Ikea kallax terrarium

(story time )   

I started designing these terrarium tanks because I wanted a small terrarium that could fit inside my KALLAX shelf, but most clear tanks I found were either the wrong size or way more expensive than they needed to be. so I wanted to make one that was cheap to make and easy to build. My first version was actually a happy mistake — I messed up the dimensions and made a 12x8 version that didn’t fit in the KALLAX, but it looked so good that I decided to keep it. After that, I redesigned it to properly fit inside the shelf.

One of my main goals with this project was to make the terrarium affordable, simple to build, and easy to customize. Each printed frame uses roughly 500 grams of filament, and I was able to find a 10-pack of acrylic panels online for around $20. Depending on how many clear or solid side panels you want to use, that pack can technically make up to 10 terrariums.

This is my first real DIY 3D-print project, and I designed it to use as few extra supplies as possible while still being strong, functional, and easy to reskin with different themes later on. Please let me know if you run into any issues, have suggestions, or think of ways I could make the design simpler or stronger for future terrarium tanks.

supplies needed :

super glue 

silicone 

acrylic glass 8x10in (3mm thickness) 

suction cup (for door handle) 

optional supplies:  (for clear top) 

box cutter 

window mesh