63" x 18" x 48" European Vivarium build in progress !PIC HEAVY!

[JoeGecko]

Hi everyone. Like a lot of you, I have been reading on this site for some time but this is my first post! I recently finished my home office/den an noticed there was a large empty closet. I decided to be green and recyle the empty space by making a large vivarium... no need to ask why, right? hehehehe

The dimentions are 63" wide, 48" tall and 18" deep. I just started it in November and I have the basic carcass built from plywood. Prior to assembly, I coated all interior sides with 3 coats of a poly stain blend. While it is fairly water resistant, I plan to line the interior with heavy pond liner as a primary waterproofing.

So I am hoping you guys can all chime in with some ideas, I only work on this thing weekends so I apologize now for the lack of instant gratification!

Well, hope you guys like. Thanks.

Here is a shot of the shell built and mounted in place. Its far easier to mount this now, empty. Plus it gave me a chance to stare at it and get a feel for what to do look wise.


Next I brought it back into my garage workshop to start working on it, the scale is fun to deal with, but luckily I got a decent size shop. lol



Here is a shot of the top and bottom facia for the viv, set in place. The top is 3.5 inches tall to cover the lights, fans and misting systems and accomidate a pop-in screen to keep any animals away from the electronics.
I also lined the inside with plastic to prepare for in interior foam/epoxy build.



Here, I have cut the curve in the lower facia (Its upside down in this pic). I also had to add some evenly spaced dowels that will attach it to the back portion. Because this is so wide, there was a lot of flex since you cant attach it to the bottom.



and here is the final assembly together. I left a 3/4 inch gap for the air to flow up from the bottom.



Finally installed...starting to feel like a viv. lol



Detail shot, with the E track in place for the doors.



I decided to finish the facia boards in a clear hand rubbed poly to match the light/dark wood theme I have going. Its easier to finish these boards now, so once installed I cover them with blue tape to protect them, any touch up is easier than finishing them after its all done.


That is all fo now, I gotta get back to working on this thing!! Looking forward to the feedback and ideas!!

[Julio]

great project, but you might want to epoxy the wood anyway and not just add a liner, the humidity will kill the wood overtime.

[Leidig]

Thats a great project. I'm excited to follow this thread. Good luck with it.

[Fishman]

This should be a fun project. Nice workshop!

[JoeGecko]

Originally Posted by Julio

great project, but you might want to epoxy the wood anyway and not just add a liner, the humidity will kill the wood overtime.

Thanks. I did seal all edges and interior walls with 3 coats of polyurathane (That seemed "waterproof" enough as I understood it.) I also glued the panels with Titebond waterproof glue. I figured this was a good start...then the pond liner would be impermiable but in the event of a slight tear or something, the poly would further repel the water. I was also going to silicone all the corners.

I am pretty familiar with polys/epoxies as resin based coating, but only from a furniture perspective. I thought poly resins would be just as adequate for an interior project, where as most outdoor rated epoxy generally only differ in UV resistence which ultimately is what breaks down the finish.

Is there some other considerations I am missing? I sure as heck dont want to have this thing start rotting in a few years..

[JoeGecko]

Originally Posted by Fishman

Nice workshop!

Thanks Fishman, I can and do spend hours in there, much to the annoyance of my wife! lol

Well, I did a bit more work on the viv. Managed to cut the holes for the 3 fans I plan to install for circulation.


I also started mitering and fitting the aluminum L brackets for the case frame. And you know I only bought enough...which means I could not make any mistakes, so you know what happened right? lol

One mis-cut sends the rest of the joints out of wack.


So back to Home Depot I go and I'll have to finish the frame next weekend.

Here is a picture of it "complete", you can't see the mistake in this pic so it will give you a good idea of the finished product. The L brcket also hangs over the side by 1/2 inch. By design. the doors will slide behind this extention and this will help to seal it.

[Fishman]

Looks good, any chance you can wiggle the other L pieces around to hide the miss cut? I like your signature as well... I can stop building vivs at any time I want as well... However I just happen to be looking at 3 I am working on right now

[JoeGecko]

Originally Posted by Fishman

Looks good, any chance you can wiggle the other L pieces around to hide the miss cut? I like your signature as well... I can stop building vivs at any time I want as well... However I just happen to be looking at 3 I am working on right now

Hahaha, I have wiggled it...checked the cabinet for square..I even tried stretching the metal.. lol!!

As for Vivs, I already know I have a 45 Gal. Tall which was my first viv. I want to re-do that after this project and make that my first PDF tank, then I have a 12x12x18 exoterra I may also do...or sell.

[JoeGecko]

O, it is seriously cold here but i did manage to get some work done. I
replaced the piece of aluminum I miscut.
Got to take the kids to the circus on Saturday ...if you have the chance,
catch this years show...it is great!!

So on Sunday I managed to create a jig to space out the holes for drilling
and countersinking the screw heads. a pretty simple index jig and a lot of
repetition... drill the hole...remove the pin..place the pin... drill the hole...
over and over again.



and the action shot, after drilling all the holes, I had to go back and
countersink them so the screws will lay flush..


As you can see in the pictures...metal work makes a serious mess. I moved
ahead to the last metal work I had, making the frame for the screen for the
top as well as the screen itself.

I purchased all the parts to make my own screen frame. Home depot and
most hardware stores carry the frame stock. I bought 5/16" screen frame
along with the plastic corners shown here.


Those things are great, just take 1.5" off your total measurement and you
are good to go..


In the next shot, I have the viv upside down to work on the top. I needed
to put some sort of frame for the screen to "pop" into. I wanted the whole
thing to easily pop out for bulb changes and general maintantence. Here is
what I did.

I places a C channel in the back to hold the rear in place and a lip all around
the rest on the top for the screen to rest against. Now, if you picture it
correct...your gonna say "hey...its just going to fall down cause the lip is on
the TOP of the screen."


and your right, see.. if I flip this right side up...it would fall out.. hehehe


But I had a plan... magnets. My next step is to drill recesses for magnets
and epoxy them in place so that the screen has one polarity, the frame the
other...then...BAM.. locked in place and easy to remove. Only problem I
had..cold weather is making the epoxy take FOREVER to cure!!

Nezt week I think I can get to installing the trim and begining work on the
inside features...the fun stuff (I hope). I also need to wire up the lights and
fans. Does anyone have any ideas on how best to wire up the fans? I have
a 400 watt computer power supply I was going to use for that and some
outdoor moon lights, but what is the best approach to controlling the fans?
is there a good way to monitor speed based on temp/hum...or run them slow
all the time?? I am lost on that point, never put fans in before.

[james67]

next time you need aluminum dont use the stuff from HD if you can help it. its about 4X as expensive as anywhere else. call around and im sure you can find it at a local metals dealer. there are 5 within 30 minutes of my house and they sell for MUCH cheaper.

james