Rather large terrarium for a nebie....

18 years ago

A good friend of mine is moving to New Mexico and told me that I could have his terrarium. It's a custom built unit that is beautiful. It is solid oak with plexiglass sides etc. Here's the problem. I have never designed a terrarium although I am very familiar with small animals since I have raised many over the years albeit in a more sterile clean environment.

The unit has a solid oak base that is 47x24x18 inches tall. Just imagine an aquarium that is this size and you will get the idea. On top of that are the large plexiglass/oak sides that extends the sides up 40 inches. So, in essence, this unit is 47lx24wx58tall. It also has a full oak top with oak lighting fixture. He used it to raise carniverous plants at one time.

So, nows my questions as part of my research:

1) Should I install a false bottom since I want a nice water feature?

2) I plan on setting this up similiar to the blackjungle tall one and will follow a lot of the advice there. But, is that the best setup?

3) What type of lighting will I ultimately need for this given the height?

4) Will heating the water raise the internal temperature signficantly?

My main goal is to have this system take care of itself as much as possible. I know that with the larger systems they will become more stable then smaller ones and that is my goal here. I know my reptiles/amphib so no issues there.

Any other thoughts or suggestions? I would like to start purchasing items in about a month once my research is done so this will certainly be a long process! Thanks for the help!

Griz

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Comments (4)

garyfla_gw
18 years ago
Griz
Sounds like it will be a great setup. I think most people start out with too small a unit which is much more limiting and IMO harder to maintain.
A separate sump is probably the best way to setup water features but a false bottom is more than adequet. The great part about them is they are failure proof.
You mention reps and amphibs so assume it's being setup for animals?? Design everything around their needs
Probably Metal Halide lights are the only type that will have enough punch for that depth. In most cases they provide more than enough heat,Usually too much.
The "Black jungle' seems like an excellant method
for a "lowland tropical" setup. Certainly a good way to start out.
Hope we get to see some pix!!!
Gary
dragonthoughts
18 years ago
Lucky you.
Although if you do plan on putting animals in it. it is no longer a terrarium but a vivarium. Like Gary said, design it for the animals. You can live with it if it doesn't suit your needs, they can't.
I also would probably go with a sump feature and a MH light. Look over the link below, I know it's been posted many times before but there is a reason for that.

Here is a link that might be useful: The best link I've seen for this.
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sahoyaref
18 years ago
Hey, I was also going to post the poison-frogs link! =) Great minds think alike. . .

First of all, I want that tank! You shouldn't let your inexperience worry you, as terrariums are quite forgiving, and even if you don't have a green thumb, plants love terrariums (as long as you choose the right plants). I would read over many of the old posts on this forum, and you will find lots of info. on backgrounds, plants, substrates, animals, lighting, fans, etc.

I would go with a metal halide, but you will need to have a piece of glass or plexi between it and the tank, and you will need fans in the lighthood to help vent the heat, as well as fans inside the tank to circulate the air. Most plants can take more heat when they have air movement. Hot leaves lead to leaf burn, not just a lot of light. And, of course, you will need to place high light plants nearer the light, and low-light plants nearer the bottom of the tank. Oh yeah, and you won't need a water heater, because the lights will heat the tank sufficiently.

A false bottom is a great way to go. Just make sure you make it deep enough (to cover your pump with room to spare).

I don't really like the way the Black Jungle set-up looks, so personally, I wouldn't do that, but there is lots of inspiration out there for you. Just Google Wild Sky Vivariums and check out the link below. The dutch are quite famous for their stunning vivs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dutch Vivs
deadhamster
18 years ago
I am quite happy with my MH bulb myself, it lights my tank well, though it might have been worth it for me to get a 400 watt instead of a 250 watt (my viv is 6 feet tall). The MH bulb will definitly give you enough heat if you pipe the bulbs radiant heat back into the tank. I did this with mine using aluminium laundry venting, a 120mm AC fan and some chrome fan grills. See these pics for a reference if you like. I would think a 175 watt MH would be good, maybe a 250 watt. If you are really desperate for some heat, you could put the ballast against the side of the plexi. I find my ballast is dangerously hot most of the time, more than 2 seconds or so and I have to pull my hand away fast. It heats a reasonable portion of my aluminium frame.

http://img103.exs.cx/gal.php?g=img03068yv.jpg

And I got my MH bulb, fixture and ballast seperately from the horticulture section on this site:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/

-DH