building a viv stack

[matty]

i would like to build a viv stack out of contiboard and would just like a few questions answering please..

- do i use glass or perspex? i suppose perspex is cheaper and easier to work with, but will it maintain the heat? and if i use glass, what thickness? toughened?

-how do i stick the runners and the door handle things on? superglue?

-can i use silicone to seal the edges -- my dads building a conservatory and ordered 32 tubes of silicone lmao

-how many air vernts per viv will i need?

-how will i make sure that its all nice and square? do i just line it up, or do i need to do something special?

-will i need to put anything between vivs (obviously apart from contiboard)?

-is it easier to have pieces of wood at the top, bottom, left and righ hand side of each pane of glass? (if you get me..i dont know how to explain it) or does it not really matter?

-will the edges not show all the compressed sawdust? if so, how do i go about covering it?

-whats the best thickness of contiboard, or doesnt it matter?

-runners at the side aswel?

-do i use screws, only ive never noticed any screws in vivs before?

how much of an overlap should there be in the doors?


well i think thats everything..thanks for reading and for your replies in advance..

thanks,

Matt

[crosby]

I put my comments below based on my build.

- do i use glass or perspex? i suppose perspex is cheaper and easier to work with, but will it maintain the heat? and if i use glass, what thickness? toughened? - Use glass, perspex scratches to much. I use 6mm thick but it depends on what your planning to keep in each viv

-how do i stick the runners and the door handle things on? superglue? - I used wood glue

-can i use silicone to seal the edges -- my dads building a conservatory and ordered 32 tubes of silicone lmao - As long as it's low / non toxic and you leave it to air for 48 hours after applying. Would also suggest varnishing the inside to help protect it.

-how many air vernts per viv will i need? - I put one 9 inch vent at each end

-how will i make sure that its all nice and square? do i just line it up, or do i need to do something special? - Measure it out, mark up the alignment points on the conti board and make sure it's correct before fixing in place

-will i need to put anything between vivs (obviously apart from contiboard)? - No

-is it easier to have pieces of wood at the top, bottom, left and righ hand side of each pane of glass? (if you get me..i dont know how to explain it) or does it not really matter? - Yes to the first point

-will the edges not show all the compressed sawdust? if so, how do i go about covering it? - The only edges I have showing are at the top and bottom of the side boards. If you have some showing you can buy sticky strips to cover it at B&Q

-whats the best thickness of contiboard, or doesnt it matter? - Mines about 18mm

-runners at the side aswel? - Yes, will help close out any gaps you may have

-do i use screws, only ive never noticed any screws in vivs before? - Chipboard screws

how much of an overlap should there be in the doors? - I went with about 2 inches

Hope that helps

[matty]

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[matty]

yeh helps loads thanks alot

[sarahssnakes]

i used perspex on my viv build and did the job perfect kept heat in and the animals though this would depend on how high your vivs will be as it tends to bow in the middle if you have a to high viv and also what you wanted to keep in the vivs??
i kept corns,beardies and a plated lizard in mine?
but again it depends on what finish you want to.

[matty]

well theyll each be 2ft high and ill be keeping a few different species in them

[sarahssnakes]

mine was all 2ft high with no probs though if any of the reps going in is very strong i would go for toughened glass as you wouldnt want any to go for walkies got my perspex of ebay the bloke cuts to size and sends it to you the cheapest i found it.