# Glass lid options for my exo terra



## Efciem (Nov 4, 2017)

Hello!
I debated popping this on the parts/construction forum vs beginners but lets see how this plays out.

36x18x24 exo-terra terrarium that I am starting to get my build ready for.

It has a screen lid, and my house is always low humidity so I am anticipating needing to do something to keep the humidity up..

My research has lead me down the following potential paths ( am sure each with pros/cons ) so I am looking for guidance and recommendations...

Should I:

Get my tank setup and pop a few plants in and see how the humidity plays out before adjusting the lid..
Suran Wrap the lid and consider it a done job
Put plexiglass on top of the screen segments as a cheap alternate to glass (I happen to have a sheet of plexiglass in the closet )
Get some glass cut and put the glass on top of the screen so as to not damage the screen or lid
Take a chance, pay the $60 for custom glass and rip that screen out and silicone the glass in.
Get the glass made.. but leave 2 of the 4 panels smaller by a 1/2" at the front for venting.

Also,
If I do get a mist-king at some point.. how many mist nozzels would I likely want for this Exo Terra? I am thinking 3 or 4.. which suggests if I do get glass, I should put a few 5/8" holes in the glass for the mist nozzles? 

How close to the edge of the glass do you place those holes?

Ok enough questions for now! Thanks everyone.


----------



## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

I'd suggest option 4 with this modification - go to Lowe's and buy 1) enough glass to more or less cover all 4 "holes", 2) some 220 or 320 grit wet-dry sandpaper, and 3) a glass cutter tool.

My local Lowe's store sells little sheets of thin (3/32"?) glass for about $3 each. I think the sheets are about 12" x 16". Such a piece would be a little too wide and a little too short to cover one of the four "holes" in your big Exo lid, right? I'd just use the glass-cutter tool to rip such a piece to width, and not sweat being just a little bit short length-wise. (I guess you could say this is also a slight modification of your option 6.) 

I'd do that cut once for each "hole". Then I'd sand the 4 cut edges of the "keeper" pieces with the (wet) sandpaper. You can keep the scrap, or toss it. If you keep it, package it up well with bubblewrap and tape. If you break it, the mess will be contained. Oh, I also like to do my cutting on my (level) garage floor, right atop a sliced- & spread-open paper grocery bag, and snap-break my cut along a piece of 2x4 sitting atop the bag. When you snap your break, little shards of glass spall off. The bag is a nice crap-catcher - just gently gather it up & toss in the trash.

These materials will all cost you under $25 total, and very little time. Watch a few videos, follow the directions, and - best of all - pick up a nice little skill. The video watching, plus setting up for the cuts, plus the actual cutting & snapping, plus sanding will cost you two hours, tops. Thereafter, you'll get faster. I recently went through this learning, and now I can pull off a cut in under 10 minutes, from idea to cleanup. One good pass with the cutter is really all it takes. All the time is in measuring, marking, & work zone set-up.

So - there's my advice. Good luck!


----------



## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Lose the screen top, get a piece of glass that’s 80% the area. So maybe a 36x14.5? 

I personally like using a screen kit to make the vent portion. 

Common wisdom says you should drill an inch from the edge at least. I have a double nozzle in the middle of my 18x18. It’s not exactly perfect. I think one at each 1/4 the length might be better and one in the middle would be better for mine. For your 36, maybe 3 double nozzles?


----------



## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

Oh yeah, your other questions. I personally - given my lack of experience, and general heavy-handedness - think that thickness of glass from Lowe's is _just a little thin_ for drilling. You could use your scrap (and some clear silicone) to double-up a strip of each of your 4 cover pieces, and do your drilling through that thicker strip. For the 5/8" (from memory - could be wrong?) MistKing holes, I'd probably stay at least an inch from the glass edge. Honestly, with the swiveling of the head you probably want to stay about 3" away from the edge, at least.

Four heads would be plenty I think - you'd have substantial overlap so might dial back your frequency or duration. Three would really be enough for most users (the heads cover about a foot just fine). I have a couple 36" wides, each with one head about 6" from each end, and a drier ~foot-wide zone in the center, that I reserve for a few plants that either like a bit less water, or hate wet leaves, which I hand-water twice a week or so. My MistKing heads go a couple times a day in short bursts. Works for me.

good luck, man


----------



## Efciem (Nov 4, 2017)

Thanks I'll check out Lowe's n see what they have. 

I got a quote for $65 to do 1/4" thick glass x 4 PC with 4 holes drilled (5/8" for mistking).

It's not bad.. but there are a dozen $50 things to do hehe.

I'll take a look at what you suggested.


----------



## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

> It's not bad.. but there are a dozen $50 things to do hehe.


Exactly right - a hundred little things, and a dozen medium things, add up into a pretty huge thing. You can do a pretty sweet DIY viv for about $200 (especially once you've accumulated a few tools and some "leftover" materials, and have a grow-out tank or two going for your own plant propagation), or you can go deluxe in just a few areas, and hire out some other stuff, and ah crap, now you're pushing a grand. Don't get me wrong, *nice IS nice*, but...I just think this hobby is the best thing since indoor toilets. The thought of excluding a whole lot of people due to perceived mandatory costliness bugs me.

There was a guy on here a few months back, cryin' cause he was spending so damn much. He went into some itemized detail. Sometimes I can be a little, uh, grumpy old bastard or something. I kind of was laughing at the guy in my head, for being so clueless about all the places he could have saved some dough. I think (hope...) I was able to bite my tongue, so to speak, and not take my feelings online. But I had a change of heart when I realized what his (publicized...) experience could be doing to others with little experience, making them think that was normal or something. And - not actually being a complete asshole - I wound up feeling pretty bummed for the guy himself. He was out maybe $300 he could have saved pretty easily. Honestly, life's been good and $300 isn't much in my life any more (it definitely used to be). But some guys, they still only make $300 in a week. A week I understand. You don't get that back, once you spend it, it's GONE. What a waste.

You can choose to spend a lot of money and get a fully tricked-out, museum- or zoo-quality display (that _still_ might function like crap cause you don't know what you're doing). But nobody has to do that.

Anyway, that's why I'm always nudging people to develop handy skills themselves. Besides saving (maybe...) a little money, you develop confidence and gain experience and basically learn how stuff works, how stuff is put together. Those things are priceless, and they transfer elsewhere in life. *A dollar saved is a tax-free dollar earned.*

cheers


----------



## ofc175 (Nov 10, 2018)

I went to glass shop and had 1/4 in cut to size... Think it was like $9.00....silconed it in with screen case and screen I had laying around, all in the original top cause I like the idea of being able to remove it if needed.


----------



## Efciem (Nov 4, 2017)

I am not one to nickle and dime. But I also want to be smart and give this is my first vivarium, I would prefer for my mistakes to be manageable in size and investment. My wife asked me today when we should go pick up or order some frogs... I simply said maybe September. She was surprised... I explained the process and now she understands. She still thinks in crazy to have such an involved hobby. But I enjoy the thoughtful planning and research and creativity.


----------



## JimM (Oct 2, 2018)

With the same exo I got glass cut, and used a screen kit to vent the top/front.
I also cut a smaller sub-panel of glass that I drilled for the mister bulkheads.
This strip is maybe 3" and sits just behind the screen strip.

The actual vent area of the screen is about an inch all the way across.

So on top it's screen strip, narrow glass, wider glass (that the light sits on) then plastic strip.
(I cut off the rear plastic strip of the stock screen top and use that in the rear)
That way I can feed prob cords and the heater cable cord into the Viv.

I'd post a pic but my internet is being a bit slow right now.
I'll try and remember later.


----------



## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

jgragg said:


> Anyway, that's why I'm always nudging people to develop handy skills themselves. Besides saving (maybe...) a little money, you develop confidence and gain experience and basically learn how stuff works, how stuff is put together. Those things are priceless, and they transfer elsewhere in life. *A dollar saved is a tax-free dollar earned.*


A corollary to that last fact is: A dollar spent on a DIY project is a lot of entertainment and personal satisfaction for only a buck.


----------

