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Your 1-Stop Vivarium Shop! Your 1-Stop Vivarium Shop!
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Custom Vivarium & Terrarium Design

Living environment specialists since 2009

 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Introduction

Over the years, we've built living vivarium environments for enthusiasts, breeders, universities, museums, and more. We're happy to create environments of any size, and for just about any inhabitant species. Whether you are looking for a nice show piece for your living room, or a large display for a museum exhibit, we're more than happy to collaborate with you.
 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Our Goal

Our vivarium building process focuses on creating an aesthetically pleasing, true-to-nature live environment for the animal(s) who will call it home. The art of balancing realism, ecological function, and the ideal conditions for the inhabitant is part of what makes our live vivarium environments special. Our experienced team includes fanatics, breeders, and former-breeders of a huge variety of different species, and we put our expertise to work to ensure each inhabitant's needs are considered during the design process. Our live vivarium environments are inherently low maintenance thanks to the biologically active substrate, which contains populations of live microfauna, mycorrhizal fungi, and beneficial microbes. Our goal is to create living ecosystems which are equally enjoyable to both the human viewers and the animal residing within the display.
 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Species Specific Design

We build each of our environments for the specific species of animal which will be residing within. For example, if we were creating a vivarium to house Dart Frogs, we may design a custom glass top for the enclosure which utilizes adjustable brushless fans to ensure humidity stays high, while encouraging healthy airflow. On the other hand, if we were building for a Day Gecko, we might utilize a larger portion of stainless steel screening on our custom top, to be used in conjunction with an appropriate UVB producing light source. Substrate, hardscape decor, environmental controls, lighting, and more can be adjusted & customized so that the inhabitants are as comfortable as they possibly can be in captivity.
 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Custom Hardscape Design

One of the most visually interesting parts of a live vivarium is the custom background or freestanding hardscape. We're happy to create whatever design style you'd like, and we'll keep durability in mind as we build, based upon the specific animal(s) the enclosure is being built for. Our team has created backgrounds for species ranging from tiny "thumbnail" sized dart frogs, all the way up to massive species of Lizards. Whether you are looking for a rocky outcrop, rooted stump, or arboreally oriented "tree" style background, we'd be glad to help bring your thoughts into reality.
 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Healthy Plants

As one of very few commercial-scale terrarium-specific indoor grow operations in the USA, we're able to supply ideal species of plants year round. Depending on your goals, we can select an appropriate plant assortment on a shoestring budget, or go as far as emulating a true biotope. (Which means only including plants naturally found in the same area as the inhabitant species) Our plant section shows only a fraction of what we're growing at any given moment, and we're always happy to propagate & grow plants for a specific project. By growing nearly every plant used in our custom made vivariums, we work to eliminate the risks of using plants which weren't grown for the specific purposes of being used in a live vivarium environment. (No systemic chemicals, harsh fertilizers, or pesticides are ever used in our grow rooms) We take every precautionary step to ensure the plants we use are incredibly healthy, free of unwanted pests and/or chemicals, and will be well suited to the specific environment. We select ideal lighting solutions for every vivarium we build, and are happy to offer both economical & more deluxe styles of lighting to fit any budget & design goal. If you'd like, feel free to check out our Vivarium Lighting 101 article to learn more about all the things we take into consideration, when deciding on a light source. Our articles & kits have helped enthusiasts (and pros!) illuminate hundreds of live vivarium enclosures, and we're confident in our ability to get the job done right.
 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Stable Biologically Active Environments

A high quality substrate is literally the base of every healthy, self-sustaining live vivarium, and it's production has become part our company's identity. NEHERP Vivarium Substrates sustain plant life, microfauna life, the lives of the inhabitants, and resist breaking down long-term. Within the substrate layer, a healthy population of live vivarium microfauna grow to become an important part of any vivarium's environment. Just about all of the living elements of our vivariums are produced in-house.
 
NEHERP Custom Vivarium Builder
 

Logistics

Finished vivariums can be either picked up at our facility in Central Connecticut or delivered anywhere in the state. (Sorry, but we do not deliver outside of the state of Connecticut!) More advanced product design is available, if necessary. If you'd like a quote for a custom vivarium in your home or office, please visit our custom vivarium quote request form by clicking the button below. Typical turnaround depends on the volume of enclosures being built at that time, and the size/complexity of a vivarium build.
 
 

Not local? On a tight budget? Read on!

We're always happy to build awesome live vivariums on commission, but we also encourage & support enthusiasts in building their own! If you are on a tight budget, or aren't located close enough for pickup or delivery to be feasible, check out our live vivarium articles to learn everything you'll need to build one yourself. We offer more vivarium component kits than any other company, and we stock absolutely everything you need to build the vivarium of your dreams. If you'll be ordering from us, we also offer the best vivarium building support in the industry, and would be happy to assist with any questions you may have.
⤹ Scroll Down For More Examples ⤸
 
Vivarium Built For Harvard Museum of Natural History
One of the live vivariums we've built for the Harvard Museum of Natural History shortly after it was completed. (Before acclimation)
 
Vivarium Built For Harvard Museum of Natural History
One of the live vivariums we've built for the Harvard Museum of Natural History shortly after it was completed. (Before acclimation)
 
Vivarium Built By NEHERP
Our "Pumilio Paradise" vivarium, built into the wall unit of a client's office.
 
Neoregelia in live vivarium
Healthy Neoregelia beginning to color up under NEHERP vivarium LEDs
 
Live moss vivarium
Healthy live moss growth (NEHERP Moss Slurry), after acclimation.
 
Giant Gecko bio active vivarium
A "heavy duty" live vivarium, built for the world's largest species of Gecko, Rhacodactylus leachianus.
 
Gecko vivarium close up
Close-up detail of the vivarium above.
 
Dart frog bio active enclosure
Dendrobates tinctorius 'Bakhuis' hanging out on a custom cut Malaysian Driftwood stump with NEHERP Moss & a live mushroom growing on it.
 
Dart frog bio active enclosure
Vivarium wall grown-in with live moss, Cryptanthus, ferns, and Pilea plants
 
Dart frog bio active enclosure
Quick & easy custom 15G front-opening enclosure
 
Dart frog bio active enclosure
A top-down view of a vivarium with colored-up Neoregelia plants
 
 
 
 

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