quyllur
Hatchling Member
I thought I would start a thread on building my custom enclosure for a bearded dragon. I have been waiting very impatiently until my new flooring was in for my apartment and now it's done and I get to start.
Several weeks of planning have gone into this design. I want to do a bio active enclosure which means a few things need to be taken into account: substrate depth and moisture and clean up crew containment.
I went back and forth between a sliding front window and hinged front windows, but I ultimately decided on a top opening design since I want to try to keep substrate and substrate denizens inside the viv.
This vivarium will also sit inside my living room so I want it to look as much like furniture as my limited wood working skills can manage. So I went with birch plywood which I will stain onyx.
I need additional height for lighting and substrate depth as mentioned, so my interior height dimension is 31". Length and width are 48"x24".
Moisture: though it will be an arid setup, there will be still be more moisture than a typical bearded dragon set up, so I will be applying polyurethane, several coats, and then siliconing the joints. If I decide that I need more than that for the bottom six inches or so of the interior, I may go with some fibreglass resin. I used it to make a background for a fish tank once and found it easy enough to work with.
Here is the carcass of the build. The lid is just placed on top right now, it will be added at the end after the staining and such is done, using hinges at the back.
Here it is with the face frame on and some wood filler added. The glass will be attached on the inside of this frame. This is the point I'm at now. Tomorrow I will cut vent holes, sand, and then stain. Time permitting I will apply the first coat of polyurethane as well.
I will update as I go along.
*just realized this probably could've gone in the DIY forum. If a mod could move it for me, it would be appreciated*
Several weeks of planning have gone into this design. I want to do a bio active enclosure which means a few things need to be taken into account: substrate depth and moisture and clean up crew containment.
I went back and forth between a sliding front window and hinged front windows, but I ultimately decided on a top opening design since I want to try to keep substrate and substrate denizens inside the viv.
This vivarium will also sit inside my living room so I want it to look as much like furniture as my limited wood working skills can manage. So I went with birch plywood which I will stain onyx.
I need additional height for lighting and substrate depth as mentioned, so my interior height dimension is 31". Length and width are 48"x24".
Moisture: though it will be an arid setup, there will be still be more moisture than a typical bearded dragon set up, so I will be applying polyurethane, several coats, and then siliconing the joints. If I decide that I need more than that for the bottom six inches or so of the interior, I may go with some fibreglass resin. I used it to make a background for a fish tank once and found it easy enough to work with.
Here is the carcass of the build. The lid is just placed on top right now, it will be added at the end after the staining and such is done, using hinges at the back.
Here it is with the face frame on and some wood filler added. The glass will be attached on the inside of this frame. This is the point I'm at now. Tomorrow I will cut vent holes, sand, and then stain. Time permitting I will apply the first coat of polyurethane as well.
I will update as I go along.
*just realized this probably could've gone in the DIY forum. If a mod could move it for me, it would be appreciated*