# 200 gallon wood cabinet conversion/construction journal.



## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

I've got this thing, it's about 48in wide, 45in tall, and 24in deep.
I've got a concern about how tall the entire piece is. It seems like the lights will be shining right in someones eyes because the top is in plain view when looking in. Just wondering if this will be a problem that will take away from the finished product. I want suggestions on how I might be able to get around that problem. I was thinking I might be able to chop the entire top section down about 10 inches to get the ceiling of the inside out of eye level.


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## bryguy514 (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

Hmmm not a bad idea. What are your plans with the doors?


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

strip the inside and fill in all the holes with wood putty, cut the top for lights, clean and seal it with marine epoxy, install the front glass panels and the top with silicone, drill for drains and inlets and install bulk heads, install hardscape and false bottom. BAM! plant it and enjoy. 

The bottom can hold all your electricals, drain bucket, and supplies too!

As for the light issue, I would suggest adding a matching trim about 4 or 5 inches wide to block the light. Its inevitable that you see the top, even zoos with run into this problem.


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## bryguy514 (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

Is there a thread about using marine epoxy on this board?


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

The doors accidentally got broken so they are junk now.
I started roughing out some foam for the background. I wanted to have a buttress tree with roots, but soon realized it was gonna take up way too much of the floor space and as I want to put a few azureus in this I decided against it.
Ordered 2 part epoxy to seal the inside.









I now have a new appreciation for some of the larger builds here. Even roughly shaping bit of foam was some pretty hard and messy work.


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## jeeperrs (Jan 14, 2010)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

I agree. The large builds look so easy when they know what they are doing. I can't wait to see how this turns out


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

looks very nice. i would place whatever lights i was going to use on top of the whole thing and cut out openings for the light to come in. i would personally light it with leds and just use a whole saw to open up the top for the lights to shine in. one way to hide the edges of the doors is to use glass for the doors but to give the outside edge a wooden border to match the armoir. that way you can hide whatever you use to create a fly proof seal. my new stacked vivs will be done this way and im hoping the doors will be done this week.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

I added the top and bottom fronts, also added some trim that matched what was already on it. Planning on using sliding glass doors.


Started using the marine epoxy to waterproof the inside, what a sticky messy pain in the ass this is turning out to be. I've also got one hell of a headache from doing it indoors.


















Mistking mister is on the way, as well as a bunch of spray foam.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

Calculated the size, looking at just about 200 gallons with the foam in place.

Finally finished the epoxy waterproofing, water tested the base with my drain in place, Had some minor leaks around my bulkhead a little epoxy putty fixed that. The base probably has 1/4 inch of epoxy on all sides and probably more on the seams. Didn't want to take any chances on it leaking because the false bottom is fixed in place.


I started doing the hard scape, I'm trying to go for a cave entrance look, or maybe something like a pit cave, or a hole isolated from the rest of the jungle. I ordered some LED spot lights I'm hoping to get light ray canopy look from. 
































Here's the top corners of the build, the pipes are going to be hookups for a fogger, going to try and hide them so it looks like it's just an outcrop of jagged rocks with fog rolling out.

















Here's a picture with my chihuahuas to show some size reference.








Also Mounted my mister.


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## patm (Mar 21, 2004)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*

Awesome project. What are you planning on using over the foam to get the cave/rock look? Can't wait to see your next couple steps!

-Pat


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

*Re: Large armoire type cabinet, I want to convert.*



patm said:


> Awesome project. What are you planning on using over the foam to get the cave/rock look? Can't wait to see your next couple steps!
> 
> -Pat


That's actually something I'm not set on yet. I was thinking grout and acrylic fortifier with some black pigment. Or grout, and then sealing with the rest of my 2 part epoxy thinned out with black paint added. Then dry brush the rocks with various greys and greens.

This is my first time trying to make fake rocks so I might just have to experiment until I get the crumbly cave wall look I want.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

i would seal the inside of the cabinet with an epoxy before hardscaping. I would think that would give you a little added security for water protection. Otherwise this looks like an amazing build.


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## limike (Dec 29, 2012)

Love it!! cant wait to see the next steps.


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## Juand15 (Jan 16, 2012)

That's going to be an amazing set up!! Keep us posted!


Juan


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

moore40 said:


> i would seal the inside of the cabinet with an epoxy before hardscaping. I would think that would give you a little added security for water protection. Otherwise this looks like an amazing build.


I sealed every inch of the inside with at least 2 coats, plus an extra 2 coats on the bottom.



limike said:


> Love it!! cant wait to see the next steps.


Thanks!



Juand15 said:


> That's going to be an amazing set up!! Keep us posted!
> 
> Juan


Thanks!




Did some foam carving and added more rocks. I'm about 2/3 of the way done with my hardscape just trying to eliminate the flat spots while still looking someone natural.

I also got one of my LED spot lights to test the beam, It's a little wider than I wanted but I think it will still add to the depth nicely.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

puremanb said:


> I sealed every inch of the inside with at least 2 coats, plus an extra 2 coats on the bottom.


My bad. didn't see that in there. It's looking great so far.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Did my first coat of mortar today. Getting it in all the little cracks is hard. Another tedious task... I'm gonna be glad when this is finished.


































Doesn't look very good yet, the highlights will make the rocks pop and look real.


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## Blue_Pumilio (Feb 22, 2009)

So far it looks fantastic!


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## bluefrogtat2 (Dec 24, 2012)

agree.. looks great, can't wait to see finished.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

After a couple coats of drylok and some acrylic paints, I stuffed some of the larger holes and cracks with sphagnum. I also got my t5ho x6 36'' light, really damn bright. It should be good enough to let plants at the bottom grow.


























































I'm running out of money, so it's gonna be awhile before I can buy plants and frogs 

The most important advice I can give for doing any custom fabricating is plan on doubling your budget and tripling the amount of time you think it's gonna take.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Build looks awesome bro..... Definitely agree with what you said about the budget....


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## KarmaPolice (Apr 25, 2012)

build is great, texture/color are great. Did a really good job making it look like the cave walls. I hope to see progress down the line when the funds can recuperate.


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

Just remember to mist the hell outta that while you wait as long as you don't need to do anything that cant touch moisture. That way they will have that weathered look and give the sphagnum time to start growing. (Moss seems to always grow back for me)


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Looks awesome so far. Looks real.what kind of frogs are you going to get?

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

VenomR00 said:


> Just remember to mist the hell outta that while you wait as long as you don't need to do anything that cant touch moisture. That way they will have that weathered look and give the sphagnum time to start growing. (Moss seems to always grow back for me)


Yeah, I've got a mistking with 7 dual head nozzles, which is probably over kill but too many is better than too little.



Alegre323 said:


> Looks awesome so far. Looks real.what kind of frogs are you going to get?
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


3-4 Azureus for sure I've always wanted them since I was a kid. I'd like to also have 1-2 vampire crabs, but I'm on the fence about multi species and although the tank is large the floor space isn't that massive.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Got my new 1/4 inch glass installed. Top drilled, misters installed. Accidentally had the timer set wrong, so I wasted/misted 5 gallons of water before I was able to correct it.

I took apart my 12 12 18 exo terra, used the plants that were in that to start planting this large one. It's kind of funny that my exo terra was packed to the brim so tightly with overgrown plants, and they look like nothing in my large viv.


























Next I definitely need some ABG and leaf litter to get the floor finished.


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Looking awesome!


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

looking fantastic


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## masterkush (Aug 17, 2011)

looking good


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## limike (Dec 29, 2012)

This thing is amazing!!! I have to be honest. After seeing this, my wife might come home one day to the TV on the floor and some frogs in my wall unit


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Only thing I've done to it is add monkey ladders, some driftwood, and 20 tillandsias. I'm still waiting to add substrate until I'm sure all my work is finished. I also broke one of my sliding doors and the other has a crack forming. I've got them wedged in way too tight so I need to take them out sand the sliding channels down a bit and get some so they can move smoothly.

I also need to work some sort of a fan/ventilation system out because the condensation on the glass blocks viewing.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

what is that palm looking plant on the floor? I really like it..


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Nismo95 said:


> what is that palm looking plant on the floor? I really like it..


I'm not sure, I bought it at lowes and I see the same plant there, frequently. Whatever it is it loves viv conditions, I've had that one for about 2 years in tanks and abused the hell out of it and it still looks healthy. It also stays fairly clustered like that too.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Okay, I kinda assumed it was the common one I always see at HD or Lowes. How much misting do you do? Keep it fairly moist in there? I have a knack for killing plants


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## my_shed (Feb 8, 2013)

Nismo95 said:


> Okay, I kinda assumed it was the common one I always see at HD or Lowes. How much misting do you do? Keep it fairly moist in there? I have a knack for killing plants


Looks like a parlour palm, although hard to be sure.

Dave


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

looks like it needs a steady water drip system. looks awesome though!
post a video


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Finally fixed the doors, got my substrate, and purchased a few plants.

I still need to get some fans, more plants, bomeliads, lots of moss, isopods/springtails, and finally frogs.


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## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

Looks absolutely great!

-Chris


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

simply stunning.. I am super jealous of it. what type of leaf litter is that? looks pretty nice. Also, what are plans for future frogs?


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Alegre323 said:


> looks like it needs a steady water drip system. looks awesome though!
> post a video


I've got each corner plumped with pvc pipe if sometime in the future I want to add a drip or a fogger. I'll make a video after it grows in for a few months.



kitcolebay said:


> Looks absolutely great!
> 
> -Chris


Thanks!



Nismo95 said:


> simply stunning.. I am super jealous of it. what type of leaf litter is that? looks pretty nice. Also, what are plans for future frogs?


The leaf litter is just oak leaves from my back yard, I washed them and pressure cooked them to kill anything bad. My plans for frogs are a group of azureus. Always wanted the blues dart frogs ever since I first seen pictures.


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## RNKot (Jun 9, 2010)

Great looking that sliced "stones"! Thanks!


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## SDRiding (Jul 31, 2012)

limike said:


> This thing is amazing!!! I have to be honest. After seeing this, my wife might come home one day to the TV on the floor and some frogs in my wall unit


I actually tried pitching the idea of a Frogtainment center to the fiance, no dice. Learned a valuable lesson for our future marriage, it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. Great job on your build. The doors look fantastic, even the door knobs fit nicely with the scheme of the build. Going to have some happy tincs hopping around in there


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## 1moreminute (Feb 5, 2013)

WOW, that looks awesome! I got to stop looking at all the other builds, I haven't even got mine done yet and I'm seeing all others and want to do more. I can see this being very addicting! Keep up the awesome work.


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## Raptor22 (Nov 23, 2012)

Really love this viv. The cave idea is a fantastic one, and you did a great job on making the rocks realistic.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

I got my fans and controller, did some work on making a mount so I could twist the fans and point them in any direction. It came out exactly how I wanted it to except I think 120mm might be too big to fit without getting sprayed by the misters. 



















































I also made four cocohuts, I don't like the perfect circle hole I see on most of them, so instead after I cut them in half I just chipped away an opening to make an irregular shape.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Snapped a few pictures with my phone today. Few new plants including a pitcher plant that is doing extremely well in the spot I put it in. Had only a few leaves and no pitchers when I bought it, now it's got a bunch of them and my biggest pitcher finally cracked open today.


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## rioth (Apr 18, 2013)

Best. Build. Ever!

..or atleast pretty darn close to it. Thanks for sharing the process and for the inspiration it gives. In a build like that you most def. should have a GHL Profilux 3.1 installed at some time, just to have the ultimate light show!


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## RNKot (Jun 9, 2010)

Really great!


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## soulboy (Jun 5, 2013)

Wow excellent job, I would love to build someting similar to that in the near future


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

This setup is looking great. Bravo, can't wait to see it grow.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Wow! It is a great build, and a super viv!


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## Kalakole (Jun 30, 2011)

If I missed it i'm sorry, what was the name of that pitcher plant?


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Kalakole said:


> If I missed it i'm sorry, what was the name of that pitcher plant?


I wanna say it as advertised as Nepenthes alata when I ordered it off ebay.



Update time;
First off I'm super impressed with the durability of the cheap 3 dollar Chinese computer fans I bought. After many months of getting _directly_ sprayed with water multiple times per day two are running strong and one died. At first the shafts were getting rusty and causing too much resistance creating heat which is why the first one died. After packing the other two with grease and sealing the backs they haven't had any issues what so ever, they are actually growing moss of them; wish I could get moss to grow anywhere else!


I have 20 tillandsias and they all get drenched with water, thriving well. The larger ones are pupping like crazy. The broms are acting the same, the larger and wetter ones are thriving and have more color.

Vines are taking over like usual. 

When ever I see someones tropical house plant I take a cutting and toss it in, a few have taken root lol, not easy explaining why I'm stealing leaves and stems off their plants ha

I keep trying to get Selaginella to grow but it always dies, it looks like it's doing fine but I'll check it out one day and it will be almost gone after seeing it fine a few days earlier. I'm wondering if my isopods or some other bug is eating it.


From my couch:









Eye level:









Right side:



















The only inhabitant is a ball python I got as a rescue:

















He was living in a bone dry aquarium with NO hides and lights on 24/7 can't imagine the stress that animal endured being nocturnal. He's found his little borrow in my viv and if I take him out and put him back he always makes a B line to his hole. I know 80-90% humidity is probably a bit high for him but it's gotta be better than trying to shed in a cage that's probably less than ambient humidity. I'm trying to find a permanent home for him so I can finally get some dendros in this bad boy.





My biggest issue and the whole reason I went all out on this build is I wanted tons of bright green moss. I can not, for the life of me get it to flourish. My java moss stays alive but grows so slowly it hasn't spread more than a cm in months. My sphagnum moss seems to go through spurts, It will look like it's about to take off and spread as it gets green and bright but then it dies back and turns brown. Tried several temperate mosses with no luck either.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

It's hard to tell by sight, but it looks like you're not getting a ton of light at the bottom of the tank. What kind of lighting do you have?

Moss only does well in my tanks when it is close to really bright light. The farther from the light source you want to grow moss, you stronger light you will need.


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## puremanb (Apr 10, 2009)

Trickishleaf said:


> It's hard to tell by sight, but it looks like you're not getting a ton of light at the bottom of the tank. What kind of lighting do you have?
> 
> Moss only does well in my tanks when it is close to really bright light. The farther from the light source you want to grow moss, you stronger light you will need.


I have 8 36'' T5HO bulbs 6 at 6500k and 2 at 3000k

The moss I'm trying to grow is towards the top, 6-10 inches away, I realize that I'm not gonna have good luck at the bottom, but I can't figure out why it's not grow at the top. I was thinking about trying a 1000 watt HPS bulb and hood, but the heat isn't gonna allow that. When leds are cheap enough I might try to cover the entire top with an array.


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

I wouldn't keep the ball python in there, it's at risk of serious infection and fungal issues. 

And, I'm sure you're aware of the risk of introducing dart frogs after a ball python has been living in there?

Beautiful terrarium by the way


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