New 120 Gallon Digs for "Dave"! - Complete CUSTOM Build!

[schooled_ca]

Hello all! I used to be a more active poster, but haven't been too active in a few years. Now that I've got a bit more disposable time, I'm sure I'll be spending a bit more on here

Dave History: Dave is a 4 year old standard pet store beardy that was bought on an impulse. I ended up doing a ton of research (mostly on here!) and have become a pretty big guru on reptiles since! I've also been helping out local pet stores with product knowledge on the side to help provide their customers with the best service.

Any ways, on to the good stuff!

I had built a 4x2x2 Crossfire style viv for him about 3.5 years ago once he'd outgrown his 20g starter tank. I had very limited funds/space at the time, and was living with 3-4 room mates in a house at the time. Let's just say... my last priority was a "nice" viv for the lizard.

Things have changed, and now I have my own condo in Vancouver, and have been spending the past year making it my own. Replacement floors really got me thinking... I need to make a beautiful custom viv for the lizard!

Day 1 and 2

I wanted a seamless glass aquarium to start, and went looking. Was quoted between 400-600 from various glass shops for one of the size I required. I was sickened, and almost ready to give up. I had been hunting on Craigslist, but people were delusional asking extreme prices for their used, 50g-90g aquariums! And most of them were disgusting! I had no luck... until last week, when a pictureless add for a 120g aquarium popped up. I was sceptical because the description was short, and no pictures. I called the guy, and he LITERALLY lived 1 block over in DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER! Vancouver is pretty big, so this was just weird. I went over to have a look... and it was perfect! I picked this up for 70 bucks!!

It's AMAZING! 52"x22"x22" and not a single scratch! The guy was a huge reptile enthusiast himself... had a few beautiful Ball Pythons, free range Chameleon (REALLY COOL!) and a nice bird.

I was about to go to IKEA to replace my long shelf/storage unit with a black one to match the rest of my furniture, but I was in a DIY mood and thought it'd be a good idea to just re-finish mine black! Turned out to be a great idea!!

Please check out the next post for more!

 

[schooled_ca]

Day 3

So I had an empty/blank glass tank and a nice, new looking stand to put the tank on. EXACTLY what I wanted! So what's next? Well.. I need somewhere to hang all the lighting and electronics, and finish off the top ledge. Off to Home Depot! Keep in mind... I live in a very small (550sq/f) apartment so all of this is being done in either my living space or balcony (which has a beautiful ocean view ).

Materials: 1x4x8 Knotty Pine x2 and 1x8x8 Knotty Pine.

Home depot did all the cuts, and I took it home to put together! A bit of countersinking and pre-drilling, some quick test fits and this is what I finished up with!

Now that the frame is complete, I'm thinking about an entire rock wall. I know this is going to be a huge and time consuming endeavour, but this time I have the luxury of time on my side. Dave still has his old home and is happy as can be!

One of my concerns is the distance of the UVB (Repti-Sun 10, 36") to the bottom of the tank (about 20"). I want to mount the ballast to the wider side of the frame, so I needed a basking spot that was within 10-12" of the bulb. My only option is to build my own basking spots!

Next post will have the rock wall!

 

[schooled_ca]

Day 4

The rock wall will be my first, and I seem to have bitten off a huge amount of work for myself! I have patience, and http://www.lizard-landscapes.com. I watched every video on the site, preparing my idea... and off I went! All my supplies were purchased at Home Depot, by the way.

Again, emphasizing the small 560 sq/f apartment. I decided that I could sacrifice my balcony for a little while since the weather is starting to get bad here (Vancouver... need I say more?)

I measure out the back of the wall, and do some marks to get a rough idea where my basking spots need to be...

First 2 platforms installed!

Work environment

The 3rd platform with stairs going to it.

I had to stop here because I ran out of Liquid Nail . Next will be to put all the rocks and small pieces of styro on the back to give it the natural look, as well as add as much as I can to the support beams to make them look realistic. There will also be stairs down to the ground from both platforms.

Any other ideas and feedback are appreciated, and will update this as I go!

 

[BeerHunter]

Looks awsome. Great find on that enclosure. Looks perfect. I cant wait to see the finish product. Be sure and keep us updated!

 

[schooled_ca]

Thanks! Any ideas are welcome! It's a ton of space
to fill!!

 

[schooled_ca]

Day 5

Today was a fun but tedious day. I wanted to go with the Rock Background look similar to http://www.lizard-landscapes.com/reptile-terrarium.html with a desert colour instead of the dark theme. I'm not the most creative/artistic person, so this was really a test of my creativity. I now have ALL the materials necessary or on order to finish the product, so that saves me lot's of transiting around. Try transiting to Home Depot with 35 minutes of walking mixed in that trip!

Extending the top so it's almost the entire height of the tank. Remember people, put your supports on the back, not the front. I'm pretty dense sometimes!!! This might make it a bit of a pain to hide later on...

Got the Tablet out on Lizard Landscapes!

Underneath the platforms

The first few on the top and roughed up stairs/platforms.

Levelling off the frame joints.

That's it for tonight! Tomorrow I'll finish the Styrofoam portion, add the rest of the stairs from the basking spots to the floor. I'll also be sanding and doing the first coat of primer on the frame. Hopefully I can make the frame look like a million bucks! It's going to be the same colour as the stand.

 

[SpitFyre]

Wow.m :shock: That's incredible. Nice job so far on the rock wall! Your place looks pretty nice, too.

 

[schooled_ca]

Day 6

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying the updates

Today was dedicated to getting the Styrofoam aspect of the rock wall done. It's really messy, and get's everywhere. I wanted to be done for good! (Until I want to build more... which will happen)

This is probably the last big wall/styrofoam/custom rock stuff I'll ever do. It's extremely time consuming, and very messy. It's not easy in this little apartment on the balcony!

Here is the finished Rock Wall background portion...

I was thinking at this point that he didn't even have a hide... how did I miss that! I didn't want to build a separate one, and the 2 platforms looked too similar anyway. I cut the supports on the right platform out, and went to work...

A nice little hollow cave for him to crash

Added the final stairs, and now it's complete!

Preparing my painting/grouting area for the next week or so.... sigh. How am I going to watch Football?

Priming the frame

Overall, VERY happy how the wall is turning out. I might be getting an artist friend do the painting portion... haven't decided yet. heights for the bulbs to platform seem to be perfect, and I'm very excited about the project at this point. New UV/Fixture is ordered... and I'm pretty much ready to go!

This weekend there won't be much happening as I'm puppysitting... I might get a grout job done.

Cheers
Terence

 

[nycmedic]

Nice work. Looks great. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[schooled_ca]

Day 7

Hello! I got the first coat of grout on today, and it's a messy and sloppy endeavour!

All done for today! It's a process of rinse/repeat for a few days now..

 

[SpitFyre]

Looking GOOD! Wow!
A suggestion- stick a piece of styrofoam cut at a 45* angle on either side, to transition better from the wall to the glass. Right now it's straight, and in my opinion, beveled/angled edges look better then a 90* edge.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great job, it is looking good! That is a lot of work, huh?
Your dragon will love it when you are done.

Tracie

 

[schooled_ca]

Day 8

Hello everyone! I had to put the project away for a few days to let everything set/cure. It was also a busy week at the office

I got the last touches of grout done on the wall, and now it's just for the details. I haven't decided if I'm going to take the time and put do a thick layer to give it some more detail and rough look... or if I like the smoothness of it. The grout isn't as grippy as I thought, so a bunch of sand will be applied when I do the last sealing coat anyways...

I've painted the top side of the top frame, and put it on top just to get an idea how it's looking so far. My dad is sending me my slate for the floor this weekend as well, which should add a bit of a finish to it. I'm also going to check out the craft store for some fake plants/mossy style stuff to add to the wall to give it an older look as well.

Here is the latest.

Cheers!

 

[LennyTheLizardKing]

Good job completing it. I have spent days constructing one for a big custom viv. that turned out spectacular, then put it away for a while then eventually threw it out because of the space it was taking up, what a big mistake that was. Now im attempting to do another for a Leo almost done, just needs a few more layers of grout, then paint.

Its also good to see a fellow member in the area

 

[schooled_ca]

Thank you! I definitely had to make sure I didn't go overboard, but it seems to fit nicely and still allows for lot's of floor space

I'm starting a dubia colony pretty soon.... want some roaches?