Iguanarium

dcrouse087 · #1 07-23-2009, 11:47 PM

Hey, Im new to this site and vivariums in general. I own an Iguana who lives in a custom 30gal tank with an extension i made out of wood and plexiglass to double the size of his cage. Well i've been doing research and gathering ideas to spice up his cage and make it more realistic looking and eventually have a paludarium setup with fish for him (or her, too young to tell). I plan on doing a step by step guide like some of you on here already. I noticed not too many people have vivariums for iguanas (probly cause they need big enclosures and its more then most people want to do) and no one ive seen has a tank with fish and non-amphibious herp combined. So far i got a whisper 20i for the filter, and the LECA.I have plans for a stream with small waterfall. Construction should start in a couple of days when i get the drift wood. I have a rough design already but i need to lay out the wood and see exact sizes and such. Keep in mind I am not building a new tank, the tank i have is occupied by my iguana so it will make things a little more difficult and a bit more of a time crunch and he will grow out of this tank quicker then one might think so i cant get to in depth because i will be building a new tank in a year or so. I have never done a realistic looking vivarium before so Wish me luck. -Dallas

beckdg · #2 07-24-2009, 09:56 PM

to start off welcome to the site and good luck on your venture.

now to offer insight. a few good reasons people don't often create vivs for iguanas. 1 they are plant he!!. they are very much into eating plant matter and with their size can trash most house plants fairly easily just slouching around let alone tail whips. the double whammy! one reason people don't often mix iguanas is not because of aggression. it's because they are delicate when it comes to disease. for this reason it is commonplace to feed babies and/or juvies a small portion of feces preferably from a wild caught adult to boost it's immune system (inoculation). this could prove to be he!! on the fish.

if you understand the risks and take the precautions i see no reason why it won't work. a baby will be much easier to accommodate, especially plant wise.

Lasher · #3 07-25-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beckdg

it's because they are delicate when it comes to disease. for this reason it is commonplace to feed babies and/or juvies a small portion of feces preferably from a wild caught adult to boost it's immune system (inoculation).

Thats a new one on me.
The purpose of feeding healthy adult fecal matter to juvenilles is to deposit beneficial digestive bacteria to colonise the gut of the juvenille.

beckdg · #4 07-25-2009, 12:28 PM

as far as i see (i could be wrong) it's done for both purposes. also it has been stated that it may not be necessary at all for digestive purposes. another thing i've come across is it's been stated that the digestive (?enzimes?) can be added with yogurt cultures.

as far as i see it inoculation is the only logical reason for sticking with poo.

Google

please correct me if i am totally out there on this one and provide a source or decent explanation that will make me understand completely.

dcrouse087 · #5 07-26-2009, 03:48 PM

Alright thanks for the tip. I started doing some foam sculpting for the river while i wait on the rest of my supplies. Im not sure the best route to go on covering the foam. Im going to put the aquarium gravel siliconed to the river bed but every where else that is exposed i think i will do the eco-earth coco substrate cause thats what i use is his tank now. I tested the eco-earth on a little scrap of foam to see how it it comes out once its fully cured. I would rather do some type of mortar or cement based rock like covering so it looks more natural. I might get some pictures up in a little bit on the progress.

dcrouse087 · #6 07-26-2009, 04:07 PM

Because i had to build this outside of the tank its going in, i made a cardboard mock up the same size. I wrapped the filter in waxpaper and sprayed wd40.

I carved out most of the foam where the water will be hoping it wont float. i dont want to have to glue or silicone it to the bottom cause i dont want anything permanent. althought I could always make up the legs of pvc or something instead.

Then im waiting on the gravel for the river bed so i just did a first coat of silicone so i can run the filter and see how the water flows but yeah, Heres the pics...

happy toad · #7 07-27-2009, 02:10 PM

Good for you trying to a spice up an iguana enclosure, you don't it to often.

Is the black silicone area going to be the river? If so, you might want to think about giving it a little more slope so the water flows better and look more natural. For the river, the gravel/sand combo will look good. For the land I like the grout idea, makes it more washable. Here's a link which talks about making grout landscapes for lizards:
Lizard care, and fake rock wall landscapes

Good luck!

dcrouse087 · #8 07-27-2009, 03:29 PM

Yeah thats the river area. I carved the river with a pitch to it so even though the foam looks almost level then actual river bed is pitched more then that and with the water test the water didnt leak over the sides or anything.
Im reconfiguring the filter/pump to save some floor space and to completely hide it. im just keeping the pump and the filter pieces of the whisper 20i and making the body out of a snap top water tight tupperware container so i can still change the filter when i need to ill take pics when its done.

I sketched up a design to give you all a better understanding of my design process and i included a pic of his tank now.

beckdg · #9 07-27-2009, 05:34 PM

looks good... great ideas. i wanna see the finished product. better yet stick around and do a build thread when you do the big one... that would be nice!

dcrouse087 · #10 07-28-2009, 07:03 PM

I got this pink styrofoam that is compacted for perimeter insulation on building foundations. Its more dense then the great stuff and even the normal white packing type. This is i deal when using a cement like coating because flexing makes the cement crack. Im probly redoing the stream bed in the pink stuff cause it came out so much better.

I used a hammer claw on the edges and a stiff wire brush to shape and scuff up the foam so the cement grabs the pores of the styrofoam.

You can see the background foam also. I used a product that is waterproof when cured i cant remember the name because i got it for free but its similar to the grout or mortar process others have used. I just used a latex glove to spread it out and fill any cracks then blotted it to give it more texture. I used silicone and screws to hold the ledges on. I used about 3 screws on each, one straight in on the middle and the other 2 are angled towards the center so they are fighting each other as they try to pull away from the wall.

Let me know if anyone sees any problems with my filter design.I assume just rearranging the filters orientation wont change its filtering capabilities. Any insight is helpful seeing this is my first build. The entire height is less then 4 inches and will be fully submerged in the water and not sticking out and 1, taking up more space from my Iguana both laterally and vertically. and 2 i dont have to try to blend it into the landscape like before. I just need to get a hose to feed the water from the outlet on the filter to the water bowl at the top of the stream. alright thats it for now... - Dallas