# Large vivarium...in the works



## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

........working on a old monitor cage, I still have a lot of work to do but here is the start


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Cool, what are the plans?


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

I've got a heavily overgrown custom tank with five bicolor that I plan on moving over...........I'll get some new pics of the overgrown tank up, all the ones I have are well over a year old


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

NICE! Any details on the existing background? Is that fiberglass, foam, etc? Do you plan on doing any work to the background or just planting it? Looks great as is but I'm just curious what your thoughts are!


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## chinoanoah (Mar 9, 2009)

*Please* keep us updated with news and pics! Looks like quite a project!


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

the background is concrete and polygem epoxy (307-lite), I plan on adding more wood and some planting areas by building up more epoxy and some sphagnum moss "pockets"


here is the tank I plan on moving into the new enclosure (2006)










the enclosure with it's original inhabitant.....


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## SoCalSun (Oct 29, 2009)

Wow!! I can only imagine how awesome this will be!! Cant wait to see the progress.


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Love it

Definately will be keeping an eye on this


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

So what happened to the Croc?


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

She went to.....www.glzszoo.com............ I just didn't have the time for her that she deserved, anymore.


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

That's cool! Yeah they are a pretty serious pet . . . I have a large salvator - he's really awesome but expensive and time consuming to keep! 

Is that her at the left of this page??

Crocodile Monitor


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

that is one they had in their collection previously, they are currently looking for a male for my female (she laid a clutch of infertile eggs about 3 weeks ago)


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

installed the drainage layer, two different grades of matala....



















found long fiber sphagnum in a pressed roll, just moisten roll out and shape










some wood in place


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

almost finished with the systems and hardscape...misters on solenoid valve to allow for different areas to be watered on separate cycles, lighting installed.....getting there........


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## nathan (Jul 24, 2009)

Awesome - Cant wait to see the finished vivarium !


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## hukilausurfer (Aug 31, 2009)

ya lets get some updates please! oh and i love the other planted tank. good job!


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## pearldrums2 (Dec 9, 2009)

this is looking awesome... love the dimensions and everything can not wait to see it finished


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Looking good so far

ETA on the Completion?


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

did some planting today, waiting on a few more misters.....a week or two depending on my level of motivation


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

a few more pics.......a lot more planting still to do......


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## Ed Holder (Sep 26, 2008)

That is one SERIOUS viv Dave, Looks great, Keep up the good work!
What are the plans for inhabitants?

Ed


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

I've got a group of five bicolor going in there.....and who knows what else, I did this more for the plants than anything....


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

not quite finished yet....but a few more pics


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## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

Whow, great atmosphere - love the branches and the entire set up!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

nice work, what kind of lighting are you using?


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

400 watt metal halide, solar max 7200K


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

I woudl be careful about cooking the viv, from the looks of it the light is flushed against the top and the amount of heat it generates is pretty big.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

I've got two large cooling fans mounted on the canopy keeping the temp on/above the lighting diffuser reasonable. I also monitored internal temps in the vivarium for quite some time before adding anything living.


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## raimeiken (Dec 24, 2006)

love the viv man! I can't wait to see when the plants are established and start to fill in the tank


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## gschump79 (Jun 27, 2009)

give us an update on the pics. really enjoyed meeting you the other day. the terrarium is amazing.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

it was nice b.s.'ing with you the other day.........Laura is going to take some more pics this weekend......how are the plants doing?


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## D3monic (Feb 8, 2010)

Im so jeleous! I always wanted to set up a nice big viv. Maybe one of these days my wife will let me.


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## gschump79 (Jun 27, 2009)

matt and i split them up. I got mine all planted. I need to get some good pics of mine with a real camera and not phone. Never can have enough plants though haha.


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## NickBoudin (Nov 3, 2007)

Nice corner shower! I mean, Viv!


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)




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## EverettC (Mar 9, 2004)

Can we see some more full tank/large section of the tank shots? Everything is lookin good .


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)




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## chinoanoah (Mar 9, 2009)

What are those vines?!?? Too cool.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Yowza! Stunning!


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## alex111683 (Sep 11, 2010)

Amazing!!!!! I wish I had the room and the money to do something like that. I would also like to know what the vines are.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

WOW!!! That is awesome!


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

I believe the vine that drops the crazy aerial roots is a Tinospora sp. but I will put a call through tomorrow to the horticulturist where I received the cutting from.........thanks for all the compliments everyone!


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## oneshot (Mar 5, 2010)

Is that a shower enclosure? GReat idea if it is, complete with it's own drain!

And is it FF proof?

Love it by the way.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Just the glass from a shower, the back and bottom are wood sealed with fiberglass. I did add a drain though. Not quite FF proof, but don't tell my wife that!


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

One of the best viv's I've seen. Very professionally done.


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## Sake135 (Jun 12, 2009)

davescrews said:


>


Very nice job! Must be fun sitting in front of that viv.

Quick question: Is that a microsorum thailandicum fern on the upper right corner of pic 2 & 3. I've been looking for that plant for a while but can't find one. Maybe you can point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Mike


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

It is, I picked it up at a local greenhouse last fall, haven't seen any there lately though. Seems like allot of people have been looking for it recently.


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

oneshot said:


> Is that a shower enclosure? GReat idea if it is, complete with it's own drain!
> 
> And is it FF proof?
> 
> Love it by the way.


Hmmm.... I feel an idea coming on


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

a few of the inhabitants......




















......more plants


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

This is really incredible, I love how most of your planting focuses on epiphyte laden branches, leaving the rock and bottom mostly bare, very natural. Also love to see all that Marcgravia, one of my favorite groups that I wish more people would grow. As for the hard scape you said you used both concrete and polygem epoxie, did you sculpt the basic shapes with the concrete and then cover them/add details with the poly gem? If so have you been able to successfully 'seal' in the concrete with the epoxie so it will not effect the pH?


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments! I originally designed the tank with out dart frogs in mind and used the concrete because it was cheap and durable. The main reason for the polygem was to water proof and add planting areas once I decided to convert this over for darts. The concrete has had a muriatic acid wash and had been misted over for about a year before the frogs went in so ph was not a huge concern of mine.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

amazing viv.. personally, I'd love to see something that would use more of the vertical space (and the broms) in that tank.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Yeah me too, do you you want to give my wife a call and convince her too!!!


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Surprisingly the bicolor regularly use the space from the bottom to about five feet above that, but the broms not so much.


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## RMB (Nov 26, 2009)

Excellent! Looks way better than my Albigs cage ever did =(. Quick question, where did you get the solenoid valve? I need one for a project and I can't find anything under about 50$ except sprinkler parts.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

I got the valve from mistking...it is their "zip drip valve"


a few more pics....


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Man, everytime I see pics of this it looks better and better.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

That is out of control! I love it man! We're going to need a plant list stat.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Here is the plant list, I think I got everything- 

in no particular order........


Aeschynanthus longicaulis
Columnea sp.
Lemmaphyllum microphyllum
Medinilla sedifolia
rhipsalis capilliformis
pseudorhipsalis ramulosus
Rhaphidophora hongkongensis
marcgravia rectifolia
anthurium polystichum
ficus pumila minima
vanilla planifolia variegata
hoya curtisii
scindapsus pictus exotica
needle leaf java fern
hoya sp.?
monstrea sp. no i.d.
philodendron burle marx' fantasy
Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos'*
cissus discolor
Microsorum sp.
Humata sessilifolia
ficus villosa
rhaphidophora pachyphylla
rhaphidophora korthalsii
Muehlenbeckia axillaris
Ludisia Discolor*
dendrobium sp. ?
Phalaenopsis sp. ?
nepenthes miranda
tillandsia sp. ?
Microsorum thailandicum
Hydnophytum moseleyanum
Myrmecodia tuberosa
tinosperma sp.
neoregelia 'dartanion'
neoregalia 'lilliputiana'
neoregalia *ampulacea 'midget'
neoregalia lilliputiana x fireball
neoregalia 'tiger cub'
neoregelia 'domino'
neoregalia no id (dark purple)
ficus salicifolia
bougainvillea sp.
java moss
neoregelia pauciflora
microgramma sp.
Selaginella uncinata
selaginella sp. ?
oncidium 'sharry baby'


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Sick tank, that thing is massive! You will have to let me know if you do any trimming on it in the future, nice plant list.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

Can we get a full tank shot from a few feet back? This thing is awesome!


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## vivbulider (Jan 23, 2010)

Wow that tank is amazing how big is it


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

The size of a corner shower ...it's about six and a half feet tall and forty inches deep.


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## vivbulider (Jan 23, 2010)

You should get a group of thumbnails


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## AnacRoNoxX (Apr 3, 2010)

Your frogs live in a mansion! . Truly awesome build.


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## Darts/Mantellas.by.P3RRY (Feb 1, 2011)

Absoultely Beautiful man will look amazing when your broms start blooming!


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

ryan10517 said:


> Can we get a full tank shot from a few feet back? This thing is awesome!


I second this notion!!!!!


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

Frogtofall said:


> I second this notion!!!!!


thirds, brah~!!!


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

any updates on this big guy?


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

still going- I'll try to get some pics up over the weekend (maybe sooner)


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## arielelf (May 23, 2007)

This is ridiculously AMAZING!!!!! It looks so natural, you have some amazing plants.
You should get some thumbs to occupy the top of the tank.
This is truely inspirational!!!


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Amazing plant list! Looking forward to more pics! Great job in the design by the way, top notch stuff....love the arial roots coming down, are they from the Cissus?



davescrews said:


> Here is the plant list, I think I got everything-
> 
> in no particular order........
> 
> ...


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

thanks!- the roots are from the tinosperma sp.


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## ClintonJ (May 11, 2009)

Updates? This viv is sweet!


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

This setup is awesome Dave.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Thanks everyone- haven't done much with her (including clean the glass) but here are a few new shots anyways.


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## ClintonJ (May 11, 2009)

Amazing! That growth is awesome. You've got great color in all your plants as well. Thanks for posting.


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## vivbulider (Jan 23, 2010)

Wow incredible tank man


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

the plants you put in were very well chosen and really look to be doing well in there. the cacti make me want to find something similar for my viv. any blooms on the cactus? might be hard to get them cold and dry enough to get them to go.


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## enfinite5 (Nov 23, 2011)

Your frogs must love this! great job!


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## vivbulider (Jan 23, 2010)

I'm sorry if you've said already but what are you keeping in the tank


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

skanderson said:


> the plants you put in were very well chosen and really look to be doing well in there. the cacti make me want to find something similar for my viv. any blooms on the cactus? might be hard to get them cold and dry enough to get them to go.


Both of the cactus bloom and fruit periodically, I also have a Hatiora salicornioides I'd like to add to the mix if I can find the space.




vivbulider said:


> I'm sorry if you've said already but what are you keeping in the tank


There is a group of (6) six year old F1 orange P. bicolor from Sean Stewart and some of their offspring.


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

any chance you remember a source on the tinosperma sp that gave you the cool drop down roots. i love that look and am looking for something that will give me it without overpowering foliage like a ficus might do.


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## vivbulider (Jan 23, 2010)

davescrews said:


> There is a group of (6) six year old F1 orange P. bicolor from Sean Stewart and some of their offspring.


Nice I know bicolor are terrestrial how much of the vertical space do they use


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I believe he said they use about 5 vertical feet of the tank, but not the broms


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

skanderson said:


> any chance you remember a source on the tinosperma sp that gave you the cool drop down roots. i love that look and am looking for something that will give me it without overpowering foliage like a ficus might do.



I do remember the source, but it was mis-identified. It is actually Cissus sicyoides. I can send you some but you don't want it. I was literally pruning 6-12' worth of this stuff out of my tank every week once it got going. I can't seem to get rid of it now.


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

thanks for the response. i was wondering how it could possibly have been that first named plant as it seemed very different from what i was seeing. thanks for the info on the cissus growth. you are right i do not want to have to do that amount of trimming to keep it in check. playing around with the idea of a couple of ficus planted epiphytically to train the roots down and treat the trees as a closely controlled bonsai.


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## [email protected] (Mar 12, 2012)

wow that tank is massive!


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

Looks like none of the pictures are working on here, which is a bummer.


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## davescrews (Dec 11, 2008)

Sorry, I reorganized my photobucket album. I forgot about it losing the links from the forum to the pics.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I hate photobucket.  This is truly sad to lose. Dave, your viv was awe-inspiring. Is there any way we could talk you into posting just a few of your favorite tank shots?


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