# Hexagon Construction Build



## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

I've been wanting to build a vivarium that would be viewable from 360 degrees and have been weighing different options. The decision was made when my local fish store got a used but non scratched hexagon tank and stand in. I picked it up for a great price:










Using styrofoam I've started to make a rock structure that will sit in the middle of the tank. Here's what I've got so far:



















More to come soon...


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Another cool idea that lends itself well to 360 degree tanks is a tree trunk, buttress, or root mass in the middle. Either way, it looks like a great project! What are you going to coat the foam with?


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

My hex tank has three walls covered because I can't find a place to put it where people can look at it from all sides. I'll post a pic when someone tells me how to do it.


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## mitchandstuff (Aug 3, 2008)

I second the tree trunk idea. That could be a basic GS and coco carve up. I am having some very cool ideas right now....


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

I can't remember the user or title of the thread but someone posted their hex build on a lazy susan. That way you can keep it in the corner or out of the way but still see it from a 360.



gturmindright said:


> My hex tank has three walls covered because I can't find a place to put it where people can look at it from all sides. I'll post a pic when someone tells me how to do it.


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## Vermfly (Jun 6, 2010)

subscribed. I've been thinking about doing a hex with a centerpiece for a while now. I can't wait to see how yours turns out.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

JoshH said:


> Another cool idea that lends itself well to 360 degree tanks is a tree trunk, buttress, or root mass in the middle. Either way, it looks like a great project! What are you going to coat the foam with?


Definitely a good idea. I thought about doing a buttress tree trunk but decided on the "mini tepui" centerpiece. If I don't like the way it turns out I'll scrap it and try the tree.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

gturmindright said:


> My hex tank has three walls covered because I can't find a place to put it where people can look at it from all sides. I'll post a pic when someone tells me how to do it.


The reason I decided to do a 360 tank is that I have a space in my house that would lend itself very well for one. Here is a pic of the area. And yes, that is a Rock Band guitar controller on the wall...


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

First coat of grout applied. It doesn't look like much now but hopefully with the added layers, texturing, and painting it will turn out well.


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## Vermfly (Jun 6, 2010)

I like the look. It will look like a pillar of metamorphic rock like a stack of slate when it's done. Very cool.


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## Frank H (Nov 3, 2005)

Yep, I bet it'll look good! Looking foreward to updates.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Got the second coat of grout on last night. Tonight I will add a final, thinner, darker layer to the crevices to hopefully give it some more depth. I also plan on making some fake vines as well to wrap around the structure. I will try to post an update pic tonight.

There is a really good chance that I may go ahead and build a buttress tree as well and see which one I like better....


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Got the third and final coat of grout on that was used primarily for shading purposes:



















I'm still going to do some sanding and texturing to try to bring out some more details. Hopefully it'll turn out OK. Thanks for looking.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Got the light for this tank the other day and just wired it up. It is a 65W CFL (6500K). Only about $40 off Amazon. Puts out a huge amount of light.



















Also got the wood to make the canopy. Hopefully I will get to that tomorrow. The "rock" centerpiece is almost done curing as well.


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

I use these lights extensively. Do yourself a favor and take the lens off the light... it will last alot longer. I use coat hangers bent in the shape of a flat "U" with the ends in the screw holes to keep the light about 2-3 inches off the top of the Viv. The last couple I ordered did not come with a Black lens for the auto light sensor, so I just used electrical tape to cover it.

Here is a quick drawing of what I mean.


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

I'm excited to see how it turns out... I think its cool you didn't go w/ the tree stump look... Should be nice and different.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

bobzarry said:


> I use these lights extensively. Do yourself a favor and take the lens off the light... it will last alot longer. I use coat hangers bent in the shape of a flat "U" with the ends in the screw holes to keep the light about 2-3 inches off the top of the Viv. The last couple I ordered did not come with a Black lens for the auto light sensor, so I just used electrical tape to cover it.
> 
> Here is a quick drawing of what I mean.


I'm not sure how having the lens cover on will shorten the life of the bulb. Could you explain this more? I plan on mounting it into a wooden canopy over the tank.


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

With the lens on you get alot more heat build up. The bulb will be running much much hotter. Remember these units were meant to be used outdoors.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

I see, thanks for the advice. I will do that then. I also plan on installing a fan in the canopy to vent heat. Hopefully that will do the trick.


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

That should work out fine.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Finally making some progress on this thing. My rock feature cured for over a month so is quite strong and should not be too alkaline. I used my own version of the ABG soil mixture. I also added very productive cultures of springtails and white wood lice. Still in the process of making a hood and lid. Here are some pics:





































Let me know what you think!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

definite potential...I'd mount a bunch of tillandisa on the rock pillar, and/or dig out some spots for small pots and add miniature plants.


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## Vermfly (Jun 6, 2010)

I love it. It's going to look awesome draped with vivs and with broms sticking out from it all over.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Dendro Dave said:


> definite potential...I'd mount a bunch of tillandisa on the rock pillar, and/or dig out some spots for small pots and add miniature plants.


Thanks, definitely planning on mounting lots of bromeliads, including tilliansids.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Vermfly said:


> I love it. It's going to look awesome draped with vivs and with broms sticking out from it all over.


Thanks very much!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

One thing you could do though it may get in the way of mounting brom and air plants is drill hole all the way through the center, suspend a pump in the false bottom, surround the piller with circular dam, fill that with gravel and make the whole thing a fountain. Water would come out top, run down through gravel back into false bottom. You might get away with a few broms depending on which course the water took to most...could strategically plant around that area so the broms might stay dry enough. Make it so if you need to get to the pump you just lift the entire pillar out of the tank. I've been wanting to do a viv like that for awhile...well actually I did kinda in a 5gal hex and using part of a table top fountain but I ended up redoing that viv. Worked though. (But to small to plant the center fountain itself)


edit: I just looked again...Looks like you dont really have a false bottom? Just a gravel layer right? False bottom would be better for the idea above, but you could increase the height of the gravel layer, put a box in the middle (with no gravel in it, just a few holes to let water in) drop your pump in that and do basically the same as the above idea.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Dendro Dave said:


> One thing you could do though it may get in the way of mounting brom and air plants is drill hole all the way through the center, suspend a pump in the false bottom, surround the piller with circular dam, fill that with gravel and make the whole thing a fountain. Water would come out top, run down through gravel back into false bottom. You might get away with a few broms depending on which course the water took to most...could strategically plant around that area so the broms might stay dry enough. Make it so if you need to get to the pump you just lift the entire pillar out of the tank. I've been wanting to do a viv like that for awhile...well actually I did kinda in a 5gal hex and using part of a table top fountain but I ended up redoing that viv. Worked though. (But to small to plant the center fountain itself)
> 
> 
> edit: I just looked again...Looks like you dont really have a false bottom? Just a gravel layer right? False bottom would be better for the idea above, but you could increase the height of the gravel layer, put a box in the middle (with no gravel in it, just a few holes to let water in) drop your pump in that and do basically the same as the above idea.


I thought about doing a paludarium during the planning stage but decided to go with a forest floor biotope instead.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Added a few plants that I had lying around. Will add a lot more as I can. Especially lots of bromeliads.

Full tank shot:









Cryptatanthus:









Miniature philodendron:









A few bromeliad pups:









Ficus bonsai:


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I think you're going to run into a problem with the ficus on top. I had one in my tank, it did well...to well...there is a good chance the light will either burn the leaves or it will be banging its head on the top glass in no time, blocking light and in constant need of trimming. You'll probably wanna put some kinda short miniature med/high light plant there instead.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Dendro Dave said:


> I think you're going to run into a problem with the ficus on top. I had one in my tank, it did well...to well...there is a good chance the light will either burn the leaves or it will be banging its head on the top glass in no time, blocking light and in constant need of trimming. You'll probably wanna put some kinda short miniature med/high light plant there instead.


I'm sure I will have to prune the ficus quite regularly. But that is part and parcel for bonsai, so I wouldn't consider it a problem. I plan on growing it in the "informal cascade" style so it should only shade one section of the vivarium, which I think will create a neat effect. I may get some leaf scorching but I hope not as the light will be at least six inches above the screen lid (not glass).


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Made a lot of progress over the past few days. First, the lid. I made my lid out of wood and screen. I know a lot of people like to use glass for their darts but I like to have clear clean glass all the time. This is meant to be as much an exhibit in my home as one in a zoo or museum. These places use screen lids too usually. I have bred many darts in screen lid enclosures both personally and professionally. I plan to keep the humidity high enough with frequent but short mistings. The MistKing system that I use provides a wonderfully fine mist that dissipates quickly. I'm hoping the wood for the lid will last awhile even in this high humidity environment. It has three coats of paint and two coats of polyurethane. If I have to make a new one in a year, oh well. Here you can see how I incorporated the misting system into the lid:










Next is the luminaire that I built. You can see the light I used in my previous posts. I simply made a stand to attach it to. The far side does not get quite as much light as I would like. I may have to build an extension eventually. Here you go:










I hate seeing messy wires. Here's my solution. It house both the light power cord and misting tubing:










Full tank shot pre-misting:










Full tank shot during misting:










Another angle:










Top half:










Bottom:










While the construction is essentially done I will be placing a large plant order soon. I can't wait! This tank will either house my Man Creek pumilio I am growing up or a small lizard species. We'll see. Hope everyone likes it!


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## tommy2 (Feb 13, 2007)

Very Nice!


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

tommy2 said:


> Very Nice!


Thanks very much!


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Great looking tank.....The light and mist system looks great I like the clean look of it.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Azurel said:


> Great looking tank.....The light and mist system looks great I like the clean look of it.


Thanks, I want the whole set up to look decent not just inside the tank.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Just placed an order with Tropiflora! Here's what should be arriving soon:

Neoregelia 'Chiquita Linda'	
Neoregelia 'Dartanion'	
Neoregelia 'Fireball'	
Neoregelia 'Green Apple' x 'Fireball'	
Neoregelia 'Zoe'	
Neoregelia ampullacea	
Neoregelia coimbrae	
Neoregelia tristis 'Yellow'	
Tillandsia Califano (baileyi x ionantha)	
Tillandsia fuchsii v. gracilis	
Tillandsia ionantha 'Guatemalan Select'	
Tillandsia ionantha 'Mexican Select'	

I'm quite excited, I haven't done a personal build in awhile.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Still waiting on my plants. Hopefully, today or tomorrow. When I was at Hamburg this weekend I picked up one yellowback galactonotus from Keith at Frogs n Things. However, that's not what will be going in this tank... I was also lucky enough to get a pair of Hoehneli chameleons, which are a species I have always wanted to work with. They are a montane (low temp, high humidity) species. The male will be kept in this cage. I have also added a ventilation fan that kicks on for short periods throughout the day to help provide the fresh air circulation that chameleons require.

New pics of the tank showing how much sun it gets:


















And a pic of the chameleon:


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## McBobs (Apr 26, 2007)

What are your temp/humidity parameters? Before, during and after misting?


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

McBobs said:


> What are your temp/humidity parameters? Before, during and after misting?


At this time of the year the temperature ranges from 68-75 F during the day. Right now I do not have a spot light on the enclosure although I will be adding a low wattage one shortly so a basking temp of at least 80 F is achieved. During and directly after misting the humidity is near 100%. During the "dry out" periods between misting the humidity still stays at 50-70%.


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

That tank looks great! I love the simple look. Very Very Cool


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

AaronAcker said:


> That tank looks great! I love the simple look. Very Very Cool


Thanks very much! It will look much better once I get all the plants I ordered.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Plants arrived today! I really love Tropiflora for their selection, price and excellent packing.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

I got everything planted last night. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I will try to get some pics up tonight.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

As promised, but a little lit, some pics of the tank planted:


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Some more:

Love the red on this tilliandsia. I'm no photographer, I couldn't get it to show up well:









This one's a little better:









Full tank shots:


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Love these shots of the chameleon in the mist:


















Well, that's it for today. Let me know what you guys and gals think. I know it's not a true biotope, new world plants with an old world animal. But, oh well. My favorite plants are bromeliads and my favorite animals are chameleons. I will add more pics before too long as I am in the process of adding a heat light to the luminaire to create a basking spot.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

I've added a bonsai ficus and scheffelera on either side of the enclosure to benefit the chameleon. It make the inside a bit more cluttered then I would like but the chameleon really appreciates it. Here are some update pics of the chameleon and the enclosure:


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Looks much better with the heavy planting! Nice. Just prepare to get your pruning scrissors out!


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

GRIMM said:


> Looks much better with the heavy planting! Nice. Just prepare to get your pruning scrissors out!


Thanks! You said it, ill be pruning every week.


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

Thats crazy, it went from very cool, to simply epic. Great job! Turned out great.


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## driftfc (May 2, 2006)

Tank looks amazing!!!! Your cham doesn't have any respitory problems from the enclosed tank?


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

AaronAcker said:


> Thats crazy, it went from very cool, to simply epic. Great job! Turned out great.


Very nice compliment, thanks!


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

driftfc said:


> Tank looks amazing!!!! Your cham doesn't have any respitory problems from the enclosed tank?


Thanks very much. I have been keeping chameleons for about fifteen years now and I can say unequivocally that, if properly done, keeping chameleons in glass enclosures will not negatively affect them. I could go on for paragraphs about this. If you're interested...


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

frankpayne32 said:


> Thanks very much. I have been keeping chameleons for about fifteen years now and I can say unequivocally that, if properly done, keeping chameleons in glass enclosures will not negatively affect them. I could go on for paragraphs about this. If you're interested...


Here is an article I recently wrote on the subject of housing chameleons.

Nevermind, apparently it is too large.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Took some more pics of the hex:


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Also, a few weeks ago I picked up three youngsters of my dream reptile: Abronia graminea or arboreal alligator lizards! Here are some pics of the young ones. They will eventually turn a beautiful green/blue color as they mature.


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## Shells-N-Scales (Jan 3, 2011)

Frank sweet build!! You wanna come over and setup all my cages like that? Are you gonna house the abronia in a similar setup? I would definately love to see it when its done. Keep up the good work.

Raul


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Shells-N-Scales said:


> Frank sweet build!! You wanna come over and setup all my cages like that? Are you gonna house the abronia in a similar setup? I would definately love to see it when its done. Keep up the good work.
> 
> Raul


You bet Raul, I'm always for hire, for the right price. Once the abronia get larger I plan on keeping one in this cage and build another larger one. They are doing great by the way, eating and growing like crazy.


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