I have to decide whether it’s going to be another rat rack, or if I’ll make this one for the growing Boas. I of course ran low on metal so have to go pick up the rest of the square tubing to finish. It’s being built around the Super 70 Reptile Basics tubs (which I have 8 of, and intend to order more once they get back in stock… knock on wood).
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That’s awesome Randy!
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Looking good! I’ve built a couple metal racks as well! What do you use for your heating source?
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With this one once complete I’m going to test it with ultratherm pads. If they don’t do the trick I’ll switch over to 11" heat tape.
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Had to go with my 2nd choice in plastic, but finally got it closer to complete. Will have a 7 level done this week and will add another 3 levels next week.
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I love this, it looks very sleek
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2 posts were split to a new topic: Finishing my rack
Finally got this finished this morning. Will be attaching the heat this evening and after a little test run I’ll move the growing animals over to it.
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Woo hoo, it is looking awesome 
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I got it insulated using 3/4" thick foam board and attached 11"x17" ultratherm heat mats to test how well they’d work. I ran the heat mats unregulated and within about half an hour they had 90 degree hot spots inside of the tubs, in a basement that is 72 degrees 90% of the time. So I’ll be running ultratherms on a thermostat for the heat.
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Didn’t realize I never updated this further. I built a 2nd rack using aluminum (much lighter, and easier to work with) made it a 5 level around ARS 70 tubs. I like the aluminum so much better I took apart the steel rack above and redid it using aluminum spacers and guide rails. Also made it 9 levels and modular so easier to haul up and down the stairs.
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Those are Awesome looking. Great job.
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What kind of plastic are you using for a cover, and how is it attached?
The black plastic is 1/4" hdpe and the white is 1/8" hdpe. They’re attached with lathe screws, and counter sink screws on the front edge.
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What size tube did you use? I’m a sheet metal fabricator so curious lol. They all look nice! I made one that was stainless and broke down into two individual sections. But it was a little pricey lol
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I used 1" square, the steel I believe was 14 gauge, the aluminum was similar in thickness. I’d be afraid of the cost to use stainless for a project like this, I imagine it was quite a pretty penny.
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It ended up being cheaper than comparable stainless racks. I didn’t build it for myself I wouldn’t spend that much lol. But it was super nice!
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