Vivarium in progress.

[Drew22]

I recently got a 54 Gallon corner Aquarium for free and I'm planning on making this into a living vivarium (live plants). Also I am thinking about having a waterfall (more of a river since i don't want the splashing cause a lot of vibratons). Will have a hide on the warm and cold side. I will be adding live plants maybe some vines and other non toxic plants. I will be using hydraulic cement where the water will be running and the plants will be in small removable planters. I will be posting pictures on my progress, please leave constructive criticism. It will be housing a small BP. Also, this is my first vivarium build and would appreciate any suggestions.

[Ax01]

cool! can't wait to see your build.

the OP of this thread, Kris, has an awesome bioactive vivarium: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hings-of-my-bp. Check it out.

also maybe check the DIY forum for ideas: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...?125-DIY-Forum and caging forum: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...8-Caging-Forum

good luck. i look forward to pix.

[Snake Judy]

I recommend researching bioactive enclosures. If it's set up properly you can plant directly into the substrate and have a self-sustaining, self-cleaning vivarium. It's really the only way to go with planted & hardscaped enclosures since it would be nearly impossible to keep sanitary otherwise.

Water features are a huge pain to set up and maintain, especially since the snake is likely to use it as a bathroom, so keep that in mind. Also, any cement or concrete material that's being used in a water feature should be wet-cured for around 2-3 weeks to neutralize the pH and improve durability.

[Drew22]

I recommend researching bioactive enclosures. If it's set up properly you can plant directly into the substrate and have a self-sustaining, self-cleaning vivarium. It's really the only way to go with planted & hardscaped enclosures since it would be nearly impossible to keep sanitary otherwise.

Water features are a huge pain to set up and maintain, especially since the snake is likely to use it as a bathroom, so keep that in mind. Also, any cement or concrete material that's being used in a water feature should be wet-cured for around 2-3 weeks to neutralize the pH and improve durability.

I actually wan't to do a Bioactive enclosure for that purpose, also i hear that plant's help w/ the smell and keeps it fresh.

The water feature has been a pain . Mainly trying to find a water pump that's low pressure and has a Inlet and outlet. The only one's i've been able to find are submersible's that has no inlet pipe. The ones that did have a inlet pipe are DC powered and don't really feel like trying to wire DC to AC.

Didn't realize how much of a pain hydraulic cement is because how fast it dries. I'm sure i will be working on this for a few weeks, will also have a small filter and will be looking into some moss to help w/ keeping the water clean. My Ball python doesn't tend to use his water dish as a bathroom.

[Drew22]

So i finally got time to put some pictures up.



here is my 54 Corner Aquarium that i'm converting into a Vivarium.
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Egg Crate cut to shape , have 1 inch spacers under the egg crate.
I won't have water sitting on the bottom, false bottom is to have a small pump under the ground.

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So after a lot of foam and Great stuff, got a basic shape set (the black foam sucked balls and i eventually removed it. It was the soft foam and was hard to cut or scult).

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So i realized i messed up. I had to remove about 6-7 inches because it was too tall.. I didn't calculate the height correctly.

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At this moment i realized i should have built the water feature first since i used too much foam. The form is finally starting to take place. still looks like pile of foam.

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I now placed the Egg crate into the aquarium with Wax paper (great stuff doesn't seem to stick to it when it dries) to make the walls so the substrate will be contained and won't make it's way under.
It was a pain to wiggle it into the aquarium, I'm considering to make this 2 piece so it can be removed if any work needs to be done. Even if i make 1 corner removable.

[distaff]

I don't see a water feature as an asset here.
First it will take up precious floor space.
As Judy said, it will be hard to maintain.
All pumps and filters eventually fail, so make sure the set up won't eventually flood the rest of the enclosure.

That said, I'd get the BP something else, and go with dart frogs for this gorgeous tank.

[Drew22]

I don't see a water feature as an asset here.
First it will take up precious floor space.
As Judy said, it will be hard to maintain.
All pumps and filters eventually fail, so make sure the set up won't eventually flood the rest of the enclosure.

That said, I'd get the BP something else, and go with dart frogs for this gorgeous tank.

I agree, it does take up floor space, even with the water feature the floor space still is bigger then what he is currently in. It will be harder to maintain but having living plants should help with the maintenance. I typically use a steamer to sanitize my current setup and plan to do the same w/ this when it needs to be cleaned.

I'm only going to use this till he out grows it then i'll probably put something else in it, maybe dart frogs but for the time being while my ball python is a baby, i find it perfectly fine as long as i meet all his needs.
Also, this is going to be in the main room so it will be more for show and that's why i'm adding the water feature as i also enjoy the soothing sound of running water.

Pumps will fail, filters will fail. I'm making this so those are all accessible to replace. having a small pump, they run under $10 on amazon.
I added a false bottom, so if anything does spring a leak, it will have plenty of room and will be noticeable.

Overall, this project is my first attempt at building a Vivarium, and it's been a good experience through trial and error. and i appreciate all the positive / constructive criticism feedback i have received.

[Drew22]

Here are a few more pictures of my progress. I must say, i'm pleased how it's turning out to be. No longer looks like a glob of styrofoam.

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I decided to move the pond area closer to the water feature to make it compact and more floor space. Also added 2 plant pots with a drainage tube that goes back into the water.


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I was pleased with how the planters come out that i decided to add a 3rd. also has a drainage tube for excess water.

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The biggest issue i had was trying to find a pump. All the small water pumps i found where submersible when i was trying to find one with a Inlet and Outlet tube. So i'm going with the submersible option and added a hidden pond in the back where i will place the pump, the water will also drain to this little area. It has a 1/2 inch pipe going to it.

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I added some water to test for any leaks, a few leaks where found. i'll fix these the next time i work on this. I also decided that i will use Repti carpet as the floor then add some substrate ontop of it instead fo trying to make a foam floor.
i also cut this in half to make it 2 pieces as it would be difficult to remove or install as a solid piece.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

Very nice!!

If you still are able to i would reccomend that you put hydrocorn or river rock beneath the light diffuser. This will allow healthy bacteria to break down any harmful bacteria or growth. This is done in many vivarium builds with water features. It is a great filter medium. I would say get the hydrocorn (also known as hydroton or clay media) as it would be much lighter than river rock. Also if you do use river rock get a sample and add some vinegar to it. If it starts to bubble there is limestone in the rock and therefore you should not use it. You can also use them both as I have done but mine is in an aquaponics setup. Just my opinion.