55 Gal Aquarium to Custom Leo Terrarium Journal (PIC HEAVY)

[fallenangelfyre]

Hello everyone. I recently finished my custom leo terrarium build and thought i'd share the process with you all. it was alot of fun, though challenging at times. this is the condensed form. to see every thought, problem encountered, frustration, and what-not, here is the original build journal: 55 gal aquarium to terrestrial terrarium conversion

Started with a salvalged 55 gal. aquarium with cracked bottom.

Cut all the old silicone and removed the aquarium trim and the cracked piece of glass.

Sanded & spray-painted the old aquarium trim for an updated modern look. Will re-install later.

Ordered a new piece of glass to replace the cracked piece. This one with holes drilled; the three larger ones for ventilation, the smaller lower one for wiring/etc.

Siliconed in new backpiece glass.

Siliconed in screen over ventilation holes.

Started carving styrofoam for the faux rock wall.

Also included a removable built-in hide cave. i glued dowels into it so it wouldn't fall over on the leo accidentally.

Started the grouting process. this took a few weeks in total. it ended up being i believe 5 coats of grout with at least a few days curing time in between coats.

Then painted the rock wall with several browns, reds, yellows, oranges with non-toxic accrylic paints. this took a while as well as it took several layers to get the natural sandstone look i was going for.

 

[fallenangelfyre]

After i was satisfied with the painting i sealed with a couple layers of water-based mod podge and threw quite a bit of natural sand at it while it was still wet & tacky for some more color-variation, to cut down on the shine of sealant, as well as give my leo some good traction while climbing.

Masked off & painted the outside of the tank black to hide the styrofoam innards of the rock wall.

Re-installed the aquarium trim as well as installed the "E" chanel for the bypass doors in front.
(also played around with decor arrangement)

Sadly i don't have pics of the process, but i built this lightbox. it's basically just a wooden box with four porcelain bulb sockets wired into toggle switches. Painted the outside black to match everything, inside flat white for the best reflectiveness.

Built the stand. 2 x 4 frame sheathed in 1x4 pine.

Built-in dimmer switch for the UTH.

Built-in risers for excess heat ventilation from the UTH.

Painted black like everything else.

I don't have pics of this, but after the sealing of the walls i basically just smeared a good amount of grout onto the floor of the viv. i was initially going to do a large custom tile, but i wanted something natural looking while not subjecting her to the risk of impaction as she likes to hunt. it's hard to see in the pics, but it really just looks like a slightly compacted natural loose sand substrate.

Then just threw the doors on the front, decorated, gave it a week's dry-run to test the temps, humidity, etc. and here she is all done!

My gecko loves it! i highly recomend anyone to doing this. it's a lot of fun, very rewarding to see your pet enjoying it.

 

[Pokersnake]

That is wicked cool. My favorite part is the way you turned the tank on it's side and gave it sliding panels in the front.

Kudos!

 

[stubb]

that is very cool.. i also like the sliding doors.. im looking to build one some time soon. where did you get the foam from to do the background.

 

[fallenangelfyre]

thank you! the foam i got from hobby lobby. it came in sheets that were about 2' x 1.5' and a few different thickness.

 

[GothicGurrrl]

that is a very impressive set up love it!

 

[tlbowling]

that is a very impressive set up love it!

I agree:main_thumbsup: I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!:main_yes:

 

[GeckoGurl]

Very nice! I can't wait to make my own fixed background... I make my own hides but I have not had the courage to start such a big project yet.

 

[LZRDGRL]

This is awesome!!! :main_thumbsup::main_thumbsup::main_thumbsup: What an amount of work! The result looks great. That little red car in the background is great, too :main_yes:

Chrissy

 

[tlbowling]

I was re-reading how you did all of this and then when I got to the part of how you put the doors on (the part that I REALLY wanted to know)...you said you just "threw" them on??? LOL:main_laugh:.

So how exactly are they installed? I'd love to turn my tanks sideways, and have sliding doors!

Also you have a glass top, and just have a light sitting on top of that?

Are 3 air holes enough for a tank that size? Not that I dont think theres enough oxygen, I mean is that enough for ventilation purposes, so it doesnt stink when you open the doors.

 

[GeckoGurl]

I was re-reading how you did all of this and then when I got to the part of how you put the doors on (the part that I REALLY wanted to know)...you said you just "threw" them on??? LOL:main_laugh:.

So how exactly are they installed? I'd love to turn my tanks sideways, and have sliding doors!

Also you have a glass top, and just have a light sitting on top of that?

Are 3 air holes enough for a tank that size? Not that I dont think theres enough oxygen, I mean is that enough for ventilation purposes, so it doesnt stink when you open the doors.

I was also wondering about the doors and is it safe to have lights sit on the glass like that?

 

[fallenangelfyre]

This is awesome!!! :main_thumbsup::main_thumbsup::main_thumbsup: What an amount of work! The result looks great. That little red car in the background is great, too :main_yes:

Chrissy

awww. thanks. i love my car. it's sad she's just been sitting in the garage for so long now. she's on the list of projects, though quite low since it will take a good amount of money to get her back to prime.

I was re-reading how you did all of this and then when I got to the part of how you put the doors on (the part that I REALLY wanted to know)...you said you just "threw" them on??? LOL:main_laugh:.

really the hardest part of this was locating the "E" channel that the doors slide in. i can't remember exactly, but i believe i finally found them here: outwater

So how exactly are they installed? I'd love to turn my tanks sideways, and have sliding doors!

basically you just cut the "E" channel to size (a hacksaw works great). then run a solid, fairly thick bead of silicone on the back of the "E" channel & press it firmly onto the glass to bed it into the silicone. then just smooth the excess silicone that squeezes out with a wet finger. then you have to measure for the appropriate size doors. i got my doors & had them cut to size at my local glazier for $7 apiece. this how-to illustrates it well: constructing a european-style vivarium
*EDIT* i forgot to mention a little trick i learned while doing the installing. before you put any silicone anywhere, scratch up/etch the back of the "E" channel with a box knife to give the silicone a better chance at adhering to it. learned this the hard way & had to bust a do-over.

Also you have a glass top, and just have a light sitting on top of that?

well, yes i do. it would be a problem with a heat bulb, or even a normal incandescent bulb (which also produce a decent amount of heat), but i'm using CFL's (compact fluorescent lights) which produce very little heat at all. i can do this because all my heat comes from the flex-watt UTH. i can get away with this because the terrarium is basically completely enclosed & retains a great amount of heat from the UTH so i don't need the help of heat bulbs or porcelain heat emitters for the ambient air temps. daytime floor temps (on the warm side) stay between 92 & 94 degrees while ambient air temps of the entire tank are between 80 - 85.

Are 3 air holes enough for a tank that size? Not that I dont think theres enough oxygen, I mean is that enough for ventilation purposes, so it doesnt stink when you open the doors.

works great! really just a kind of musty-rock smell from the grout. i pick up her leavings nearly daily & thoroughly wash regularly.

BTW, thank you so much everyone! i love looking at it, she loves living in it, & i love watching her frolic in it! it was great fun to build (though time-consuming & frustrating at times) and i believe i have the bug. can't wait to get some cresties & try my hand at a rainforest style viv building.

 

[tlbowling]

Thank you so much for all the info! I'll probably be attempting doing something artsy soon

 

[Dougefresh]

Fallenangelfyre are you the one that posted a big snake enclsoure that you built on the cornsnake website a while back if so Thank you! I copied it and it came out awesome!:main_thumbsup:

 

[Joao]

Nice beetle! The vw addict in me made me notice that first :main_laugh:

Really nice job on that tank. :main_thumbsup:

 

[IslaReina]

Wow, amazing!!! <3 lol do you have a cost estimate? ;D you must be rich!

 

[fallenangelfyre]

Wow, amazing!!! <3 lol do you have a cost estimate? ;D you must be rich!

salvaged tank w/ cracked bottom: free!
custom drilled replacement glass: $70
styrofoam, grout, acrylic paint, mod podge, etc.: $60
flexwatt: ~ $20
E chanel: ~ $20
glass front doors: $15
materials & wiring components for lightbox: $20
materials for stand: ~ $50
timers for lights: $20

GRAND TOTAL: ~ $275
the time & creativity spent building it, as well as watching my girl enjoy it: PRICELESS

Elvis surveying her domain:
(it's actually her toilet. she poo's off the cliff)

Sleeping:

& for size comparison, her old 10 gal. sitting on top:

 

[Marr]

very nice,great attention too detail,two thumbs up,they gotta love it lol.......makes me wanna finish my 75 lol.....

 

[acharpenter]

Super bump for an awesome build that has many idea's incorporated into my build now

Thank you so much for documenting this so well!

 

[tlbowling]

OK...Like I said...I was planning on doing this, and now Im REALLY planning it. Looking back at the process again...how exactly did you apply the grout? Paintbrush or some other utensil? And how did you get the area behind the background black? Did you pull it out and paint it black or use black silicone? Or is the paint on the outside? If it's paint, what type laytex?