# NEW - Artificial Planted Leo Viv



## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

I just finished building my artifical planted Leo viv, and wondered what you all thought. The build incorporates two UTH heating approx. one half of the tank. These easily slide in/out through holes I cut into the back of the viv. The viv has 4 hides for my Leo's, 3 dry and one wet. Two fans were installed, one sucking and one blowing. There are 2 compact lights running 12 hrs a day. One is a 10000k blue and the other is a 6500k sun. When these turn off, 4 blue LED's kick in to give a nice moonlight effect. There are 4 thermometer probes, one in each hide, giving a gradient in the tank from left to right: 22c, 31c, 32c, 21c.

The viv houses 3 females - 1 x Albino Bell, 1 x Normal & 1 x Mack Snow.

Here are some pics :2thumb:


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## Mik3F (Feb 6, 2010)

very nice


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## trw (Mar 2, 2009)

looks exellent. how do you get into the cave to clean?


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## dmiles310 (May 1, 2009)

very impressed.


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## JoeR (Dec 24, 2009)

Very nice


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Thanks guys :smile:

@trw
If you look closely, each hide has a lid which lifts off. Then I give each hide a quick hoover, wipe down and pop the lids back on.


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Hey mate,

Looks very good : victory:

One question though, how/why did you put all the pics horizontally?


:lol2:

Jay


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Thanks Jay

I have no idea, I just pasted URL's in and they turned out that way.

How's your planted leo viv doing? Any advice on other plants?


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

A few of India, our Albino Bell.


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Doing well thanks, The air plant has had it (didn't realise where they came from till I put it in :bash, and the succulent at the front has been trampled near to death!!

But apart from that...:lol2:

I will be posting an update in the next few days to show how things are doing, and to show that my little girl hasn't gone blind, or melted under the lights : victory:

As for your's, I think you've got it covered in the plant department : victory:

Jay


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## trw (Mar 2, 2009)

how have you gotten the rocks to look that way? are they grouted? and what plant is the one like grass?


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## Ch+Stewie (Sep 19, 2009)

This looks great... how did you make it?? My boyfriend and I bought a Leo for his son at Christmas and he's always looking for new ideas to tart up the viv. I think he'd love something like this. Is it just a load of stuff covered in glue and sand stuck on?


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

WOW!!! My 2 girls want to know when they can move in? :lol2:. That is one hell of a viv for them, looks great. Love the lids on the hides, makes cleaning so much easier :2thumb:.


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

@Jay
Yep, would love to know how yours has progressed. I read that Air plants need a complete soaking once or twice a week. They need enough water on them to keep them wet for the whole day, but come evening they should have dried off. Mine seems to be doing well but who knows if it will last??

@trw
I mixed the grout really thick, and instead of painting it on, I smeared it on with a small palette knife. Only one coat was needed due to the thickness. After the grout had dried, I sealed with one coat of PVA. Finally, just one more coat of PVA was added and we sprinkled sand all over. We used a straw to blow sand into all the cracks and crevices. The grass like plant is Carex comans 'Frosted Curls' from New Zealand.

@Ch+Stewie
I started off with two large floor tiles on the base. I raised these off the floor with match sticks, just high enough so that I could slide heat mats under. I then cut two slots in the back of the viv so the mats could slide in/out should I need to replace them. I used a mixture of No More Nails and thick grout to hold them in place. One large sheet of polystyrene was stuck to the back with expanding foam, and interior walls of various heights on the floor. I then just went to town with the expanding foam filling in the gaps and creating a rock like surface. Yep, last of all PVA and sand.

@corny girl
Your two girls can come for a sleep-over anytime. There's lots of spare beds :2thumb:


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Pendragon said:


> I will be posting an update in the next few days to show how things are doing, and to show that my little girl hasn't gone blind, or melted under the lights : victory:


You got any updates yet Jay :whip:


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

:lol2:

Not yet, still deciding on what to do about the front succulent, should have something for the weekend...With luck : victory:

Jay


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Pendragon said:


> :lol2:
> 
> Not yet, still deciding on what to do about the front succulent, should have something for the weekend...With luck : victory:
> 
> Jay


Cool. I'm interested to see the progress mate.

My Carex grass, in the smaller pots, is fading 

Seems like I will need to water it every day to keep it going.

Succulents seem to go a whole week without watering though :2thumb:


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Yup, there are Carex grasses that work, and Carex grasses that don't...:whistling2:

:lol2:

I only use "Buchananii" and "Bronze Sedge" it lasts for ever, and I only water the ones in the pots every couple of weeks, the ones planted in the substrate never get watered!

Though saying that, I do have a different grass in my Hoggie viv (the two tall ones at the back left of the viv) no idea what it is, but it is still in pefect condition. Will post update on that viv to at the weekend too : victory:

Jay


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## Camuk (Mar 4, 2008)

Makes note, Carex grass, Totally the idea I have in my head. 

I need to build my living viv! Pen, can I be cheeky can you a quick look at my other thread and can I ask where does everyone get their plants from?

Garden centre
Dartfrog
Thompson & Morgan?


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Camuk said:


> Makes note, Carex grass, Totally the idea I have in my head.
> 
> I need to build my living viv! Pen, can I be cheeky can you a quick look at my other thread and can I ask where does everyone get their plants from?
> 
> ...


Worth taking note from Pendragon I think. His Carex seems more tolerant to heat than mine. Mine fades, but once watered comes back to life. Yeah try good garden centres. As soon as you mention a planted vivarium they seem really keen to help.


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## Roseanna (Apr 26, 2010)

that viv is looking ace. Good job :2thumb:


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Roseanna said:


> that viv is looking ace. Good job :2thumb:


Thanks Roseanna!

It took ages to do and I'm still tinkering with it now. I think the girls are very happy in there though :flrt:


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## Roseanna (Apr 26, 2010)

Sharkystar said:


> Thanks Roseanna!
> 
> It took ages to do and I'm still tinkering with it now. I think the girls are very happy in there though :flrt:


 No problem . i could imagine it took you ages! How long exactly? i'm rubbish with viv design, would love to really put some nice plants in and be more creative so i could design something as nice looking as yours : victory:. Yh i bet they're loving it :no1:


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

Roseanna said:


> No problem . i could imagine it took you ages! How long exactly? i'm rubbish with viv design, would love to really put some nice plants in and be more creative so i could design something as nice looking as yours : victory:. Yh i bet they're loving it :no1:


Well it took about a week to build, but I waited two weeks before I put the girls in. Left it drying in the sun for days to get rid of the fumes.

It's really not that hard to do, just a bit daunting first time you try it. I think if I did it again I would build it in sections outside the viv, then stick them in place when I was happy. The one thing I really wanted to get away from was the angular look a lot of artificial viv's have. By being less precise, and just slapping grout all over I think I got a nice natural look.

Still experimenting with plants - quite hard in an arid setup.


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## fionayee (May 1, 2009)

nice


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## Sharkystar (Apr 13, 2010)

fionayee said:


> nice


Thanks : victory:

Have you got your new Leo yet?


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