# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  My first vertical conversion attempt

## Sherry

So I went to Goodwill yesterday and picked up a fish tank for 25 bucks. It has been loved quite a bit!  The top and bottom rims are no longer attached, and the top rim is cracked pretty bad, there are scratches all over, and what appears to be black spray paint on one of the sides. Ghetto background? Me thinks so.  I am going to be recording the entire process on here, with lots of pics.  The measurements of the tank are (or will be when it is converted) 30"h 12"w 18"d or roughly 28 gallons.  I am going to be doing an egg crate false bottom so that I can add a water feature.  The tank came with a bunch of other stuff too.  Not sure what some of it is but hopefully someone on here will know...  Pics are going to be added later tonight.

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## S13

Awesome-sauce. I'll be tuned in.  :Smile: 

(so I can steal your ideas for when I start my 20 gal vertical build) lol jk  :Wink:

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## Sherry

Here are some pictures of the tank.  I am wondering if I will need to remove the blue silicone?  I didn't even know it came in blue?  And does anyone know what these things are that came with the tank?

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## J Teezy

just fyi craigslist is a great place to find tanks people are always trying to get rid of them

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## Sherry

It has been a while but I finally got some work done on this tank.  :Embarrassment:  Here is a picture of what I have done so far  I had to glue the trim back on the top and bottom of the tank because it was cracked in several places and falling off. I also painted it with black acrylic paint because for some reason there was white and yellow paint on it. For the drainage layer I got a pvc pipe and cut it into 4" sections to hold up the false bottom. I notched the bottoms of the pvc so stagnant water wouldn't build up in them. Then I measured and cut the egg crate to fit the bottom and left a space for a pool at the front of the tank. I used window screen as a substrate barrier and zip tied it to the egg crate. I am hoping to put in a waterfall, but from what I have read, unless you really know what you are doing it usually fails. I am hoping I am intelligent enough to pull it off. :Biggrin:  Then I had a piece of glass cut and siliconed it on the bottom to hold in water/substrate. I made a vent for the top using window framing and window screen and siliconed it to the top. I am wondering if I should make another small one for the bottom since the tank is so big...

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## Lynn

> It has been a while but I finally got some work done on this tank.  Here is a picture of what I have done so far  I had to glue the trim back on the top and bottom of the tank because it was cracked in several places and falling off. I also painted it with black acrylic paint because for some reason there was white and yellow paint on it. For the drainage layer I got a pvc pipe and cut it into 4" sections to hold up the false bottom. I notched the bottoms of the pvc so stagnant water wouldn't build up in them. Then I measured and cut the egg crate to fit the bottom and left a space for a pool at the front of the tank. I used window screen as a substrate barrier and zip tied it to the egg crate. I am hoping to put in a waterfall, but from what I have read, unless you really know what you are doing it usually fails. I am hoping I am intelligent enough to pull it off. Then I had a piece of glass cut and siliconed it on the bottom to hold in water/substrate. I made a vent for the top using window framing and window screen and siliconed it to the top. I am wondering if I should make another small one for the bottom since the tank is so big...



Hi Sherry,
It looks great.
What frog species is going in ?
A hole in the top ( ie back corner) would come in very handy to get the electrical cods in and out.
I did a similar viv and had a hole drilled large enough to fit the plugs through.
I was also able to pass the wires for the temp and humidity gauges through as well. 
Have fun !

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...ree-frogs.html
see post #1 
Lynn

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## bill

Hey sherry, it looks good so far. Like lynn said, drilling a hole for the cords is definitely an option, in fact, they make waterproof bulkheads just for that. I'll post a link for you after i am done work. Some of them are really trick stuff.  :Smile:

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## HerpDerp

Just a thought, but if that came with a filter with a pump in it you can take the pump out of it and use that for your water feature. I got a free 5 gallon tank with the intention of doing that but ended up setting it up instead LOL

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## Sherry

Lynn-  :Smile: I have wanted whites for a long time so I was planning on putting a couple in there. Do you think there is enough room for two to be comfortable?

Bill- I am scared to try to drill a hole in the tank because I don't want to crack the glass. :Nightmare:  Is there an easy way to do it?

Michelle- The tank didn't come with a pump but i have one I am going to use. I just hope it is strong enough :Smile:

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## bill

sherry, the only correct way to cut a big enough hole is to drill it. i have never done it (i just can't bring myself to "ruin" a glass cage..lol), but i know many, MANY people who have done it, and they all tell me the same things, go slow, use very light pressure and keep it cool with water and you will have no problems. if you play the "helpless woman" at a glass shop, they may cut it for you, but won't guarantee it. we men are always a sucker for the damsel in distress  :Wink:

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## Sherry

Here is part of the background. (Sorry it's sideways) It is supposed to be a rock background...I hope it will end up looking like rocks! I am going to put a few coats of un-sanded tile grout and then paint it with acrylic paint. I got the idea from here: reptile terrarium rock wall background. I am planning on sealing it with Krylon clear coat sealer.

 This is the branch i want to use for the whites to climb on. I am afraid that they will stab themselves on the little branches though when they jump. I removed a ton of little twig pieces already. Do I need to trim more? It is about an inch across at the thickest part just to give an idea of the size.

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## bill

Looking good sherry. I like that rock wall. Should look cool after it's painted and sealed. I have a branch in my retf tank (used to house my white's) that is thinner than that, and had no problems with them impaling themselves  :Smile:

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## Sherry

Ok good. Thank you for putting my worries to rest! :Adoration:  I am going to Home depot later to get some more supplies. I am anxious to get the waterfall started!!! Hopefully more pics tonight :Smile:

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## bill

yay! pics!! i have to take some of my palu tonight (if my clear ever dries), so i'll make ya a deal, i'll show ya mine if you show me yours.....LOL

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## Sherry

:Big Grin: It's a deal! Giggity giggity...

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_haha nice. I like it so far it really sounds like your showing that thing some well-deserved love, im lookn forward to seeing the end result_

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## Sherry

< This is the grout I am using to coat the rock wall. < Here are the two pieces with their first coat of grout. (I figured out how to turn the pics so they aren't sideways! :Big Grin: )
Here is the Great Stuff I will be using for part of the background so I can put plants in the background and to seal any gaps if I need to.
One of my most important supplies...I have to do the Dew! :Big Grin:

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## Heather

Looking good. You could always coat the branch in clear coat or silicone to make it smooth. 

Love the 'dew, haha!

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## bill

That's looking good sherry. Gonna paint it a bit after it dries to give it some depth? And i love that grout, very easy to work with  :Smile:  and you gotta have something to get ya through the build. You use dew, mine is coffee and techno music.....my wife HATES when i do a build......lol

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## Sherry

Heather- I smoothed it out with a Dremel so there are no sharp points. Is that good enough, or should I still coat it?
Bill- Yes, I am going to paint it dark gray and give it some depth. I am hoping it will look like this when done>

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## bill

Coolio! I know you probably thought of this, but a dry brush layer of black paint in spots first will really add depth. So would some white as the last layer.

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## Heather

That should be fine  :Smile: .

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## Sherry

Sweet! Thank you Heather. :Smile:   @ Bill-That is actually how the guy did his rock wall! Black paint in between the rocks for depth, then a little bit of white on top for a 'weathered' look. :Welcoming:  I used 'Nutmeg' colored (not nutmeg flavored by the way :Big Grin: ) grout just like he did in the video because I like how it shows just a little bit through the paint. It looks awesome!
Here is the Krylon sealer I am planning on using to seal the waterfall. I heard that it is safe but I just want to double check.> I just finished adding a second coat of grout to the rock wall. I cant wait to see how it turns out!

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## bill

yup....that should work. since mine was built "in tank", i can't use a spray. had to use an alternative way to seal the grout. and wouldn't it be cool if they could flavor the grout?? it would be like willy wonka's edible wallpaper, it would be bloody brilliant!!!LOL

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## Sherry

> yup....that should work. since mine was built "in tank", i can't use a spray. had to use an alternative way to seal the grout. and wouldn't it be cool if they could flavor the grout?? it would be like willy wonka's edible wallpaper, it would be bloody brilliant!!!LOL


LMAO!!! The snozberries taste like snozberries! So what did you use to seal your tank?

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## bill

ahhhh.......that would be an ancient chipmunk recipe that has been handed down for hundreds of generations. way back to when my ancestral chipmunks showed robin hood how to water proof his bow in sherwood forest .......LOL seriously though, titebond III wood glue. it's also what i used to hold about 90% of the coco fiber to this tank.  :Wink:

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## Sherry

LOL! You are too funny! Ahh...I didn't know you could use that to waterproof stuff. Cool :Smile:  Do you like it better than silicone?

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## bill

I'll let you know in a few weeks.....lol i figured that since it dries hard and 100% waterproof, why not give it a shot? I even planned around it drying amber colored. That's why i went with the lighter colored grout.

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## bill

I should mention that i had read of other people using it to attach coco fiber at dendroboard. I just decided to try it out as a sealer.

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## Sherry

I assumed you could only use silicone for that. I'm still a newb at this. :Embarrassment:  I cant wait to see yours finished! It better not look better than mine though! :Wink:

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## bill

Oh, i'm sure it won't  :Wink:

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## Sherry

Here are the rock wall pieces with their 3rd coat of grout. I think just one more coat and it will be time to paint! I am excited!!! 
This is probably a stupid question, but should I silicone the pvc in place under the false bottom?

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## bill

looking real good  :Smile:  if you mean the supports, then it's up to you. if you're only doing a portion of the tank as a false bottom, i would say yes, as a precautionary measure. you should have enough weight on the land mass that it shouldn't ever move. shouldn't being the key word there....lol is that the position they are going into the viv?

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## Sherry

Yes I meant the supports. I will silicone them just to be safe :Smile:  I am going to have a pool at the front of the tank that the waterfall is going to drain into.  One of the rock wall pieces are going on the back wall and the other is going on the left wall. I am still deciding how I will do the waterfall; whether i will use Great stuff, or the same foam I used for the rock wall.

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## bill

duh....despite the name of this thread, my brain thought it was wider and those pieces were both going on the back wall. i am such a ditz sometimes....LOL and if your background pieces are going to be siliconed directly on top of the edges of the egg crate, then you really won't need to silicone them in. the rock wall will keep it from going anywhere, but better be safe then sorry. i had to silicone mine down in the paludarium because all the land masses were floating!!!!LOL

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## Sherry

My brain stopped working a long time ago :Nightmare:  Very frustrating

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## Sherry

Here is the rock wall in place. Still needs painted but the grout is not fully cured, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to paint. Still can't decide how to do the waterfall...

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## Robby Cash

Looks awesome so far. I was thinking of doing a vertical build but im getting that hex tank lol. I still my do a vertical build with my lil 5 gal tank since i just got 2 new lil green tree frogs, there no bigger than a quarter lol. My girl friend saw them at the pet shop and talked me into buying them lol.

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## Sherry

Thank you! I have a ways to go still :Frown:  The worst is having to wait for everything to cure. I am definitely not an expert but I will try to help you with your build if you have any questions. :Smile:

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## Robby Cash

Yea i bet that is the worse part lol. Im very impatient so that would be my down fall lol. I like to start some thing and have it done withing a day lol. and ok awesome ill ask if i need any help with building one.

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## Sherry

Yeah I hate waiting. I have been working on this too long and I am ready for it to be done! I got frustrated and stopped working on it for a while and decided to do another tank. Its not done yet either because I can't decide what plants I want to put in it and where. Here is what I have so far. I think it is too boring.>

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## Robby Cash

Ok ill make ya a deal. Since its so boring ill gladly take it off your hands for free? Think of the room you'll have when its gone  :Cool:  lol

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## Sherry

Lol :Big Grin:  I would but I have put so much time into this ****in thing I feel like I would have to charge for labor :Highly Amused: . All of the materials I collected from the forest and I didn't sterilize it so I dont think anything can be housed in it anyway :Grumpy:

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## Robby Cash

Lol I might pay ya one day to do a set up for me. Cus here soon i wanna get a couple red eyes, or a coupld black eyed ones lol.

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## Sherry

That would be awesome :Smile:  My friend keeps telling me I should make and sell them and I have been considering it. I really want to start breeding though. Maybe I can make a living doing that...Then I can travel and do reptile shows... That would be my dream job. Well that and working on cars...This would be much less frustrating though! Cars can be such a pain in the @ss

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## Robby Cash

Yea cars can be a pain lol. I do construction so i though building a frog tank would be easy but i was wrong.... Oh was i so so so wrong lol. And yea i wish i could get mine to breed but the only thing making babies in that cage is the damn crickets lol.

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## Sherry

LOL!  :Big Grin:  Do you have a rain chamber? I think that is how most people get their frogs to breed.

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## Robby Cash

> LOL!  Do you have a rain chamber? I think that is how most people get their frogs to breed.


I have no idea what the hell that even is lol. time to pay a visit to google lol

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## Sherry

Here is a thread for making a rain chamber by ViperJr. He's been breeding for a while. http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...html#post96282 I hope this helps. I'm not sure if you still need to cycle the frogs if you have this or not...

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## bill

Looks good sherry!  Have you thought about rotating each 180° and reversing sides? That would give you a sort of triangle in the corner to which you could build your water fall in. And your other tank just needs some decent plants in there. I have a plant in mind, but i have to get you the name of it when i get home after work. 
And yes, working on cars for a living is a pita. I specialize in diagnostics, so my world is full of frustration......lol

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## Sherry

Thank you Bill! :Embarrassment:  I like your idea of rotating the rock wall pieces! I gave them their first coat of paint a little while ago>  For some reason the paint didn't stick as well to the second one. I have to do a couple more coats anyway... I used the spray bottle as a 'spray can'. I mixed the black and white acrylic paint to the color I wanted and added water so it would come out of the bottle easier. I like this method because it is A LOT faster than using a brush!

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## bill

That actually is a great idea, problem being is that a water based acrylic paint will be diluted by the water and probably would affect it's adhesion properties.

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## Sherry

****! Should I just use a brush then? I just like how the guy did it in the video. You could still see a little of the brown grout showing through and it looked cool! Oh well, It will still be the best build ever! :Highly Amused:

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## bill

You can use a brush. You can always let it set up and then give it a little rub a dee dub to wear some paint off to give it a weathered look.

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## Sherry

That is a good idea! Thank you! I shall do that :Smile:  You are the best deranged chipmunk ever!

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## FriedrichsFrogs

> Yeah I hate waiting. I have been working on this too long and I am ready for it to be done! I got frustrated and stopped working on it for a while and decided to do another tank. Its not done yet either because I can't decide what plants I want to put in it and where. Here is what I have so far. I think it is too boring.>


_it looks really cool to me_

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## bill

this plant would make that viv rock!! i'm waiting for a response to my pm to find out what it is

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## Sherry

Ok, here are the two rock walls with their final coat of paint>
And here they are ready to be sealed! They didn't turn out as well as I wanted but hey, it's my first time making a rock wall :Wink:  
Here they are in the viv, just to get an idea of what it will look like> The waterfall is going in the corner between them :Smile:

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## bill

you're nuts, because they look awesome for your first time!! just remember, they say the first time is always the worst, and i would take that as my worst any day  :Smile:  love the placement of the rock panels, but i would slide the back wall all the way to the right . if you plan your waterfall right, you can cover the gap left over with a nice plant or vines or sumpin. i think it is looking better and better  :Frog Smile:  oh, and the plant that would be killer in your other viv? ficus benjamina  :Smile:

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## Sherry

Thank you! :Embarrassment:  You have some really good ideas and you have been a big help! :Smile:  I am so anxious to get this thing done! I am trying not to rush though because I don't want to mess it up. I think in a little bit I will go spray the pieces with sealer so tomorrow I can silicone them in the tank. Now to look up Ficus Benjamina...

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## bill

oh, believe me, it was my pleasure. after all, you did the work and i just sat here and looked at pics....lol i think you will like the ficus, it should look cool in that viv. Glass frogs would love that plant  :Smile:

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## Sherry

I'm glad I could pleasure you!  :Highly Amused:  LOL! I love the ficus but I don't think I can put anything in that tank because I got everything in there from the woods and didn't sterilize any of it before I put it in there. I would love some glass frogs though! I wonder if anywhere around here sells those ficus plants...

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## Sherry

Added some foam for the waterfall. I will have a lot of carving to do. :Grumpy:

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_its really coming together tho, prety cool so far_

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Thank you! I have been carving while i watch "Walking Dead". :Embarrassment:  I need better carving tools though. This exacto knife thing just isn't doing it. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_lol good show, i havnt caught any of it yet this season hows it goin so far? my brothr watches it religiously he told me theyr living in a prison this time. Did u carve those walls out of styrofoam by hand?_

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## Sherry

This season is good so far, but I love anything with zombies in it :Embarrassment:  
The rock wall I made from 1/4" polystyrene styrofoam. I had two large sheets so I used one sheet to make two 'base' pieces and then tore pieces off to make rocks and siliconed them to the base piece to form a rock wall. Then I painted the walls with 4 coats of unsanded tile grout, 3 coats of gray acrylic paint, and 4 coats of Krylon sealer.

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## bill

You're not done yet? Lol looks great so far  :Smile:  believe it or not, i did all my carving with a steak knife, exacto and a scalpel. Oh, and you can always silicone/ cocofiber that bare spot directly onto the glass.

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Sunshine

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_Oh ok that sounds easier, i thought u carved it all out of 1 piece, and 11 coats total?? I hope that stuff doesnt come off easy casue thats a lot of waiting you had to do_

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## Sherry

> You're not done yet? Lol looks great so far  believe it or not, i did all my carving with a steak knife, exacto and a scalpel. Oh, and you can always silicone/ cocofiber that bare spot directly onto the glass.


I know, it's taking forever :Embarrassment: . I am hoping to try out the waterfall tomorrow to see how the water will flow. And all the bare spots will be covered with silicone and coco fiber :Smile:

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## Sherry

> _Oh ok that sounds easier, i thought u carved it all out of 1 piece, and 11 coats total?? I hope that stuff doesnt come off easy casue thats a lot of waiting you had to do_


No I'm not very good at carving lol :Embarrassment: . And yes it was a pain in the @ss!

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## bill

Whatcha plannin on covering the waterfall in?

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## Sherry

I was thinking about painting it with gray acrylic paint like the rock walls and sealing it with silicone. Do you think that will be ok?

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## bill

Silicone will work just fine. It will dry hazy though. Get thee to the home depot paint section and get either some marine epoxy or 2 part epoxy. It will dry clear and rock hard. Just mix it up and paint it on.

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Would that titebond3 stuff be good to use? Or would it dry hazy too?

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## bill

That will probably work. Dries yellow though.

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## Sherry

Epoxy it is then :Smile:  Thank you!

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## Sherry

Attachment 41151 Carving is done! Now I need to paint the waterfall and cover the walls with silicone and coco fiber/peat moss. Still a little ways to go :Fatigue:

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## bill

Looks awesome!! Me likey!! You're doing so wel, i'm gonna send you a 29 bowfront to build for my white's......lol

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## Sherry

A few pic updates :Smile:  Sorry the quality sucks. I know it looks like **** now but I think it will look good when I'm done.

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## Sherry

It's getting there...

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## bill

Oh yeah! It looks much gooder with the wood in there! I like the purple color.....gonna keep it? Lol you really carved the krap out of that waterfall huh? Lol what are the plans for plants? And did you water test yet?

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## Sherry

It's not supposed to be purple :Embarrassment: . It is probably the walls in here since they are purple :Embarrassment: , or the bad lighting in here. As far as plants, I have a creeping fig i am putting in the pot above the waterfall, and a pink cryptanthus going in the pot below. I have a snake plant that I want to put behind the branch. The right side is too boring but I don't know what to put there. :Frown:

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## bill

You could go with a nice climbing vine on the right. Or, plant something like a wandering jew in the top pot and plant the fig low on the right and let it climb the wall. Or, you could attach some sort of epiphyte to the right side wall. Hmmm, maybe a climbing ivy on the right? Need some aquatic moss for the water feature? Oooooohhh.......let me know how moist the soil is next to the water feature is. If it gets fairly damp, i'll hook you up with a cryptocoryne zukalli. It's a bit rare in the aquatic trade, but i have a spare one in my bed bully's tank that just refuses to grow.

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Where can I get aquatic moss? I've never heard of that before. As for the substrate, I think it will be pretty moist. :Smile:  I wanted to ask you, I couldn't find any epoxy in any of the hardware stores, but i was looking at this Minwax polyurethane sealer and this guy came up to me and said the 'spar urethane' was what people use on their boats. He asked me what I needed it for- he didn't work there so I thought it was strange- so I told him I was using it to seal a waterfall in a viv I was making. I could barely get a word in edgewise so I was wondering if you knew if it was safe to use (on the waterfall) with the frogs.

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_so far that looks really cool, congrats! i like purple too, it looks almost blak lighty. you did a great job with the foam + carving + coloring, looks really good. lookin forward to the final result keep it up_

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## Sherry

Thank you Jay! I am almost done. I just planted it and I think it looks really good so far. :Biggrin:  Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced my phone, which is what I use to take the pics and get them on my computer so I can upload them here. I want to post a pic of it so bad :Frown:

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_lol workin thru the night on this one? dont worry itll turn up soon enough_

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## Sherry

No I actually should be sleeping since I have to go to Peoria (where I used to live) and get some more of my **** to bring back here. :Nightmare:  It takes 3 hours to get there. The only thing left on the tank is to wait for the sealer to dry on the waterfall, then fill with water and add rocks and it will be good to go :Smile:

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_sounds like a pain! cant imagine what u pay in gas for that. Peoria? is that in rhode island? So its just the waiting game for the most part for the tank, gotchya. I just began foaming my tank i got from chipmunk monday. I took 1 picutre, camera died, cant find the wire to hook it up to the computer to upload pics...gooo figuuure!! 1 way or another ill get them on here. anyway ill begin carving probobly sunday, (workn tomoro 9-9)._

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## Sherry

> _sounds like a pain! cant imagine what u pay in gas for that._


Too much!! Peoria is in Illinois. It is about 3 hours away. :Disgust:  I can't wait to see what you've done so far! 9-9 is too long! Is that a normal shift for an EMT?

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_Ohh ok, i was thinkin of that Family Guy episode, where Peter makes his house the country of Petoria. Still sucks it takes 6 hrs of driving, not including all the labor involved. yeaa well it tends to differentiate from company to company in Philadelphia as EMTs. 9 out of 10 times tho you'r looking at a 12+ hour shift no matter who you work for. My company only offers 4-4 or 9-9. Personally i love the 4-4, 12 hours of work and u still have the rest of the day to do watever, 9-9 kills your whole day_

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## Sherry

I love Family Guy!!! Yeah I would take the 4-4 shift too. I hate getting up in the morning, but it's better than spending your whole life at work! I worked really long hours as a dog groomer. I love grooming, but the hours suck.

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## Brian

> It's not supposed to be purple. It is probably the walls in here since they are purple, or the bad lighting in here.


It looks like a white-balance problem with your camera/pone. Auto-white balance can often go wonky under any kind of fluorescent lights and will especially be wonky if you have multiple light sources on of different colour temperatures.





> Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced my phone, which is what I use to take the pics and get them on my computer so I can upload them here. I want to post a pic of it so bad


Did you try calling yourself :Stick Out Tongue: . Looking forward to an updated picture :Smile: .

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## Sherry

Yeah, my camera on my phone isn't very good and the light I had on top of the tank was a 10,000K fluorescent light. (It came with the 50 gal. I have my FBTs in) The lighting in here sucks so I needed some extra light :Smile: . I plan on calling myself today :Biggrin:  I think I dropped it in my friends car though and he is at work today. I wish I had his number memorized. :Frown:  Oh, I want to ask you if spar urethane would be to ok to use to seal my waterfall? Probably not, but I am running out of choices.

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## Pluke

Looks really cool so far, Sherry. Can't wait to see it when it's finished.  :Smile:

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Some more updates... I need to figure out something to cover the egg crate and window screen... I am welcome to ideas :Smile:

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## bill

Sherry, that looks great! Sorry i missed this. You did a fantastic job!! What did you decide to do with the screen?

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

I have no idea what to do. :Frown:  I am in the process of making some 'rock' shelves for the frogs to climb on so the right wall isn't so boring. Do you know about how long it takes for the creeping fig to start creeping?

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## bill

It will take a while for the fig to start creeping. Just be patient and watch for new growth (bright green). Btw, i like the wandering jew up in the corner.  :Smile:  i would suggest building a rock wall outside the viv for the screen area. A little silicone, a few rock, then just put it in. You can even build a mock up area if you have any egg crate left over.

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Sunshine

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_wow thats really coming together nicely! great job_

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Sunshine

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## bill

doesn't it? i think she done good, fer women folk that is  :Wink:

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## Sherry

Haha very funny :Wink:  You're just jealous that my tank looks better :Big Grin:

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## bill

Nuts! Am i that transparent??? Lol

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## Sherry

Here is one of the ledges. For some reason when I try to post the other one on here it is HUGE. It takes up the whole screen. Anyhoo, this one looks fun to climb on right?  :Big Grin:

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## bill

Looks like a froggy rock climbing wall  :Smile:

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## Sherry

Here are a couple pics with the ledges I made put in. :Smile:   (One is up in the top right corner.)

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## Pluke

Wow, that looks really cool. You have some definite skills there. What are those side walls made of? Is that a sheet of Styrofoam that you just carved patterns into? Everything looks really good, I can only hope to make something that cool.  :Stick Out Tongue:

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Thank you :Smile:  The side walls are made of styrofoam. I broke off pieces and shaped them like rocks and glued them on the larger piece of styrofoam. Then I put 3 coats of tile grout then 3 coats of acrylic paint. Why do you think you couldn't do something like this? I'm sure you could!

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## bill

Nice job sherry! This came out great! Love the ledges, wanna make me a set for my madagascar tank? Lol btw, when spring hit, it you'd like, i'll send you some epiphytic vines for your background. They're too dainty and delicate to ship in this cold  :Frown:

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

I will make you some if you want :Smile:  I would love some epyphytic vines! How much will you want for them?

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## bill

Hmmmm......don't remember saying i would SELL you some vines  :Wink:

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## Sherry

Oh, well that's even better :Biggrin:

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## bill

I've always done things that way. If i have it and you want it and k am trimming,  it's yours. All i ask is that you pay it forward. Example, in one of my tank forums, i always post in the local section that i am doing a trim. I will get 30 pm's within 10 minutes, because they know the plants would just be going in the trash if nobody takes them.  :Smile:  i like to think i'm helping grow the hobby.

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## Sherry

You are sweet! I will pay it forward :Smile:  I always like to help others when I can.

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## bill

I know you will.  :Smile:  they'll need a few months to grow out anyway. I just got them in a trade a few weeks back. I'm expecting another shipment after Thanksgiving as well  :Smile:  better start planning more tanks, i'm going to need to get rid of some plants in the spring.....lol

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_whoo that came out nice! love the stones at the bottom, good eye_

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Sunshine

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## NatureLady

It looks amazing! Love love love the ledges!!!!

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Thank you! I'm glad you like them :Smile:  This build didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I am still new at this :Embarrassment:

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## steampunk

Looks awesome, did you end up doing the waterfall?

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2

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Sunshine

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## Pluke

Just curious Sherry, How much time do you think you've put into this?

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## bill

> Thank you! I'm glad you like them This build didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I am still new at this


You'll never be happy with the first few. My first viv was so bad i wouldn't put animals in it. I didn't even bother taking pics it was so bad......lol

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## Heather

Looks great  :Smile:

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

> You'll never be happy with the first few. My first viv was so bad i wouldn't put animals in it. I didn't even bother taking pics it was so bad......lol


LOL!!! I hope you are right!

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## Sherry

> Looks great


Thank you Heather! I did my bestest! :Biggrin:

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## Sherry

> Just curious Sherry, How much time do you think you've put into this?


Well I started this build in Jan. of this year but all I did was silicone the bottom piece of glass to hold in the water and add the egg crate and window screen barrier. :Embarrassment:  I stopped working on it for a long time and just started again back in August. If I could just sit still and work on the tank and get stuff done, it should have only taken a week with curing and everything. I have no concept of time though so I could be wrong...

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## Sherry

> Looks awesome, did you end up doing the waterfall?
> 
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


I did do a waterfall, but there was not enough room to do the cool one that you made :Frown:  I guess it's more like a dripwall/waterfall. It is in the lower left corner. Didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but it was my first time. :Embarrassment:

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## Sherry

Hey Bill... Do you think I should make another vent for the bottom or will the one at the top be enough?

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## bill

ummm....remind me what lives in there again...LOL and what are your numbers now?

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## steampunk

Well if it's any consolation, I'm not happy with my waterfall setup up but we can use this as an excuse to get another tank  and more frogs ;-)

I would be proud of what you done, looks really good. And like chipmunk said it might take a few until you get the setup you want.

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

I don't have anything in there yet, but I want to put some whites in there. I also still need to put a door on it :Embarrassment:  I haven't put a door on because I was debating whether or not to add another vent on the bottom. The tank is 18"x12"x30" and the screen on top is 4"x10".

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## Pluke

You know, I just noticed that the title states "My FIRST Build attempt.." This just makes it that much more impressive, Sherry. 

I will try and build one some day, but I have a feeling it won't top yours... we'll see though.  :Stick Out Tongue:

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

> You know, I just noticed that the title states "My FIRST Build attempt.." This just makes it that much more impressive, Sherry. 
> 
> I will try and build one some day, but I have a feeling it won't top yours... we'll see though.


I bet you could do it! It's really not that hard, it's just time consuming.

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## bill

> I bet you could do it! It's really not that hard, it's just time consuming.


Sherry is 100% correct there. go for it, you won't regret the experience, that's for sure  :Smile:

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## bill

> I don't have anything in there yet, but I want to put some whites in there. I also still need to put a door on it I haven't put a door on because I was debating whether or not to add another vent on the bottom. The tank is 18"x12"x30" and the screen on top is 4"x10".


sorry, my bad. dimensions i knew, i have several 20L tanks  :Smile:  i actually meant temp and humidity. i should have been more specific. i would say put a door on it, get some readings and then you can make an informed decision.  :Smile:  how that for an answer that doesn't answer anything? LOL

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## bill

> You know, I just noticed that the title states "My FIRST Build attempt.." This just makes it that much more impressive, Sherry. 
> 
> I will try and build one some day, but I have a feeling it won't top yours... we'll see though.


right? she did an awesome job for her first build. those whites are gonna be very happy in their new home  :Smile:

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

I was just worried about ventilation. I wasn't sure if they would be getting enough fresh air since the tank is so tall.

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## bill

well, a second vent definitely will not hurt. it will definitely help air flow  :Smile:  you are probably better off having it than not. put it in, you could always cover it later if you find it isn't needed.

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Sunshine

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## Sherry

Good idea! Thank you once again! :Embarrassment:

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