Vivarium Designs needed

[Heatheranne]

Lilblack, your tank is nice too .

I was inspired by a rainforest waterfall picture I found on google, lol . It's just made from sheets of styrofoam and locktite glue. Then you apply non-sand grout. I learned it from lizard-landscapes.com after scrolling YouTube. The fella there has some great tips. You can pretty much make anything using his technique. Then just look around google or some pictures you like and give it a try. It's not hard at all. Just a little messy and time consuming. I would recommend using latex-free, non-powdered gloves so the glue doesn't get all over.

The blue shelve is actually a curved border with stacked rocks inside and reptile carpet. It was my first altered tank. That was my retf's feeding area. She wasn't favorable to the carpet though. She'd eat there, but never stayed there between feedings.

My 3 retf's seem to prefer the newer viv's with all of the plants. I changed it due to advice I received here . They do seem to love their waterfall. When I turn it off for maintenance, my big retf female will sit close to it or on it, like she wants it on. She always sleeps on the leaves right next to it .

Good luck with yours! Can't wait to see it .

http://www.lizard-landscapes.com

[DC101]

lilblack, yours looks good, don't worry.

A very simple design and a good insulator with the aggregate on the bottom.

Great job.

Any more guys? I know how it is to be a newbie and this is really helping us guys!

[ViperJr]

Since you asked for it, here's my 60x45x60cm Exo-Terra A. callidryas enclosure:



Three layers of substrate:

Top: Sphagnum moss (Namiba terra, I think)
Middle: Coco husk (Exo-Terra)
Bottom: Aquarium gravel (drainage) (but I do recommend LECA instead, in every possible way...)
And below that, there's an UTH which do not generate any ambient heat (or even raise the temperature of the top substrate), but help vaporize the water which are in the drainage area, both deleting the need to drain water, and to raise the humidity. It works very well.

There's a store-bought water fall (Namiba terra) as water source (and to provide water to two of the three Dracaena sanderiana) (and to raise the humidity slightly). The other plants are either purely epiphytical, planted in the substrate, or planted in "pots" (one coconut fiber pot and one nice looking "stone pot", also from Namiba terra) which are silicone to the side of the walls.
The plants I've used are:
Dracaena sanderiana
Epipremnum aureum
Sansevieria trifasciata (Hahnii cultivar)
Dieffenbachia amoena (pretty sure that's the species, but it could be one of the other within the same genus)

Lastly, there's a Zoo med ReptiFogger on a timer. Although, it's not on very often. The immense amount of plants, combined with the UTH+drainage and the water fall usually provides more than enough humidity.

[DC101]

Wow, well done Martin.

I love the idea of using a UTH under the viv to help evaporate the water. BTW, this is embarrassing, but what is a UTH?

Im probably going to use fake plants for mine but maybe -like you did- silicon a pot to the side and put a plant in it.

Thumbs up! Thanks!

[J Teezy]

UTH = Under the Tank Heater

[DC101]

Thanks again josh

[ViperJr]

Wow, well done Martin.

I love the idea of using a UTH under the viv to help evaporate the water. BTW, this is embarrassing, but what is a UTH?

Im probably going to use fake plants for mine but maybe -like you did- silicon a pot to the side and put a plant in it.

Thumbs up! Thanks!

Thank you.
The UTH works like a charm for me, but know there's always a chance of cracking the glass when you mix a hot glass surface with (potentially) cold water. Just make sure you read up about it before you try it, since I will not take any responsibility for a useless terrarium

Also, I suggest you reconsider not using live plants. There's literally no downside to it. The humidity will be more stable, which means you'll need to mist less than when using fake plants. Live plants also make the enclosure better and better as time goes by, since it'll grow and fill up more and more volume of the tank. Plants are also good at removing indoor pollutants, making the air cleaner (especially plants like Sansevieria trifasciata and Epipremnum aureum).
Also, some seem to like the "I can't keep the plant alive"-argument. If you can keep a tropical frog alive, you definitely can keep a Epipremnum aureum alive.

[Xquirrel]

I have a small vivarium, but it looks refreshing.
I use frog moss as surface substrate, coco bark as middle and stones as bottom substrate which are submerged to water.
The middle part is a "river" which i keep some neon tetras in it.
One thing i should pay attention to is the frog moss that needs quite much sunlight, so i use uv lamps sometimes.
Also, I use fogger to increase the humidity in the tank.
The frog in here is Hong Kong Whipping Frog - Polypedates Megacephalus

[DC101]

Thanks so much everyone! This is great!

Thanks for the help Martin and xquirrel, yours looks amazing!

Keep them coming everyone!

[DC101]

Any more tanks?

[DC101]

Will be posting my viv soon. Almost done!!!

[Heatheranne]

How's it coming along?

[DC101]

Ive got the waterfall ready, the lights set up, temperature control ready and yeah.
I need to buy some fake and real plants, pebbles, and get my roaches colony up and running.
Ill be done hopefully this or next week!

[Heatheranne]

Nice

[DC101]

Frogs coming soon, viv almost ready, roach breeding colony starting, its all coming together!

[Deac77]

Just finished Rex's new temp tank this week here ya go

[DC101]

Rex is one lucky boy!
Thanks for the pics, i just bumped this thread a few minutes ago!
Keep it up!!!