Our Habitats - A Pictorial Overview

[Montium]

Nice work, like so many of the others I may steal your idea as well hehe.

 

[zombiepixel]

Glad we could help! It's 1/4 inch ABS sheet plastic, or it also goes by acrylic sheet. It depends on your temperature, if you have it set at 400 it'll start to bow in 4-5 minutes, where at 350 it takes about 7-8 minutes. We prefer the lower temperature because you have less of a chance of bubbles appearing. They don't affect the performance of the drain but they don't look nice. These are pictures of an imperfect sheet before a coat of black spray paint to the back. Like we said before, you only need the slightest bow to the plastic for it to work, a very deep bow doesn't allow the water to drain as easily with our size drains. But If you go for a bigger drain it might be a non-issue. Thanks for asking!

So the plexi just serves as a drain, not the floor support of the enclosure? it looks like there is wire mesh above the plexi.

 

[bbqandtinyb]

So the plexi just serves as a drain, not the floor support of the enclosure? it looks like there is wire mesh above the plexi.

Pretty much. The plexi just channels the water to the drain, the wood is the support. The mesh is stapled to the sides and the top. Nothing goes over the plexi. Here's a picture of the bottom of one cage and the top of the cage below it with the 1/4" screen. In this picture the drain or drainage tubes haven't been installed yet. And here's another frontal view of the cage.

 

[lisa h]

Are you sure that this will be stable for some years ? The combination water + wood isn't the best one

When we did our wooden enclosure, the guys at Home Depot explained that we have decks and fences that last a long time, and they put up with severe weather abuse, not just high humidity and misting. As long as they are treated correctly (stained, varnished, sealed, etc) they will last a long long time.

 

[zombiepixel]

Pretty much. The plexi just channels the water to the drain, the wood is the support. The mesh is stapled to the sides and the top. Nothing goes over the plexi. Here's a picture of the bottom of one cage and the top of the cage below it with the 1/4" screen. In this picture the drain or drainage tubes haven't been installed yet. And here's another frontal view of the cage.

Sorry i'm dense, so is your plant or any other floor furniture sitting directly on the plexi? These pics look like the plexi is the floor and there is a screened shelf underneath?

 

[DJnSoCal]

Sorry i'm dense, so is your plant or any other floor furniture sitting directly on the plexi? These pics look like the plexi is the floor and there is a screened shelf underneath?

The Plexiglas is the floor for each habitat which catches and collects water run-off (you can set whatever you want on it... we have tried potted plants on it, but prefer other options). We generally use hanging plants which keeps the floor clear and easy to clean. The "screened shelf" you are seeing is the top of the habitat below which is where the lighting and misting/dripping nozzles go. Hope that helps... just take another look at the pictures. Clear as mud?

 

[nick barta]

Your design and execution are amazing. I may not have this right, but did you say you used fiberglass screen on some? If so, doesn't fiberglass screen break down and need replacement fairly soon in outside applications? Maybe just a myth??

Again, outstanding job.

Nick

 

[DJnSoCal]

Your design and execution are amazing. I may not have this right, but did you say you used fiberglass screen on some? If so, doesn't fiberglass screen break down and need replacement fairly soon in outside applications? Maybe just a myth??

Again, outstanding job.

Nick

We tried a variety of screens to see which ones we prefer in the long run. We'll let everyone know. But, these habitats ARE NOT for outdoors. They are in my bedroom. It should help with any degradation. I've found information online that says they will last from 3 to 5 years all the way to 6 to 12 years. I think it depends on who is selling it and what they want you to buy. We'll see how they hold up in comparison. Check back in 5 to 15 years and I'll let you know.

Thanks Nick!

 

[Professor Booty]

How well does your plexiglass bottom catch water running down the sides of the enclosure? I'm getting leaks because of that, and I can't think of an elegant solution.

 

[Pure]

We tried a variety of screens to see which ones we prefer in the long run. We'll let everyone know. But, these habitats ARE NOT for outdoors. They are in my bedroom. It should help with any degradation. I've found information online that says they will last from 3 to 5 years all the way to 6 to 12 years. I think it depends on who is selling it and what they want you to buy. We'll see how they hold up in comparison. Check back in 5 to 15 years and I'll let you know.

Thanks Nick!

Just to point out, UV has a negative effect on plastics and resins (fiberglass). Basically the same thing as what Nick is talking about, just not from the sun. Your lamps could very well do it. Monitor the strength of the mesh directly under your UV light every few months or so.

 

[summoner12]

i've seen these in person, they are very nice!

 

[DJnSoCal]

How well does your plexiglass bottom catch water running down the sides of the enclosure? I'm getting leaks because of that, and I can't think of an elegant solution.

You're a funny guy Professor Booty!! How well do you think it will catch water if it isn't able to be underneath it? Water on the sides is bad... very bad unless you can get it onto the bottom of the cage you'll have water in places you don't want. Angle the misters/drippers so it doesn't happen or to minimize any over-spray. We angle them so the plants catch the far majority of it and water runs down the leaves onto the Plexiglas. We don't have a problem and this is VERY important for me because I have wooden floors. If a little light mist gets on the screen it usually drys fairly quickly.

bbqandtinyb may have a different perspective. I'll ask him to give his two cents too.

Just to point out, UV has a negative effect on plastics and resins (fiberglass). Basically the same thing as what Nick is talking about, just not from the sun. Your lamps could very well do it. Monitor the strength of the mesh directly under your UV light every few months or so.

Yup yup. Not all the cages are the fiberglass mesh. We tried a variety to see what is going to work best in the long run. We'll let you know. Compared to sunlight, the UVB bulbs are like being in the shade. So even though it may be degrading, it seems like it won't be as quickly as sunlight.

If we do have to change the screen in a few years, it will be fairly easy since we used screws and not nails to secure everything.

I want to make a 24" x 24" x 48" habitat if I can find a way to heat the Plexiglas evenly.

 

[lisa h]

I'm so glad you posted the detailed info about the plexi bottom. My husband made a great wooden enclosure a few weeks ago, because he too doesn't like the look of metal enclosures, and I won't allow glass. Today I noticed mold and damp wood underneath the floor of the enclosure. We have wood floors too, but the water didn't get there yet. Using your instructions Steve made the plexi bottom, but we'll have to wait until early next week until it can be installed, and I'll have to find a temp enclosure for the girls. I *heavily* hand mist, because I have a difficulty keeping humidity up (montane species). How do you not get water running down the back wall if you hand mist? If a significant amount of silicone is used in the seams, will that work? The back of our enclosure is solid and the inside is laminate. We don't want to have to redo it again if we don't have to.

 

[DJnSoCal]

I'm so glad you posted the detailed info about the plexi bottom. My husband made a great wooden enclosure a few weeks ago, because he too doesn't like the look of metal enclosures, and I won't allow glass. Today I noticed mold and damp wood underneath the floor of the enclosure. We have wood floors too, but the water didn't get there yet. Using your instructions Steve made the plexi bottom, but we'll have to wait until early next week until it can be installed, and I'll have to find a temp enclosure for the girls. I *heavily* hand mist, because I have a difficulty keeping humidity up (montane species). How do you not get water running down the back wall if you hand mist? If a significant amount of silicone is used in the seams, will that work? The back of our enclosure is solid and the inside is laminate. We don't want to have to redo it again if we don't have to.

Hi Lisa! Our habitats aren't against a wall. I'll show you a picture of the "behind the scenes" mess. Since they aren't against the wall in the back, we get plenty of ventilation.

We don't hand mist, so I don't know what to tell you about your predicament. I bet you do have a lot of overspray. We have Mistking nozzles installed in the top center of each habitat. We use hanging plants for all but one habitat to help direct the water where we want it (which is running down the leaves and branches to the Plexiglas bottom). I don't seal the Plexiglas to the bottom of the cage. Use weather stripping or other material under the Plexigas if there is a slight bow or the wood is crooked. That way you can take out the Plexiglas in order to give it a really good cleaning if need-be (the drain hoses disconnect). Most of the cages don't need any type of weather stripping since they are nice and straight.

If the back of your enclosure is solid, you could seal the edge of the Plexiglas and the back with silicone. That would channel the water into the Plexiglas drain which should catch a lot of water for you. I can't wait to see some pictures! You're the first one that I've heard that has copied bbqandtinyb's idea and put it to practical use. Let us know how it turns out!

Behind the scenes "peak":