A Big Terrarium - Construction Journal

[roxrgneiss]

A short while back a friend asked me to build a large terrarium for their greenhouse. The photos below are the current progress and future stages will be added subsequently.

The terrarium, because of its size, location, and lack of typical enclosure is being assembled in an unusual manner. How all the pieces fit together may not be intuitive now, but in a few weeks everything should come together well.

Never made a rock wall before, so I thought I'd try my hand at it.

A section of the base:



Glass portion of the base:



Section of the backing before foam:



Other side, after foam:



Foam carved into rock wall and waterfall:





Test fitting:





Stream bed added:





It's a little further along now; a channel has been carved for the stream and the rockwall/waterfall portion is coated. It's looking pretty good.

More photos to come in a few days.


Mike

[Julio]

Mike, just how big is this monster?

[roxrgneiss]

Hey Julio,

It's 8Lx3Hx2D. The stream is about 5'.

[Morgan Freeman]

Originally Posted by roxrgneiss

Hey Julio,

It's 8Lx3Hx2D. The stream is about 5'.

WOW!

This is going to be interesting!

[pygmypiranha]

Gosh this is looking cool. I can't wait to see how it comes about.

What sort of frogs are you considering for the cage?

[roxrgneiss]

Originally Posted by pygmypiranha

Gosh this is looking cool. I can't wait to see how it comes about.

What sort of frogs are you considering for the cage?

Thanks! I don't think there will be any frogs in this display. There are a few tree frogs that have found their way in and inhabit the greenhouse, so maybe they will be seen around the terrarium from time to time. One of the major attractions will be orchids. There won't be a front to this display.




Still much to be done, but here's a quick update:





Mike

[JoshH]

Looks great Mike! What are you coating the foam with, concrete/grout?

[roxrgneiss]

Originally Posted by JoshH

Looks great Mike! What are you coating the foam with, concrete/grout?

Thanks, Josh! I'm using #1319 epoxy by Polygem.

I wanted the 'strata' to look like sandstone, so I've been pressing sand onto the wet epoxy. I wanted something that would last and remain waterproof, so it seems like a better route than concrete.

I got two colors of epoxy and several Tints All pigments to add some variation to the rocks.

More to come...

[Morgan Freeman]

Sand in epoxy? That's a great idea, I must try that one day! Is the texture not too rough?

[JoshH]

Originally Posted by roxrgneiss

Thanks, Josh! I'm using #1319 epoxy by Polygem.
I wanted the 'strata' to look like sandstone, so I've been pressing sand onto the wet epoxy.

Mike, #1319 is an industrial concrete flooring coating. It can be mixed with fine sand to form a slurry, then painted on with a brush. I would mix a small amount into the epoxy, then apply more sand after you paint the mix on. A very fine silica sand such as some of the reptile sands should give you the look you're going for, and will also strengthen the mix considerably.


Epoxy and sand is a bulletproof combination......