The original tortarium was posted here , and it served well for 2 years.
I needed to whip something together to work until I make the big indoor habitat, but time and money are tight, and a cold front is coming. I decided to re-use the Tortarium for the littlest one, Yam, and tubs for the others for now. One benefit- it lets me keep one in the living room, and I really appreciate having one I can watch and have on display.
This iteration of the Tortarium has a few changes-
- I removed the overhead rack
- it will feature an 18" low UVB output bulb mounted on the top inside of the front wall, and a thermostatically controlled CHE
- I silicone-glued a piece of aluminum to the bottom as a waterproofing agent, and to act as a base for the heat rope, which is just electrical taped in place
- Deeper substrate- a mix of hardwood mulch, sand, and top soil- one bag of each. Heavier than the cypress I like, but I can plant stuff in it.
- Live plants right in the soil- only three so far, but will be adding more and some moss soon.
Overall, this should be a leaner, meaner version- at least it ought to be! I spent hours today trying to get the aluminum cut and glued down, mixing the substrate, etc.
I'm pooped!
(First person to ask for photos after all this will get a year of bad karma!)
Next week- lighting, heating, cover, more plants, better hide, etc.
Specs:
- 48" long, 20" wide and 20" deep. Adequate for about 6" of tortoise, sort of.
- Base is a piece of 1/2" MDF- light for the job, but it is always meant to rest on a fully supportive table.
- Ends are just under 1/4" thick Lexan plastic, front and back are much thinner Lexan- not structural. The ends were GOING to be some decorated, waterproofed wood, but I found some Lexan in the scrap pile.
- Top is 3 pieces of the thinner Lexan and are bent to fit over the top at the front and back. There are two big circular cut-outs on top for the heat and light that used to hang from the overhead rack.
Contruction-
I just cut the base the size I wanted, then screwed the side panels to it, then screwed the front and back in place with thin, long screws. Glue and caulk the edges for water-proofing and extra strength.
To make the MDF base waterproof, I originally glued some ABS plastic over it, but the heat cables made it warp (without melting it.) This time, I cut some tin roof flashing to the right size and glued it down and caulked the edges.
Because I was able to use so much shop scrap material, it did not cost me much, and if you look at the details, you can see I am not much of a carpenter. However- this is a pretty easy build!
I needed to whip something together to work until I make the big indoor habitat, but time and money are tight, and a cold front is coming. I decided to re-use the Tortarium for the littlest one, Yam, and tubs for the others for now. One benefit- it lets me keep one in the living room, and I really appreciate having one I can watch and have on display.
This iteration of the Tortarium has a few changes-
- I removed the overhead rack
- it will feature an 18" low UVB output bulb mounted on the top inside of the front wall, and a thermostatically controlled CHE
- I silicone-glued a piece of aluminum to the bottom as a waterproofing agent, and to act as a base for the heat rope, which is just electrical taped in place
- Deeper substrate- a mix of hardwood mulch, sand, and top soil- one bag of each. Heavier than the cypress I like, but I can plant stuff in it.
- Live plants right in the soil- only three so far, but will be adding more and some moss soon.
Overall, this should be a leaner, meaner version- at least it ought to be! I spent hours today trying to get the aluminum cut and glued down, mixing the substrate, etc.
I'm pooped!
(First person to ask for photos after all this will get a year of bad karma!)
Next week- lighting, heating, cover, more plants, better hide, etc.
Specs:
- 48" long, 20" wide and 20" deep. Adequate for about 6" of tortoise, sort of.
- Base is a piece of 1/2" MDF- light for the job, but it is always meant to rest on a fully supportive table.
- Ends are just under 1/4" thick Lexan plastic, front and back are much thinner Lexan- not structural. The ends were GOING to be some decorated, waterproofed wood, but I found some Lexan in the scrap pile.
- Top is 3 pieces of the thinner Lexan and are bent to fit over the top at the front and back. There are two big circular cut-outs on top for the heat and light that used to hang from the overhead rack.
Contruction-
I just cut the base the size I wanted, then screwed the side panels to it, then screwed the front and back in place with thin, long screws. Glue and caulk the edges for water-proofing and extra strength.
To make the MDF base waterproof, I originally glued some ABS plastic over it, but the heat cables made it warp (without melting it.) This time, I cut some tin roof flashing to the right size and glued it down and caulked the edges.
Because I was able to use so much shop scrap material, it did not cost me much, and if you look at the details, you can see I am not much of a carpenter. However- this is a pretty easy build!
