Acrylic walled Turtle Treehouse
This is by far my most popular design! It features a strong base platform that can take the weight of most turtles up to adult sizes, acrylic walls that allow you to see into and around the platform, and a customizable mounting heights so that you can make sure your turtle has easy access to the platform at whatever water level you have in your tank!
This design mounts on the top rim of the tank, which means there are no legs or supports taking up swimming space underneath, and you can fill your tank as full as you’d like to give your turtle more space to swim and move around!
There are links below to the materials I use for the platform, feel free to build one yourself! I want every turtle to have a nice place to bask to keep them healthy and happy, and help keep their turtle parents happy too!
Materials
The links for the materials are all Amazon links, but sometimes prices are better at your local hardware store so feel free to check there too!
You’ll need 10 bolts total for this design. Make sure your bolts are 1.5 inches or longer. If you buy these elsewhere make sure your washers and nuts fit with them!
You’ll need 8 washers total, these protect the acrylic from cracking or damage by the bolts. If you buy these elsewhere make sure your bolts and nuts fit with them!
You only need 4 nuts, but I recommend using 8 so that you can use two on each mounting bolt to make sure they don’t loosen over time. If you buy these elsewhere make sure your washers and bolts fit with them!
You only need two of these to attach the ramp to the base of the platform, but they don’t sell them individually! If you have two already then use those, they will almost certainly work for this no matter what length they are!
These hinges come with strong adhesive already applied and in a pack of 4 so they are easy to apply. They are used to connect the two side walls to the back wall panel.
Acrylic Sheets | Alternate listing
You will ultimately need three panels that are about 8 inches tall, and the length will depend on the length and width of your platform. Choose the size options that work for your needs, whether you are cutting your panels from larger sheets or using the sheets as they come! If you are sourcing your own sheets then I recommend using 1/8” thick sheets to make sure they don’t flex too much, but .093” is another common thickness that can work as well.
Corrugated Poly-carbonate Sheet
The ‘floor’ of the platform is made of corrugated plastic sheeting. This usually comes in large sheets to be used as roof paneling, but at the link above they have a lot of size options to choose from. If needed, it can also be cut using a utility knife, hacksaw, or jigsaw if you have those available. It’s not difficult to cut, but it is very strong and resistant to bending or tearing.
Plastic Grid Divider (Egg Crate Louvre)
You have probably seen this material without realizing it! It’s used as support for fluorescent lighting panels. It’s extremely common in the fish tank world for those who make custom platforms or decorations for their tanks. The link above is to pre-cut pieces that can be used as a ramp as-is, but large sheets of this are sold at most hardware stores (though you only need a small piece for a ramp).
Tools
The links below are for tools you will need to build the platform with these materials. You may already have these available (or can borrow them). None of them are particularly expensive, but if you don’t have them definitely see if there’s someone who can lend them to you for an afternoon!
This is what I recommend for cutting the corrugated poly-carbonate panel to size.
You can use a utility knife to cut both the acrylic panels and the corrugated floor panel to size, however you have to be very careful using these as if your cuts on the acrylic aren’t overlapping/precise it can lead you your panel cracking or breaking with a jagged edge. If you are using this method I seriously recommend buying the metal ruler I’ve linked to use as a straight-edge cutting guide.
You’ll need a tape measure to accurately measure your tank and to measure your panels before cutting them.
A cutting mat like this will protect whatever surface you are working on and helps to get even, straight cuts with a utility knife.
18-inch Aluminum Ruler/Straight Edge
A must if you are using a utility knife for your cuts. This ruler is long enough to space most cuts you’ll need for a platform and since it’s metal it can act as a cutting guide (the utility knife will cut into plastic or wooded rulers).
You need to drill holes for the hanging bolts and for attaching the base to the walls.
This drill is inexpensive, but works well for in-home uses. Of course if you already own or can borrow one that would be the best solution, unless you’re in the market for a drill already!
Sandpaper is used for smoothing the cut edges of the plexiglass and corrugated poly-carbonate base. It doesn’t take much, just maybe 30 seconds for each cut edge to smooth them out.
This is a tool made specifically for scoring acrylic and plexiglass panels. Once scored deep enough, they can be ‘snapped’ with a mostly clean and straight edge as long as the scores were accurate. This video (not mine) demonstrates and explains the process.