Construction has begun!

[Goldenarcher1328]

Well, construction on the 5' long, 2' wide, 6' tall chameleon enclosure has officially begun!

I also picked up the water system! We picked up the Monsoon System and are also going to add in an ultrasonic fogger. I've figured out how to do the waterfall system without having a risk of drowning, and last but not least a proper drainage system!

Yay!

 

[Tiger Rye]

Make sure you post lots of pictures!!!
And most importantly have FUN.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.365646,-83.357039

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

Oh i plan on it!!
I'll post pictures!

And Lots of Fun!

 

[justjumpit621]

great! Can't wait to see it!

 

[reptoman]

Looking forward to seeing the in progress pics! Let me know if I can help. I've built my share of cages and might be able to offer solutions if you run into problems. Good luck!

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

Update

The base is built and the walls are going up! Going to post pictures from Laurens account ( andallthatjazz )

 

[andallthatjazz]

Update

The base is built and the walls are going up! Going to post pictures from Laurens account ( andallthatjazz )

Here are the pictures of the base construction, and the beginning of the walls.

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

In a perfect world we would have finished hours ago. In reality, we're not even half way there.

 

[EvilLost]

I started construction on my 3'x3'x8' free-range setup in August planning to be done in 3 weeks....


I think I will be done in 3 weeks from now .... lol (no really, I think 3 more weeks..)



I'm really interested to see how you do your drainage setup. That part has bothered me the most about this project. Are you planning to plant all your plants into a giant "planter" essentially?

Very interested to see how you do this... for a comparison here is mine: https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...s/5647652851478928897?authkey=CJ-1sdnW0KCejAE (sorry pics arent updated, but it should give more than enough of an idea)


Also, be wary of how many wires you will have; I can say that even when cut to appropriate lengths, its a mess....I had allocated the bottom 7" to a "maintenance/equipment" area for my pump and electronics as well as a drain bucket.

After much frustration, my electronics (except the pump) are all now outside and behind the unit, which I am still upset about but there were too many wires/electronics to secure them from the moisture and water safely


Where are you storing your electronics/maintenance access/ water reservoirs? Are they "within" the unit or outside it?

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

In a perfect world we would have finished hours ago. In reality, we're not even half way there.

Construction has been paused as of 2 hours ago. Picking it back up in the am. Maybe after some fishing if the weather gets above 30.

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

I started construction on my 3'x3'x8' free-range setup in August planning to be done in 3 weeks....


I think I will be done in 3 weeks from now .... lol (no really, I think 3 more weeks..)



I'm really interested to see how you do your drainage setup. That part has bothered me the most about this project. Are you planning to plant all your plants into a giant "planter" essentially?

Very interested to see how you do this... for a comparison here is mine: https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...s/5647652851478928897?authkey=CJ-1sdnW0KCejAE (sorry pics arent updated, but it should give more than enough of an idea)


Also, be wary of how many wires you will have; I can say that even when cut to appropriate lengths, its a mess....I had allocated the bottom 7" to a "maintenance/equipment" area for my pump and electronics as well as a drain bucket.

After much frustration, my electronics (except the pump) are all now outside and behind the unit, which I am still upset about but there were too many wires/electronics to secure them from the moisture and water safely


Where are you storing your electronics/maintenance access/ water reservoirs? Are they "within" the unit or outside it?

First off, all plants are going into 1 foot of soil, covering the entire bottom. Using my background in fishtanks and biological filtration,as well as a little help from a local reptile pro, i'm doing the bottom 2 inches using Bio-balls ( clay pellets with holes in the center of the ball) and 1.5"-2.5" river rock to create a nontoxic base layer of water, screen will be ontop of that to prevent the roots from getting down into the water layer and rotting away, contaminating the whole system. As for the drainage, a simple tube drilled into the corner with either a valve or a cork. tip the enclosure.

The idea behind the whole concept of the 2 inch layer, is to use a clean water column to feed your plants. its the same concept that rivers and streams, an underwater body of water to feed the plants while not contaminating anything else.

The only electronics are being housed outside of the actual enclosure except for a powerhead sunken into a 10 gallon fishtank to provide me with a moving body of water inside the enclosure. ( the ten gallon tank is filled within 2 inches of the rim of the top with river rock. )

 

[andallthatjazz]

More pictures

Pictures of the complete base and the frame going up. Long day.