Sully's 10 Gallon Aquarium to Vertical Terrarium Conversion Kit

thingiverse

Context: About a year ago I set out on a personal journey to fix what I consider three of the biggest issues standard terrariums we buy in the U.S. have which are the following: 1. Moisture on the glass prohibiting visibility to our animals and plants. 2. Fruit fly's escaping with Houdini like skill. 3. Cost of buying a terrarium and retrofitting it with fans etc. I started with the cheapest type of aquarium that is readily available which is the standard 10 gallon aquarium sold at Walmart, PetSmart, Petco, etc. and sells for $10-$15 dollars each. I bought a small 3D printer and learned the software and eventually developed a prototype which I used to create pourable molds so I could replicate the same pieces for each and every tank I had or would have in the future. The resign that I use is confirmed by the company to be non-toxic once cured. The resulting solution was this: Top part The top that uses an adjustable speed fan to blow small amounts of air into a chamber to force the small amount of air into a narrow stream to clear the front glass while maintaining high humidity for epiphytic plants (which are the only plants I really use). The fan at 30% speed is almost fully silent but has enough power to blow away any fruit flies getting close to the top in an escape attempt. The fan stays on 24/7 and leaves enough humidity and water on the background to maintain tropical mosses with this daily misting schedule (8AM 3 minute mist and 8PM 45second mist). There is a small clip at the top to hold the glass in place. Bottom The bottom fits over the existing aquarium lip and is sealed with silicone creating a waterproof bottom that can hold 2-3 inches of water which is plenty for a false bottom and drain. The bottom is curved to allow the water from misting's to roll off into the tank instead of leaking out of the tank. Glass I simply go to any hardware store and ask them to cut a 1/8th inch piece of glass meeting my dimensions to snuggly fit the length and height to form almost a seal. Costs usually $5-$10 wherever you go. Final I then just use a small bead of silicone on the bottom to create a lip this way there is a perfect seal on the bottom so no flies get out and allows for me to only need one small clip on the top to hold the glass. If you plan to mist the tank or have it retain water and dont want to make a mold out of them, you would just need to put a piece of glass or some form of waterproof barrier behind the retaining wall at the bottom making sure the wall is attached to the inside glass. Its important you silicon the barrier to the glass as silicon wont stick for long to cured silicone which is how aquariums are sealed on the side so you will have to remove a small amount where the barrier goes and then use aquarium silicone to adhere it.