Pardon my ignorance, but is the "soudal" sealant that you used similar to silicone sealant?

 

Pardon my ignorance, but is the "soudal" sealant that you used similar to silicone sealant?

It is in the same sort of tube but it is not really a silicone. It is a polymer.

The sealant is viv safe. It is often used in Belgium (or the Netherlands).

 

The viv has a rainsystem (5 nozzles) and a fogger (Lucky Reptile super fog).
I also have eveninglightning (4 bars of LED light):

and night light (lucky Reptile Night Sky 6x LED lights):

Especially the evening lightning is good for the frogs so they don't suddenly end up in darkness in the evening.

 

I can imagine how many people are thinking... Yep I'm doing that on my next viv.... I know I am.

 

i can imagine how many people are thinking... Yep i'm doing that on my next viv.... I know i am.

oh yeah!!!:d

 

Damn that is definitely sweet. After I get a few more builds under my belt I'm going to plan for a BIG display tank and this lighting scheme is going to be part of the plan.

 

amazing viv! I love the details you put into it!

I can't wait until I get my own house. I'll definitely build a big Viv like yours!

That LED night lighting is a great idea as well. I might put that in my current vivs.

 

Absolutely stunning, to say the least -

What did you use for the backboard?

 

what did you use to shape the rest of the tank with? like the left and right sides of the tank.

 

ur tank is insane man... def subscribed to this one lol. I really like the led lighting.....i like the whole thing actually lol.... wish i had something similar.... someday when i have more money to spend i might try haha..

 

As backboard I used XPS Foam Board. I finished (with pvc/rope) it outside and afterwards glued it into the viv.
The corners were made with Polyurethane foam and finished the same way as the pvc/rope. The corners were made directly into the viv. It's a bit more work but It's impossible to make it outside the viv.

 

Any more details? like what kind of lighting set up you have and ventilation?

 

Any more details? like what kind of lighting set up you have and ventilation?

the main lightning consist of 6 x 36watt PL.
For ventilation there is a front metal wire mesh under the front doors and 2 in top of the viv for natural air circulation.
There are also 2 ventilators for extra circulation but when using it the humidity drops. The 2 vents are not necessary but I can use them for extra warming.

 

For ventilation there is a front metal wire mesh under the front doors and 2 in top of the viv for natural air circulation.
There are also 2 ventilators for extra circulation but when using it the humidity drops. The 2 vents are not necessary but I can use them for extra warming.

Raf,

Could you provide some more detailed information on how the lower vent was made? How high the vent is off the bottom and how large the upper vents are as well?

Excellent build!!

 

Wow one of the best tanks I've ever seen how big is it

 

Thx!
Dimensions are 185cm (72")L x 50cm (19,7")D x 100cm (40")H

 

so just around 240 gallons or 910 liters

 

* we need more pics of this guy lol... Are you adding more plants or letting what is in there grow out?

 

Are you adding more plants or letting what is in there grow out?

It's better to let the plants that are in grow out a bit before adding more.
I want the bottom to get enough light so the moss can grow. More plants means less light on the bottom.

 

How did you plant the plants on you're walls? And could this process work with silicone and coco coir method? Also did you have a water feature with moving water or just a pond area. And where did you get your led's?


Thank's Matt

 

coco is a good alternative for peat so I guess it will work.
In the right corner is a waterfall:

I found the leds at Ikea.

 

I love that waterfall. I like how it's kind of hidden, it makes it seem more natural looking and adds a mystery to the tank

 

The LED lights: IKEA | Integrated lighting | Bookcase integrated lighting | DIODER | Lighting strip

 

I've thought about getting those until I saw these online.

LED Light Strip Kits For Home Accent Lighting

they even have a remote to switch colors, or fade the colors. It's just $10 more than the ikea one.

 

Could you post more pics maybe different angles of your waterfall? And how did you time you leds to go from day to evening to night? And is there any way to thin out ge silicone to make it easy to paint on? Sorry for all the questions.

Thank's Matt

 

Toluene or toluol will thin out silicone without any adverse effects.

 

Did you heat the rope as well if not how did you get it to keep its shape. And does the waterfall start at the top and trickle all the down. I just can't figure out how I would make a waterfall look like it belongs in that type of setup like you did so any more advice and/or pics would be great.


Thank you very much.

 

I didn't heat the rope. You can twist the rope around the pvc and if necessary glue it to stay in place.
The waterfall flows over the foam. Nothing really special about it.

I used timers to control the lights. The eveninglights are turned on a couple of minutes before the mainlights are turned off. It's almost impossible to time it by seconds. In the future I'm going to use PLC controllers to automate the vivarium.
the silicone isn't thinned out. You have to use enough silicone to have the pvc covered.

 

Your vivarium desperately needs some high def video taken of it...

hint hint