# exo shelf build journal



## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I constructed a shelf out of plywood to hold 4 exo-terra terrariums. I currently only have two terrariums. They are for my mantella aurantiaca. My wife, newborn son, and I live in a pretty small home, so I agreed that my frog hobby will be contained to this shelf for the time being.

semi-finished product


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

my old shelf that held two 15 gal tanks









had to take out my rear seat to get the plywood home in my little coupe









my best attempt at carpentry. before sanding, staining, and urethane









exo terra canopies. they sit 2 inches from the top of the exo terra's. they are accesible from the front by a hinged panel.









and are cooled with cpu fans









the cabinet at the bottom. I did a pretty poor job of hanging the doors on hinges. but it gets the job done









inside the cabinet I have the power strips and timers for lights, fans, and in the future a misting system. I also have plenty of room for bean beetles, fruit flies, woodlice, and springtails. 18 fruit fly cultures fit on the middle shelf. I only start two per week. The top shelf has bean beetles in gladware. A 14watt cfl gives light and heat and goes on and off with the terrarium lights. I have a heat pad cor when it gets real cold in the winter. The bugs stay 80 degrees.









thanks for taking a look.
I will post pics of the tanks when they are planted and grown in.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

some notes about tank construction...

I used foam weather stripping and stick on plastic corner molding (that protects drywall corners) to fruit fly proof the edges of the doors.









I removed the screen top and used a hacksaw blade to remove the clip in tabs. Then I got a piece of glass cut to fit the inside lip. And made a screen section for the front.









pretty standard false bottom. I filled in the front with leca cuz I think that looks better.









this is a piece of pipe, slotted and siliconed in place. I used a pvc cap covered in coco fiber to disguise it and keep frogs out. this allows me to drain water from under the false bottom.









here is a freshly planted finished product.









tree fern fiber on three sides. had to use A LOT of silicone to stick these to the glass and then fill in all the gaps to keep frogs from getting trapped. If I were to do it over again I would try epiweb.

I used infield conditioner over the false bottom and covered that with a think layer of leaf litter.
-lemon button fern
-syngonium rayii
-scindapsis pictus
-Aechmea organensis 'small form'


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

Nice looking rack!


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## yumpster (May 22, 2009)

> Nice looking rack!


In any other forum, that would be an extremely inappropriate comment. 


But I agree. You are quite the craftsman.


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## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

I've recently started to retrofit my tops in the exact same way that you have done. I actually got the idea from Zach Brinks, but it seems like a much simpler way to do the tops and also keep the front glass clear. Nice build by the way.


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## Morgan Freeman (Feb 26, 2009)

That's looking really nice, top work! If only I had the confidence to attempt something like that


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## wickerstone (Jan 19, 2009)

Looks really good. i have to build one for my tanks and this helped give me some insight.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I'm anxious to get the other two exo-terras to fill the shelf up.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

yumpster said:


> In any other forum, that would be an extremely inappropriate comment.
> 
> 
> But I agree. You are quite the craftsman.


yes, now that i reread it it would be 
That's what I get for typing at 11:30 at night


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

update:
both exo terras are freshly planted. In a week the cube (second and third pics) will get my 2.2 mantella aurantiaca.










this tank has neo. amandae, a dendrobium orchid, and ficus pumilia that I hope will cover the treefern panles on three sides.


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## RichardA (Jul 15, 2009)

They look great!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

and a little bit better pic of the shelf


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## NickBoudin (Nov 3, 2007)

Geat work, what is the misting system like? Any drip systems on/under the tree fern?

Why would you go with epiweb instead? 


Thanks,
Nick


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Well done, Joe! Rack looks awesome and both tanks look really nice. I especially like the first tank above. That green/white striped plant on the left (synop?) will go insane.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

so far no misting or drip system. Once I get the other two tanks setup, I will grab a mistking system.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Big update....
I moved into a different apartment. I sold the exo-terras. I was never happy with them because no matter what I tried I couldn't seem to make them fruit fly proof. And fully built and planted exo-terras can be flippin heavy!

So I am in the process of building six 20 gallon verts to fill up the shelves. 

Here is a freshly constructed 20vert








-Tree Fern background siliconed to the back wall with lots and lots of silicone
-Tree fern half pots siliconed to the sides
-sorry sponsors, I built the vert kit myself.

The drainage layer








-I opted for styrofoam peanuts for the drainage layer
-I used pond filter sponge along the front to dress things up and create a little pond in the corner

substrate divider








-It is Duck brand air conditioner filter foam. 

Substrate








-ABG mix

Planted








-leaf litter
-Scindapsus pictus (I really like how this does on tree fern once grown in)
-neoreglia
-once all 6 tanks are built I will be ordering more plants and broms

Tarapoto imitators
















-there are 3 of them and at least one is a calling male


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Looks good! I second you on the Scindapsus pictus, It looks good on any background. And good choice on frogs as well


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## nguyenp209 (Jul 31, 2011)

Great tanks!


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