Hey guys,
I originally had this build at dendroboard but realized it would be more relevant here.
My first Tegu Terrarium.
Started last month. I built a 4X8X4 Ft wooden enclosure with a 3' by 6' glass pane on the front. The access door is on one side. All wood has been covered in a thick clear epoxy like you see on bar counters. I still need to finish coating it. I will also seal all the edges with silicone. Since the tank is bigger than my doors, I have designed it to be modular and break down into 8-9 pieces/panels in case i ever move.
Here is the front panel. The glass will slide into this 1/4" channel. The cabinet portion detaches for the glass to slide in.
The top of the cage has recessed lights for a cleaner look. I will admit they are not rated for high wattage like i am using, but they will be open to the air, and after multiple test runs of 12+ hours, they didn't get above a temperature I couldn't touch comfortably. I rewire the insides with heavier gage wire too.
The lights used are 375 watt infrared heating lamps (non -red) and a megaray Uv bulb 275 watt. Since my enclosure ceiling will be 3 feet above the substrate, I needed to find bulbs that could project at distances longer than the usual 18". The megaray UV is effective from 2-3 feet for my tegus needs, and the 375 watt heat bulbs hit target 100-110 on a black rock at 2-3 feet as well. I will have to finalize testing when everything is set up.
Will also have a lunar light cycle and a lightning bulb in the recessed cans.
I will be using a 6 nozzle mistaking system along with a 5 head ultrasonic fogger I got from house of hydro for humidity control.
I have a 5 gallon bucket with a bulkhead. the mister will be ran off of it, and the fogger head will sit on a float in the bucket too. I will use a small inline duct fan and 2-3" tubing to blow air/fog from the bucket into the terrarium. Ventilation will also be done via a 8” inline duct fan.
All devices will be controlled by a ecozone vivarium 500 controller. This company is amazing and they are dedicated to their customers. Very quick responses. I was playing with the controller and it has TONS of options and customization available.
I will be using three sensors. Two temperatures and one humidity/temp combo. This will let me know temps in my basking spot, middle of tank and cool end as well as humidity in the cool end. I plan on keeping it from 75% to 90% depending on season.
I have also been working on a buttress root tree. i used 2" construction foam with great stuff, then coated it in a resurfacing concrete that has acrylic and is fiber reinforced. Tree is 3 feet high by 3.5 by 3.5'
Also have been making Great stuff rocks. I drop real a real rock into slightly wet sand then take it out. This leaves a negative cavity. Then I fill the void with great stuff and remove the final piece. I saw off the excess and voila!
Not a great pic but you get the idea.
I plan on having 1.5 feet of substrate in the cage as Tegus love to burrow.
I plan on putting my rocks on a foam background surrounding the buttress root tree with moss, vines and other rainforest items. There are also plans for a water feature but i need your guys input on how to do false bottoms or set up water cycle/ drainage for something like this.
Lastly, I have created a storm mode. I created a storm soundtrack from various rainforest sound effects. This goes on a sd card which plugs into a computer chip. This chip is triggered by a relay whenever my Mistking pump is activated. The sound plays for three minutes over computer speakers with a subwoofer. The sound is picked up by a Perfect Storm Controller that flashes a LED bulb in one of the recessed cans. Plans are to have every light in the terrarium go to 0% whenever the misters go off. This storm function will be toggle controlled in case I don't want a thunder storm 2-3 times a day.
The black and white wires lead to the relay. These will be spliced into the pumps lines. Whenever the ecozone vivarium tells the pump to go off, it triggers the sound/ lights. There is also a manual push switch for triggering it on the spot.
You will have to copy/paste this link due to 15 image restriction
http://i58.tinypic.com/saxlxd.jpg
Here is a video
http://videobam.com/eKCrz#.U39EoUu6O9Q.linkMy
Backside of the front panel with glass installed
You will have to copy/paste this link due to 15 image restriction
http://i57.tinypic.com/10zo36o.jpg
Put together minus the front panel
DIY heater
I was looking for a way to get my terrarium up to 85 degrees or so without relying on heat from lights, heat pads/rocks et.. I decided to take a 8" in line duct fan and bolt a heater coil into it from a room heater. I will be installing a thermal cutoff as well for safety. The wiring is essentially the same as it was in its original room heater. I don't have the front panel on my cage yet (4X8X4 ft), but a thermostat in the middle of the tank shows temps of 82 degrees F at full power. I imagine I could hit 90-95 once the tank is completely enclosed. Fan and Coil will be triggered via a relay that will be triggered via a ecozone vivarium 500 controller ( It pulls over 1500 watts). Temperature probe will monitor set high and low points.
Need to get a circular outlet cover to install under it.
My false bottom will cover the whole foot print, I plan for 3-4 inches of water , 4"high, 6" inch diameter pvc pipe pieces to hold up my egg crate. On top of the egg crate I have a fiberglass mesh.
I am not sure how to layer it after this?
Would I go sand, gravel, peat/soil or gravel, sand, peat/soil?
Also, is peat/sphagum moss mix ok for a tegu as the substrate? I really do not want to go with mulch and I plan on training my tegu to use the restroom in water or potty train him.
Thanks guys! More to come!
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