Ikea "Rudsta" cabinet conversion

[Ryan-James]

Started this thing last weekend and pottered around on it after work during the week, I used the Davco K10 waterproofer instead of the regular grout/tile pointing.
It was a bit of a biotope build using all native plants, I accessed the ecological mapping zone lists for plant species and it will house a pair of juvenile Boyds and probably a couple of frogs.
I used drainage cell as the drainage layer, it has 2 drain taps underneath it and so I wouldn't lose any floor space made the drip wall and waterfall a pondless system.
I cut in vents top and bottom and for the pump cord I installed one of those round reptile one power lead access things I seem to have a drawer full of.
As i was putting the cabinet together everything was recoated with black kill rust and every hole and gap was siliconed and checked over.
Im not far off the look I was after - black basalt drip wall, nth qld rainforest floor, looking forward to the native vines and shingling plants growing up the wall.
1200 x 800 x 400, bit more to go yet but you get the gist of it.
Cheers for looking

 

[Mack86]

This looks so stunning. Well done

 

[ace86]

Man I need your artistic talent. That's amazing. I would love something like this. I just bought my first snake (bredli) and I would love to make something like this without the water and live plants eventually. Hats off to you

 

[kankryb]

Nicely done

 

[Ryan-James]

Thanks for the kind words, I needed that today, glad I logged on.
My Boyd's have been in there for a few days now, settled in nicely and showing some great colours.

 

[Friller2009]

Looks great man! Sure the boyds would be loving life in there! Love the fact that its all native plants. Do you happen to have a plants list? Would love to do something similar in the future.
What did you use as the substrate barrier?

 

[highlander969]

That looks absolutely amazing. Hats off to you for the result.

 

[Ryan-James]

Looks great man! Sure the boyds would be loving life in there! Love the fact that its all native plants. Do you happen to have a plants list? Would love to do something similar in the future.
What did you use as the substrate barrier?

Hey mate there's quite a few small plants that can't be seen against the back wall really looking forward to it all growing in, they are mainly native shingling and vining species:
"Rhaphidiphora hayii"
Native pothos "pothos longipes"
Piper hederaceum
Freycinetia scandens
Up higher on the back wall is:
Pyrrosia species
Lindsaea brachypoda fern
Dwarf orchids "ornithocephalus"
Ferns on the bottom:
Gristle fern "blechnum cartilagineum"
Doodia linearis
Doodia aspera
Adiantum diaphanum
Also some dwarf grass species in there which I think are carex brunnea.

 

[LettCat]

Started this thing last weekend and pottered around on it after work during the week, I used the Davco K10 waterproofer instead of the regular grout/tile pointing.
It was a bit of a biotope build using all native plants, I accessed the ecological mapping zone lists for plant species and it will house a pair of juvenile Boyds and probably a couple of frogs.
I used drainage cell as the drainage layer, it has 2 drain taps underneath it and so I wouldn't lose any floor space made the drip wall and waterfall a pondless system.
I cut in vents top and bottom and for the pump cord I installed one of those round reptile one power lead access things I seem to have a drawer full of.
As i was putting the cabinet together everything was recoated with black kill rust and every hole and gap was siliconed and checked over, as here.
Im not far off the look I was after - black basalt drip wall, nth qld rainforest floor, looking forward to the native vines and shingling plants growing up the wall.
1200 x 800 x 400, bit more to go yet but you get the gist of it.
Cheers for looking

View attachment 335495View attachment 335496View attachment 335497View attachment 335498View attachment 335499

Wow, very much like a mini jungle It looks amazing!

 

[Friller2009]

Hey mate there's quite a few small plants that can't be seen against the back wall really looking forward to it all growing in, they are mainly native shingling and vining species:

"Rhaphidiphora hayii"
Native pothos "pothos longipes"
Piper hederaceum
Freycinetia scandens
Up higher on the back wall is:
Pyrrosia species
Lindsaea brachypoda fern
Dwarf orchids "ornithocephalus"
Ferns on the bottom:
Gristle fern "blechnum cartilagineum"
Doodia linearis
Doodia aspera
Adiantum diaphanum
Also some dwarf grass species in there which I think are carex brunnea.

Sick man! Awesome to see actual native plants from the environment compared to just pothos.
Thought I say an orinthocephalus up the back there.
Did you attach the moss to those branches yourself?
Would it also be possible to grab a picture of the vents?

 

[spinach]

This turned out awesome, great eye and skill for replicating the natural environment
Do you mind if I ask how the rudsta handles heating? Been thinking about picking one up for an enclosure conversion but was a little worried the top surface could get too hot being solid metal

 

[Phil]

Started this thing last weekend and pottered around on it after work during the week, I used the Davco K10 waterproofer instead of the regular grout/tile pointing.
It was a bit of a biotope build using all native plants, I accessed the ecological mapping zone lists for plant species and it will house a pair of juvenile Boyds and probably a couple of frogs.
I used drainage cell as the drainage layer, it has 2 drain taps underneath it and so I wouldn't lose any floor space made the drip wall and waterfall a pondless system.
I cut in vents top and bottom and for the pump cord I installed one of those round reptile one power lead access things I seem to have a drawer full of.
As i was putting the cabinet together everything was recoated with black kill rust and every hole and gap was siliconed and checked over.
Im not far off the look I was after - black basalt drip wall, nth qld rainforest floor, looking forward to the native vines and shingling plants growing up the wall.
1200 x 800 x 400, bit more to go yet but you get the gist of it.
Cheers for looking

View attachment 335495View attachment 335496View attachment 335497View attachment 335498View attachment 335499

Where did u get the cabinet?

 

[Ryan-James]

Where did u get the cabinet?

From Ikea mate

This turned out awesome, great eye and skill for replicating the natural environment
Do you mind if I ask how the rudsta handles heating? Been thinking about picking one up for an enclosure conversion but was a little worried the top surface could get too hot being solid metal

I've cut out a big section of the top and replaced it with stainless mesh for ventilation, I'm in Qld and have more issues with trying to keep enclosures cool so metal and glass do well as they don't really retain heat like timber or pvc. All of the interior is either covered in foam or has a reasonably thick layer of waterproofing membrane.