First Attempt at Vivarium Build for Chameleon

[timmac69]

So...I had this great idea to spend a weekend building a Vivarium for my daughter's Chameleon..and then stumbled upon these threads and soon found myself constructing a 1.5 month build. It turned out well, given the many challenges I was faced with. Chameleons require high humidity which is hard to achieve in a all-screened enclosure. Adversely, a glass tank maintains high humidity levels, yet does not provide the ventiliation. I decided to combine the two designs for the best of both worlds. It is about 6 months after first getting the tank running....

[timmac69]

I began with a 55 glass aquarium and had taken a great deal of time in mapping out my design in advance, including construction materials, curing times, waterfall placement and circulation of water, false bottom, hiding pump and heater,lighting, etc. The waterfall and faux rock wall are carved foam covered in 3 layers of QuikCrete and took weeks to cure properly...so much for my weekend project...HA! I found the perfect Grapewood branch that will provide climbing access to what will soon become the Chameleon penthouse addition which our lizard requires since she is arboreal (and will also provide adequate ventilation). The pump/water heater are hidden in the back corner and a fake tree root will provide a means for the circulated water to return to the filter to be pumped back to the top of the waterfall.

[timmac69]

Expanding foam cures inert, but given it will be submerged in water, I had to apply it in layers, allowing each layer to effectively cure (1 week each) before applying the next layer. I also used a toothpick to poke holes in the skin, allowing the foam underneath to get exposure to the air and cure more effectively. The foam anchors the false bottom, tree branch, and waterfall and will also provide the background for the foliage above the waterline. Everything below the waterline will be covered in clear silicone after everything is cured. I created a gap in the foam to gain access to the false bottom for planting just above the waterline with marginal plants and moses. The foam covered the filter/heater area, but a false top will still allow easy access for cleaning, adjustments in pump flow, etc. There are also 3" pots set (with drainage tubes to prevent oversaturation of roots) for future planting once the build is complete. The waterfall flows into a cave that will soon house the ultrasonic mister. A stream runs along the back wall and flows into a turtle pond. A return current will flow along the front glass, through the tree roots and return to the hidden pump for re-circulation.

[timmac69]

The custom top addition is fabricated from egg crate and is painted black to match the tank frame. It provides necessary ventilation for the Chameleon, as well as climbing space that she needs. I applied foam and planting pots up here as well to tie it into the lower area. It is easily removed for maintenance and takes a standard 20 gallon screened hood to cover it. Then came the application of the background. This took quite some time to complete, and again, time to cure, as it was applied with caulk that is toxic when first applied. My design is finally starting to take shape (and long after this build had initially begun...this takes more patience than I usually have)!

[timmac69]

Here is the design with addition added and background now applied. I added some moss to help retain humidity levels in between mistings and after 1.5 months of building and curing time, I am finally ready to begin adding some plants. I purchased some of them from my local Home depot, so as the build was taking shape, I repotted the plants in my own soil and allowed 5 weeks (in a separate enclosure) for any undesireable pesticides to leech out of the roots, stems and leaves before repotting into the enclosure. ( I should add that the majority of this build took place in my basement, but the tank now sits upstairs in my living room....can you imagine if the tank broke on its way upstairs after 1.5 months of blood, sweat and tears??!!)

[timmac69]

The waterfall feature worked perfectly, with the stream aptly containing the water flow as it feeds into the turtle pond and returning back to the pump with no problems. The water feature ran for approximately 3 weeks with many water changes performed to ensure the PH levels returned to a constant once the Quikcrete had leeched into the water. The PH is now a constant 7.1 and sustains the clown loach, black sharks and turtle. The water temperature is maintained at 76 degrees which is acceptable for the fish (which have lived in there for several months already). The Chameleon is quite happy and uses her free reign of the enclosure, spending days in the glass level where it is a bit warmer and more humid, and eating/sleeping up above in the egg crate addition at night. Her color changes from green with red spots in the lower area to brown with orange spots when she is against the soil backdrop up above. A ceramic heater and halogen light up top provide day/evening heat and UVB/full spectrum lighting is provided thoroughout to encourage plant growth and the lizard's requirements. I have Exoterra humidity/temperature gauges in both the lower glass area as well as the higher egg crate addition to monitor fluxuations/differences. A jungle vine runs from the base of the waterfall along the full length of the aquarium, and then up to the top of the addition, providing the lizard and easy path to all parts of the encolosure. The plants are thriving, although I have replaced a few in trying to determine what looks best in there. Since Chameleons do not recognize standing water, the waterfall is perfect for her to drink from and she visits frequently. She eats super mealworms, Phoenix worms and the occasional pinkie as a treat. She eats from my hand, but there is a also a small bird cage feeder for her to eat from.

[timmac69]

Peace Lilly was the only water plant I could add in the pond area, as anything smaller gets mistaken as a salad by the baby red ear slider turtle (the only other inhabitant I could put in with the Chameleon, as they both stay to their designated turf and do not interfere with one another). There are now several mosses thriving below the suspended plants. I also added a ExoTerra Monsoon 400 rainmaker that works great in this space. The two nozzles both point in the same direction, with each covering 50% of the length of the tank. The plants receive a fine mist 2x's each day for 1.5 minutes each (which also helps to replace water otherwise lost via evaporation, given the rain is drawn from a separate source) and the lights are on a day/night cycle which has the Chameleon on a very regular sleep schedule. I can't believe this project actually turned out as I initially envisioned it in the early designing phase. So many things could have gone wrong, but I think taking the time to plan ahead before beginning the build (as well as reading all of the extremely helpful threads on this site) really helped me avoid unnecessay problems. So far, so good....

[timmac69]

Here, you can see the fog the ultrasonic mister rolls along the back stream and across the turtle pond. It helps keep the mosses moist since they do not receive the full affect of the misters above through the suspended foliage above them. It gives the impression of a morning mist over a pond in the early morning hours. The fogger and Monsoon rainmaker even came with a remotes, allowing us to activate them from the comfort of our sofa....very cool! Thanks to everyone who posted threads on this site to help newbies like me do things correctly the first go 'round. Much appreciated!!

[fallenangelfyre]

i would love to see the pics. the way you have them attached, we can't click on them or enlarge them in any way, & they are too small to see any detail at all in.

[timmac69]

I had a problem uploading the pics, as there is a size restriction on this site. Can anyone help me share the pictures in a larger format?