Triple bioactive build

Mr.Bryd

Member
Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking on here for the past year or so but decided to make an account to post my bioactive build I have been working on for the this month. I currently have a male Jacksons and a Female panther and will be adopting a male panther once I finish my build. I am using three reptibreeze XL enclosures that I have modified to be enclosed on three sides. They are sitting on 2'x2'x1' planter boxes I made (planning on adding another six inch wall to the bottom of my females enclosure so she has more substrate to lay in). Once the enclosures are finished I am planning on putting in an automated dimmer system for my lighting as well as temperature and humidity sensors I can monitor remotely. The drainage layer of the enclosures will have bottom draw pond pumps with plumbing out of the back of each planter box that will trigger once a week or so depending on how wet it ends up being in each vivarium. My goal here is to automate as much of the enclosure as possible. I work in concert production so I travel frequently and I also love tinkering so I am enjoying the challenge of building a self sustaining/ self regulating enviroment.


Here is two of my three back walls. I went with the large gap filler spray foam as it is slightly cheaper than the pond and stone at my home depot and I was planning on sealing it with flex seal and coco coir anyways.
20200101_175925.jpg


Here is one of the back walls mounted in the planter box with the reptibreeze. I would habe built the enclosure completely from scratch but I already have three reptibreeze xls so I figured I would use them.
20200110_220859.jpg


Here is the a close up of the planter boxes. I finally have a full room for my chams so I figured I would make them look nice!
20200113_163739.jpg


Here is the back wall with moss and horizontal basking branches mounted on my dragonstand ledges. I will be doing the spray foam and cork bark treatment on the walls this weekend as well as attaching the other teo reptibreezes to there back walls and planters.
20200115_221832.jpg



For lighting I am going to be using a 24in Arcadia uvb, a 24 inch Arcadia LED grow light bar, and a 40 watt pool led spot light that some of the other members on here have been using. I have been utilizing the pool led as a basking light in my current enclosures and it works really well. Each enclosure will also have 6 to 8 mistking nozzels mounted in them as they will be heavily planted (I love tropical plants).

This community has been super helpful and I am excited to be apart of it!
 
Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking on here for the past year or so but decided to make an account to post my bioactive build I have been working on for the this month. I currently have a male Jacksons and a Female panther and will be adopting a male panther once I finish my build. I am using three reptibreeze XL enclosures that I have modified to be enclosed on three sides. They are sitting on 2'x2'x1' planter boxes I made (planning on adding another six inch wall to the bottom of my females enclosure so she has more substrate to lay in). Once the enclosures are finished I am planning on putting in an automated dimmer system for my lighting as well as temperature and humidity sensors I can monitor remotely. The drainage layer of the enclosures will have bottom draw pond pumps with plumbing out of the back of each planter box that will trigger once a week or so depending on how wet it ends up being in each vivarium. My goal here is to automate as much of the enclosure as possible. I work in concert production so I travel frequently and I also love tinkering so I am enjoying the challenge of building a self sustaining/ self regulating enviroment.


Here is two of my three back walls. I went with the large gap filler spray foam as it is slightly cheaper than the pond and stone at my home depot and I was planning on sealing it with flex seal and coco coir anyways.
View attachment 256226

Here is one of the back walls mounted in the planter box with the reptibreeze. I would habe built the enclosure completely from scratch but I already have three reptibreeze xls so I figured I would use them.
View attachment 256228

Here is the a close up of the planter boxes. I finally have a full room for my chams so I figured I would make them look nice!
View attachment 256229

Here is the back wall with moss and horizontal basking branches mounted on my dragonstand ledges. I will be doing the spray foam and cork bark treatment on the walls this weekend as well as attaching the other teo reptibreezes to there back walls and planters.
View attachment 256232


For lighting I am going to be using a 24in Arcadia uvb, a 24 inch Arcadia LED grow light bar, and a 40 watt pool led spot light that some of the other members on here have been using. I have been utilizing the pool led as a basking light in my current enclosures and it works really well. Each enclosure will also have 6 to 8 mistking nozzels mounted in them as they will be heavily planted (I love tropical plants).

This community has been super helpful and I am excited to be apart of it!

How are you going to put in an automatic dimmer system when none of those lights are dimmable? :). All 3 of those lights have internal transformers to take 110 house power and turn it into what they need. None of them can be dimmed.

I can help you make fully dimmable lights, even the T5. However you'll have to take that light budget and increase it :).

For the T5 you will need to get a T5 fixture tank the ballast and replace it with a Dimmable one, of which there is a couple that will work, all well over 50 each for a 24 inch model.

For the LEDs, your going to need to buy a fixture that has dimming features, or we can hack some Chinese fixtures like the Beamsworks, you may be able to hack that Arcadia I am not sure.

Drop the Pool Bulb, and go with Dshulds other basking bulb he use to use I think he still does.

The 12v Xeon or halogen, bulbs. It had to be the 12v model that's all that matters from there we can dim everything.
 
Last edited:
How are you going to put in an automatic dimmer system when none of those lights are dimmable? :). All 3 of those lights have internal transformers to take 110 house power and turn it into what they need. None of them can be dimmed.

I can help you make fully dimmable lights, even the T5. However you'll have to take that light budget and increase it :).

For the T5 you will need to get a T5 fixture tank the ballast and replace it with a Dimmable one, of which there is a couple that will work, all well over 50 each for a 24 inch model.

For the LEDs, your going to need to buy a fixture that has dimming features, or we can hack some Chinese fixtures like the Beamsworks, you may be able to hack that Arcadia I am not sure.

Drop the Pool Bulb, and go with Dshulds other basking bulb he use to use I think he still does.

The 12v Xeon or halogen, bulbs. It had to be the 12v model that's all that matters from there we can dim everything.

Thanks for the info! I thought my t5s and the 40 watt leds were dimmable but it appears I was mistaken. I would be interested in purchasing those dimmable t5 ballast and then having my other lights click on with a timer after the t5 has come up to full power. I am just trying to create a more natural "sunrise" and "sunset" period for my chams instead of blasting them with light instantly every morning.
 
Thanks for the info! I thought my t5s and the 40 watt leds were dimmable but it appears I was mistaken. I would be interested in purchasing those dimmable t5 ballast and then having my other lights click on with a timer after the t5 has come up to full power. I am just trying to create a more natural "sunrise" and "sunset" period for my chams instead of blasting them with light instantly every morning.

A man after my own heart lol.

If your T5 is your UVB, I wouldn't do that till we have more info on the effects of it, personally it's it's just the morning, it should be okay, I guess, but best to err on the side of caution.

My suggestion if your okay with stuff flipping on, is we need to look at "Hacking" the Arcadia, I have not looked into them much, let me see what I can drum up on them it may be out easiest route.

If you could on the mean time. How do they connect? Is it a Direct AC cord or a barrel connector to a DC power box like a laptop would have?
 
A man after my own heart lol.

If your T5 is your UVB, I wouldn't do that till we have more info on the effects of it, personally it's it's just the morning, it should be okay, I guess, but best to err on the side of caution.

My suggestion if your okay with stuff flipping on, is we need to look at "Hacking" the Arcadia, I have not looked into them much, let me see what I can drum up on them it may be out easiest route.

If you could on the mean time. How do they connect? Is it a Direct AC cord or a barrel connector to a DC power box like a laptop would have?


Sweeet thanks for the help,

I am still waiting on the arcadias to come in but they are just standard iec c7 connectors as they can daisy chain.

I planned on having the t5 uvb run at full blast most of the day just wanted to have the t5s fade on over an hour or so, but if that would be detrimental to anything I am fine with scraping the idea for something else, so I am down to build something slick. The 40 watt led is the YU MEIL pool light that is similar to the arcadia jungle spots, do you think those are hackable? I really like how deep into the canopy it gets. My plants and chams love it.
 
I'm using an LED for sunrise/sunset and plant growth. I have the Leds ramp up over the course of an hour or so, then when they are at full power, the T5s & basking bulbs kick on. That's how we do it in reef tanks, so I just carried that over to my viv. I wouldn't worry about making the T5 dimmable. It's not worth the trouble IMO.
 
Sweeet thanks for the help,

I am still waiting on the arcadias to come in but they are just standard iec c7 connectors as they can daisy chain.

I planned on having the t5 uvb run at full blast most of the day just wanted to have the t5s fade on over an hour or so, but if that would be detrimental to anything I am fine with scraping the idea for something else, so I am down to build something slick. The 40 watt led is the YU MEIL pool light that is similar to the arcadia jungle spots, do you think those are hackable? I really like how deep into the canopy it gets. My plants and chams love it.

Okay thought so, but couldn't remember.

So it looks like you will have to be our Trailblazer :). They appear to use a T5 Fixture housing, so I am curious what they got going on here.

When it arrives, you got to tear one down (carefully and take photos) we need to see what kind of driver is in there. That way we can find you a dimmable Match, or hack it to use a external driver.
 
Update: got the room assembled today. Still need to finsish my third vivarium it is 75% there then my female can move into her new larger home. Also Curtis the Chameleon came home with me today. Reptile store is saying he is an Ambilobe, but I have never seen an Ambilobe with so much yellow. What do you all think?

20200206_141213.jpg
 
Finally got my Chameleon room all finished up, and wanted to post photos below. Unfortunatley my female panther passed away a couple of weeks ago, In the three enclosures pictured I have my male jacksons that I have had for a few years now as well as my Adult male ambilobe and my Juvenile Ambanja.
IMG_20200402_182601_201.jpg
20200402_174737.jpg
20200402_181934.jpg
20200402_181955.jpg
20200402_182049.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom