8Foot killer lizard tank. Building material questions. (Heat and Humidity)

Going to do a google sketchup of it when I have time to nail down some dimensions, but essentially what I am trying to build is a double walled insulated humid hot box enclosure 8x4x4. I might need to make it shorter or readily unbolted into 2 pieces for getting it in my house. (Will assemble elsewhere with borrowed equipment. Trying to keep it somewhat low budget. ($200-400)

I needed some help with materials suggestions

Framing will be in basic lumber. The exterior panels I wasn’t sure what would be best but I’m looking for fairly flat so that I can probably do laminate floor paneling and molding to try and make this as nice looking as possible. (Vs a lot of time sanding and painting and still looking like crap. I don’t know whether plywood, sheet rock/drywall, or something else. Melamine boards might be good but is awful heavy.

The interior sheets I again was doing melamine at first since it’s easy to just seal the corners, but it’s so heavy I thought I didn’t want the cage empty being absurdly heavy for 2 average people to move. I know some people have done plywood with healthy coats of dry lock. This isn’t my area of knowledge so I was again looking for materials + sealers to use. Tank will be at like 70% humidity with heat lamps and a foot or two of cypress chips and some soil. Any sealant I paint panels with needs to be fairly durable and not crazy toxic after setting.

Insulation I was going to stuff with just whatever random stuff, but don’t know if theres some humidity resistant stuff to mold. The tank will have some vents I imagine I have to have a tiny duct running between walls so I don’t just fill the insulation center cavity with water vapor. Also will drill a hole for electrical cords that I’ll stop up/seal after they are run.
For access I was just going to use a $100 home depot 63inchx24 inch sliding window or similar.

To keep cost and weight down consider using light weight hollow core doors and paint them. Most are already primed and ready for paint. Can often be bought at Habitat for Humanity stores or Homer Depot cheap.




sent from my electronic ball and chain

If it will be in climate controlled area may not need inner and outer with insulation between. Hollow core door may not offer much insulative (rednecks love to make up words) properties but may not need much. Could build to size that works with door sizes and use screws and angle brackets for easy assembly.

sent from my electronic ball and chain

House will be climate controled, but I'm sure during winter when I'm being cheap and keeping it at 64, I might run into keeping it hot enough. (75 thru 90 degree's with a 130degree bask spot, 70% humidity)

The doors does sound like a really cheap option. And if hollow I imagine if I wanted I could inject a foam insulator if need be. May not fit the bill for keeping the build "pretty" but I'll look into it when I do some window shopping later this week.

Not sure how big your house is or where you plan to put it but that big of box heated and at that temp your house will not be 64. I have a couple of friends that have reptiles and large 60-100 gal enclosures and the rest of the main house is 70+ in the winter with the heat turned off.

One has a couple of these and the giant electric bill that goes with them. I would try and insulate the hell out of them as his are glass.

I have a buddy who has a setup thats 1/2 tempered glass that use to house an iguana. Rougly 6' long 3' 2'deep on a steel stand he'd let go cheap if he still has it.

Heavy as hell though.

Too small, and a few problems with glass tanks with what I want to get.


@Jerry, I bet he is also using some >200watt bulbs and/or metal halide, and maybe glass tops where a lot of that heat escapes. But yeah, insulation is both for keeping things warmer easier in there but hopefully protecting the house from the heat almost. If done right I'm only going to be running 2-3 50watt halogen flood lights + the UVB light. Though if gradient is too much might have to do some heat lighting mid tank. Coming from 210g of reeftank in a unfinished basement heated to 80degrees I think I'll actually have a smaller electric bill.

Melomine is typically over particle board ca t imagine that would like the humidityn