# 55 Gal. Aquarium to Custom Terrarium Journal (PIC HEAVY)



## fallenangelfyre (Oct 23, 2009)

*I realize that this is a dendro forum, but i got many of my ideas from this wonderful fountain of information and creativity and just wanted to show you guys what you contributed to. so, thanks for bearing with me! this is my journal on my custom leopard gecko viv build which is quite different from what you guys normally do as it's a dry environment.

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.


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## fallenangelfyre (Oct 23, 2009)

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.


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Nice job! If you could PM on how the whole curing process and how to use the grout I would greatly appreciate it. I had an epic fail trying to do it myself. Thanks


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Nicely done.


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## hukilausurfer (Aug 31, 2009)

Ive never seen such a thought out LG enclosure. Makes me want to make a desert viv and get me some lizards!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

that came out really well, nice job and thanks for sharing.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I love this tank!!! I'm ready to move in. Thanks for sharing it.


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## klik339 (May 17, 2010)

looks great, i did something like that when i use to keep leo's. its amazing how much they enjoy climbing even though they are terrestrial geckos. i built an enclosure for my Bufo alvarius like this recently but she's so big and heavy there was a lot of chipping of the grout.


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## fallenangelfyre (Oct 23, 2009)

thank you so much everyone! 



saruchan said:


> Nice job! If you could PM on how the whole curing process and how to use the grout I would greatly appreciate it. I had an epic fail trying to do it myself. Thanks


the key to curing any crete (concrete, grout, cement, etc.) is keeping it damp for as long as possible. this makes it get extremely hard & durable. i just misted it a few times a day and let each layer cure for a few days in between coats. or you could lay wet paper towels over it.


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## chesney (Jan 18, 2007)

Wow, that is awesome! Thanks for sharing!


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## Rski (Jan 25, 2010)

It looks great! I really like the coloring of your rocks.


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## fallenangelfyre (Oct 23, 2009)

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:


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Very nice! I definitely like the rock wall, very cool.


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