Vivarium and Incubator build, step by step. (BIG DUW)

[Rossagon]

G'day guys.

I haven't posted on here for a while as I have been busy with travelling and setting up a few new things. One of these things just happened by accident. To sum it up, one of my fishtanks decided to burst and was henceforth no good for holding fish. So I decided to turn it into a vivarium with the bottom cabinet turned into an incubator.

I thought I would document it so if anybody else wanted to steal some ideas they could. Well here goes.

Equipment needed-

1 broken fish tank ( silicon got a bit old, so new silicon to seal everything up)
1 tank cabinet in good order
9 metres of heat cord
1 habistat dimming thermostat
1 dick smith 240 volt cooling fan (12cm)
1 light switch, with 2 batton holders with energy saving bulbs
4 sheets of polystyrene insulation
however much wood you need to build frame
3 sheets of acrylic
numerous brackets, hinges, and screws.
and of course the usual tools, drill, screwdriver, level, etc.

First off the cabinet.

Some of the tools needed. Polystyrene sheets and brackets of various sorts.

The next pictures show the measuring and cutting of the insulation to fit in the cabinet. As well as the process for putting the racks in.

Once all the insulation and racks are in, its time to put some of the electricals in. Heres some photos showing the lights, fan and heat cord installed.

Ok so its now almost done. Insulation, Heat, light. Now all we need is the tank on top.

Now the tank is on top, its time to start filling it up with some plants. The substrate used is peat, and most of the plants are going to be bromeliads, ferns, epiphytes, and Tilandsias.

But one last thing before we go. Some perspex (acrylic) sheets are used for viewing doors, so that we don't let all the heat escape when we want to view whats goin on inside the incubator.

And now we come to the completed product. Most of the plants are in. and the incubator is up and running, set at a very constant 31degC.

Now that it is all done, Im hoping to get hold of some juvenile Southern Angle headed dragons to top the vivarium off.

Thanks for looking guys. I'll post some more info when things progress.

Cheers Rossco.

 

[Emzie]

very nice

 

[Auzlizardking]

Plants Dangerous to Your Reptile or Amphibian
Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

The following plants are all dangerous to some degree. Some, like oleander and Dieffenbachia (dumb cane) can cause death almost instantly. Others may cause only a mild reaction, but it is still best to remove them from any areas where they would be in contact with your herp.

This is not a complete list, so if you are in any doubt about the safety of plants that you have, please contact your veterinarian or the poison control center.

Plants dangerous for herps:
Air plant
Amanita
Amaryllis
American yew
Andromeda
Arum lily
Australian flame tree
Autumn crocus
Avocado
Azalea
Balsam pear
Baneberry
Bird of paradise
Bishop's weed
Black laurel
Black locust
Bloodroot
Bluebonnet
Blue-green algae
Boxwood
Bracken fern
Broad beans
Broomcorn grass
Buckeye
Buckthorn
Bulb flowers
Burdock
Buttercup
Cacao
Caladium
Calla lily
Camel bush
Candelabra tree
Cardinal
Castor bean
Chalice vine
Cherry tree
Chinaberry tree
Christmas candle
Clematis
Cocklebur
Coffee
Coffee bean
Coral plant
Coriander
Corncockle
Cotton bush
Coyotillo
Cowslip
Crown of thorns
Cutleaf
Daffodil
Daphne
Datura
Deadly amanita
Death camus
Delphinium
Devil's ivy
Dieffenbachia
Dutchman's breeches
Eggplant Elderberry
Elephant's ear
English ivy
English yew
Ergot
Eucalyptus
Euonymus
False hellebore
False henbane
Felt plant
Firethorn
Flame tree
Four O'Clock
Foxglove
Ghostweed
Glottidium
Golden chain
Ground cherry
Heliotrope
Hemlock
Henbane
Holly
Honeysuckle
Horse bean
Horse chestnut
Horsetail reed
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian licorice
Indian turnip
Inkberry
Iris
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Jasmine
Java bean
Jerusalem cherry
Jimsonweed
Johnson grass
Juniper
Kentucky coffee tree
Lantana
Larkspur
Laurel
Leucotho
Lily-of-the-valley
Lima bean
Lobelia
Locoweed
Lords and ladies
Lupine
Malanga
Mandrake
Marijuana
Maternity plant
Mayapple
Meadow saffron
Mescal bean
Mexican breadfruit
Mexican poppy
Milk vetch
Milkweed Mistletoe
Mock orange
Monkshood
Moonseed
Morning glory Yam bean
Yews
Yellow jasmine
Mountain laurel Mushrooms Narcissus
Navy bean
Nettles
Nightshades
Oak
Oleander
Panda plant
Parsley
Peires
Pencil tree
Periwinkle
Philodendrons
Pigweed
Pikeweed
Poinciana
Poinsettia
Poison ivy
Poison oak
Pokeweed
Potato
Precatory
Privet
Pyracantha
Rain tree
Ranunculus
Rape
Rattlebox
Rattlebush
Red maple
Rhododendrons
Rhubarb
Rosary peas
Sandbox tree
Scarlet runner
Skunk cabbage
Snowdrop
Snow on the mountain
Sorghum grass
Sorrel
Spindle tree
Spurges
Sudan grass
Sweet pea
Tansy ragwort
Thornapple
Tobacco
Vetch
Virginia bower
Virginia creeper
Wattle
White cedar
Wisteria

 

[Auzlizardking]

Are the doors going to be sealed?

 

[Aslan]

Rossagon - Very nice concept, a couple of concerns/queries...

...how will the timber doors seal in order to hold in suitable amounts of heat without excessive variation?

...why did you attach the lights to the top portion of the cabinet as opposed to the bottom? with hot air rising a more consistent temperature would likely have been achieved the other way around...?

...why such a large fan? 240V is likely to put out a large amount of heat by itself, two 12V fans would likely have done a similar job without putting out as much heat.

 

[Rossagon]

AuzlizardKing- Thanks for the list of plants. I have done the research on what plants to choose. There is some great literature on building vivariums around the place, and the plants I have specifically chosen are fairly innocuous to reptiles and frogs. The old mans beard may go though.

And to answer both your questions, yes the doors are sealed. Here is a photo showing the acrylic panel with seals, as well as the switch for the lighting. The lighting is primarily for viewing of the eggs, and is only switched on when I am rummaging around in the incubator (although I wish I had found a way to put the switch on the outside, as I have to open up the doors to switch them on). There is no intention of using bulbs for supplemental heat. The fan is also run through the thermostat, so basically only runs at full throttle when the incubator is heating up. Once the incubator is at temp, the fan only trickles, which is good because it creates only a small airflow. So far the temps have only varied 1.5 degs from the top shelf to the bottom shelf.

Cheers Rossco.