# Exo 3ft Crestie Build



## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

After about 3 years of deliberation I finally decided on keeping some rep's, at first I wanted a chameleon but changed my mind and ive decided to go for a couple of crested geckos.

Crested Gecko's can be kept in 45,45,60's but I've chose a 60,45,90 to offer the maximum amount of space I can provide these critters. 

This is my build thread, enjoy!



*29th November 2010*
Exo Terra arrives but with broken doors, bad luck but at least its not any of the bits which can't be replaced! Getting some new doors sent and should be here on the 2nd. 









With that I decided to move the viv around to see where I wanted it to eventually live, and took a pic for scale..

Godly Viv with a Godly Drink









Started on the take rock wall..









I'm using the normal Exo Terra one I got with and adding bits too it here and there. I've added a little bridge too! : victory:

Going to pick up some plant pots & plants tomorrow and hopefully get some more work done to it over the weekend before grouting & painting.


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

looks nice.

where did you get the doors from?


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

The shop I bought the viv from said they would send me new doors. Offered a whole new viv but I didn't want to take the risk of that one getting broken too.


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

*2nd December*

I was out, but my old dear was in to make sure the Viv doors got delivered today. 

Low and behold a whole new viv was delivered. My mother explained to the delivery man that it was another viv, as the other arrived broken. 
He goes to take the pallet out and the sound of glass is heard. The old dear refuses to take delivery and its marked as broken. 

Bad times. 

I picked up some plants today though, no one has those clay ball things in stock here so I might just use our drive way chippings. They look pretty nice so i reckon if I clean them up and boil them a few times they should be good to use. Picked up some peat free compost too....

I have a 

Dragon plant, Spider plant, Yellow Bromeliad, a "lucky" spiral bamboo shoot and a peperomia thingy. 

Need some idea's for something that will climb & spread. I can place "inside" the rock wall


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

*5th December*

Finished off putting down my polystyrene base with plant pots and my little bridge. Moved onto the expanding foam to give it a more natural look and get rid of most of the straight edges before work on grouting begins


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## justairplants (Mar 2, 2010)

ArranP said:


> *2nd December*
> 
> I picked up some plants today though, no one has those clay ball things in stock here so I might just use our drive way chippings. They look pretty nice so i reckon if I clean them up and boil them a few times they should be good to use. Picked up some peat free compost too....
> 
> ...


Hi,
For climbers try Pothos, Tradescantia and/or Ficus pumila.
Gill
Just Airplants
PS We sell hydroleca balls


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

*11th December 2011*

Finished painting the base layer of rock. The colour is "Payne's Grey" which I picked because, well its my surname ha! 

It looks very ominous sitting there however, hopefully the browns and greens for the detail will make it pop out a bit more than the huge lump of very dark blue/grey. 
It's still drying so the parts which look white on the photo are just the flash reflection. 

My Exo Terra canopy has arrived too which is nice. I can't seem to get it to sit snugly on the mesh lid though which is a tad annoying. The plants are inside the viv, keeping an average 50% humidity and drops to 16°C during the night without any heat sources. The 40w cermatic heater bulb I have, with the habistat should keep it up. I think I'll set the "hot end" to about 26°C and that should allow for a thermal gradient to allow the animals to thermo-regulate themselves. Moving from hot to cold ends to suit. 

The obligatory picture!











I'm also thinking about making the front of the viv a stream/water fall type deal. Here's a quick Paint mock-up.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/arranp/Exo.jpg


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

Looks cracking so far mate. I have a similar setup though 3ft long rather than wide, works well. Live plants and bioactive substrate an all that jazz, never have to do more than the odd spot clean on some of the bigger plant leaves. Cresties breed and babies hatch within the viv too. 

Have a wee look at (been going for about a year and a half). 

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat-pictures/578218-my-planted-crestie-setup-fake.html

And if you need any cresties then look here:whistling2:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-classifieds/776033-young-crested-geckos-3-months.html

Btw Poundland near me have broms in just now and pretty good quality.


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

Cheers! Its taking its time to come together but I hope it'll be worth it!

I might take you up on them if they're still around in the new year. Would need to know what sex they are though as I'm hoping to keep 2 or maybe 3 together. Probably only 2 though.


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

ArranP said:


> Cheers! Its taking its time to come together but I hope it'll be worth it!
> 
> I might take you up on them if they're still around in the new year. Would need to know what sex they are though as I'm hoping to keep 2 or maybe 3 together. Probably only 2 though.


I'm sure I'll still have some as they never stop breeding. I can't be sure they will be sexable but possibly. I did the same with a group of 3 hoping to get one male and 2 females but ended up with 2 males and a female so I just keep a pair in the big viv and the other male lives solo.

My advice is let it take time tbh cos I found it's when I rushed things I made all sorts of stupid mistakes. With my new mourning gecko build I took it much slower and planned better and it's come together much better. Your plant selection sounds good though you might find the spider plant doesn't do so well as it seems they don't like the high humidity. Tried them a few times and failed. I highly recommend birds nest ferns, cheap and very hardy and the cresties love to curl up in the middle of them  For climbing types you cant beat devils ivy/pothos. That stuff grows and grows and grows 

Good luck man, I'll be keeping an eye on your thread.


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

Went for a test fit and. Yeah..... 

I think I'll need to re-do some parts... But here's a pic of what it looked like inside all set up. 










Some bits have broken off during the fitting process so its all out again and getting touched up. I've decided I dont quite like the dark colour so I have went out and bought some of that "textured" spray paint in "Mineral Brown" 

The whole thing will be sealed inside and arcylic matt coat though, so I wont need to worry about any nasty chemicals. The whole thing will be sitting for a while before any animals get near it in the new year anyway.


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

19th December

Finally "finished"

I wasn't too happy with the black rocks so painted them a textured brown colour. Sealed with a few layers of acrylic clear. 

Potted up the plants, put some fake ones in too and the "massive" waterfall. I didn't think it was going to be that big haha! Oh well. 

Just gotta find someone to live in it now 


Thanks for all the comments, been a fun few weeks!


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

Looks good! Where did you get the tall exo from? I've never seen such tall ones before. One thing I would say if maybe add some branches/vines in as there doesn't seem to be much going on in the 'middle' of the exo. Have a look on surrey pets. They have loads of different things. Cork bark is really good too as it's cheap and lightweight.


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

nice viv i have a few ideas if you intrested.

with such a tall viv i dont think the exo hood/bulbs will provide enough light for the lower plants .Id invest in something like this Lighting Price List you will get some really good growth :2thumb: also id make a specialist shop order for plants (im assuming your current plants are shop bought?) tropical climbers like Philodendron scandens (heartleaf plant),Cissus amazonica(Amazonian vine) and perhaps a few airplants or neo broms to help fill out the higher part of the viv as currently the top third of the viv is almost empty.With cresties being arborial i should imagine they would prefer this not to be the case.

lastly one piece of advice that i find to be a must in any planted viv! leaf litter it really brings the entire thing together and has alot of functionality.


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

kelsey7692 said:


> Looks good! Where did you get the tall exo from? I've never seen such tall ones before. One thing I would say if maybe add some branches/vines in as there doesn't seem to be much going on in the 'middle' of the exo. Have a look on surrey pets. They have loads of different things. Cork bark is really good too as it's cheap and lightweight.


Got it from a website, can't remember what one though! Was pretty hard to find a place but a bit of google-fu and you can pick on up. 

I'm waiting for some Exo Terra vines to show up, but i doubt they'll be here any time soon with all the Christmas madness. 



sambridge15 said:


> nice viv i have a few ideas if you intrested.
> 
> with such a tall viv i dont think the exo hood/bulbs will provide enough light for the lower plants .Id invest in something like this Lighting Price List you will get some really good growth :2thumb: also id make a specialist shop order for plants (im assuming your current plants are shop bought?) tropical climbers like Philodendron scandens (heartleaf plant),Cissus amazonica(Amazonian vine) and perhaps a few airplants or neo broms to help fill out the higher part of the viv as currently the top third of the viv is almost empty.With cresties being arborial i should imagine they would prefer this not to be the case.
> 
> lastly one piece of advice that i find to be a must in any planted viv! leaf litter it really brings the entire thing together and has alot of functionality.


Yeah I thought that about the lights, but im running 2x 26w 5.0's so that should be enough, along with a 2.0. The viv is pretty bright when they're all on so I reckon it'll be enough. 

Looking at getting airplants I can stick onto the Exo Vines when they show up for added effect and climbing places. I'm looking to pick up a cheap grape vine or something similar and clean it up to use for extra climbing space fro the critters!

Cheers for the comments


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

ArranP said:


> Got it from a website, can't remember what one though! Was pretty hard to find a place but a bit of google-fu and you can pick on up.
> 
> I'm waiting for some Exo Terra vines to show up, but i doubt they'll be here any time soon with all the Christmas madness.


Ahh I see, very lucky find then!!

I hate waiting for stuff to arrive! Make sure you get another pic up once it's all in, I'm sure it will look great!


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

That will be one awesome viv when it's all planted up etc... Cresties do love plenty of cover to hide in :2thumb:.


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

ArranP said:


> Got it from a website, can't remember what one though! Was pretty hard to find a place but a bit of google-fu and you can pick on up.
> 
> I'm waiting for some Exo Terra vines to show up, but i doubt they'll be here any time soon with all the Christmas madness.
> 
> ...


5.0s wont be of much use to a plant its visual light rather than uv your after.The 2.0s are ok... I use 2 on my 30 30 45 viv rainforest vivariams 

http://www.rainforestvivs.co.uk/plants/broms/detail/16/flypage/132?sef=hcfp just tie some moss with fishing wire around the stems and you could use these plants to fill up the upper area of the viv :2thumb:


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

I was going to lay out some Large Exo Terra vines, and wrap the piddley little ones I already have around them, and then tie on some airplants if you know what I mean? Then try and secure others to the upper parts of the viv. 

What I was wanting to find out is if the Exo Fogger is worth the money? I've seen loads which essentially look and work the same way on ebay for much less. Even down the the replacement parts are the same. The ones with the LED's look pretty sweet and would be lighting up the inside of my waterfall.


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

ArranP said:


> I was going to lay out some Large Exo Terra vines, and wrap the piddley little ones I already have around them, and then tie on some airplants if you know what I mean? Then try and secure others to the upper parts of the viv.
> 
> What I was wanting to find out is if the Exo Fogger is worth the money? I've seen loads which essentially look and work the same way on ebay for much less. Even down the the replacement parts are the same. The ones with the LED's look pretty sweet and would be lighting up the inside of my waterfall.


ah an area i have a good bit of experience in :lol2:foggers arent the safest thing to have inside a viv they heat the water alot.This was my solution cost me £10 http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/579184-fogger-chamber-build-guide.html the waterfall is(probably) more hassle than its worth as it will need water changes very regularly!


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

kelsey7692 said:


> Looks good! Where did you get the tall exo from? I've never seen such tall ones before. One thing I would say if maybe add some branches/vines in as there doesn't seem to be much going on in the 'middle' of the exo. Have a look on surrey pets. They have loads of different things. Cork bark is really good too as it's cheap and lightweight.


 Exo Terra Glass Terrarium 60x45x90cm (h)
There pretty pricey!


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

sambridge15 said:


> ah an area i have a good bit of experience in :lol2:foggers arent the safest thing to have inside a viv they heat the water alot.This was my solution cost me £10 http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/579184-fogger-chamber-build-guide.html the waterfall is(probably) more hassle than its worth as it will need water changes very regularly!


Epic Solution there! 

Are they really no good for inside the viv? Mines was going to be hidden well inside the waterfall, beside the pump so the animal couldn't get near it. 
I dont have much space into of the canopy left as its all a mess of wires for the ceramic heater etc but I might be able to sort some space to make something like that. 



wilko92 said:


> Exo Terra Glass Terrarium 60x45x90cm (h)
> There pretty pricey!


Indeed, but my local shop wanted an extra £80 ontop of that. :gasp:


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

ArranP said:


> Indeed, but my local shop wanted an extra £80 ontop of that. :gasp:



The RRP is £250.00 now I think, as Exo Terra have put there prices up again:whistling2:. And they re due to go up again in another month now.


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

my local must sell em at a loss i think that 90 90 60 viv was less than that!

as for the fogger they heat up the water in use and with such a small volume of water i wouldnt do it.The heat will probably make the waterflall an even bigger muck magnet :lol2:


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

Well I've ordered one of those cheap ebay specials and I'll give it a whirl in the waterfall. 

Failing that it's off to find a small Tupperware box to mod!


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## OverBoard (Dec 9, 2011)

fardilis said:


> The RRP is £250.00 now I think, as Exo Terra have put there prices up again:whistling2:. And they re due to go up again in another month now.


Jesus. The 12 inch cube'll be £200 before long...


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

OverBoard said:


> Jesus. The 12 inch cube'll be £200 before long...


Well the 45cm cube RRP is just under £100. And again, due to go up:bash:.


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## ArranP (Jan 12, 2008)

Well todays moving in day! So tiny


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