Marty Made Enclosure, 40 gal tall?

[jebbewocky]

I'm thinking about getting the S40H tank by MartyMade, for my multi-species roach colony.

I've got G.portentosa, B.giganteus, H.tenebricosa, and hope to have some E.orini (Or was it D.orini?) as well.

I have 2 questions:

1.) This is a very tall tank. I intend to add cork bark tubes and slabs to the sides with aquarium silicone. I know that people usually go with more horizontally oriented tanks for roaches, but if I provide ample levels of vertical/diagonal climbing, do you guys think they will use it, or will the extra space be wasted?

2.) These tanks have sliding glass doors, and are advertised, and reputed to be very secure for reptiles--does anyone think these are an escape hazard for roaches? I'm especially concerned with the portentosa, since they are a climbing species, but I don't think they'd be able to wiggle out.

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[vfox]

I'd be concerned over any enclosure that has sliding doors. There are quite a few front opening ones out there and so far I've never seen one that was "roach proof". They always have these very slight gaps that are certainly reptile proof but are very large if you're talking about roaches...especially nymphs.

If you really wanted a tall tank why not get a vertical fish tank that can have a screen lid secured to its top?

 

[jebbewocky]

I'd be concerned over any enclosure that has sliding doors. There are quite a few front opening ones out there and so far I've never seen one that was "roach proof". They always have these very slight gaps that are certainly reptile proof but are very large if you're talking about roaches...especially nymphs.

If you really wanted a tall tank why not get a vertical fish tank that can have a screen lid secured to its top?

Fair enough--standard, top-opening aquarium it is then. I'd prefer a front-loading one, but I'd rather not have escapes.

It's not so much that I really, really want a vertical aquarium, as much as it is I want as big a tank as possible, and the biggest "footprint" I can have is the 29gal, and the 40gal is the same footprint, but taller--and if the roaches will use that vertical space, then that means I can have more roaches in the same horizontal space.

Plus--I have a massive corkbark tube that is too tall for a 29 I think.