New Exo-Terra Front opening terrariums........

Has anybody else seen these yet?

Here is a link.. have a look:

http://www.exo-terra.com/products/glass ... ums_i.html

Now, I have seen them in person. They are nice, and they are incredibly cheap for what they are. The smallest size (12 inch cube) will retail for around 50 dollars CANADIAN.. so I suppose that would be a little less than 40 US dollars. I beleive the 18 inch cubes will sell for around 70 Canadian.. whch would be roughly 55-60 dollars US... and would be a far more practical size for dart frog keeping.

They look incredibly sharp in real life... I have seen a few on display at a pet shop in my city... though they are not on sale yet. The foam background can be easily removed (thankfully).. though I bet they wouldn't look too bad in a fully planted tank.. it would save some weld bonding time anyway... but I am still not completely sold on the foam background they come with.
There ventilation on the front doors as well. The glass is a good thickness.. and of course, we would never have to worry about warping. The door construction seems quite good.. and the tanks themselves seem really well made.

Now, they are not perfect. The removable screen top is stainless steel. I would be concerned about how well this would hold up in a dart frog tank. Though, to prevent rust, one could easily put cling wrap or some sort of poly *underneath* the screen without problems.. thus preventing any chance of oxidation. As for being fly proof..... I haven't decided yet. There is a *slight* gap between the doors.. but I cannot decide whether a fly could escape through this. I would love to test that out.

Still... I am considering buying a few of the 18 inch cubes for perhaps pairs of tincs or azureus.

Despite a few flaws for dart frog usage.. they certainly look promising. The price is definitely right anyway.
Regardless of how they perform for usage with dart frogs, I am definitely buying them for small Phelsuma and Lygodactylus. These are truly ideal for day geckos.

What does everyone else think of these for use with dendros? Feel free to respond with your thoughts.

[KeroKero]

"removable top screen"

See I'd probibly just take the screen out and replace it with glass or something.... possibly just replace the screening with fiberglass screening if I could... but I haven't seen the tanks up close.

Having the metal screening originally is actually reptile smart since there could possibly be heating elements up there and possibly food items that could munch right through fiberglass screening (i.e. crickets).

I like the closable holes for wires.... great for pumps, filters, thermometers, misting nozzle tubing (so you don't have an annoying hole in your lid or have to worry about the screening getting coated in deposits and what not), all that good stuff. And the front window ventilation..... nice idea much like the european designs (I believe FCA uses a similar idea). If you are worried about FFs, I'd do a test with it before you start decorating it. If the FFs get out, its a little matter of some well placed screening.

I like! Now I just want one in a store near me so I can play with it and figure out if I want some.

[Scott]

If it is real stainless steel - it will not rust. That's the point of stainless steel.

s

[Dunner97074]

These tanks do look sharp. I've liked the challenge of building from scratch in the past so if it's not dramatically different in cost then.......I personally would go with FCA's tanks specifically designed for darts.

Stainless steel will rust just not as much. They should call it rust-less. Trust me I lived on a boat and woked on a boat and you learn what Ospho is. :wink:

Mike

double j what store did you see them in i'd like to go sneak a peak

[Devin Edmonds]

Very cool, Hagen has done some good market research and are filling a gap that other companies have neglected. When the store I work at first started carrying Exo Terra products I blew them off and assumed that Hagen had just re-packaged all of their old products in flashy new boxes with a cool name. As it turns out, they have really come up with a lot of interesting products, not all good products, but certainly interesting ones. These new tanks look great and I can't wait to see them in person. Are there any small gaps or holes between the doors or near the cover? That's always been my main concern with front-opening tanks that aren't made by froggers. Thanks for sharing the new tanks with us,

[Dancing frogs]

I haven't seen them in person, but they look almost ideal, once you customize the screen top. I wonder how much of a gap there is inbetween the two glass doors.
The one thing I don't like is the gap underneath for heating pads etc.
You can see there is access to this gap from the front. If you ever have a frog get out, the first place they try to go is under something.
:lol: get out the duct tape! :lol:

Originally Posted by Dancing frogs

The one thing I don't like is the gap underneath for heating pads etc.
You can see there is access to this gap from the front. If you ever have a frog get out, the first place they try to go is under something.
:lol: get out the duct tape! :lol:

I think the black base looks sharp, and would be useful if you are brave enough to drill drainage holes in the bottom of these tanks.

Now, if I am not mistaken, you can remove the black plastic base at the bottom if you choose, therby elimininating this gap at the bottom. In my frog room (as well as just about everybody elses), this would be an ideal place for spiders to congregate.

[kyle1745]

Interesting though I would like to see one in person. From the pics it looks like the whole top is screen, that would not work, but I guess you could cover most or all of it.

Screen tops have served me well for years. Like you said, a little bit of saran wrap or 1 mil poly would do the trick in terms of keeping the moisture in.