New Stackable Vivs I am building...UPDATED 10/11/11

[saleen89559]

Here are my new vivs in progress. I bought the plywood today and cut it to size and shot it together with a nail gun so I could get ready to paint them soon. They are independent so they can both be carried easily if I move. But they stack together nicely.

Sizes are 48" L x 30" T x 24" Deep

I went with 30" tall so I could hide most of the lighting from view if you were standing in front of the cages looking directly at them. Otherwise the vivs living space is 4x2x2.

 

[Claudiusx]

OOh looks nice!

-Brandon

 

[midmichicer]

They look great, want to make me umm...12? lol.

 

[saleen89559]

LOL. I'd make 12 of them if you paid for the materials. It takes 3 sheets of plywood @ $25 per sheet to build 2. You do the math.

BTW, the vent holes on the sides are also going to be a portal to change bulbs. I plan on putting 1/4" x 1/4" metal wire mesh below the lights in order to allow all the UVB to pass through but to separate the beardies from the electrical and components.

I also made my own door tracks out of wood instead of ordering the tracks online.

 

[midmichicer]

I'll pay u $450 to make 12. Does this include shipping lol?

 

[saleen89559]

I'll pay u $450 to make 12. Does this include shipping lol?

Shipping? You insane? Freight would be outrageous LMAO!

That doesn't include plexi glass, A/C Vents to cover vent holes, painting, wiring, fixtures either. Also I see you're in Michigan, might just be a better deal to bring a truck and trailer to meet somewhere in the middle for a fee.

Just wait till I'm done with them and I can gauge an accurate amount minus lighting costs. Most people have their own preferences.

 

[MrWhite]

nice job so far...

the one issue I see with my 48l x 24h x 24w is that my UV fixture is mounted directly to the ceiling which means my beardie is about 20" away when laying on the floor. I have a fake rock structure that gets him 8" closer to the UV bulb but a 30" height would really move him farther away. My next enclosure will be the same (I already have the materials for another one) but I was half considering going with an 18" height if I wanted to make a 3rd viv.

are your UV fixtures going to be suspended from or mounted to the ceiling?

-Larry

 

[saleen89559]

They will be suspended down to where they are barely above the 1/4" wire mesh. Then there will be structures inside the vivs that allows them to get within 8-10" of the uvb. Btw the uvb's will be 36" reptisun 10.0 bulbs.
At that point the bulbs will be 18" from the cage bottom and elevations will be setup with cage decor.

 

[MrWhite]

They will be suspended down to where they are barely above the 1/4" wire mesh. Then there will be structures inside the vivs that allows them to get within 8-10" of the uvb. Btw the uvb's will be 36" reptisun 10.0 bulbs.

sounds like a good plan

 

[saleen89559]

So I did some searching and to find a 36" flourescent fixture it is gonna cost me just as much as a 48". And I can fit a 48" in the new enclosures diagonally. I also am going to go with the idea of a Photocell for outdoor lights to control when the Ceramic heat emitter will come on instead of using a timer. The photocell would face the heat lamp, so when the timer controlling the daytime lighting turns off, the photocell would turn the power on to the CHE, and the reverse would happen when the daytime lights come on.

Here is an image of what I am doing with it electrical-wise. Of course my wiring layout may change when it comes down to installing it.

My list of parts PER Viv is as follows:

1. 3 x Cleat Recepticle for bulbs = $3 each
2. 1 x Lutron Dimmer good for CFL and Flourescents = $9
3. 7 Day Digital Programmable Timer = $26
4. 30"x36" by 1/8" Plexi = $22
5. Metal Screen 1/2" holes = $15
6. 32 x 6"x6" tiles = $27
7. 48" T8 Dual bulb fixture = $22
8. Photocell switch = $9
9. 2 Gang Deep switch box = $4
10. 2 x Door knobs = $2
11. 2 x 12"x6" Return Grills = $12
12. 25' of 14-2 Wire = $14
13. Dual Switch Wall plate = $5

Total = $180 per cage. Rounded up figure.

 

[Charlos101]

Hey, love the cage!!! How much did the plywood cost??? As I'm thinking of doing something similar

 

[saleen89559]

It takes 3 sheets of plywood @ $25 per sheet to build 2

Expect to spend $50 for good plywood.

 

[saleen89559]

Just got them delivered to the house from my dad's place. Stained cherry to look more like "furniture" and primed white inside so we can paint and seal them.

 

[Vacren]

Any chance I can get a closeup of the track? I've got four crossfires sitting in the shop waiting on track, can't find any locally and I'm not paying $124 ea for four foot track designed for jewelry display cases.

~V

 

[saleen89559]

Made our own tracks.

Took a wide enough piece of wood, and cut two grooves on a table saw at the desired depth. Made sure we did 2 passes on each to make it wide enough for the plexi.