I,m strange.

[Ella]

How about safety glass? Or is that standard window glass? What other types of glass are there?

[africancichlidau]

I would be using a MINIMUM of 8mm toughened but that stuff is hellish expensive as it has to manufactured to size, cant be cut.

[africancichlidau]

How about safety glass? Or is that standard window glass? What other types of glass are there?

No, safety glass is not standard window glass, I think std window glass is called float glass? Then you have picture glass, laminated , toughened and many others that I have never had any experience with.

[Simon_Archibald]

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[BuggieSmuggler]

The best bet is to go to a glass merchant. I've just built some 1200* 750*600 enclosures. I'm sure that those tracks also have a size limitation on them. (that is the glass span) Also as others said getting the measurement right is tricky. Top to bottom as well as side to side.

With the larger viv the glass may end up too heavy to slide on the plastic tracks.

Have you thought about locks? I got these neat looking locks that are gloss silver finish & about the size of a one dollar coin. Part of the key stays in the lock when they're locked.