Having a properly fitting glass top for a dart frog vivarium is very important to have happy and healthy frogs.  Glass tops help to restrict the airflow in and out of the vivarium, which aids to maintain humidity. While we carry some generic sizes of glass tops, if you have a vivarium that requires a specialty lid or one that you can not easily find, then this is the blog for you.  Here is what you need to do to make a proper fitting glass top for your vivarium.

Measure it!  Take your time and get accurate measurements of the top trim.  You will want it to fit nice and snug in there. When gathering measurements, also take into consideration functionality.  If you are measuring to add glass to an Exo Terra top that will be fixed in place, then simple panels that fit snug into position are perfect.  However, if you are planning to use an aquarium where the only access is the top, you will need to create a two panel system that allows access.

****Double panel tops - simply take the total dimensions and use them to create two panels, one is usually smaller than the other.  Here at Josh’s Frogs, if I have an aquarium with a total dimension of 12x24, I will have two pieces cut - one that is 12x18 and the other that is 12x6.  This gives us a 6 inch access panel in the front where we can work. You can adjust it to however much room you want to have.

Order it!  Call up your local glass repair shop.  When ordering your glass, make sure to order double strength glass or stronger and order it with sanded edges.  

Install it!   For the fixed panels, simply plop them in place.  If they do not fit exactly, many glass shops will allow minor adjustments to be made for free, so contact them to see their policies.  

****For people using a double panel top, you will want to attach a handle to the front access panel.  For us here, we use tape folded over to create a handle. At home, though, you can take a quick trip to the hardware store and find a knob and some epoxy glue.  Then adhere the knob on and let it cure completely. Though the tape method may be a little cheaper, we encourage attaching a knob to home enclosures as the preferred method. 

*Make sure to ask the glass shop to sand any edges - they’ll generally do it for free, and you won’t lose a finger!