The Ultimate Enclosure!?

[JakeJHB]

I am in the planning stage of building what I would consider the ultimate beardie enclosure, and was just curious if anyone has seen, heard or thought of some good ideas that should be included? I would also appreciate comments on my ideas.
I should mention I have a background in computers, electronics and woodwork, so this is right up my alley!

The basic layout will be a pine cage, approx 900mm x 2000mm floor area, height is not yet decided. an overhead opening lid and front opening door(s)

Here are some of my own ideas so far:

>> LIGHTS- the goal is to create a more natural type of light to the Arcadia on its own (which reminds my more of a sunbed/disco than a desert)
an Arcadia D3 900mm,
a 150W spot with auto dimmer,
a night moon glow lamp with dimmer,
a normal fish tank 900mm sun fluorescent bulb to increase the amount of light

>> An automated lighting system that adjusts the light depending on the time of day (and season)

>> A temperature regulator that rises and falls through the day, using the spot and night lights as heating sources, (also considering installing an old laptop and matching the temperature of Australia via the Internet! )

>> Automated fans, that circulate the air. Thus cooling the tank and lowering the humidity if needed.

>> a waterfall, with water circulating through a filter.

>> a dehumidifier, to compensate for the waterfall.

The actual design of the layout is also important, and will depend on the final ideas I decide to include.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[kirby]

I am in the planning stage of building what I would consider the ultimate beardie enclosure, and was just curious if anyone has seen, heard or thought of some good ideas that should be included? I would also appreciate comments on my ideas.
I should mention I have a background in computers, electronics and woodwork, so this is right up my alley!

remember, the important things you should be keeping in mind is safety, comfortability, health, well being and suitability. not how 'cool' the eclosure looks or how 'real' you think it is.

The basic layout will be a pine cage, approx 900mm x 2000mm floor area, height is not yet decided. an overhead opening lid and front opening door(s)

personal experience here, i LOVE 3ft deep enclosures. best thing since crossfire. i would suggest going 3ft high aswell, BUT get yourself a megaray MVB.

Here are some of my own ideas so far:

>> LIGHTS- the goal is to create a more natural type of light to the Arcadia on its own (which reminds my more of a sunbed/disco than a desert)
an Arcadia D3 900mm,
a 150W spot with auto dimmer,
a night moon glow lamp with dimmer,
a normal fish tank 900mm sun fluorescent bulb to increase the amount of light

-Dont dim your uv, it is already emitting a WHOLE lot less uvb then the sun, even in winter. if you want a 'natural' sun like light. use a Megaray. in conjunction with cream glow regular flourescent tubes. (natural looking light) the moon glow lamp, will only disturb his sleep. dont bother with it. dont effect his lifestyle so his enclosure looks 'cooler' ..

>> An automated lighting system that adjusts the light depending on the time of day (and season)

you dont want to dim his temperatures into an unusable zone. this will lessen the time that he can digest sucessfully. a natural warm up and cool down fromt he lights turning on/off is more then enough. no point teasing him with light (heat) when he cant get as warm as he wants.

>> A temperature regulator that rises and falls through the day, using the spot and night lights as heating sources, (also considering installing an old laptop and matching the temperature of Australia via the Internet! )

i know you want it to be natural, but it the temp sways into cooler days etc. you may find him regurgitating undigested food, rotting in his stomache, impactions, inability to digest and pass meals, etc. etc. lets give him the temps he needs to stay healthy, constantly.. hey?

>> Automated fans, that circulate the air. Thus cooling the tank and lowering the humidity if needed.

>> a waterfall, with water circulating through a filter.

you will QUICKELY find a HUGE faults in this, one, you wont be able to control the humidity, no matter how hard you try. second, he will regularly poop in it, daily cleaning will become essential. no matter what filter you have. a fast way to increase parasites.

>> a dehumidifier, to compensate for the waterfall.

how will this be controled? it is possible to get TOO dry

The actual design of the layout is also important, and will depend on the final ideas I decide to include.

having used similar sized enclosures. i strongely suggest multiple basking spots. ELSE the dragonw ill just stay at one end. i suggest large teracota tiles. they look very natural to the red clay soils of the outback. you can smash them into large segments and grout to get a cracking clay effect. lare thick branches suspended does well. remember, easy cleaning, and lost of easily used space.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JakeJHB]

Thanks Kirby,
Those are some great suggestions! just thought I'd clear a few things up

I will be using an microprocessor based climate controller, which I will build. It will constantly monitor various inputs and adjust the outputs to compensate.

In Johannesburg our temperature can fluctuate rather extremely, so the tank will have multiple(3-4) electronic temp probes that monitor the temp at various points. Depending on requirements, the 150W spot will dim or brighten, keeping the basking spot temp exactly 115F.
I must say, I like the Idea of multiple basking spots.

As far as the lighting goes- The problem here is we don't have the same brands as everyone else, or the popular brands we do have cost a fortune for no good reason! So I'll probably have to make due with those I mentioned.

The night light will only switch on if temps drop below 45F. I realize it may disturb his sleep, and the main aim is to raise ambient night temp, so the direct light will be shielded. The tank's fans would be off at this point, so the light will raise the temp to the required point via convection currents, and then switch off again.

The UVB light is fluorescent, so dimming is not really of any benefit- they do not affect temp. I will use the UVB on full power in day light hours, and switch it off at night.
The other "sunlight" aquarium light will however be dimmed and brightened through the day (still contemplating using a halogen bulb instead, as the light appears more natural))- this natural variation aimed at stimulating the dragon's circadian and seasonal rhythms more accurately than the usual "on off" tank routines.

The waterfall will not have a lower "pond" instead it will appear more as a waterfall going underground so to speak. So the dragon will be able to stick his head in it, or walk under it, but unless he really aims well he prob wont be able to defecate into it. I was concidering raising the bottom slightly so his body can't get to the water, just his head.
Also, by reducing the water's surface area and the amount of collateral splash, it reduces the impact on the tank's humidity. Finally, the humidity will be controlled by the dehumidifier, which in turn is controlled by the climate controller, thus it will be consistent and correct, my only worry is the evaporation may be so fast that I may have to install a conduit from the dehumidifier to the waterfall's reservoir to avoid the waterfall running dry.
The main reason for the dehumidifer, is our house's amient humidity is generaly around 85%! So with or without the waterfall I will still need a controller to compensate.

In the end, my intention is to create a consistent, and comfortable climate, that controls itself in every way. It's more of a personal challenge, than a practical solution- as I am sure the amount of effort involved will not logically warrant the gains in convenience. But my ultimate goal would be to use the tank as a breeder tank, meaning the simulation of seasonal changes becomes rather more important.

As I said, I am still planning though, I was also considering enlarging the tank slightly and using dividers inside the tank, as needed. But the 3feet height is about what I had in mind.

OK, so maybe this wasn't entirely clear- hope it makes sense? :mrgreen:

Has anyone else built a similar fully automated tank?

 

[slantedii]

I have a 40 gallon breeder im about to automate. I will post pictures, it isnt as advanced as what ur describing, but it does offer remote control capability, fully programmable schedules and thermostats and the gui is simple, its not for reptiles, it actually a pool timer called the intellitouch. Pretty awesome.

 

[JakeJHB]

That's a great idea actually, a pool timer is perfect for the Day- Night schedule on its own. Would it also monitor temps?

 

[slantedii]

yah you can monitor up to 3 temp zones, tho only regulate one.

 

[kirby]

ah. good to hear.

contact Bob from reptileuv.com i can almost guaruntee he will send you a megaray ! if you want the extra hight, or such a long viv, i would really recomend it.

the arcadia and tube form uv's will only give you a very small area of uv. half the enclousure, and only in that half if he is up on a branch within 10" of the tube. a megaray, he will get uv, in pretty much half the viv, top to bottom. and PLENTY of it.

as for dimming the flourescents, be very carful if you choose tube uv. as they need the extra brightness, to constrict their pupals.

 

[JakeJHB]

Thanks for that heads up on the pupil constriction issue- I've always wondered why the skrew in UV bulbs had problems, but that explains it perfectly. I concidered using one but didn't feel comfortable with it- man am I glad I didn't.!

>> On a side note- so far the only good use for the UV skrew in bulb I've heard is as a practical joke- replace your room mate's desk lamp with one. He'll get a strange tan and not know where it's from! :twisted:

 

[kirby]

>> On a side note- so far the only good use for the UV skrew in bulb I've heard is as a practical joke- replace your room mate's desk lamp with one. He'll get a strange tan and not know where it's from! :twisted:

or cancer!

i dont think they actually work as a tanning bulb.. hmm...

 

[JailBirdStripes]

Ok, when this thing is done, I'd really like to see pictures and maybe a Youtube video of it "working." A lot of thought has gone into this thing, and I give you credit, man. I, too would be careful with the waterfall... even with the dehumidifier... it seems a little more like overkill. Though, a "river" running through it might be cool... maybe like a drop-out fixture for easy cleaning? But, still, beardie is likely to poop in it regularly, so the question might be,
How much within the enclosure are you willing to clean on a daily/weekly/monthly basis... Personally, I change water/food daily, remove crickets nightly, clean up poop the day it happens (yay for a beardie that is smart and poops ON the tiles), weekly vaccuum and wipe-down, and monthly disinfect/carpet cleaning/changing... Remember, the bigger it gets, the more you have to clean.

Regardless, your idea definitely takes the cake when it comes to beardie addiction. That thing (if/when you finish) will be one for the record books when it comes to HOME enclosures.

 

[NickZafo]

since your trying to make this as natural as possible i always thought a beardie hang gliding area would be nice but gliding into the glass might be a problem

 

[JakeJHB]

LOL! :lol:
I can only say: I will try!

 

[JakeJHB]

I sketch of the cage I intend to build:
Dimensions (LxWxH) = 160cm x 60cm x 100cm

The lid will have a glass sliding door as well as the front. The sides are just glass panels.
The lights as configured here, show four mounts. These may not all be used, it just allows the tank to be subdivided if needed.
Does this seems reasonable in design?

 

[JailBirdStripes]

How do you get google sketch to look like that ? Mine just looks like sheets of paper formed into a box...

anyway- looks pretty cool... what are the actual dimensions again?

 

[kirby]

google sketch up...