# How can I make a Vivarium suitable?



## Duncan70 (Jul 25, 2011)

Hi there,

Basically, I pan to purchase a new, larger vivarium that I will be keeping Flower Beetles in. Now I will have to keep the substrate moist and it will be a constant humidity of around 80. 

However I don't have the funds to buy a glass vivarium of any real size and I intend to keep a fairly large colony of them. So I would like some help on making a vivarium such as this:

Vivexotic Products - LX range, ellmau beech, winchester oak and tobacco walnut LX24, LX36 and LX48 vivariums. Housing for small terrestrial reptiles including lizards and snakes.

( The LX48 ) suitable for this task. If not that exact vivarium, one very similar.

I have searched on here about it but the results vary so I wanted some opinions! It would seem that good idea would be to line the bottom of the tank with pond liner and then spray / paint the rest of the inside with some kind of waterproofing chemical - is this the best way to go about it? Would it even work with a vivarium such as this?

I appreciate the help!


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## JRUD96 (Oct 24, 2011)

Seal it with an aquarium sealant thats what i did with my vivexotic vivs. Also this website is the cheapest I have seen and has free postage. VivExotic LX 48 Vivarium

To get the silicon; Aquarium Silicon Sealer 25g 

:2thumb:


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## JRUD96 (Oct 24, 2011)

O yeah and you won't need to use any chemicals or liners with this.:2thumb:


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

Evan with it being sealed with aquarium sealant moisture *will* get in it will just take longer. 

You can use pond liner and cover the inside with it but it's expensive. The best way is to glass line it (covering all the sides with glass) but again this costs lots. If you pop down to B&Q and see how much some perspex is you can use that to seal the inside, the only other cheap method is yacht varnishing it.




JRUD96 said:


> O yeah and you won't need to use any chemicals or liners with this.:2thumb:


Aquarium sealent around the joints will not stop all moisture getting in.


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## Duncan70 (Jul 25, 2011)

Cheers for the reply mate!

I actually have that site bookmarked haha it's so very cheap compared to some other sites!

I have heard from people that a vivarium like that would eventually get destroyed by the humidity, warping and such. Do you think that is not the case then? The larvae also like to eat through rotting wood so I'm not sure if they would like to give the sides a try?


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

JRUD96 said:


> I have heard from people that a vivarium like that would eventually get destroyed by the humidity, warping and such. Do you think that is not the case then? The larvae also like to eat through rotting wood so I'm not sure if they would like to give the sides a try?


This is true, if a viv is not sealed correctly high humidity will eventually cause it to rot.

The cheapest method of sealing a viv properly is to yacht varnish the inside.


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## tippypilot (Dec 9, 2011)

*pond liner*



fardilis said:


> Evan with it being sealed with aquarium sealant moisture *will* get in it will just take longer.
> 
> You can use pond liner and cover the inside with it but it's expensive. The best way is to glass line it (covering all the sides with glass) but again this costs lots. If you pop down to B&Q and see how much some perspex is you can use that to seal the inside, the only other cheap method is yacht varnishing it.
> 
> ...


 i got pond liner on my ebay watch list at mo as found somewhere who cuts it off the roll for 99p for 1x1 metre


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

tippypilot said:


> i got pond liner on my ebay watch list at mo as found somewhere who cuts it off the roll for* 99p for 1x1 metre*



Now that's just too cheap.


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## Duncan70 (Jul 25, 2011)

Because the vivarium is so cheap I don't mind paying for the pond liner for the inside. Is the yacht varnish not harmful to living things (provided you let it air out for long enough)?

I would love for you to send me a link to the pond liner though, it would be very useful for some cheap stuff!

What would be the best way to attach the pond liner to the inside of the vivarium?

Cheers!


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## OrigamiB (Feb 19, 2008)

Don't use pond liner on wooden vivs, if you don't seal it down properly it will have the complete opposite effect. Any moisture which is trapped below the liner, or if there is any access for water to get in it will rot your viv even quicker and the worst thing is that you can't see the damage until it's too late with pond liner. I've seen a few threads/posts on here from people who really regret pond lining there viv.

Once you've gone through all the faff of building/lining your viv for a humid species you will wish you just bought a glass viv or aquarium  you can get cheap second hand aquariums which are great for beetles and can be used with little to no modification at all


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

Duncan70 said:


> Is the yacht varnish not harmful to living things (provided you let it air out for long enough)?


Once the varnish has dried completly it is safe for reptiles.


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## Duncan70 (Jul 25, 2011)

I do see your point about the pond liner and I would be very hesitant to put anything in there if there was a chance it would rot away quickly!

Unfortunately glass vivariums are just so expensive and I never see any for sale second-hand in my local area (they are very heavy and rarely offered for posting).

So it would seem yacht varnish is a good option? Provided I coat it well enough and give it enough time to dry out and air out the fumes, would this make it totally humidity/waterproof to be able to remain humid and hold moist substrate?


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

Duncan70 said:


> So it would seem yacht varnish is a good option? Provided I coat it well enough and give it enough time to dry out and air out the fumes, would this make it totally humidity/waterproof to be able to remain humid and hold moist substrate?


Yep, yacht varnish once fully set is 100%waterproof.


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## MartinMc (May 19, 2011)

Speak to a local glazier and see about availability/price of 4mm toughened glass and make your own to exact sizes. I was about 10 quid for 2 bits roughly 2.5ft x 1.5ft. Then you just need some silicon and some patiance:2thumb:


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## tippypilot (Dec 9, 2011)

Duncan70 said:


> Because the vivarium is so cheap I don't mind paying for the pond liner for the inside. Is the yacht varnish not harmful to living things (provided you let it air out for long enough)?
> 
> I would love for you to send me a link to the pond liner though, it would be very useful for some cheap stuff!
> 
> ...


 eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace


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## tippypilot (Dec 9, 2011)

sorry as done link its 1.99 not 99p lol you was right to cheap lol was going to get for my next viv build


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

tippypilot said:


> eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace





tippypilot said:


> sorry as done link its 1.99 not 99p lol you was right to cheap lol was going to get for my next viv build


It's £1.99 but then £6.00 postage! So it's really £8.00


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## Duncan70 (Jul 25, 2011)

Cheers for all the help guys!

As the vivarium won't be "wet" anywhere, I guess that I won't really need pond liner as long as I cover the inside with the correct varnish!

I have found this and wonder if it will be sufficient:

Aerosol Spray Yacht Varnish Clear Gloss Exterior Wood | eBay

If this all works then it will save me a HUGE amount of money, rather than buying a glass vivarium!


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## nick gilchrist (Oct 16, 2008)

There is an alternative way of waterproofing the inside of a wooden vivarium, by using UPVC Tongue and Groove cladding. often seen on garage doors etc and shed roofs. it is relatively cheap..well as the interior of a 4ft viv wouldnt use much as they come in lengths up to 8ft long and range from 4-6" wide. As it is effectively plastic its waterproof once locked into place..simply remove the top and bottom front plinths of the vivarium.so its a basic box shape . then cut the bottom lengths and ceiling lengths first..fix in place using silicon sealer..then do the sides in the same way. once all area is covered, you can get L shaped edging which covers the joins. silicon seal this and finally just before you fit the front pieces back in place cut a piece of cladding that will fit onto the inside of these.
ET VOILA! A waterproof interior.


ps to ensure complete waterproof seal. when slotting in the tongue into the groove on each piece. apply silicon along the length of the groove. The most important thing is to ensure that all areas internally are covered, should you wish to apply vents. this can be done in the normal manner. but cut the shape through the cladding after its in place and silicone is dry..also seal vents as well/

Another alternative is to purchase a cheap 2nd hand 4ft x 18 x 18 0R 4ft x15 x 15 glass aquarium. tip it on its side. using a stanley blade cut along the silicon holding the 2 glass strips that hold the canopy in place..then remove these. then get a larger strip of glass cut measuring about 3" high by the width of the tank. and also top and bottom glass runners, fix the runners into place along top and bottom. and sides as well..cut 2 glass sliding doors to fit into these. and finally fix the 3" glass strip directly behind the glass runners by dropping it into a single glass track runner you fit directly behind the door runners supported by 2 x 3" track pieces running vertically..now you have a glass vivarium with a substrate retainer.


or....do none of this....get a hamster!

: victory:


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## Duncan70 (Jul 25, 2011)

nick gilchrist said:


> There is an alternative way of waterproofing the inside of a wooden vivarium, by using UPVC Tongue and Groove cladding. often seen on garage doors etc and shed roofs. it is relatively cheap..well as the interior of a 4ft viv wouldnt use much as they come in lengths up to 8ft long and range from 4-6" wide. As it is effectively plastic its waterproof once locked into place..simply remove the top and bottom front plinths of the vivarium.so its a basic box shape . then cut the bottom lengths and ceiling lengths first..fix in place using silicon sealer..then do the sides in the same way. once all area is covered, you can get L shaped edging which covers the joins. silicon seal this and finally just before you fit the front pieces back in place cut a piece of cladding that will fit onto the inside of these.
> ET VOILA! A waterproof interior.
> 
> 
> ...


I do appreciate your reply mate, very detailed and very helpful! Although I have to say a hamster would be a lot less effort, it just wouldn't be the same : P

Unfortunately I don't have any tools or space to do any kind of DIY, and no car to transport and buy the glass for things like this, and money is not in huge supply!

Which is why I figured buying a cheap wooden vivarium and spending a little on some varnish might be the best idea for me in all aspects - provided the yacht varnish (and aquarium sealant) will be enough to keep the vivarium from rotting away eventually due to the moist substrate and humidity!


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