Building a vivarium - don't actually have the Beardie yet

[jollygeoff]

Hi There

I have never owned any type of reptile but have set my heart on a Beardie. I am not impressed with the vivariums I have seen in the stores so have decided to get my brother in law who's a very versatile chappy to build me a vivarium. I have had a look at some of the designs on here and have been impressed in the main.

However, I want something slightly different to that which I've seen and I want to run some really basic questions by this forum in order to see if I am on to a winner or not.

Firstly, I am sure on the size 4 foot by 2 foot by 18 inches. I want a black finish to the outside, I want the front and two side panels to be glass. I want to make sure the little chappy will be well ventilated and that the tank will be able to achieve a sufficient heat at either end of the viv.

Questions:

1. What type of wood is best?
2. How should the wood be treated?
3. How much ventilation is required?
4. Given the general design points listed, what would be the best type of lamps to use in this little baby?
5. What considerations should be made for future adaptation with home made rocks etc. i.e. upgrading the viv.
6. is is a good idea to have a concealed space between the back on the inside and the back to house wiring?
7. If I want to make it split level, what additional heating requirements do I need to take into account?

Now I understand that I may be missing something really vital here, here's your chance to tell me.

Thanks

Geoff

 

[ErinMeetsMachine]

I'm sorry you haven't gotten any responses. You have some good questions that I have no good answers for. This is my "bump" to get this post noticed again.. hopefully.

 

[hartungs]

I am sorry that no one has responded either. I will try my best to answer your questions.

1. What type of wood is best? Most people will use melamine board for their vivariums. It is very easy to work with and does not require any type of sealing. It is almost like a countertop material.
2. How should the wood be treated? This isn't required if you use melamine board. However, if you use another type of wood, then you will need to use a non-toxoc sealer and be sure to let it air dry for a long time to get rid of all the fumes.
3. How much ventilation is required? With your design in mind, glass on three sides, I would suggest having a screen top. You may also want to place some small circular vents in the top of the back wall.
4. Given the general design points listed, what would be the best type of lamps to use in this little baby? There are a couple of choices for you to consider. First, and I think the best, is using a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB). This type of lamp provides both UVB and a heat source. For your planned size a 100 watt should be plenty. The best one to get is the MegaRay. The second choice is the ReptiSun 10.0 linear tube lights. These come in may lengths and I would suggest the 36 inch tube for your vivarium size. You need to be sure that this type of UVB bulb is within 6-8 inches of the basking area. If you go with the UVB tube, then you will also need a heat source. You can use a regular household bulb or this. Just make sure to accurately measure your temperatures with a digital thermometer.
5. What considerations should be made for future adaptation with home made rocks etc. i.e. upgrading the viv? This is really an open ended question and is only limited by your imagination. Do a search on making rocks out of styrofoam and look through the vivariums thread. There are about 49 pages of pictures to give you great ideas.
6. is is a good idea to have a concealed space between the back on the inside and the back to house wiring? I don't think this is needed. This would be more of a cosmetic issue and since you will more than likely have the vivarium up against a wall, no one will see it anyway.
7. If I want to make it split level, what additional heating requirements do I need to take into account? It may be difficult ot make a split level if you are planning on having a vivarium that is only 18 inches tall. My vivarium is 24 inches tall and I have a section that is raised, but that is used for the basking area. That is where I measure my highest temperatures from my MVB.

I hope this has helped. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask.

 

[jollygeoff]

• Hi Sam and Erin
  
  Thanks for taking the time to respond. I hope I get a few more responses to this post as it really would help. Since posting the original post, I have had some further thoughts and I have decided to make it a double vivarium - I quite like the idea of having a townhouse design. The size is going to change to 4 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot per vivarium. It will prove tricky. I can guarantee you it will be a really nice one. I want something that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. I will be sure to post further questions, thoughts and designs including photos as the construction gets under way. Once again thanks.

 

[jollygeoff]

Hi again Sam.

Just been looking into sourcing a UK supplier for the megaray - Seems I've got that one sorted. One question though, you refer to digital thermometers. What are the best type and can they be installed so that there is a control panel on the outside of the tank or do they have to be inside the tank and if so, how does one regulate the heat of the lamp in the tank - and how often should the temperature be checked?

 

[hartungs]

I purchased my digital thermometer from Wal Mart. It is a basic indoor/outdoor model that also reads the humidity. Basically, you place the unit into the vivarium on the "cool" side and then run the probe to the basking spot. The digital readout will list what both temperatures are constantly, in real time, as well as the humidity. So I leave mine in there all the time and it reads temperatures 24/7. It also has a feature that will tell you what the high and low tempertures have been as well as the high and low humidity levels. It was only $12. This is the one that everyone here talks about.

As far as regulating the temperatures, this is done by adjusting the bulb wattage and distance. This is more of a trial and error process but it is very easy to do once you have the thermometer.

I hope this helps you out. Keep the questions coming if you have them.

 

[jollygeoff]

Ok Sam,

This may seem like a really - stupid question and please feel free to chastise me if you see fit. What danger would there be for instance if I left home overnight? Is this possible? I am thinking what if there were a power cut or worse still a power surge? Or even a fuse failure?

Geoff

 

[hartungs]

I won't chastise you...don't worry. Ha ha....

I have my lights set up on a digital timer that turns on and off at the times I choose. I have been using this type of setup for years and years and have never had a problem. If it makes you feel better, you can always plug in the timer into a surge protector.

As far as the thermometer goes, it is battery powered. There is no risk there at all.

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