Habitat - Indoor :: climb barrier for stock tank

[laurapa]

OK, here I am with more questions. I'm now working on an ATBA so I can raise the water level in Oliver's 50gal stock tank.

But if I raise the water level, I'm going to need some kind of barrier to go around the sides of the stock tank. It needs to be very flexible, something that can curve around the sides of the stock tank and hold fast with silicone glue.

I live in a small apartment and have no tools (or skill) for crafting the lovely wood boxes I've seen people make. What I'm hoping for is some kind of barrier that will be at least 6" tall (above the rim of the tank), will fit cleanly around the tank, and will be smooth enough that Oliver won't be able to get a grip on it and climb it. I would like to glue this barrier around the rim of the tank so it rises up like an extension of the tank itself. So it would be nice if it were black, but only for looks.

I looked at plastic garden edging, but it seems too short (height, not length) and also seems like it might be too rigid. It seems like there's no way it would stay in place long enough for the silicone glue to adhere.

Do you have other suggestions that can be done on a low budget and, more importantly, with a dearth of tools? What I lack in tools I make up for in creativity, so don't be afraid to give complicated, MacGyver-style solution!

[VanishingReality]

I'm not sure if this would work long term but could you try gluing Popsicle sticks to the side of the tank?

[trudykurz]

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy plexiglass. They will cut it to size. They will also give steer you towards fixtures to attach to your tank. Look at the ATB section.

[moldygrape]

haha MacGyver-style solution! awesome .... u can try egg crate maybe 24 bucks for a 55g tank its in the lighting section at home depot they are called light defusers but are easy to cut fancy looking and cheep well not so fancy but it works check out the atba section

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15260

[laurapa]

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far!

I thought about covering the top of the tank with egg crate or screening, but since the sides of the stock tank are solid black, I'd really like to keep the top of the tank open so we can see Oliver better. He likes to be part of the family - he always needs a safe place to go to, but he likes to get right up in our faces and have staring contests and stuff. And we like it too. I think egg crate or even screening would create a little too much of a visible barrier, since we can't see him through the sides of the tank.

So what I'm thinking about is something that just kind of extends the sides of the tank. Raises the depth of the tank about 6" (although of course the water would only go as deep as the actual tank). Whatever it is needs to be flexible, able to remain flush with the curves of the stock tank. Otherwise Oliver can just escape out of the corners.

Please keep the good ideas coming! I just really can't think of any other materials!

[marisa]

How about some kind of gutter guard? The kind I'm thinking of (and have) is a grid that somes in a roll that's pretty flexible. It's maybe 8 inches high and can be cut to fit the size of the gutter.

There's always hardware cloth, but it's not as easy to work with when it comes to curves...

[laurapa]

Marisa, do you mean this?



That looks like it might indeed be a good bet, but I have a couple questions:

1. How firm is it? I need it to be flexible, but I also don't want Oliver's weight to be able to collapse it (he is not very heavy...he's only 4")

2. Since it's mesh, can Oliver climb it with his claws? That seems like a heroic feat, but I know turtles are capable of climbing just about anything.

I'm thinking I might be able to avoid him climbing it if I glue the mesh to the inner edge of the tank rim instead of the outer edge. That way he doesn't have any sort of platform to pull himself up with.

Hmmm I hope Home Depot has this stuff...I might buy some tomorrow!!

[steve]

If you were thinking of a simple barrier around the sides, I would look into corrugated plastic or foam core - which would require some protection with clear contact or some sort of vinyl adhesive.

[marisa]

Yes, the stuff I have is similar. I bought it to do something similar with, but haven't had to use it---with 100-gallon and up stock tanks, it doesn't seem to be as easy to escape as with 50-gallon tanks. I really can't say how rigid it would be (I'd have to find what I have and look at it). I was concentrating more on having something flexible to follow the shape of the tank. And I was thinking of having it attached to the inner rim. If you get some and try it, let me know how it goes.