# Monster Viv Build Ver.2 iguana enclosure



## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

So with quarantine happening and a whole lot of time on my hands, i figured it was time to update my iguanas enclosure!!
Just over 5 years ago, i designed and built my first enclosure, which was a mammoth task for someone who has never built anything before in there life!!!
I brought you guys a long on that journey and i figured i would do the same with this one!!
Here is the link to my first build if anyone is interested...
https://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/1070397-first-build-ever-iguana-enclosure.html

The first thing i set about doing was creating a list of all the things that went wrong/could be improved upon from my first attempt.
1.size
2.waterproofness
3.moveability (trying to move house with the first enclosure was a disaster!! with a whole 2 days needed for just this viv!)
4.Water!

With this very basic list i started teaching myself to use sketch up to create a mock up of my design. i cant show the design i'm afraid as my subscription to sketch up has expired :blush:

However with my design in mind i set about ordering the first batch of wood. (little did i know i would be waiting 4 weeks for delivery!)
I also bought i mitre saw, as cutting all the timber by hand last time was not very fun :lol2:

So with a very long wait looming i decided to make a grouted tree to go in the middle of the viv.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

First step was to cut the insulation foam to the rough size of the tree i was creating which was about 6ft tall, next i had to glue the sheets together and care a 10cm square out of the middle, this is to sit around the centre post of the new viv design, it will make more sense when the viv is built :2thumb:
Because this was going around a post, it had to be created in 2 halves.



The next task was to round of the edges using a knife to be more like a trunk



And then to add some roots to the front, there was no point adding them to the rear as this wont be visible



Next was the slow and very tedious job of drawing on and carving out the 'bark'
The best was i found to carve the foam was with rolled tubes of sandpaper.
And with a lot of patience and a little help from my other half, the form was complete



Then 4 layers of grout was applied, conveniently in brown! :2thumb:



And a touch of acrylic paint to help define the shadows and the bark pieces a bit better.



Last on the list for this project was to seal it using a varnish, i opted for a low voc floor varnish as this would be harder wearing hopefully. i applied 5 layers in total.



and after a couple of weeks building, the tree was complete: victory:


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

A few weeks later...
And the structural wood, screws, clamps and the mitre saw had arrived.

And boy was i scared to use this thing!! (also completely underestimated this mess this would make in my flat)



But within minutes i had all of my structural timber cut down to size.
And i then had to try and fashion a workbench in my lounge which was not fun to say the least!!
one glass coffee table and a sheet of plywood later i had a flat space that i could clamp thing to...

Construction then started on a basic wooden frame...



And with the help of my little buddy,


i copied it 4 times to create the final shell of the enclosure.



The viv was built in 4 section so that i can easily be moved as the sections can be taken apart and fit through a doorway, To help with moving if that should ever be required, i added a total of 16 castors to the base of the 4 sections. so it can be wheeled around


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

I the set about getting the plywood exterior ordered and trying to find someone who could cut it to size for me.
Without access to a table saw and having seen the mess the mitre saw made i didn't want to cut it inside...

While that was on order boredom kicked in again, and it was time to upgrade my ball python to a biaoctive set-up finally!! SO off to the shops i went to get a new exo terra and all the necessities...
i think it turned out great!





And of course it wouldn't be complete without indulging in a new Arcadia Jungle Dawn BAR. Which is amazing to say the least!!


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

The next stage was to prime and paint the frame and then to do the all important test of whether or not my custom tree would fit!!



To my amazement.... it did!!: victory:

And also, you may have notice that my sofa shrunk in these photos... thats because it did, i had to throw away half of it in order to fit this viv in this room


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Finally all but 2 sides of the plywood had arrived :no1:
Although it did cost a fortune as it was very important that all pieces were only connected to there corresponding box so that at any point they can be disconnected and transported with ease. this meant a total of 9 8x4 sheets were required. and i decided to go with 12mm ply as this is plenty strong with the framed structure.

Getting all of this up to the 8th floor was not fun!!

But eventually i managed to and the framing began... I measured so that an overlap could occur at the top in oder to hide any electronics and the misting system.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

I then spent the best part of a day, Filling in all of the screw holes with wood filler, to give a seamless furniture style to the outside.

All of the plywood edges also needed to be coved with pollyfilla in order to give a better appearance and an easier time when painting them.

Followed by sanding... a lot of sanding...


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Next came priming and painting while i waited for my final 2 sides to arrive,

And i severely underestimated the quantity of paint and prime i needed!!

I used a basic wood primer, and an emulsion from wilko's (the only shop in walking distance that was open)
They also had a lot of paint rollers that were very cheap and allowed the laziness within myself to come out meaning instead of washing them up every-time i ended up just buying new ones.





In total it took 2 coats of primer and 4 coats of emulsion both inside and out.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Next, it was time for some shelves to add some dimensions and more usable area to the enclosure

A large basking platform was made on the right back quarter with a cutout for the tree




This was positioned 24'' away from the top to allow the optimum distance form the lamps that will be used. which remind me... i need lamps.

So i decided to enact a favourite hobby of mine... reptile shopping.
I knew what i wanted and it was just a matter of finding it, I needed 3 arcadia dome fixtures to be placed on top of the basking platform.

By this point everyone is probably thinking, whats the deal with Arcadia?

Well to be honest nothing, apart from the fact that i have been using there products for years and they have never missed a beat.

More platforms were then created and it was starting to look a little more liveable for My Iguana Joey.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Thinking back to my initial mini list of things not to forget, water. i have not thought about water. So once again i head back to my local reptile/ aquatic store to buy a pond. None of the fancy shaped ponds were remotely rigid enough to not be buried so i had to settle for a rectangle one which is suitable to be freestanding.

The pond holds 227litres of water and should be plenty, for what is essentially a toilet :lol2:

Once this was home and measured, i created a box for it, and cut out a hole using a jigsaw 1'' from the outer dimensions and as if by magic, the guy who had never used a jigsaw before didn't mess it up and it fit!!:2thumb:

I also added some holes in the back panels for ventilation grilles to be attached


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Lastly to bring me up to date with where i am currently, i drilled some holes in the top from on the enclosure to hold my mistking nozzles.

The next step is to make this thing water tight, Last time i used yacht varnish, and it did its job, but wanted something a lot more heavy duty this time.
So i opted to try out G4 Pond Paint, so i ordered a 2.5kg tin online.
And as with most things on this project, i severely underestimated the amount i would need. So i currently sit here writing this whilst waiting for another tin to be delivered, However i did manage to seal the left half of the viv.






A word of warning about this stuff.... It smells, I mean it REALLY smells
Not the ideal solution when painting inside my flat. But we have to do what we have to do for the benefit of our animals. So with a mass headache and some very sore limbs half of it is watertight and ready to be used.

I applied a total of 3 coats, which took me a whole day, as this stuff is thick!
its ridiculously hard to apply especially as subsequent coats have to go on when the first coat is still tacky.

I will post another update, either when the rest of the G4 paint is here or when the acradia light domes arrive!:2thumb:

In the meantime i hope this has helped someone and if anyone has any question regarding building, ill do my best with my little experience to try and help.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

So its been a couple of weeks, and i have managed quite a bit of progress!!
The light domes arrived, and so i started by cutting out the appropriate sized holes using the jigsaw.
Once this was done i sealed the rest of the enclosure with the g4 pond sealant.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

It was then time to screw the 4 quarters together and assembled to there final shape (this bit proved tricky as the pond sealant was quite thick in spots and it unfortunately didn't line up how it did in the initial construction) But with a lot off time and patience, i got it as best as i could.

I want to protect from moisture as much as possible, so i opted to place a pond liner on the bottom of the enclosure. This proved harder than expected! Working with and cutting a 3m x 2m sheet was not easy especially the cutouts to go around the centre post. But getting one piece was vital so that it covered the seams of the quarters on the bottom.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

The next stage was artificial grass, as i find that it is nice and soft for the iggy but also provides enough grip on the ramps. A bonus is that its relatively cheap to replace in the future.

I did toy with the idea of making this enclosure bioactive, but i just wasn't ready to commit to such a huge expense, so maybe thats a future project.: victory:

In total i had to but 2(4mx1m) rolls of artificial grass with a 5 year guarantee and uv protected.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

I have been slowly ordering artificial plants, from various different websites to see which ones i prefer...


And i definitely thought that i had amassed enough to make a rainforest paradise!

But when i attached them inside the viv, i was massively disappointed, another thing that i have majorly underestimated. so i will be slowly (as they are not cheap!) ordering more and more and adding them in.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

The next stage was to install some spare 54w arcadia pro t5's that i had.
But it was yet more bad news... i cant believe i left it until now to measure whether they would fit! i just assumed they would.
The 54w fittings with the cable plugged in are about 1/2 inch too long to fit perfectly straight. The reason is because of the support beams on the roof.
I could angle them and fit them easily, however after having spent this much time and money to get everything perfect, i really wanted them hidden behind the centre supports.

So yet again, another trip to the reptile shop! I need a discount card by now!:lol2:

I bought two 14% 39w arcadia pro's and also placed an order for three 160w mega rays for the basking platform. I have tried the arcadia Mercury vapor bulbs a few times, and unfortunately its the only arcadia product that has let me down, they seem to burn out after only a few months.

I installed the pros, and was really happy with how flush they sit behind the centre supports.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

I plumbed in the Mist King, and a few leaks later, got that working like a dream.

But i was concerned, that the humidity would struggle in this enclosure, even with the massive pond.

So i ordered a humidifier online...


After trawling through b and q for some inspiration, i bought some supplies to plumb this into the viv. I needed 4m of 12.5mm tubing, some tube y connectors to split the flow and some weird silver disks which seemed to make nice nozzles and fit the tubing very snuggly






I ended up splitting the humidifier into 4 nozzles and drilled the holes for 2 under the basking lights and 2 above the pond. The tubing was inserted into the enclosure and attached to the silver ''nozzles'' which were glued in place.
I then used a hot glue gun to glue the humidifier to the tubing system.
And these were the results...







Overall i'm pleased with the results, maybe in the future i will use a bigger size tubing and adding another humidifier so that its not such narrow jets of humid air, but this is more for aesthetics than anything else.


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Next on my agenda is to get a fluval fx6, and plumb this into the pond to help with filtration. and also to buy some downlights to put in the front 2 quarters just for some more visual light. Does anyone know of any good downlights that are mains plug? i am struggling to find any apart form under counter ones which aren't recessed??


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## cyph3r_live (Jun 18, 2020)

Amazing, I'm building an enclosure as we speak. Love what you have done very similar to what I'm doing!


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## arwen_7 (Oct 21, 2009)

This is looking awesome, very well done! 

Why are you wanting to attach a fluval fx6 to the pool out of curiosity? It seems like a massive filter for a small body of water (with no life in it).


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## realisttt (Feb 23, 2015)

Thanks guys,

Well my initial plan was to attach a fluval FX4. the reasoning being that i needed a filter with large media baskets that can be stripped of biological media and simply use coarse mechanical foam in order to trap as much of the muck as possible. I also needed a filter with a high output in order to aggitate the water enough to break down some of the larger fecal pieces. Tie this with the larger 1'' hoses and i believe it should work. And lastly the fx line has the ability to drain through the bottom tap which is always going to be handy.
Then upon looking, the price difference between an FX4 and FX6 was so small it seems silly not to go for the larger one.

But i don't have much experience with filtering for lizards, so any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.:2thumb:


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