Crestie Vivarium Build! (pix)

Something I'm uuuuber excited about is a crestie vivarium I'm going to be building from the ground up, complete with greatstuff/silicone/peat moss background. I'm putting the cart before the horse a little, though, and today I went plant shopping. :D

Here's the 50 gallon tall tank where all the action is (going to be) at!


http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...psf91e7442.jpg

Now for plants...

Spikemoss-

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...psd14aef91.jpg

A member of the wandering jew family:

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6df52c0.jpg

and an umbrella plant!

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps16938c92.jpg

I also just mounted an orchid onto Pineapple's corkbark hide, which will be in the viv as well. (although poor little Pineapple gets a shoved-in-it. :( ) :

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4752eee2.jpg

And then I have a croton and a spiderplant where will also be going in there, along with many Tillandsia.

Watch this space! I'm going to photo document the entire build. I just have to share my excitement a little. :D:D:D

Now some crestie pix from tonight. I caught him getting all fired up!


http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6d29a019.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...psb5fa3768.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...psf95f3a3b.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps37787e09.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps59c7fc38.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps09b09505.jpg

Thank's for looking!

FYI, buy a LOT of silicone ;)

It took a lot to do mine

Nice size, I can almost see it in my head already. I love those umbrella plants, they look good and they're real hardy.

Will be watching this closely; very interested. I also hope to build a crestie viv in the future. 50gal is big for one gecko; are you getting more or just wanted to play with a lot of space?

Ill be watchin closely to see what your finish work looks like! :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

FYI, buy a LOT of silicone ;)

It took a lot to do mine

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How much?? I've been trying to figure that out, but I can't really tell...A lot of silicone gets expensive reeeal quick...Did you document your build? Pix? :D

And thanks guys!! I'm ridiculously excited. :D I just went and gathered my isopods today, they're now happily living in a little plastic container until I'm ready for them. I'll order a springtail culture and my millipedes once it's closer to the finish. I would just use local millipedes, but I just spent 4 hours searching for them, and all I found were salamanders, banana slugs, and ticks. Which are cool, lol, but NOT what I'm looking for. (The ticks aren't cool, though. :colbert:)

Oh, and I guess I should have made that clearer- Pineapple isn't going to live in here, lol. I'll have a colony of 3-4 female cresties that I'll pick up at the herp show I'm going to in September. I'll eventually have a male, too, but he won't live in there constantly. (Don't want to stress the girls!)

I used, I think, almost 6 tubes?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/yvara5aj.jpg
Blacked out backing. The GS is yellow, so I didn't want it to be showin through the glass.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/u2u9a4er.jpg
GS layer. Be careful to apply thin as it expands quite a bit.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/qegave9y.jpg
I used styrofoam to make sturdy ledges. Cork bark on the sides for traction.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/epu3a9u9.jpg
Made it all lumpy. Did carve some off.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/ma5yjeva.jpg
Adding the eco earth

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/agunu2a6.jpg
Time to add plants

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/e4utybeh.jpg
Done :)

cooool.

:D Love the ledges. is this a 10 or a 20L?

I think it's a 10? Not too sure. Haha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anya

How much?? I've been trying to figure that out, but I can't really tell...A lot of silicone gets expensive reeeal quick...Did you document your build? Pix? :D

And thanks guys!! I'm ridiculously excited. :D I just went and gathered my isopods today, they're now happily living in a little plastic container until I'm ready for them. I'll order a springtail culture and my millipedes once it's closer to the finish. I would just use local millipedes, but I just spent 4 hours searching for them, and all I found were salamanders, banana slugs, and ticks. Which are cool, lol, but NOT what I'm looking for. (The ticks aren't cool, though. :colbert:)

Oh, and I guess I should have made that clearer- Pineapple isn't going to live in here, lol. I'll have a colony of 3-4 female cresties that I'll pick up at the herp show I'm going to in September. I'll eventually have a male, too, but he won't live in there constantly. (Don't want to stress the girls!)

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Check all hardware stores in your area.
Around here aquarium silicone is around $20 for a small tube at pet supply retailers but, at Home Hardware I can get 3 tubes of aquarium silicone for a standard caulking gun for under $15. A substantial savings. Just don't expect the employees to know what you need for sure, check that it is in fact aquarium grade for yourself before buying.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Raven01

Check all hardware stores in your area.
Around here aquarium silicone is around $20 for a small tube at pet supply retailers but, at Home Hardware I can get 3 tubes of aquarium silicone for a standard caulking gun for under $15. A substantial savings. Just don't expect the employees to know what you need for sure, check that it is in fact aquarium grade for yourself before buying.

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The brand I was using was GE II bath and kitchen with none of that mildew crap in it. Was $7.50 a tube.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

The brand I was using was GE II bath and kitchen with none of that mildew crap in it. Was $7.50 a tube.

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I never would have checked kitchen and bath silicone, that usually has the highest amount of mildew inhibitors.
Thanks, I learn something new every day.

This is the stuff I had in mind.
http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index....arium+silicone

Weather|Shield 35 year safe for aquariums. Depending on location a 3 pack goes between $10-15.

http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/...ead.php?t=2268
This is the tutorial I used.

You need to use black silicone so that the Great Stuff isn't visible.