New 6'x2' Enclosures Under Construction!

[saisaac]

I got impatient and started building them ahead of schedule. I felt too bad watching Malla bulldozer her way around the tiny 40 gallon breeder tank she is in now. That darling girl needs a pallace!

The final build will be two 6 foot long by 2 foot deep by 18 inch tall enclosures stacked on top of one another with sliding plexi glass front doors. Those runners were a pain in the rear to find, but I found them in the exact same place in the same store I bought them 7 years ago! Why I didn't start there first I do not know.

It took three 4x8 foot sheets of 3/4 inch oak plywood to get all the pieces I needed to start the build. So far counting the boards, stain, and other supplies I have about $200 invested in the build and I will probably have another $50-75 left to buy.
The exterior of the enclosures will be a dark espresso stain and the walls of the interior and floor will be "barnyard grass" green. The ceilings are going to be white to help keep the enclosures bright.

I have a few questions before I start putting the pieces together and wiring the fixtures:
1) In a 6ft long enclosure would it be best to have one or more basking spots? If so where should they be located? I was thinking that based on my currenct 4x2x2 build, one basking area located at about 3.5-4.5 feet might be enough to heat the entire enclosure to the desired temps during the warmer months. I will have 3 or more ceramic fixtures installed along with a 4 ft long Reptisun or Arcadia for UV and primary lighting.

2)Malla destroys her enclosure regularly; she knocks the tiles of her basking area around, spills her water, tracks substrate into her water, etc. Any ideas on how to situate her water to keep her from ruining it all the time? I will be using a large corner bowl that will be more tip proof than what she has now and a solid rock for basking, so spilling won't be an issue, but I don't want her water to always be full of substrate. Giving her more space will of course give her more room to roam and hopefully decrease how much she knocks stuff around.

3)Are thermostats worth the investment of $100+ per viv? Right now I have been using radial dimmers that control the basking lights and ceramic heat emitters independently. That has been working great, but as I add more enclosures, manually altering each dimmer as the ambient temperatures change could become a pain. Of course $100+ in stats per enclosure is also a pain in the pocket book.

Here are some pics of the pieces since they were cut to give you an idea of how much is going into them. I'll share some more exciting pictures once I get the actual build started.

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[Sebastian]

Looking great! I love build threads, please keep taking photos and sharing with us! I can't really help you with your questions, when it comes to wiring i'm useless lol. For the water issue, have you though of creating a raised platform for the water? like you could use a stable rock formation in a sort of ramp build with the water available at the top, that way the only way for her to get there is to leave the substrate, so she'll be less likely to track substrate in it. That's the only suggestion I can think of, just make sure the rock structure is incredibly secure and not going to tumble down. You might just be able to find a perfect single rock outside.

[saisaac]

Thanks for your suggestion Sebastian, and I'll definitely post more pictures as we make more progress. Starting this weekend or mid-next week it should be a very fast progression.

I have thought about raising it on some bricks since they would be nice and even, but then it might be rather difficult for her to climb into since the sides of the faux rock bowl are fairly slick. Worth a shot once the enclosures are done though.

I'm fairly handy when it comes to wiring and wiring lamps and dimmers is pretty simple. I worked in an electrical department at Home Depot while finishing my undergrad and grad degrees and then managed one at another location while looking for better work, so I have a fair bit of knowledge about the basics. I have never used a thermostat for a viv though, so I am interested in any advice members here have in regards to whether they are worth the investment and what brands and types they recommend.

I also ordered some sample barrel shaped Spanish roof tiles that should be in soon too which will make nice hides after my wife decides if she like the idea of using them when it comes time to re-roof our home.

[jclaiborne]

Finally something I can actually give advice on! I have used TSTATS for my snake enclosures and they are great. Like you said dimmers work really well, however as ambient temps in the house change you are constantly adjusting the dimmers on each cage. Some TSTATS have multiple inputs so you wouldn't need one for each enclosure, especially if your lighting setup is the same for each cage. That being said there are different types of TSTATS there are your cheaper on/off types and your proportional. on/off work well for heat mats because they give full power to the heat mat until the set temp is reached then switch off generally with a 1-3 degree delta. This type of TSTAT isn't a good idea for bulbs because the constant on/off shortens the life of the bulb and honestly just gets annoying. Proportional TSTATS regulate the voltage going into the unit that it is plugged into, they constantly monitor the temp and adjust accordingly so you don't have the lights going on and off all day. They are definately worth the money IMO, the three proportional TSTATs that I like are HELIX, their user interface is really simple, set it and forget it. Spider Robotics, and Vivarium Electronics. I really don't think you could go wrong with any of those three.

[saisaac]

Thanks jclaiborne.

Is there a particular model that is the best value in your opinion? I had looked at the Vivarium Electronics ones in the past. I thought about buying the basic on/off style and using a heat emitter as the primary heat source and then using a bright led over the basking area as well to still simulate the sun/light as their heat source.

[jclaiborne]

Thanks jclaiborne.

Is there a particular model that is the best value in your opinion? I had looked at the Vivarium Electronics ones in the past. I thought about buying the basic on/off style and using a heat emitter as the primary heat source and then using a bright led over the basking area as well to still simulate the sun/light as their heat source.

If you are going with an on off type then the you can find some really cheap ones we are talking 30 bucks and up. I have never used the on/off type for a CHE so I can't advise how well it works for that setup, if you go the proportional route then the VE-200 is the entry level proportional tstat from Vivarium Electronics. any of the spider robotics ones are really nice and Helix is a proportional as well. I think you will probably pay a little more for the helix. I would look on each of their sites and see which one suits your needs. If you want one with a dual input so you only need one TSTAT then you will probably have better luck with Vivarium electronics or Spider. I don't remember which model numbers have more than one input off the top of my head, but look over their websites and if you still have questions I can do some more research for you tomorrow. I can get VE and Helix locally so I tend to lean towards those two so I don't have to pay for shipping.

[saisaac]

Thanks, I will look into those.

[Scotts1au]

I have used the same low wattage CHE with an on/off thermostat for 5 years now with no problems. I think this is mainly because unlike bulbs they are generally on most of the time and due to their mass they are still warm through the on/off cycling so don't suffer rapid heating and cooling.

BTW project looks great. Just check that you can get it into the intended room. :-) Sounds like common sense but I know people who have literally finished projects and had to have windows taken out to get them in.

[Jeff]

I highly recommend Herpstats from Spyder robotics. Great products from a great company. I have a bunch of the HD’s which they no longer make, plus a Herpstat 4. They are all great quality proportional thermostats. If you email them, you will receive a response from the owner of the company within a few hours. Really hard to beat these. I have run them on light bulbs for years too, with no problems. I prefer heat sources that don’t give off light, but using light bulbs for heat along side CFL’s for light works really well.

[saisaac]

Thanks for all the advice. Are the inexpensive on/off models by Zoo Med and Zilla actually dependable? I am trying to balance function with cost. I may simply use the rotary dimmers I already have initially and then switch over to Herpstats later on. If I am recalling correctly, herpstat makes a couple of models that can actually control multiple enclosures am I correct there?

Does anyone have a recommendation in terms of basking spots and locations for a large viv like this? I have been toying around with the idea of a basking area in the middle, one at each end, or one most of the way on the right.

[jclaiborne]

Thanks for all the advice. Are the inexpensive on/off models by Zoo Med and Zilla actually dependable? I am trying to balance function with cost. I may simply use the rotary dimmers I already have initially and then switch over to Herpstats later on. If I am recalling correctly, herpstat makes a couple of models that can actually control multiple enclosures am I correct there?

Does anyone have a recommendation in terms of basking spots and locations for a large viv like this? I have been toying around with the idea of a basking area in the middle, one at each end, or one most of the way on the right.

I have a cheap zoomed one as a back up and so far it has worked fine. You can also do a search on Amazon or Ebay for one by Hydrofarm. I believe it is 30 bucks, its another simple on/off type. I have one of those as well controlling a UTH on my Children's python enclosure. Herpstat (spyder robotics) and Vivarium Electronics both have units that can control multiple inputs.

[saisaac]

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The first "box" of the enclosure stack is now assembled. It still has to be trimmed, touched up, wired, etc. But this gives you a good idea of what size they are and what not.

[donkeybuff]

Very nice! I recently completed a stacked 4x2 unit. The best part is that there are 3 cages and I only have 2 skinks

[Richard.C]

I just have a hot spot up one end ,im a fan of a huge temp gradient though,my thinking is they have access to varying temps in nature,even in hot climates

[Mimo]

Looking good curious to see the end result

[saisaac]

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Lights installed! I have a CHE in the middle if necessary as well as a flood on each end.

[Scotts1au]

That is a good placement for the CHE but I deliberately make sure I place them at least 3 inches from a wall, just to make sure they can't touch it if they climb up - and eventually fall down. Other than that, it doesn't matter. I'm assuming that you have used a ceramic holder?

Also a consideration is that CHEs produce a fair amount of heat, it is a good idea to run it for a while in a garage for a few days before considering putting a bluey in it or bringing it indoors. This will also help "cure" any paint fumes.

[saisaac]

Thanks for the advice. It is 10 inches from the back wall and is on a dimmer. I am running the lights right now. The paint has been dried for several days now so it should air out quickly. It is in a room separate from everyone for the time being.

[Scotts1au]

Sorry may not have been clear, I meant the distance of a CHE from a wall of the enclosure.

It is a bit hard to see from this photo but the holder is placed in about the centre of the width of the enclosure. It actually had a full length flouro in it that I took out, largely because I only like having one half of the enclosure illuminated anyway.

Renovated enclosure 12 March 2014 001.jpg

[saisaac]

I understood, but thank you. The fixture it is in for my picture is a ceramic socket holder that is mounted to a standard metal electrical box (if you look at the fixture on the left the other two are the same). It is placed in the middle of the tank from left to right and is roughly in the middle of the tank from front to back as well. Right now I am playing around with some different bulbs and what not to see what I will need to get ideal temperatures this time of the year. Two of the ceramic fixtures are on dimmers, so I can buy bulbs that will provide enough heat in the winter and then dim them down for summer ideally. Dimming lights extends their lives to which also saves some pennies over the years.

It is hard to see in the photos, but the back wall of the tank has five 2" round holes cut out for ventilation. I still need to get the vent covers for them. The project is turning out to be fairly pricey. The plexi for just one of the two enclosures was $56. I spent about $150 on wood, $75 on paint/stain and supplies, $20 on glass runners, $45 on the fluorecent fixtures, $45 for new Reptisun bulbs, about $20 on other electrical supplies, and a little here and there on other odds and ends. In the end the two cages will probably total about $500 to $550 depending on if and what we trim them out with.