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Thread: Am I wasting my time?

  1. #1
    Johnb43
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    Default Am I wasting my time?

    Hey guys,
    before I continue with this build, I wanna make sure it's even possible. I have this tall wooden display cabinet that I want to convert into a vivarium. Here is a crappy picture, but it's all I have at the moment cause I'm at work



    the dimensions inside the enclosure would be 40x17x13. The back wall is all wood, and the frames around the glass are also wood obviously. My plan was to take out the metal that you can see in front of the glass and silicone the glass in place. I was then going to silicone a piece of glass on the bottom of the front, so that when you open the door it would be on the bottom keeping in the substrate and any water. The bottom of the enclosure, as well as the top are also wood.

    What is my best bet here? I'm worried about the obvious issues of high humidity and any kind of water feature in a wooden enclosure. I'm confident that I could get the glass water tight. But I'm worried about the wood.

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  3. #2

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    it is possible. but it will not be easy, or cheap. although, it could be done for a decent price. there are a couple options. what I would do is hit craigslist and try to find a cheapie 55 gallon tank, or pick one up at the Petco $1/gallon sale. then I would dismantle it, and cut it to fit. the dimensions are close enough that you should only need to make a few cuts, or have a glass shop cut them. then slide the parts in piece by piece, siliconing them in as you go.


    the wood can be sealed with marine epoxy. it isn't exactly cheap, but you may be able to find a deal on the net. several coats should seal it up nicely.
    like I said, it can be done. it's just how much you want to put into it. definitely a cool project. I'd love to see where you go with it.
    1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
    0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
    0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
    0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
    0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
    0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
    0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
    0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
    1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
    0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
    0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
    0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
    0.2.0 Canines
    1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
    2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
    0.1.0 Bed Bully

  4. #3
    Johnb43
    Guest

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    Thanks for the reply. I was just reading something that suggests that this would work



    What do you think about that to seal up all of the wood? Basically I would silicone all of the joints and then cover everything in the varnish, and then silicone in the glass

  5. #4
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    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    This is a larger project than I would ever have the nerve to take on. Should be beautiful when finished!
    72 Gallon Bow - ACF and GF tank.
    26 Gallon Bow - ACF tank.

    20 Gallon Long - ACF tank.


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  6. #5

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    I remember having a discussion about spar urethane a while back and I honestly don't remember what the end result was. I know it has been used for decades to seal old wooden boats like cris crafts. I think there was a question of toxicity over the long run. I know the epoxy is proven not to leech chemicals. when I get home tonight, I can try to find the discussion.it was on a different forum. sorry I don't have a clear cut ;immediate answer.
    1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
    0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
    0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
    0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
    0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
    0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
    0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
    0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
    1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
    0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
    0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
    0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
    0.2.0 Canines
    1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
    2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
    0.1.0 Bed Bully

  7. #6
    Johnb43
    Guest

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/par...-vivarium.html

    The last post in that thread, the guy suggests that spar varnish will be ok if I don't have standing water. I'm ok with no standing water, as I don't want to push what this enclosure will be able to handle too much. I planed to have a drain built into the bottom that would drain any water into a reservoir underneath the enclosure. I also would like to use that as the reservoir to pump water back up for a waterfall. The plan is to hopefully have a false floor, and any water that gets through the substrate and into the false floor area will just drain right out, so there shouldn't be standing water anywhere, just a constant flow

  8. #7

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    of you are going to drain it right away, then you should have no problems with spar urethane. I tend to err on the side of caution and would go with marine epoxy, for no other reason than I would over engineer it to keep all moisture and humidity in. and I know marine epoxy is proven to do just that. but the urethane should work just as well.
    1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
    0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
    0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
    0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
    0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
    0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
    0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
    0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
    1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
    0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
    0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
    0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
    0.2.0 Canines
    1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
    2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
    0.1.0 Bed Bully

  9. #8
    Johnb43
    Guest

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    Thanks for the help man. I'll probably start a build thread soon

  10. #9
    VivariumFan
    Guest

    Default Re: Am I wasting my time?

    This looks really cool! What do you plan on doing for lighting?

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