Turning a Wine Cabinet into a Viv

[Porsche]

I was browsing craig's list, and ran into this piece of furniture with a glass door for like thirty bucks. It's bigger and cheaper than any aquarium you could buy. The iside measures to be 22W 18 D 37L.

First things first. I took at apart the best I could so I could work in it. Off went the door and the lid. I'll keep the top off and replace it with a screen.

I started my background. I used Greats Stuff, Silicone, a mixture of peat moss and that coco husk stuff from exo-terra (I liked the chunky texture of it) Drift wood, rocks, planters, and I also got tubing and power heads to string up so I'll have water flowing down certain sections.

That's just what I've done so far. I still have to silicone a glass box In the bottom. You can buy the glass and get it cut at lowes. It was less than twenty bucks. I will silicoone gravel to the glass so it isn't so obvious that theres glass there. I'm also putting a divider in the glass box that way there will be land and water. This will make it easy to sepereate the two instead of making that stubborn slope.

Withi in that land section I will have that Power head buried with in clay pellets( drainage layer), another power head that will be on a timer for a misting system. I can't wait to get rid of my spray bottle! My misting system is a 3/8 inch tube with small hols poked in it and plugged at the end. I was also bury a submesible heater in there for one source of heat.

For thermostats and hygometer.. I didnt buy and exspensive one from the pet store i went to lowes and bought a few ten dollar ones. I bought a few because it is so big that i'd like to know the temp and huumidity at the top and bottom.

I'll throw some pictures of the finished project when I get it done!

[Grrrit]

great find! i like this build alot, i cant wait to see it done!

[Porsche]

A few nights ago I put the glass in. Today I get to see if it holds water :S.
I also made some sort of water fall.I used a variety of lengths of lag screws to support the rocks. I drilled in to wood thats buried in great stuff. The screws didnt look very appetizing so I covered them in brown silicone. This wasn't to easy caulking guns are long. My fingers ended up getting quite messy. I then threw gravel on top of the silicone for some accent. The water source will be coming from the hole in the wood by the way I hate not knowing how water is going to fall.....
I also strung a tube up that a put mini holes in with a pilot head drill bit. I tested it in the sink it seemed to make a good rain effect.
Now all I have to do is move that beastly thing to where its going to stay, filll it up with water, and put the door and top on!

[Grrrit]

looks good! im going to have to keep an eye out for one of these.

[Porsche]

If you put cabinet or curio or hutch in the search box a whole lot of good stuff will pop up.
I've noticed a lot of gun cabinet would work great.
China hutches are cool, because most of them already have light things in the top. Unfortunately I just don't have enough room in my house for a whole hutch. Haha in fact I'm not even quite sure where this one I'd going to go yet.