🦎 Custom-Built Bioactive Vivariums – Designed Around Your Animal This is a fully custom tropical vivarium I designed and built from scratch for my future Leachianus gecko. It was built with long-term durability, humidity control, safety, and realism in mind — not just appearance. This particular enclosure is oversized and took approximately 30+ hours of hands-on labor, along with about $800 in materials and equipment. What’s Included • Built-in heat • UVB lighting • Full-spectrum plant grow lighting • Automatic misting system • Digital thermometer / hygrometer • Deep bioactive substrate system • Established springtails and isopods (clean-up crew) • Live tropical plants • Custom shelves and ledges • Natural climbing branches • Fully sealed and waterproofed interior This is a complete, functioning ecosystem — not just a decorated tank. The Work Behind the Scenes Building a proper custom vivarium involves a lot more work than most people realize. Before anything even goes inside the enclosure, there is extensive preparation, including: • Cleaning and sanitizing all materials • Baking and sterilizing natural wood • Scrubbing, soaking, and inspecting branches • Rinsing and checking plants for pests • Ensuring all materials are reptile-safe and non-toxic • Waterproofing and sealing the enclosure properly • Installing and safely wiring heat, UVB, and lighting • Testing temperature and humidity stability A true bioactive system also requires proper layering, drainage, substrate preparation, and establishing beneficial microfauna. If you’ve ever tried building your own, you know how much time, research, and prep work it actually takes. It’s not just assembling parts — it’s building a safe, balanced habitat. That preparation time is a big part of what you’re paying for. Custom Builds Available I’m now offering fully custom vivarium builds tailored to: • Reptiles • Amphibians • Birds • Tropical plant display terrariums • Humid or arid species • Any custom dimensions If you have a specific animal or completely custom tank idea in mind, send me the details. I’ll let you know honestly if it’s something I can confidently build and execute properly. (And yes — make sure it fits through your door. Learned that lesson the hard way ) Build Time Build time depends on: • Size • Species requirements • Equipment included • Interior complexity Smaller, more standard enclosures take significantly less time than large, heavily customized builds like this one. Pricing Pricing depends on: • Materials • Equipment • Size • Labor time For reference: This large build cost about $800 in materials plus 30 hours of labor. I charge $25 per hour for labor. A large, fully equipped enclosure like this would be approximately: Around $1,500 complete (Including lights, heat, misting system, substrate, shelves, plants, and full preparation work.) If you're looking for something smaller or more standard-sized, it will cost significantly less than this larger enclosure. You will always cover the cost of materials specific to your build. My charge is for the labor, design, preparation, and construction time. I’m open to reasonable negotiations depending on the project. DIY Option I also plan to start filming the full process — from sourcing materials to waterproofing, preparing wood safely, installing lighting, and building bioactive systems. So you’ll have the option to learn how to build your own — or hire me if you’d prefer it professionally done.