BleuSaphir
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wow! Superb build! 
DIY Aluminum 8020 Quick Frame Enclosure Build
- Thread starter Sgt. Bilko
- Start date
Sgt. Bilko
Established Member
Thank you! The terrarium is up and running
We got our Kam this past September and he’s loving his home. He’s only explored 20% of space available.
I’m figuring out how to balance water/misting and plants together without killing them. My fortune tree has slowly died. To be replaced with a more water tolerant Schefflera Plant.
Here’s Kam getting his morning bath.
naterowley
Avid Member
That’s great! I’m dealing with my money tree also slowly dropping leaves with moisture, I moved it under a pothos and it’s been getting a bunch of new sprouts recently! Beautiful chameleon!Thank you! The terrarium is up and running
We got our Kam this past September and he’s loving his home. He’s only explored 20% of space available.
I’m figuring out how to balance water/misting and plants together without killing them. My fortune tree has slowly died. To be replaced with a more water tolerant Schefflera Plant.
Here’s Kam getting his morning bath.
View attachment 348312
Sgt. Bilko
Established Member
A better picture.
He is beautiful. Money trees are picky. They do not like to be in direct spray path if their roots get too wet they die off.
Sgt. Bilko
Established Member
Thank you! Yeah, learned the hard way. I’m going to get him another center plant, likely umbrella or monstera. I’ll be changing up my potting mix for more drainage.He is beautiful. Money trees are picky. They do not like to be in direct spray path if their roots get too wet they die off.
elizaann2
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wow he is beautiful!
I put in a layer of clay balls at the bottom of all my pots. About an inch of them. This has always improved my drainage quite a bit.
Rasta
Member
I love your design! Can you tell me what you attached the foam boards too and what Cham safe paint you used to paint it? Want to do something like this. Also what did you make for the plant pot holders?
Sgt. Bilko
Established Member
Hi Rasta, I'll let BryanP speak to his design. For mine, the boards were Home Depot Veranda PVC Panels. They slid into the 8020 channels directly. Once I assembled the enclosure, I sealed areas exposed to water with 100% silicone at the channel. I did not paint the panels, I bought natural cork tiles and fastened these tiles to the inside panels using the same silicone. The pot holders are aluminum bar (which I drilled) bolted through the panels to anther aluminum bar (outside the frame) with stainless steel bolts and spacer. It is a DIY Dragon Ledge.
BryanP
Avid Member
I attached the foam boards with command strips straight to the PVC panels so they can be removed.
The pot holders where made with pots that I used the expanding foam to cover. Once the foam was cured I used a knife and cut the rounded edges to try to blend it better but in hindsight or if I was going to do it again I would cut and sculpt the foam panels since it won't look like a pile of turds with potted plants in it. Also the expanding foam seems to never stop expanding so there are not gaps in the paint and yellow foam exposed.
Also OVERSIZE you're built in pots. I made them for the standard $5 (now $10) small pots from lowes/home depot but they are just not large enough and end up sticking out. (As you can see with the pathos in the upper right.)
For the paint I used exterior water based "oops" paint from lowes that they had a grey tint already and then I did the highlights with water based acrylic craft paint.
Before paint I sculpted the panels with a blow torch and then roughed up those areas with sandpaper.
after it's all grown in it looks great but I see every defect there is. Here is a picture of it today.
