# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  30 minute Semi Aquatic Tank project

## Johnny O. Farnen

This is not a step by step build photo thread as the construction is so simple it is not worth posting all the pictures.


Here is an example of a modified US 10 gallon tank for semi-aquatic species.

Price List:

10 gallon tank- 12USD
Small piece of acrylic sheet (12"x12"x1/8th" at Home Depot)- 5USD
Aquarium safe silicone sealant - 5USD
Small bag of Aquarium gravel - 85 cents a pound bulk (used about 1.5 lbs)
Bag of river rocks- 1USD at the dollar store

The moss is from my yard. The potting soil and coir I keep on hand.

Construction time is 15 minutes, not including a week to let the silicone cure properly!

    Simply cut a piece of the acrylic sheet to fit across the aquarium so that it fits tightly. Sand the bottom edge corners a bit to allow a space for the silicone already in the tank!) Acrylic sheet of this thickness can be easily "cut" buy scoring a deep line with a nail (or other sharp pointy object) along a ruler. Align the score with a table edge and merely snap it off. This gives you a clean break along the score. Next position the piece in the tank and prop up one side with a few small books or whatever and silicone it in place. 
    After a day or two, do a leak test by adding water and watching for it on the "dry side". Dry out the tank and seal any leaks. I glued a bunch of river rocks to the divider for both critter traction and aesthetic reasons. In this application a very small amount of silicone was used so that the spaces between the rocks remain open for easy cleaning with a turkey baster. Wait a week for all silicone to cure completely.

    Once the silicone is cured, remove the books and add your substrate of choice. I use a layer of aquarium gravel at the bottom just in case any water makes it through the divider and for how it looks through the divider. I added a layer of coir strictly to demonstrate layering clearly for an article I am finishing up for Caudata Culture. Over that I packed in a layer of pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer free potting soil (not mulch or compost!). Next a nice carpet of moss and few river rocks for decoration.

Add water and it is ready to go! (no hides are pictured for clarity, but fear not, my critters have their beloved cork bark in there!)

Such a set up is suitable for a good number of terrestrial, semi-aquatic anura and caudata.

Here is a shot with the new owners "installed":

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## Kerry1968

This is a really easy to do set-up, what a great idea, thanks for sharing Johnny.

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## John Clare

Very nice.

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## Tom

Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Looks Nice. Good job Johnny. What would you recommend for the sealant? I have heard GE silicon II works fine and comes in a variety of colors. Because the silicon sold at aquarium stores is expensive.

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## Johnny O. Farnen

I only use DAP Aquarium Silicone. I have seen people use other types but I personally would not. The problem with GE II is it is not rated for submerged use, technically speaking.

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## Ebony

I can't seem to open the photo's :Frown:

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## Tom

I have heard that it costs a lot though'

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## Buck Rogers

> I can't seem to open the photo's


Me too, I'm so curious to see what it looks like

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## Johnny O. Farnen

These photos and more can be seen here.

Odd that there seems to be an issue with photos from the caudata.org albums. I have stopped using web albums for posts in the two forums as sometimes pictures disappear after a while.

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## John Clare

Works fine for me and worked fine for me all day.  I can't explain it.

Johnny where do you buy the DAP silicone?

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## Ebony

Johnny, I cant view it through there either. It wont let me do anything until I sign up :Confused: .

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## John Clare

Ah that's because guests can't load caudata.org _album_ photos (the can load gallery photos).  I suppose I can change that but do you really want people ogling your more "personal" photos?

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## Ebony

Of course... No don't change that...I can understand that. :Wink:

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## Kurt

What do you mean personal photo? What are you guys posting over there?

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## Johnny O. Farnen

Naked salamander pictures...


I will make some changes and get the pictures up shortly. I currently have my home network bandwidth bogged down for an experiment.

Try these out...same order as the original post. I promise in the future I will  not be so lazy. :EEK!:

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## Johnny O. Farnen

> I have heard that it costs a lot though'


It is really not all that expensive unless you need to reseal an entire aquarium.




> Works fine for me and worked fine for me all day.  I can't explain it.
> 
> Johnny where do you buy the DAP silicone?


DAP brand aquarium silicone is available at just about every hardware and do it yourself store in the US.
For small projects like this and general tank repair the 2.8 fl oz size is perfect. For about 5 dollars you can do multiple small projects or reseal an entire US standard 10 gallon tank. The small tube size is better than caulking gun sizes as you get a better shelf life out of it if you only need a small amount. A standard caulking gun size has to be completely used within 72 hours of breaking the seal or it gels up. A tube will last six months if you close the cap, keep it in a ziploc bag in the fridge. (pro tip I got from an aquarium manufacturer in San Diego!)

I buy it at Ace Hardware online for a very very low price as I buy in bulk. (DAP product 688)
DAP has two different versions of the same product. They are identical in formula but different in packaging.(DAP product 688 also)

DAP does sell it in a caulking gun tube form, however after chatting with the folks in San Diego a few years back I have never bothered to order it.

You can also get All-Glass brand in the roughly 3 oz. size for about ten dollars at any major chain pet store. To be frank, it is an inferior product to DAP in my experience.

There is a few other brands of Aquarium safe sealant in the US, but I have not used them...yet

For a pretty good run down of Aquarium Silicone use try here.
(It is not nearly as informative as the chapter in my vivarium book-in-progress, but it covers the important parts. :Big Grin: )

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## Tom

So what are your views on using GE II for things like great stuff backgrounds covered with coco fiber?

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## Ebony

Thanks Johnny for putting the photo's up. Very Nice, The sphagnum is growing really well. Excellent idea :Smile:

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## Tom

Where do you get moss like that? How do you get it to grow like that? My moss always withers and dies. Any tips? also how do you guys get moss to grow on things like wood?

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## Ebony

The moss that grows on the wood is different to the sphagnum moss. My Sphagnum Moss grows really well in my tank set ups. I don't have the moss directly on the water, It sits on the rocks which are in the water. It will grow on soil but I don't want to put soil in my tanks. See Album

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## Kurt

> Naked salamander pictures..


Pervert.  :Big Grin:

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## Johnny O. Farnen

That is literally moss out of my backyard. I have a nice corner of the land that is completely covered in wild moss. It is actually not growing in these pictures. I harvest it during dry times of the year and keep it stored dry in the dark. Once I add it too an enclosure I mist it every few days and it grows! Moss needs to be wet to grow best. High humidity and dampness is it's friend. It grows very very slowly. To get it to grow on wood you need to have the wood waterlogged and just tie the moss on. Keep the wood and moss wet and in a few months it will start to creep out. After a year or two it looks completely natural.

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## Kurt

I remember seeing this thing on one of those gardening shows about "planting" moss. I remember them putting moss, buttermilk, and an other ingredient or two into a blender, then smearing the mixture on a rock. A few weeks later or so, they had moss growing on the rock. I would assume the same thing would work in the terrarium, but I would do it before adding the frogs. If you're interested in this, try googling it, as this is all I can remember.

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## Tom

Ok I found How to Grow Moss for Your Garden | eHow.com so beer and sugar

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## into

> Ok I found How to Grow Moss for Your Garden | eHow.com so beer and sugar


There you go Tom!  Tell your parents you need some beer. You're trying to grow moss...

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## Tom

My mom wouldn't care she knows I think it is disgusting, or so she thinks.

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## Kurt

While you're at it, ask if you can have some whiskey to wash the car with.  :Big Grin:

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## Kurt

I just read it and it says you can substitute buttermilk for the beer. I think Tom's real problem is going to be trying to convince mother to let him put moss in her blender.

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## Tom

You nailed it. Yup I am kinda worried about that but last time was worse I kinda used it as a cement mixer. I doubt she will let me use the new one ever again. But my stepmom is clueless.  :Wink: 

Wait whiskey for washing the car? My mom doesn't have any, how about vodka??

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## Kurt

Should work. You used her blender as a cement mixer? You'll be lucky if she lets you make mango smoothies in it.

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## Tom

Yeah not my smartest moment. I make smoothies when she is not around. Ok does just any type of moss work?

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## Kurt

I would assume so.

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## Tom

Do you need to pull up the whole moss including the roots and the dirt?

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## Kurt

Well maybe not the dirt. Moss, I find has very short roots, so pulling it up shouldn't be a problem. I can uproot it with my leaf blower.

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## Johnny O. Farnen

The moss in the blender method only works with moss that has spore stalks. Also, it stinks. The smell of rotting vegetation mixed with buttermilk is comparable to August roadkill. For that stinky mess to actually tun into moss you can expect to wait six months or more depending on species, humidity and lighting.

My method is simple: I take my dry, dormant moss and mist it heavily with water. Let it sit overnight. the next day, mist it again then dust the bottom heavily with Bisquick buttermilk baking mix. Call me crazy, but it works. I used this method for the Bombina orientalis enclosure I have posted here on the forums and quite a few others.

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## Tom

Ok thanks. Oh and I have heard watering it with any type of beer (I am guessing frogs will like that) or butter milk also promotes growth.

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## Kurt

I don't think the frogs will take kindly to beer.

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## Tom

Do you know any other way to promote moss growth?

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## Kurt

Other than what's already been discussed? No, not really.

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## Tom

Sorry to bring up an old thread but would this work if i used 1/8 in thick plastic instead of plexi?

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## John Clare

Provided the plastic bonds to aquarium silicone (most don't), yes.

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## Tom

I have a friend who owns a sign printing shop. He said he would cut me some pieces of plastic that he called "white 030 styrene hips" do you know if that will work?

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## Wyomingite

> I only use DAP Aquarium Silicone. I have seen people use other types but I personally would not. The problem with GE II is it is not rated for submerged use, technically speaking.


Well, I can't get the pic, but I'm sure it looks good as I've seen yer other work.

I started lookin' at silicone for aquarium use when I had a coupla leakers last month as I was settin' my tanks up. I found Loctite has a 100% silicone, fungicide free silicone. It even says that it is safe for aquarium use on the packaging. Got it at Lowe's for cheaper than the stuff at a pet store. So far so good, ran through the nitrogen cycles and have fish and live plants in one of 'em I used it on. No problems.   

WYite

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## Tom

I like that thanks WYite. Do you think that Lowe's everywhere carries it? Has anyone else heard of this stuff?

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