# Black jungle viv finished!



## Graffen (Jul 29, 2008)

Here is my new viv built from scratch. It is a construction by the german herpetologist Stettler. I made it as an experiment for a larger viv I´m about to build.








Another angle...








Would gladly reply to questions about the construction. I have more photos of the build but haven´t got to put them up yet.


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## Axel01 (Jun 14, 2008)

Right Ho.

Usual questions

who lives in there?

Whats going on at the bottom the tube & spiral wrapping?

How big is it.

Looks great my mossies would love it. If it had a bit more swimming space


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## Monkreadusuk (Sep 27, 2008)

That looks awsome, just what im looking to build for my Frilled Dragons, only i'm looking at a 7ft high one. Can I ask how you made the rock face at the back, and are all those plants real? or fake?

Many Thanks,


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I am assuming that tubing is some sort of misting system.
It looks great i hope all the plants thrive.
Marina


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## Graffen (Jul 29, 2008)

Axel01 said:


> Usual questions
> 
> who lives in there?
> 
> ...





> Can I ask how you made the rock face at the back, and are all those plants real? or fake?


I built it for my Jungle-carpet male, 2 years old and 1 meter long.
The size of the viv is 45x45x90 cm wich is quite suitable for an arboreal snake of his size. 
The construction principle is as follow:









The spiral you see in the photo is the heat-cable.
And the construction of the background is as these pics will show:








I started with the sides and spread a layer of black silicone (aquarium use) on the areas where the backdrop would be.








Then i glued some cypress roots and flower pots on the backside with silicone. When it had set I filled in the gaps with expandable foam. When cured I carved and sanded it to shape.








Then came the fun part. Spread black silicone sealant on the foam with your hand (use latex gloves) in small areas due to the fast skinning of the sealant. When wet apply the material of your choice, coco-bedding or as i used: Orchid soil ( Sphagnum, barch and humus) pad it down good in the sealant so it wont come loose.
Continue until all of the backdrop is finished:








The finished result before planting. I use ground-cloth on top of the Leca I use as drainage over the bassin. Drill some holes under the pots so the water can drain out.
To place the temp-sensor, cut a slit in the background and insert it and then smear some sealant on top with some bedding. That way it isn´t glued in the backdrop, so you can pull it out from beneath if you have to.








This is what it looks like when all the plants are planted where they should be. All plants are real and should thrive with the "warm feet" they now have. 
I have test run my viv now for 36 hours and the results looks good.
75% humidity and a constant temp of 29 degrees celsius without the thermostat plugged in :2thumb:.


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## Graffen (Jul 29, 2008)

I noticed to my bliss that the Spanish moss is turning green and seems to be alive, wich is not something that happens everytime.


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## butterfingersbimbo (Jan 26, 2008)

wow :2thumb:


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## Graffen (Jul 29, 2008)

A pic of my red hypo Carpet "Hephaistos" who is the lucky inhabitant of the new Viv.








:2thumb:


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

looks mint well done


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## Graffen (Jul 29, 2008)

A small update.
Three years have passed since I built my viv (time really flies!!).
It has worked as a charm since day one! I have a pic taken today that shows how it looks now:








Will install a rain system in ALL my vivs. :2thumb:
It will be fun to see how that works in this one as well.


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## jimmythetramp (Jul 6, 2009)

Graffen said:


> A small update.
> Three years have passed since I built my viv (time really flies!!).
> It has worked as a charm since day one! I have a pic taken today that shows how it looks now:
> image
> ...


simply breathtaking and a truly inventive was of setting up the environment for your snake, congratulations and keep up the good work :no1:


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## Graffen (Jul 29, 2008)

Thanks! :blush:
I invested in a reverse osmosis filtration system today, so maybe it will be easier to keep the glasses clean....As it is now, I have to clean them thorougly once every 3 months...
But darned, those osmosis things are expensive....:gasp: 
but it will be worth it when I will get a Exo-terra Monsoon system, and wont have it stop working due to scaling..... :2thumb:


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