Cricket-proof way to run wires into a paludarium

If there is one thing I have noticed (and my wife hates) is that through ANY hole in a paludarium, crickets will find a way out. One of the toughest problems to solve is how to decently create a feed-through for wires and 6mm hoses that are guaranteed to be “cricket escape proof”.

It still starts with large holes

In order to make sure I can always run any wires or hoses into the paludarium, I started out with having three large (40mm diameter) holes drilled in the top of the paludarium:

I my case the company that built the glass encloseure only had a limited set of hole sizes they could cut. I ended up with 40mm. I measured them afterwards to get the exact size (and glass thickness). I then fired up Fusion360 and drew up a design that would allow me to place a neatly fitting plug in the holes.

Next, I designed 6mm holes in the plug, and I also printed tiny sliders that can cover those holes. The end result:

Top and bottom view of the cricket-proof plugs

These plugs are now inserted into the large holes on top. By default all the sliders are closed, but whenever I want to run a wire or hose I simply open up a slider and feed the wire through. I then reclose the slider as far as I can, effectively sealing the holes shut. No crickets shall pass!