# rebuilding my vivarium



## Gh0st

Some might call me crazy, but maybe that's just what i am 
I am rebuilding my vivarium from this:






to a combination of this:




and




I have been looking at my vivarium for three years, and the viv became nicer and nicer along these years. But the problem is, that i am someone who needs to build something, not just look at at  so during this time i let different ideas past my mind, but the slate look never left my mind.. So now is the time to start with my new project.

i will use this thread to show the progress of the conversion.

Empty:




Creating the walls:













1. The water will flow from the top in the middle (my new to be build waterfall), down the pool.
2. From the pool the water will flow from the lower right corner, behind the walls i created, which will be filled with filtration material.
3. On the left i made a hatch (you never know when u need to get there) where my pomp will be which will pump the water up to the waterfall.

goto 1.

old thread:
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=11063

I need to be ready before end of march, because my vivarium will be displayed a the Vivarium exhibition in the Netherlands


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## BigTom

Loved the old layout, I'm sure this will be great too. Didn't realise how big the viv was!


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## dw1305

Hi all,
I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished job, I liked the last lay-out, but this one could be even better.

Seeing the _Episcia_, at the front of the old layout, makes me nostalgic for when I used to have the use of a small propagating glasshouse (with mist unit and closed cases) I filled my bit up with Gesnerids (_Codonanthe, Smithiana etc._), nearly all gone now. I took home as many as I could, but all the really interesting ones dwindled away in the house eventually.

I've got a couple of _Columnea_ left (x_ banksii_ & probably "Early Bird") and an _Aeschynanthus_, (_A. "lobbianus"_ but probably a hybrid) that survive at home. You are more than welcome to some bits of either. 

cheers Darrel


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## Christie_ZXR

Can I ask what lives in the vivarium?


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## Gh0st

right now nothing  , but before i took everything out, there were only 7 tricolors in it


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## Gh0st

step by step.... but we will get there 
Only problem i have now is that i am out of sillicone, so i need to get some new tomorow


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## foxfish

Looking good, I love building things too   
What are you going to coat the poly with?


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## Gh0st

i am gonna leave it like this 

i will use black and grey grout and finish with several epoxy layers (with more pigments) to give the slate a more wetter look en hopefully a sense of stone


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## foxfish

I have built a few myself in fact I have just finished one here...viewtopic.php?f=35&t=19262&start=20 I do have some better finished pictures but I am waiting for my plants to arrive before I post them.
So how are you going to freeze time & make the flowing water look like your pictures


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## Gh0st

foxfish said:
			
		

> I have built a few myself in fact I have just finished one here...viewtopic.php?f=35&t=19262&start=20 I do have some better finished pictures but I am waiting for my plants to arrive before I post them.
> So how are you going to freeze time & make the flowing water look like your pictures



i won't  i guess... unless i get some kind of jetstream on it. 
but when i show it to you guys when i am done we will hopefully be able to see a picture with the water flowing like above .


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## Christie_ZXR

Scuse my ignorance! But tricolour poison dart frogs? Very pretty, but a bit scary if it is! lol


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## Gh0st

Yeah those tricolors 




Daddy Tricolor with tadpoles on his back, on his way to find a place to drop them in the water.

they are not poisonous anymore, due to their diet. most of these frogs obtain their poison from the food they eat (fire ants etc) in my vivarium they get normal fruitflies.


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## Christie_ZXR

Ah, works like that with pufferfish. Never thought it would be the same with frogs.

Still wouldn't want to give one a kiss on the nose!! lol


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## Gh0st

doesn't go as fast as i hoped due to other stuff i need to do, but yesterday i had a spare hour so here is a small update

i am trying to fit the slate not completely horizontal, because if i do that in the whole viv it will look to artificial, so every few layers i try to tilt the slate a bit to give it some diagonal lines as well.

Hopefully this weekend i will be ready with the styrofoam/polystyrene and the first layer of grout can be put on.


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## mlgt

Looking good. I will follow this with interest


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## Gh0st

finished the styro/poly just a few minutes ago.




tomorow i will start with a thin layer of grout.


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## Gh0st

first thin layer of grout applied for 75%


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## hinch

this is gonna look awesome.

what grout are you using just standard tile stuff or something specific?


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## Gh0st

i use white grout for wet areas with an elastic bond mixed with some black paint.

testing some colours


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## Tom

Looks great. I want to try something like this for my Crested Gecko, but I'm not brave enough to do it on this scale!


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## Gh0st

added a extra layer of grout/epoxy to obtain a better stonelook


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## foxfish

Looks very good


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## Maloney

I agree , very realistic, I maybe starting a similar project on a nano scale, what pump/filter are you using, I was thinking of a small internal but am unsure if it would lift the water the 12" that I need it to. 
looking good though,


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## Gh0st

@maloney i use a eheim 600 internal pump ( capable of 1,3 meters high )

first plants are in, now it just needs to grow and grow..


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## bogman

that looks fantastic, i have been tempted to have a go at building one of these for a while now, can you list the plant species you have used in this project, tks
joe


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## Kristoph91

Looks great mate.


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## malawistu

Wow that looks amazing 


Sent from my miPhone using  my fingers


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## Maloney

Any updates on this?


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## Gh0st

Yeah  nothing much, but here is a pic from yesterday


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## Gh0st

the tank at the Vivarium exhibition in the netherlands







that is me in the background 




and a short movie of one of my long tailed lizards which is feeding on fruitflies


tonight or tomorow i will upload a movie of the full tank


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## Iain Sutherland

Its looking great, the mosses have grown in beautifully.
Never new long tail lizards tails were soooo long   Do they use the tail as a third limb or anything?

Thanks Ghost, great to see variety.


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## bogman

very nice, it is coming on really well, lots of growth on the plants


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## Gh0st

tnx all, it is growing in nice


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## OllieNZ

Look great Ghost, what are the dimensions and what sort of lights are you using?


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## Gh0st

the tank is 110cm high, 85cm width, and 60cm deep. I use 2 55watt PL's, 1 36watt PL light en a UV light for the lizzards.


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## ACS

Real nice.looking at emersed growing is putting a spark back into the hobby for me,I,m looking forward to having a go.what do you plant into at various heights please?


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## Gh0st

you mean what kind of plants go at what height ? i am not someone who does things by the book, so i try all kinds of stuff with the plants. it is not so much the height that makes a difference (although some species need to stay high due to the light they need) but most of them is more about wet or dry places..
i have some pogostemon helferi growing in my waterfall  
i made a bit long video of the tank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km8ryUdAlBs&hd=1


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## ACS

The water drip system brings a gentle element of movement to the scene and the moss seems to benefit from it.very nice.To clarify my previous post do you use substrates to plant into at all? Your previous had trailing plants,what method were they attached?greatful for any tips.


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## Gh0st

i use no substrate at all, all plants are growing directly on the background or wood, except for the plant in the top left corner, there is a little substrate (normal potting earth). The bromeliads are attached with a nylon panty to the vines.


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## Wally

Stunning viv and great to see it from the beginning.How do you ventilate it to stop fungi and mold?


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## sarahtermite

The Pogostemon in the waterfall looks great! I didn't realise it could grow emersed.


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## Ady34

Absolutely fantastic, i dont know how ive not seen this before. Great job and how cool having livestock interest in and out of the water. It looks on the video like there is no front glass, i presume there must be some to stop escapees, do you remove it for filming, feeding etc?
Brilliant project you must be chuffed to bits!
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Gh0st

sarahtermite said:
			
		

> The Pogostemon in the waterfall looks great! I didn't realise it could grow emersed.


it grows really good emersed  i believe in its original habbitat it also grows submersed and emersed in streams and rocks.



			
				Ady34 said:
			
		

> Absolutely fantastic, i dont know how ive not seen this before. Great job and how cool having livestock interest in and out of the water. It looks on the video like there is no front glass, i presume there must be some to stop escapees, do you remove it for filming, feeding etc?
> Brilliant project you must be chuffed to bits!
> Cheerio,
> Ady.


i have removed the glass for filming  tnx for all the positive reactions, i am really happy with this tank!


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