How to Convert an Exo Terra Nano Terrarium To a Glass Top

[@erniegochez4838]

For those wondering why you can’t just lay glass on top of the mesh; This will potentially create rust on the wire frame as the moister sandwiched between the glass and metal mesh sits there rusting it away. Eventually mesh breaks and glass falls in on top of your plants and animals. I learned the hard way, but I was also fortunate to catch the problem before the roof glass actually caved in. My exoterra mesh has big holes in it where the rust just ate away. My advice is just convert it to glass.

[@sdqsdq6274]

recently i saw newer model of exo terra has stainless steel mesh , lol after all this years

[@LoneWolf_RO]

Yeah just place glass instead of the lid...

[@6strings735]

Well done. Just in case anyone wants to - I replaced the screen but used some perforated aluminum screen panel instead of glass. I got it at Home Depot, it is black, and it has less ventilation than the screen that comes with the terrarium. I cut it with "tin snips" really easily, first a bit too large then trimmed it to fit. It is also strong enough to mount an G4 LED socket if desired (I did not, instead I did what the video did with the LED lamp in the hood, lets enough light for my purpose.) Really nice looking, easy to do, and a nice unbreakable top if you do not need glass and want some ventilation w/o needing to cut plastic or drill holes. Use black aquarium silicon for a nice look.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Thank you for sharing your tips and experience

[@wallawally]

Cool video. I'm going to use a nano for a moss garden with an African violet. Your video was very helpful. I like what your doing with your channel. Keep it up

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Thank you, Cole. I greatly appreciate your kind words. KZbin didn't notify me of your comment which is why it took me so long to see it and reply. I'm glad you found the video helpful. Plenty more videos and articles are coming your way.

[@chrisy4011]

Doing this for my terrestrial tarantula enclosure. Using acrylic instead of glass so I can drill holes for ventilation.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Sweet! Watch out, silicone does not bond well to acrylic (at least not long-term) and if the acrylic warps (which it often does) that will stress the bond more. Should probably work ok, just wanted to let you know there could be complications.

[@MrTomkat030]

Instead of glass, you could do plexiglass that way you can add more ventilation for Tarantulas for example.

[@blackshirej]

I've been reading various tutorials and such...you could do that, but from what I'm seeing is that silicone doesn't bond very well to plexiglass. They do make a liquid cement for plastics like acrylic, but I'm not sure if it would bond to the plastic frame or not (depends on what it's made of).

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

@blackshirej Correct, silicone does not permanently bond to acrylic. Acrylic cement will not bond to the plastic frame because the frame is not the correct type of plastic. Instead you would want to use an epoxy like Devcon Plastic Welder. Further, plexiglass absorbs moisture over time and will expand, warp, and discolor. That's why I prefer glass. @DonutsRYummy That is a good option / idea for the purpose you mentioned. I only keep plants (not animals that need ventilation), but maybe some other people reading the comments might keep animals so I appreciate the comment. Thanks for watching and sharing your input!

[@tjeerdprins869]

I love the video. Don’t you need any ventilation at all? And what about the vent holes in the front?

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Thank you. Many tropical plants can survive just fine without ventilation, however you may run into mold issues without proper air movement / circulation (hence the fan shown at end of video). The ventilation holes are small enough that they don't significantly alter the climate inside, especially if the top is sealed as demonstrated, because then there is less movement of air in / air out.

[@benshaw3891]

Hi dude, thank you for the helpful video! 😁👍 Just a tip, in future if the nozzle is either lost, or all gucked up and unusable. Then use a disposable piping bag, similar to those used in bakeries for frosting etc. They’re very cheap, just fill with silicone and snip the tip. You can even use a sandwich bag. You get a finer bead like this.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Thanks for commenting - that's a great tip, I appreciate it!

[@benshaw3891]

Another World Terraria No worries 😉 just bear in mind a sandwich bag is weaker than a piping bag. Loving the channel, just subscribed the other day. 💚

[@thombaz]

Mostly the silicon don't stick to the nosle, after drying you can just pull it out in one piece.

[@hostronic]

Can you use this method to convert the exo terra small tall lid to glass? Need a bigger terrarium than the nano.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

I have never seen that exo terra tank before but I would imagine you should be able to. I think some of the exo terras have a divided lid which might require two panels of glass instead of one, but I'm not sure. As long as you measure everything, I think you will be good to to.

[@SandraKeyzer]

Why not just lay a piece of plexiglass on the mash ?

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

You could certainly do that, but the mesh cuts down the light level significantly. Also, it won't hold humidity as well. Finally, I like to customize things :)

[@SandraKeyzer]

Never noticed that it cuts the light down. Also....i am born with 2 left hands 😂😂😂 So I just take the easy way 😉

[@MartijnMeulenbroek]

Why not leave the top and just put glad/Plexi direct onto the frame?

[@erniegochez4838]

This will potentially create rust on the wire frame as the moister sandwiched between the glass and metal mesh sits there rusting it away. Eventually mesh breaks and glass falls in on top of your plants and animals. I learned the hard way, but I was also fortunate to catch the problem before the roof glass actually caved in. My advice is just convert it to glass.

[@Svoboda119]

The meme at 18:08 really hit home.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Haha, this video is sooo old. I totally forgot about that. Thanks for watching

[@kennethyoung5936]

Where would you measure from for any other size lid? I want to do this to all of my exo terra terrariums!

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Since I've never done other sizes of exo terra I can't say for sure. You will have to look at the tank rim and figure out where the glass panel would sit, then measure it. I think the Dendrozone YT channel has a video about doing this on a bigger exo terra

[@andrewturner7072]

Would they cut holes in glass for ? For like tarantula for venting.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

This is just for tropical plant terrariums. If you keep animals that need some ventilation then maybe use plexiglass and then drill some holes, or otherwise you might just use the original lid with mesh

[@jessicagomez3131]

Can I put a thumbnail dart frog in this size tank

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

I can't advise on that since I don't have the necessary knowledge (I don't keep animals, just plants). My best guess would be that this would probably be too small for a dart frog. I would recommend that you join the Dendroboard forum and ask on there. Good luck.

[@Cheshhire]

Is acrylic good to use instead of glass?

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

It could work, the two main problems are that (1) acrylic warps easily, and (2) silicone does not adhere very well to acrylic. That said, feel free to give it a try.

[@mstalcup]

Ordinary glass unfortunately blocks a lot of the light that helps plants grow. Greenhouses and grow light fixtures use UV clear fused ground polished quartz panels instead of glass for this reason.

[@dajoke24]

Can you just get rid of the mesh lid and just place a piece of plexiglass in? Instead of putting the plexiglass where the mesh is? It would work and you can still remove it when you want.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Do you mean to just put plexiglass inside of the top of tank, and totally remove the lid frame? If so, that won't work if you are using the nano hood because the hood requires the frame in order to sit properly on the tank.

[@cult_gg4616]

Another World Terraria but why use the nano hood? It in itself is junk lol. You could build a fixture of LEDs much better that could be completely hidden in the top if you did his idea.

[@cult_gg4616]

That's was what I was looking for a video on. My older 18x18x24, doesn't have those locks, but some crappy clip things. The lid is broken, it's not flat, the frame is junk I have replaced them a ton due to that. Now I see they have changed that design, good. However in my Viv, that idea doesn't work without mods, due to what I just said. I can Dremel out what's standing in my way, and there is a company that makes very nice LEDs for Vivs, that have been modified like that. The fixture sits on top, and is pretty flush to the tanks outside frame top. They should have changed the design to use a aluminum screen frame top. Of course then they could charge people 40 dollars for crappy plastic frames. Like they hit me with multiple times.

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Thanks for your comments. I like your idea of building a custom led fixture to sit hidden in the tank rim. In fact that's something I have considered doing but I haven't had the time. Regarding the company that makes LEDs, who is it? My friend Kurt makes some under his business Spectral Designs. And of course Exo Terra could make a lot of improvements to their tanks. I would be more inclined to purchase super clean and fancy frameless tanks by other companies if it weren't for the fact that they cost a boatload of money and that they require custom hood assemblies which I don't really have time to do currently. Thanks again for your input and I look forward to more of your valuable comments on future videos if you'd like to subscribe.

[@cult_gg4616]

Another World Terraria I think it was that, Spectral Designs. I just saw themself thought they were very cool.

[@TheYoungerSemiOldMan]

What about animals in the closed glass environment?

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

It would depend on what animal. Some animals would do well in the high humidity, such as tropical frogs, and perhaps some insects. The nano tank is quite small though, so may not be ideal for many animals.

[@scupzoz4442]

What is the size in cm?

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

You can find calculators online that change inches to cm. 16.8275 x 15.5575

[@scupzoz4442]

Thx❤️👍

[@sdqsdq6274]

exo terra should remove that front venting panel , a clear front panel to view

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

I agree, the tank would look much more attractive without the intrusive black frame and vent. They have one called the bugarium that is cleaner looking, but doesn't open on the front.

[@sdqsdq6274]

yeah best tank for plant terrarium would be a low iron tank like ada ,problem its a fish tank doesnt come lid .

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

Agreed, the frameless, super-clear tanks are truly epic for designer terrarium displays. They do require some creativity and customization to create a custom lid and lighting fixture. That's a future project I have on my list. Thanks for your comment!

[@kennethyoung5936]

How do you add a fan?

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

You have to buy a fan and power supply, then do the wiring. I will do a tutorial at some point

[@2wheelsSinCity]

I just sprayed my mesh with clear plastidip

[@archiechap]

Just use a heat gun the melt the adhesive

[@AnotherWorldTerraria]

That would warp the plastic rim

[@LoneWolf_RO]

Why not replace the entire lid with glass?? U just made it more complicated than it has to be

[@icxcnika9399]

Lmao, 3 30 seconds inch - imperial measurements suck!