# Massive Plywood Vivarium!



## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I am in the thought process of our huge display viv. I was going to build this all out of glass and though in the end I may regret not hitting that route I think I want to venture down the road of plywood to combat costs. 

Over all plan.. Can not decide if I want to build it to be 72" long or 84" long. When you measure out on the floor with tape 6 feet just doesnt seem to bring much justice. But 7 feet is max for the space before it starts really being in the way. For now we will say 6 feet is the plan...

So with a floor plan of 72x24x48 this is gonna be one big puppy. Just under 360 gallons. 

I will be experimenting with this viv as well, as we have never had a predrilled drain plug. or water features. The plan is to mimic Raf in a sense of creating a very natural enclosure that literally looks like it was cut out of the forest. Tons of Liana and rocks. 

I do know once this is done it will be many months before plants touch it strictly to allow maximum light in to get good moss growth. 

Now, anyone along for the ride? I want to hear input on inhabitants? It will be quite some time before anything gets to call this home.. My dream for the viv would be a trio of redheads.. but that is semi wishful thinking. Other option would be a group (female heavy) of bastimentos as they are my favorite smaller obligates and I love their call. 

BUT, lets hear input! what do you all think should call something this large home?


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Depending on how much they are and when they are released, how about some frogs from Tesoros? It would be awesome to have some of their large obligates in there! I'm sure there is a lot of people interested in the lehmanni and histronica morphs, but if you can get your hands on some when they are finally imported, that would be totally cool.

I'm really interested in how this goes and I've definitely subscribed. Good luck on this HUGE project 

John


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

John you are on the VIP list to come over once it's completed. But if lehmanni ever find their way in I will have to full body cavity search before you leave 😛


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

Hey Brandon, I have a 450 gallon plywood viv.(72x30x48). If you have any questions about build techniques just let me know. I'm about to start my second 450 

I can post some pics if you would like to see it.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

JoshsDragonz said:


> Hey Brandon, I have a 450 gallon plywood viv.(72x30x48). If you have any questions about build techniques just let me know. I'm about to start my second 450
> 
> I can post some pics if you would like to see it.




Any troubles you ran into while constructing? I plan to coat the inside with drylok and the seams with silicone. Skipping the epoxy and fiberglass mat. atleast thats the plan. Any road blocks I should be aware of would be appreciated. 450 gallons eh? I feel like I should go bigger just to 1 up you


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

I'm not sure if I would skip the epoxy.. I would't have 100% faith that drylok would do the job. Plus drylok doesn't like to stick to silicone very well. I didn't have any issues at all during construction, woodwork is easy.

Also what type of ventilation are you planning?

Here is my setup..

_DSC6522 by joshsdragonz, on Flickr

_DSC6517 by joshsdragonz, on Flickr


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## timmygreener (Aug 22, 2011)

I just started my 8x3x4 foot viv, hope along for the ride on my thread.

After everything of seen on monster fish keeper . com.


Drylok will be fine as long as the woodwork is right.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I am planning Sherman vent below doors and one long vent horizontal along the top. I would use 5+ coats of drylok before silicone. Drylok is made to hold back water and applying it thick enough would be safe I would assume


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Nismo95 said:


> John you are on the VIP list to come over once it's completed. But if lehmanni ever find their way in I will have to full body cavity search before you leave &#55357;&#56859;


Whoo hoo!! ......just to be clear, that's for the VIP not the cavity search 

If your looking for tips on building a large tank like this one, some of the reef forums might be good to check out. I bet the largest ones have more than a couple people with plywood tanks. Of course, there are a few members here that have done stuff like your planning, but it sure doesn't hurt to get more input! Personally, I think it would be a good idea to use the fiberglass/epoxy method as it seems to be very time proven. I haven't put any real research this kind of tank, though...


Also, you should one up Josh. It shouldn't be too hard 

John


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I dunno some of these tanks are pretty bitchin! I also was thinking and with silverstonei being available in the states again... Maybe a colony of those to inhabit this would be nice... I know I have been wanting them for years now... Again wishful thinking hahaha


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

Mine houses a group of A. pepperi Abiseo and a group of vanzo. It's cool seeing the Ameerega use the height to roost at night.


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

I love my 8ftx4ftx5ftdeep plywood enclosure.. I have a 20 gallon ro reservior for misting system last about a week, 9 misting heads, a maxi jet 12 running the waterfall and 25 gallon on the bottom of the enclosure around and under false bottom.. I didn't see much plywood enclosures when I first built mines but they seem to be becoming very popular...


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

and here is my latest build its L shaped 5ft tall 6ft long 3ft deep on one side then 3ft on the other side.. Complete with vinyl couch and table No expenses were spared on this enclosure even the paint was Ralph Lauren,lol..


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

It's official, you're coming to my house to help with design lol.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Been put on hold already. She put a tree where I planned to build... And also doing some work on the tv wall to hide the wires!


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)




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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

Id definitely take your time.. I seal the crap out of the wood.. Benjamin moore bathroom paint, 2 part epoxy, spray silicone $20 a can about 8 of them, spray foam, then Dry loc.. A  big build like these cost around 2 to 3K before plants and frogs.. DIY of course..


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Yeah I am in no real rush. A big display tank is my goal and we own our house, so nothing but time! Luckily I'm still pretty young and ambitious


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

Nice, definitely don't want to build one of these and have to tear it down..


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

do the dart frogs use the bridge in that tank? lol in all honesty, i can't really say Im a fan of things that look man-made in Vivs, but getting back to some issues concerning building the tank...I use drylok in pretty much every build I do, and agree with Josh... Drylok and silicone do not bond together well and I would not recommend Using drylok and silicone to seal that wood.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Another issue I am finding to have is placement of this viv. We have a beam that goes across the ceiling. And if I build a 30" stand it leaves me with about 4 inches with a 48" tall Vic at the top so no real room for a canopy. What are everyone's thoughts on a 24" tall stand? To me it would put the top at just above my head. And viewing angle would be lower..opt out of the canopy or build a short stand? Decisions....


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I will look into epoxy resins. Any tried and true product I should look for?


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Nismo95 said:


> Been put on hold already. She put a tree where I planned to build... And also doing some work on the tv wall to hide the wires!


Hahaha, just cut it down for more building materials 

How big is the tree? Maybe you can use it to give yourself some better scale on the size of the tank. I know, at least for me, that it is really hard to visualize the true size of an object without seeing something about the same size in place.

Some A. silverstonei would be another great choice. I totally forgot that they are finally available again! The only issue I could see with keeping them in an enclosure like this one is the sheer size of it. I imagine that it would be very hard to pull eggs or froglets in a tank like this. I don't own anything close to this though, so I wouldn't know to be honest. Realistically, I think this tank comes down to what you want to see every day most.

John


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I will be incorporating a small stream in about the middle of the tank.. And by small I mean really small. Less of a water feature and more of a deposit site. So if I do end up with silverstonei once they transport I can wrangle them out and hand raise. But given clutch sizes from that species I'm more leaning towards a large obligate hahaha


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

Nismo95 said:


> I will look into epoxy resins. Any tried and true product I should look for?


Whatever epoxy you decide on it needs to be formulated for aquarium/pond use. 
The one I use can be found on eBay. It's called Max ACR. It has worked very well for me and is designed for aquarium use.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Awesome. Now, should I construct the setup all the way and seal after? I imagine you want it completely done so no extra crevices and cracks for water to soak through after the fact


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

What I did was.. Do the wood work. Then I sealed all cracks/joints with liquid nails. Then I fiberglassed/epoxied all the joints. Then applied 3 coats to the side walls and about 5-6 coats to the bottom and 12" up the walls.


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

RedEyeTroyFrog said:


> do the dart frogs use the bridge in that tank? lol in all honesty, i can't really say Im a fan of things that look man-made in Vivs, but getting back to some issues concerning building the tank...I use drylok in pretty much every build I do, and agree with Josh... Drylok and silicone do not bond together well and I would not recommend Using drylok and silicone to seal that wood.


Yes, they do I had some nice pics then lost my phone.. Ill get more soon..


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

LMAO, thats awesome haha, whats that big hash tag thingy in the new tank?


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Bob1000 said:


> Yes, they do I had some nice pics then lost my phone.. Ill get more soon..


Thats super awesome!  I would love to see pics of that (maybe not in this thread, though).

John


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

RedEyeTroyFrog said:


> do the dart frogs use the bridge in that tank? lol in all honesty, i can't really say Im a fan of things that look man-made in Vivs, but getting back to some issues concerning building the tank...I use drylok in pretty much every build I do, and agree with Josh... Drylok and silicone do not bond together well and I would not recommend Using drylok and silicone to seal that wood.


Also Im not sure if you've seen that really nice video from Costa rica about the dart frogs,,, They have a really nice "Man made" bridge that resembles the one I built in that enclosure down to the logs in place of planks, lol.. Also about the dry lock and silicone,, Ive been building marine tanks of all sizes for years now and as far as the using them together I use them at different parts of the layering because as you stated they don't play nice for a long time together..


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

RedEyeTroyFrog said:


> LMAO, thats awesome haha, whats that big hash tag thingy in the new tank?


Hashtag is the name of the bar that the enclosure was constructed in..


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

ahhh i see... interesting


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## Bob1000 (Jan 15, 2014)

First one in the U.S..


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

JoshsDragonz said:


> Whatever epoxy you decide on it needs to be formulated for aquarium/pond use.
> The one I use can be found on eBay. It's called Max ACR. It has worked very well for me and is designed for aquarium use.


Josh, I found the resin on ebay. it comes in a 1.5 gallon kit. How much did you need to coat your 450 gallon? I imagine ill be close given the dimensions are not too different besides the depth. And did you use any fiberglass mat?


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

I strongly encourage any who go the plywood route to skip the Drylock idea and only use a 2 part epoxy. You can combine that with fiberglass cloth for the bottom if you are worried about strength. I've had Drylock fail in less than a year in a wet viv, and on plywood that can mean catastrophic delamination. It is super brittle and seems to flake off over time.

Polygem has plenty of good ones at more than reasonable prices considering they are zoo and aquarium safe; I'd give them a call and see what they recommend for this application. 

Good luck!


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

I'm in the process of building a 10x2x6h foot Viv. I decided to make it five 2x2x6 foot cells to have the ability to work with multiple groups of frogs even if the same morph to experiment with things. 

I ended up ordering them out of thick acrylic from a place that does zoos and stuff. They are $1,100 a piece. The reason I did this was because I want to be able to move them with me over the future. 

For lighting with height constraints, take a look at Kessil tuna sun wide lenses. They're about the size of an ash tray and a only around 4cm tall. They also could be used as cannons shoots in light from the front/top. That would help with the space issue. 

I also considered a three foot stand but decided to do a two foot stand and a deep substrate approximately a foot deep including leaf litter. It should keep the system more stable in my opinion. It's also really easy with a wood tank to add a foot of depth. 

Lastly I recommend using redwood 2 by 12 by 10s from Home Depot. They're $25 each, way better structurally, easier to work with, and have a much better ability to withstand water and humidity. I'm making all custom furniture for my condo remodel, so I've been working with those and, 2 by 2s a lot. 

What you'll want to do is biscuit joint the boards together which is super easy and better than plywood and framing and screws. 
Lastly (for now), go to Home Depot and buy some redwood 2 by 2s to frame out the box to get a better idea of the size you're talking about. Plus they're cheap $3 and pretty. 

I almost went with wood, decided against it for personal reasons. 

Any questions about what I'm talking about pm/ask away. Hell, buy me a plane ticket and I'll come make you it in like three days. 

-Andrew

PS. My next build is likely going to be an eight by one by ten. I'll be using the method I mentioned for that one. Total cost for wood, approx $300, and every foot deepeer would cost $100. Not accounting for sealant. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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