# my latest keelback vivarium



## James_Scott (Jan 15, 2013)

Its been months in the making but I am nearly done. This is a 4 foot vivarium with live plants, heated water, false floor and external canister filter. Will be moving some guppies and keelbacks in next week.


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## Burnerism (Jan 15, 2013)

That looks insane mate well done!


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## MathewB (Jan 15, 2013)

You're a liar, you didn't make this. Clearly you found a beautiful place in the bush, got an excavator and dug it up then stuck it this enclosure. 

Great job nonetheless, but where'd you get the background?


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## cadwallader (Jan 15, 2013)

WOW thats pretty cool!!!
can we get some more information about the build I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering how you made such a nice enclosure


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## SteveNT (Jan 15, 2013)

Very nice cobber. Are those lights LEDs or halogens?


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## thals (Jan 15, 2013)

Incredible work! Are those live plants easy to maintain? Can't wait to see pics of the residents enjoying their new home 8)


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## Mr.James (Jan 15, 2013)

That is really cool man! All the hard work you put in has definately paid off.


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## eddie123 (Jan 15, 2013)

that is incredible


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## Justdragons (Jan 15, 2013)

amazing.. i have a million questions.. If you find time im sure a write up on the build would be greatly appreciated


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## myusername (Jan 15, 2013)

That's pretty special, mate.


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## phatty (Jan 15, 2013)

that is fricken awesome dude

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that is fricken awesome dude


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## RSPcrazy (Jan 16, 2013)

That's insane mate. Gotta be proud of that.


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## James_Scott (Jan 16, 2013)

The background is rather simple but time consuming. First you put black silicon on the back and side walls to make it pretty from the outside. Then use small amounts of expanda foam for texture in the shape of roots. then cover it all with brown silicon and whilst it is wet push peat moss into it. The vines are pieces of string and rope covered in silicon and dipped in peat moss. The lights are 20w led flood lights which are needed to produce the 1000-5000 lumens for the plants to thrive. Ive gone with the egg crate method of building the flase floor. For all those who are imterested in this kind of enclosure google dendroboard raf. He was my inspiration and has 48pages of instructions.


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## mad_at_arms (Jan 16, 2013)

I have spent hours drooling over builds on dendroboard.

What plants have you used?


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## James_Scott (Jan 16, 2013)

Thanks for all the kind words guys. The plants are mainly hoya varieties that tend to do well in vivariums. There are also bromiliads and orchids. There are plenty of air plants to fill in the space until the hoyas take over and then they will be removed. There is also a small parlor palm in the corner.

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Does anybody know where in Melbourne I can get cheap freshwater shrimp?


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## James_Scott (Jan 20, 2013)

I have put some cherry shrimp and guppies in now, as well as two young keelbacks. The keelbacks love it and have explored every inch of their new home. I will post a link to a quick video of their first swim in the pool.

Keelback Paludarium - YouTube


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Jan 20, 2013)

Very cool James


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## phatty (Jan 20, 2013)

can you put more pic up this is one very nice setup


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## Umbral (Jan 20, 2013)

Good work! That looks fantastic!


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## Barrett (Jan 21, 2013)

That is top notch. You could make and sell them for a mint


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## Skitzmixer (Jan 21, 2013)

I'll take 2 please.

Nice work!


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## James_Scott (Jan 21, 2013)

They do cost a lot to make. I got the tank for nothing but the silicon, expanda foam filters heaters lights false floor plants etc ended up around $800 
It took months of planning and testing but I recon I could mek one in two weeks now.
I dont think I would do a complete one for less then $2000 but if the lights filter heater gravel and plants were things the buyer could do then you could cut that price down quite a lot.
I would love to do a tall one for tree snakes or angle headed dragons. The tank would be costly though.


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## Shotta (Jan 21, 2013)

that is an awesome enclosure!!!
thanks for sharing


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## James_Scott (Jan 21, 2013)

Thanks guys. I have to say this enclosure and its inhabitants have brought my interest back into the herp room. After breeding for years it was a new challenge and a pleasure to watch them in a natural environment (as natural as you can get in captivity)


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## Radar (Jan 21, 2013)

I'm certainly getting drawn towards keeping less animals but keeping them in more naturalistic enclosures. More upkeep and all that but very satisfying and relaxing, particularly if you have an interest in plants as well. This will look even more stunning when the plants are grown in.


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## Snowman (Jan 21, 2013)

Nice work Jim Scott.


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## mudgudgeon (Jan 21, 2013)

Awesome stuff! I'm in the process of doing similar for my EWDs, but LARGE scale. It's costing me a gorilla or more, and taken 12months so far, builds like yours keep me inspired! 

great to here what plants you've used. Any other helpful sites you found? It's hard finding relevant info!


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## leeroy1983 (Jan 21, 2013)

I'm in the process of upgrading my keelback enclosure, your tank has given me some good ideas


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## James_Scott (Jan 21, 2013)

A quick not for anybody doing this setup. The cherry shrimp pull the psat moss off the ezpanda foam so you will need to use pebbles or dont use shrimp.


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## mudgudgeon (Jan 21, 2013)

James_Scott said:


> A quick not for anybody doing this setup. The cherry shrimp pull the psat moss off the ezpanda foam so you will need to use pebbles or dont use shrimp.



I had freshwater shrimp in a tropical aquarium, they destroyed the plants, and catch and killed fish regularly too. Entertaining seeing them stalk sleepy fish at night, but sucked when they got a good fish!


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## James_Scott (Jan 21, 2013)

The cherry shrimp are only 1cm as adults so they should be harmless to the fish. I was hoping they would keep the tank clean of algae but they took a liking to the peat moss. Its an easy fix.

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A question for the fish keepers out there. What size bulkhead do you use on your external canister filters and do you need to adapt it for the standard hose? For this one I drilled 22mm holes in the glass and passed the hose straight through. Then siliconed it in.. It is well above water level so no fear of leaking but would like a setup where I can replace the tubing easily if need be.


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## mad_at_arms (Feb 15, 2013)

Bump
Any update shots of the plant growth?

For your bulkhead/through wall fittings check out hansen fittings at creativepumps.com.au.
Should be a size to suit your holes.


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## Skelhorn (Feb 15, 2013)

Duuuude....that is all!!!!!!!


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## AusReptiles88 (Feb 15, 2013)

woah! amazing job man, thats incredible!


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## orsm (Feb 15, 2013)

James_Scott said:


> It took months of planning and testing but I recon I could mek one in two weeks now.



That's incredible. How big is the actual tank? Can the enclosure be easily moved or do you have to assemble & disassemble when you move?


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## James_Scott (Feb 16, 2013)

orsm said:


> That's incredible. How big is the actual tank? Can the enclosure be easily moved or do you have to assemble & disassemble when you move?



Thanks for the compliments.
To move the enclosure I would need to drain the water and remove the gravel. It is still heavy but can be moved with two people. The size of the tank is 120cm x 45cm x 45cm.
There have been a few learning curves biilding this enclosure. Lesson one is dont put shrimp in as they remove all the peat moss below water level exposing silicon and foam substructure. I will need to cover that up with more gravel. The plants are all growing well. Its omly been a few weeks and some have doubled in size. I will give updated pics in a couple of weeks.


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## James_Scott (Feb 16, 2013)

mad_at_arms said:


> Bump
> Any update shots of the plant growth?
> 
> For your bulkhead/through wall fittings check out hansen fittings at creativepumps.com.au.
> Should be a size to suit your holes.



Thanks for the link. I will check it out
plants are doing really well on land and in the water. After just a few weeks the water plants are going to need pruning.


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## hughesy (Feb 16, 2013)

Quality work mate!


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## James_Scott (Feb 23, 2013)

I will be doing a frog tank soon so will post some construction shots.


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## Rampant (Feb 24, 2013)

What area are you in mate?


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## James_Scott (Jun 3, 2013)

This is an updated image of the vivarium. The keelbacks are very happy but usually hide so it is always a treat to see them when they are out.


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## mudgudgeon (Jun 4, 2013)

Looks good James.

Did you have any difficulty finding suitable plants?


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## James_Scott (Jun 4, 2013)

The plants were easy to get. Orchids, bromiliads, hoyas, palour palms and air plants. They all flourish in this environment. There are approximately $150worth of plants in there.


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## Jarrod_H (Jun 4, 2013)

Very cool, something like that do you need to change the soil/bedding every few months?. Is keeping it clean an easy enough task?


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## James_Scott (Jun 4, 2013)

so far it is working in a full biodegradable scenario. The keelbacks feed only on fish and their waste is more liquid than solid. That keeps the soil fertile as it breaks down. The soil is constantly moist as the water is heated and evaporates into the soil. The plants get all the nutrients they need from the soil and water. The fish in the water are healthy and have a large external canister filter cleaning the water which gets cleaned ever few weeks. There is no smell and all fish, plants and snakes are very healthy. I wouldn't recommend this set up for any other species other than keelbacks, water skinks and frogs. If you could get a more vertical setup it would be great for GTS and GTP as well. The keelbacks in this enclosure hide in the mid level area where there are dry nooks and crannies.


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## James_Scott (Jun 4, 2013)

It is very much an experiment on micro environments. There were times early on where mould was growing in the soil and the are was removed and the problem has not reappeared. I installed a large layer of clayballs under the soil to raise it even further from the original set up which has assisted in keeping certain areas dryer than others. Overall it is a tropical environment with the only heat source coming from a 300W heater in the water. It is also sitting on top of my Monitor enclosure which has a 160W ProHerp Reptile Radiator which allows some heat to transfer to the tank above during daylight hours when the panel is on.


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## Cold-B-Hearts (Jun 4, 2013)

i give you a A+


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## James_Scott (Jun 4, 2013)

Cold-B-Hearts said:


> i give you a A+



Thanks Cold-B-Hearts. It my pride and joy at the moment.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Jun 4, 2013)

I must get around and check it out again to. 
i love this setup.


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## andynic07 (Jun 4, 2013)

Very nice setup you have there mate. They are a nice looking snake too , I think I had one in my back yard today about 30-40 cm. I didn't get a chance to get a good photo of it for positive id though.


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## James_Scott (Jun 4, 2013)

Im hoping to get a few more next year.
Ill have to catch up with you soon Baz.


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## zan777 (Jun 30, 2013)

I'm interested in the egg crate you used and where you sourced it from. It seems readily available overseas but I couldn't seem to find something cheap and similar here.

Cheers


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## Rogue5861 (Jun 30, 2013)

zan777 said:


> I'm interested in the egg crate you used and where you sourced it from. It seems readily available overseas but I couldn't seem to find something cheap and similar here.
> 
> Cheers



I cut up plastic milk crates for my false bottom vivarium, aluminium flywire over the top of that. 


Rick


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## James_Scott (Jun 30, 2013)

I had a lot of trouble finding it as well. 
This is my supplier.
MULFORD PLASTICS303 FRANKSTON- DANDENONG ROADDANDENONG SOUTH

Im in the process of building another one. Will post pics of construction this time.


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## mudgudgeon (Jun 30, 2013)

zan777 said:


> I'm interested in the egg crate you used and where you sourced it from. It seems readily available overseas but I couldn't seem to find something cheap and similar here.
> 
> Cheers




google eggcrate diffuser, I was looking for it recently and found a few suppliers in sydney online, not cheap though.
I used bread crate instead


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## James_Scott (Jul 5, 2013)

Some updated pics of the inhabitants.


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## sharky (Jul 5, 2013)

Awesome pics! Love the one of the little fella shedding in the water, super cool!


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## Amelia (Jul 5, 2013)

Beautiful setup, hopefully it continues to thrive for you.


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## James_Scott (Oct 12, 2013)

Update on my golden keelback female.


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## NicG (Oct 19, 2013)

Quite possibly the prettiest captive Keelback in Australia!


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## Cypher69 (Oct 19, 2013)

Juz wondering what type of lid/mesh covering did you use?

Did you make it yourself & how is it secured to the top?


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## James_Scott (Oct 19, 2013)

I did make the lid myself. It is made from corner pieces of wood (90 degree angle) and then stapled and secured with fly screen pulled tight from all sides. It is then secured by the light stand. You can get special fasteners from ebay for securing these kind of lids. I havent seen any in the shops however. Maybe ine of our sponsors could let us know if they stock them.


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## James_Scott (Oct 19, 2013)

James_Scott said:


> Update on my golden keelback female.


Thanks Nic
She is a beautful animal.


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