Panther Double Mansion.

[cyberlocc]

That's how it seems to be most of the time. You think, I am not spending $350.00 on a screen cage when I can build one for much cheaper. Then $500.00 later........

I have done so many enclosures....I think that's how I ended up with greenhouses. It just progressed to that. Ha!

Yep thats about where its getting. I mean I could cheap out and use Polyurethane, and stuff but I would rather do it right .

Especially now adding the living wall into the equation, I just added even more money. Then lighting ahhh this is getting very expensive lol. The lighting took a large price rise with the living wall, as if I am going to do it. I want it to look good, Earth Stars, Maybe hibiscus, Purple wandering Jews. I am going to blind the poor chams with all the light lol.

The hard part is justifying it to the wife. Plus getting her to let it stay in the living room . But I bought an extra Pothos when I bought charmys. And she took it and said we need more plants in the house. So I said Okay you want plants We Can DO PLANTS .

 

[cyberlocc]

I am no stranger to out of control $$$ Hobbys though. My other one is PCs (I went to school for it). I always tell her the next one will be cheaper.

Then I build one ofr 2-3k, then I have the need to add more GPUs more SSDs and its never done thousands later I can still finally something else to add lol. Then once I finally feel I am done, the new CPUs/GPUs come out and its time to start over .

That hobby is very easy to blow lots of cash very very fast. I am glad I am getting bored with it in my old age. I still like to bench here and there but gaming not as much at all.

 

[cyberlocc]

Okay update time People!

So I have been lazy for the last week. I have putted around and did a few things, but not much.

This week (in the next day or 2) I need to get the Fiberglass on, so I am rushing to get that done. Anyway here is where we are.

First pic is the front, all the trim is on, though not been sanded and wood filled yet!.
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Next up, we have everyone's favorite part of DIY cages. The drainage, there was some serious complications in this department.

Anyway I think I posted pics post rockhard pre sanding, Here is a pic of Post Bondo Body filler, and in the middle of sanding. View media item 43004
Here is one that shows the slope in action.
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Now on to the issue I had and how I fixed it. If you look very closely at the pics you will see that the drain is in now. And the top part that is inside of the cage is flush with the bondo.

My prior Idea was to use Bulkheads, I bought some from a fish tank place no problem. Then they arrived, big problem. The bulk heads have a lip on the top, (to be expected) however this lip is 1/4 high in the center and slopes towards the sides to 1/16 or so.

No offense but that is a poor excuse for a bulkhead. If I would have installed that bulkhead, water would not have drained, rather it would have pooled up around the bulkhead. The only water that would drain would be when it went over the 1/4 the center are was.

I though about recessing it into the wood. New problem, the floor is 1/2 inch thick and the bulkheads rise is 1/4. That would be a lot to cut through, and a bit to do so cost more than I wanted to spend. Even if I had did this, water would still pool. Just in a different location, and not nearly as badly, I want no pool though.

So I swapped my bulkheads for some of these strange fittings. I am not a plumber and do not know what they are for but they worked for me.

It is called a Nominal X Fips. I was able to find one, with is round side the same as my hole size, a tad bigger. So I sanded out the hole and then test fit it. They are push fit in pretty tightly, but I did not want to risk it. So I sanded the ring a tad, and used some Loctite superglue.

We had the liquid stuff (God I wish it had been gel, my hands are all hard and cracking now!) I put some around the ring and pushed it up in to place.

New issue (Kinda) My goal was to flush the top of the fitting to the floor. When I stuck the first one in, it went all the wall till the nut part hit the wood. So I decided to try to take it out and try again. Ya that didn't happen, I took a rubber mallet and hit the 1/8 inch sticking out. Nope nothing did not even budge so that loctite is holding with some serious strength.

So I decided its very strong how its in there, and did the other the same. This worked very well. I then had to sand down the top of the PVC fitting until it was flush with the floor. Water will not pool here . The fitting also has a 1/4 or so ring where it stops the fitting. Which will be perfect to drop some aluminium screen into to keep hydro balls from going out. Water still will likely pool in my tubing, but at least it wont pool in the cage anymore.

Last Pic but not least.

The trim on the sides is complete as well, with 1 of the outside screen frames finished. I did not install it, nor will I until post paint. However it will help add to the boxy look .

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I will post another update after glassing. I started to fill some of the outside and sand it and then thought, what am I doing. I can do that while the glass out gasses lol.

Almost forgot, I added a center rail to the light hanging system.

View media item 43005
This will be for the Jungle Dawn 40w Spots in the center. There will be a 36 inch UVB on the back and basking lights on either side, as well as some Jungle Dawn 22ws and night lights on the front. The night lights will be on 30 mins before lights on and 30 mins after, Lights will come on in stages after words, to simulate different times of the day. They will go off in stages as well.

ATM I am thinking something like.
7:30AM Blues on, (Curtains Opened)
8:00AM UVB on
8:30AM Blues off, Basking on (this will add reds of Sunrise .)
9:30AM Jungle Dawn 22s on
11:00AM Jungle Dawn Spot on

5:30 PM Jungle Dawn Spot off
6:30 PM Jungle Dawn 22ws off
7:30 PM Basking off, Blues on (brings back the blue dusk)
8:00 PM UVB off
8:30 PM Blues off. (Curtains Closed, between 8-8:30)

I should mention the Curtains as I have not before. There will be large long black curtains that wrap partially around the sides (like 2-3 inches on the sides) of the cage and across the front. This is so light from the house (which is still active way into the night) doesn't bug the chams.

Since they get no airflow from the front anyway, this will work out well.