# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  my weekend warrior project, 125G paludarium

## bill

i hope i am posting this in the correct section, if not, i hope a mod will move it to the proper forum  :Smile: 

i have definitely been bitten by the vivarium/paludarium bug. i have been planning this project for quite a while, so since i had a 4 day weekend this weekend, i figured i might as well get on it. it's a standard marineland 125g tank, 72"x18"x21". my intention is for it to be a stream side bed. dart frogs will live on the land and i am leaning towards cardinal tetras and abn's in the blackwater stream section. however, i keep flip flopping between that and shrimp and oto's. that will probably be decided upon at the very last minute. now for the pics:

this was my original footprint of my land section, the idea was to have 2 waterfalls, one on the left and a large one to the right, that would feed the beginning of the stream:


that may still be the plan, if i can figure out the design of the waterfall in my head. i want it to be a removable section so i can access equipment.

so while i am working on design for the right side, i decided to build the left side. basic structure built:





i built a "shaft" that will house the pump for the water feature on the left, and it will be removable to access equipment. the tank heater will be suctioned to the floor of the tank under this section, as well as a small powerhead to keep circulation up under the land section to avoid stagnant water. also, the pvc pipes are all drilled with extra holes to prevent stagnant water from building up inside of them and raising toxic levels. here's the left side, foamed in. you can see the shaft i built, now i just have to trim the background so it slides in and out easily.


that's all for this week on this one. i'll post another update on what i get accomplished this upcoming weekend.
__________________
-Bill

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## bill

oh, and i also started this little bitty this weekend, not sure if it going to be for another type dart frog, newts or just a versatile quarantine tank. it's a 20L with an ancient viquarium setup in it that i modified a bit.

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## Adam R

that is a heck ton of foam. im almost finished my paludarium as well. i hope all goes well with yours!

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## bill

thanks adam  :Smile:  it's actually less than you would think. the 125 only has 2 16oz. cans into as it sits. the 20 is one 12oz. can. do you have pics or a thread on yours? i would love to see it.

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## Tyson

Its going to be awesome! cant wait to see it finished!

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## bill

thanks tyson.......i can't wait either. LOL hoping to get it running and seeded before the hamburg show in case i find any leucs. there.

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## Adam R

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...ank-setup.html

i need to get my nikon from work to take some better pics. i took them on the iphone. i get my broms shipped to me hopefully this week so ill post up more pics.

i only have 5in of water so i also havnt decided if it'll have tropical fish or not. what about yours?

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## bill

after substrate, i should have roughly 6" of water. so i am thinking either some cardinal tetras and bristlenose plecos, or (and this is probably the route i am going), shrimp and otocinclus. and all my pics are taken with my phone. it actually takes better pics than my ancient camera...LOL

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## kmichael55

Cool! also learned a new word... paludarium.  I like it.  
Can't wait to see it completed!!

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## bill

I might have an update tonight. All depends on whether or not i feel like inhaling silicone fumes after inhaling them at work all day. I'm only siliconing the submerged section, the land portion will be done with titebond III  wood glue. I was going to do it this weekend, but i ran out of gloves, so i just waited until returning to work today to "appropriate " some.  :Smile:

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## bill

update: built the water feature for the left side of the tank. made it completely removable for maintenance reasons. learned a few things this past weekend as well. while water testing the water feature, i filled the tank to it's planned water level, and guess what i found out? the whole land area floats!! dumb me, should have figured it would, since it IS all polyurethane foam. like trying to sink a giant rice crispy....lol anyway, i added 4lbs of lead fishing sinkers to the inside of the land mass. i'm in the middle of covering it with coco coir, so i will hopefully test to see if this is enough weight over the upcoming weekend. now for the pics:
prep work: in order to keep the foam from sticking, i covered the area i was working in in plastic wrap, which worked brilliantly :-)


this is the top of my water feature, water enters through the tube and exits upon overflow. the reason for the cup is because the ultrasonic foggers work on vibration and they spout up some water, this is my attempt to curb having a fog volcano. LOL

water feature foamed up and ready for carving:


a couple of views if the water feature out of the tank:



here's a couple pics after carving and after a bit of coco coir on it:


i will try to update earlier next week, i just got caught up in my own little Doctor Who marathon this week....lol
oh, i also built the right section of land and another piece that i built to creat the effect of a stream (hopefully). i will post pics of those next week

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## Adam R

nice idea for the waterfall.

when you get a chance, i updated mine as well with some plants

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## kmichael55

Looking good!

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## bill

#*13*

Fishies_in_Philly
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ok, been a bit since i updated, actually got a lot accomplished. i'll just let the pics do the talking.







current plant inventory.....adding more tomorrow. you can just see my grow out tank for my planted tanks.  :Smile:

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## bill

not a pic update tonight. i decided to scrap that carved water feature on the left. after numerous discussions between the architect (me) and the contractor (again,me) they decided on constructing a hill/water feature instead. what that means is a bit of a re-engineering to the water feature plan. it also meant that i finally had to krap or get off the pot so to speak and silicone the land sections down so i can start on the background well that meant i needed to build my filter intake and return spraybar, and cover the spraybar in coco before i could silicone section 2 in. man, it sucks to be labor, it was much easier being the architect. but i got what i needed to get done and i still had to hang a light over my newest frog's temporary abode and get some plants into it. i'm beat. thank you for reading my mini blog....lol

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## Adam R

wow thats a fern. you plan on splitting it a few times im guessing..

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## bill

Yes indeed, that rabbits foot fern is going in 3 enclosures.

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## Aaron Boswell

looking fwd to seeing your finished product tanks looks great.

I just built a 20 long with a waterfall and it was the hardest part I cut the foam out of that section 3 times and put dif bits in trying to get it right all worth it when u see it working though I'm just planning on going bigger next year now got most of the materials just need to decide on animals, tank size and features

one thing with only 6 inches of water you do know BN Plecos get quite big? I had one in a 3 ft long 1.5ft high tank and it still was too small he used to bump into the sides so moved him to the 400g in the living room and that just about does it lol he's a big boy

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## bill

Yeah, cutting the foam to get the right look is a pita. And bristle nose plecos only grow to about 4". Rubber lips also stay small. In fact, there are quite a few species that don't grow big.

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## bill

in the home stretch.......starting to see the finish line!!! 

i completed foaming the background last night and this is where we stand.:

looking down from the left, you can see where the rocky hill will be. i won't be able to complete that section until i cover the background and do some touch ups on the land mass.:


center:


right:


left half from the front:


right half:


full length from above (kinda)


sorry the pics suck, but it's hard to take a good pic when the thing is laying on the floor (sort of)

i also made a spray bar for a water return/flow system. all holes are angled slightly up to clear the substrate. and there are also holes behind the land mass to provide flow under the land to avoid stagnant water.



the background will be covered in coco fiber as well as hydraulic cement. it should look pretty cool. ( i hope..lol)

that's all for now. i will try to post pics as i go along with the back ground.

oh....and btw....in case anyone is wondering, if some of the stuff i posted in this thread don't make sense it's because i copied and zapped it from another forum and i am WAY too lazy to edit it...lol

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## kmichael55

Wow yours is complex and awesome!! 
I just went with a water dish for the tomato frog and a part of the bottom glass and siliconed off for water for my Gray tree frog, filtration is way too advanced for me right now.

I'm definitely getting way too into this whole vivarium building thing but my bank account hopes I don't get to that size/difficulty level for a while haha!

Your plant options with so much more space make me jealous, it's going to look great once they're all planted!
(ps the architect/contractor bit was really funny and relatable!)

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## bill

Believe it or not, when you factor in the scale of the project,  i don't have much $ into it. I limit my hobbies (both frogs and fish) to $60/week, no more. But so far i have into this: 4 eggcrates ($40), pvc pipe ($12), reptiflo 250 pump ($7), 2 blocks of coco fiber ($4), 1 bag peat moss ($3), 3 bottles titebond iii wood glue ($15), drylok hydraulic cement ($8), 2 tubes of silicone ($12, for gluing the land masses down), and finally 11 cans of right stuff ($55, i buy the 16 oz. cans).
So you see, if you just buy materials as you go, it's not too bad. And as far as filtration, after doing tanks for so long, this is a piece of cake.....lol
and the architect/contractor thing makes my wife laugh. She hears me yelling and arguing with myself (yes i do it out loud...lol) and just laughs away......lol

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## Heather

Lol!!!! Sorry, had to chuckle at that one  :Big Grin: .

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## bill

It's ok. I'm used to it. I talk things out out loud. I also use a lot of whiteboards. I do it at work (i'm a mechanic) and home. Everyone thinks i'm nuts, but hey, whatever works,  right. Although i'm sure it's comical hearing me yell at myself.......lol

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## Heather

Ha ha! No worries, I'm a nurse so I'm constantly multitasking, at home and at work. Completely understand  :Big Grin: .

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## bill

And you're also used to dealing with crazies like me, i'm sure......lol

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## Heather

Ha ha ha!!!!! Yep  :Wink:

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## bill

ok, got a little bit done this past weekend. added grout and siliconed/coc fibered the right side of the background. that parts is all but finished. just need to do some touch ups, a little bit of paint work on the grout and then seal it. the left side, is becoming another argument between the contractor and architect. the architect's original plan was to have a "rocky slope" on the left side. the contractor thinks this stump works better. the property owner is letting them duke it out....lol here's where we stand as of this evening.

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## bill

this should be my last "construction post". everything is now built, foamed, carved and fibered. i just have to do some touch ups, apply another coat of "clear" to my rockwork and then get it up on it's stand so i can water test everything. once i'm happy with the water test, i can start planting. My goal is to have plants in this sucker sunday night, but i'm not going to rush it. we'll just see how it goes.

there are no full tank shots yet, after she's on her stand i can take them. right now, a couple close ups

right side middle:


right side, above the water feature


right side middle, clear is still drying


left side middle:


left side:


left side land mass, look ma, no stump!!!


dat's all for now

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_Holy mother of god on the cross savin us all jesus the merciful comin down from heaven, I had no idea what you were sayin on about 90% of this forum but these last few pics are incredible._

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_your a madman Bill_

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## bill

hahahaha....thanks. i hope that seeing it helps make sense of it all???

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_not really lol im just glad i wont be putting several filters and water filtration in with my fbt tank. baby steps Bill u kno, baby steps with me, maybe ill add that later in the future (not that i exactly need to) but just in case i know who to go to_

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## Sherry

> _holy mother of god on the cross savin us all jesus the merciful comin down from heaven, i had no idea what you were sayin on about 90% of this forum but these last few pics are incredible._


  lmfao!!!

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## Disco

Very cool! And very inspirational  :Smile:

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deranged chipmunk

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## bill

ok, so i had a bit of a productive evening. with a lot of help and a LOT of patience, my sons and i moved my stand into position, i installed the lighting and we got the tank on the stand and leveled it. then i did a quickie vacuum and filled it with water to the level it will be running at so i could test the water feature. i knew there would be tweaks and adjustments and quite a bit of touch up to do. still have to scrape some silicone from the glass and skim about 2 metric tons of excess coco fiber before i can add substrate to the aquarium section. i need to do that soon because my fish and shrimp should be here next week  :Smile:  so without further ado, here are the pics.:










finally!! full tank shots!!!

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## Sherry

I thought I told you your tank can't be better than mine? Just kidding :Love Heart:  Your tank looks awesome!!! I cant wait to see it planted!!! :Applouse:  How much longer till it is finished do you think?

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## bill

Well, let's see. Your tank is what 13" wide? If you break mine up into 13" sections, your full 13" will look better than any of my incomplete sections  :Wink:  and thank you  :Smile:  i have to drain the tank and let it dry out. Then i can do touchups, and adjustments. Not keen on the right side water fall. And i still have a trick or two up my sleeve that needed to wait until now before they could be built. I figure planted not this weekend, but by the end of next weekend. <crossing wee wittle chipmunk paws>

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## Sherry

> Well, let's see. Your tank is what 13" wide? If you break mine up into 13" sections, your full 13" will look better than any of my incomplete sections


   I guess I can deal with that :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):   :Big Grin: LOL! crossing your little chipmunk paws :Smile:

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_that looks awesome man. the evolution is great, it had no idea how complex and how many steps there were to completing a plaudarium setup but u defintly take it to new heights. especially when plaudarium is a new word in my vocabulary. + its not even done yet, lookn forward to seein the next steps and the final result, congrats on the progress_

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## NatureLady

Amazing, amazing, amazing! Beyond insporational and I can't wait for the next update. Makes me want to start a new build!

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## bill

Wow.....thank you all for the kind words, but really, it's just a fish/frog tank.  :Wink:  it's been a fun build so far, and has definitely been a labor of love.....lol and amanda......go for it!!  I could use some ideas for my white's tank. (My next project) we need more build threads on here!

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## bill

ok, so i missed going to Hamburg today  :Frown:  i didn't get out of work until 4. boy, is the boss on my list!! LOL anyways, instead of sitting on my laurels (like i normally would do), i got quite a bit done on the aquatic portion of this beast. actually, with the exception of having to add a small powerhead, the aquatic section is for the most part, done. now i can start concentrating on the terrestrial section. i have a bunch to do up there and if i work smart, i won't even disturb the aquatics. i will post some pics tomorrow. i'm beat and i can't find my phone. for all i know, it's been planted......LOL

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## Sherry

I'm sorry you couldn't go to Hamburg today :Frown:  At least you got some work done on your tank! I am looking forward to some more pics!!!

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## bill

PICS!!!! this is what i got done yesterday. starting to get more done after i log off, i so i guess expect another pic update tonight

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## bill

preliminary planting:

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## Adam R

very nice bill! going with any bromeliads?

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_awesome man im blown away by what it turned out to look like, its great_

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## bill

> very nice bill! going with any bromeliads?


 thanks adam and yeah, there are 2 in there. the pink starfire crypanthus (part of the bromeliad family) on the left and a neoregelia ampullacea just off center to the right. i'll get pics of the neo tomorrow night. lights went out at 9  :Frown:

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## bill

> _awesome man im blown away by what it turned out to look like, its great_


thanks Jay. still not done, but very very close.

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## bill

Am i the only one who looks at this and thinks it would be awesome for a huge family of white's?

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## Sherry

I would be scared they would fall in the water and drown. :Frown:  But I'm paranoid. It would be cool though! I love whites :Love Heart:

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## bill

i added another branch tonight. i just have to make the tank escape proof, and then i think it's will be the boys' new home. then i can started getting them friends. hmmmm....wonder how many white's i can put in a 125 gallon tank....lol actually i am thinking 6. as far as them drowning? i'm not really worried for a few reasons. 1) is i fully trust 40 million or so years of evolution.  :Smile:  2) is that i have plenty of places for them to climb out of the water and 3) between my kids and i, my tanks are monitored darn near 24 hours in a day. the other thing is, i have a pretty good suspicion that it would take a mighty long time to drown a frog. kinda like drowning a dolphin. can it be done? yes, but it ain't easy  :Smile:

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## Sherry

LOL! Ok good. I'm still a newb at this :Embarrassment:  and I have heard a lot that whites drown easily. That is good to know though because now I wont have to worry about them drowning In my new viv! :Smile: Which is still not done btw...

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## bill

still not done??? sheesh.....lol i'm done with mine, added some pillow moss tonight and moved the remainder of the plants from my red eye tank (they were just being stored in there) over to here. i'll post pics as soon as my phone charges and i can upload to photo bucket. it better hurry because i need to upload pics of my 75g planted tank as well.

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_im lookn forward to those pics, so uv made a decision on what your putting in there? WTFs?_

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## bill

decided to do wtf's. the plants fit their habitat better anyway. darts will come eventually.











and this is my last update for this one. no more construction, so it will get posted in the tree frog section from here on out. but keep and eye out for my next build. a 29g bowfront for my red eye tree frogs. coming soon to a forum near you  :Smile:

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_awesome dude. Tho im still baffled as to where ur fitting all these tanks at_

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## bill

Well, if you are ever in tacony, give me a text and you're more than welcome to stop by and see them  :Smile:

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## kmichael55

So cool! Looks awesome with the plants! All the hard work was definitely worth it!! Cute little WTFs too!

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## bill

Thanks kate  :Smile:  and yes, all the hard work seems worth it now that i see the little guys happy and loving their new home. I am normally a person who is never happy with a tank. I'm always tinkering with them, but i can honestly say i am happy with this project and can let it grow out now  :Smile:  i just wish i had a crystal ball so i could see it a year from now.....lol

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## Heather

That's really beautiful! I love it!  :Smile:

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## bill

Oh, Sherry, here's Technoboy's favorite place to hang out at night. I caught him there a couple times last night. He had a look on his face like "bub? Me? I ain't doin nuttin" lol and at one point i saw him jump in the water, climb out and jump back onto the glass. So i really don't think you need to worry about the little bit of water you will have in yours  :Smile: 
Sorry the pic is bad, i took a quickie shot of him....lol

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## bill

Thanks heather  :Smile:  did you make a decision about your massive project?

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## Heather

Not yet. I put it aside to get some things ready for the Hamburg show. Hopefully I'll be starting again soon. I need to make a dart tank too now  :Wink: .

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## IrishRonin

This came out really great, Im a huge paludarium fan keep up the good work!

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## bill

> Not yet. I put it aside to get some things ready for the Hamburg show. Hopefully I'll be starting again soon. I need to make a dart tank too now .


I know how that goes. Darts are in my future as well. The bed bully is buying me an 18" cube exo-terra for xmas. I have plans for that being a mantella viv. But i have a vision in my head for a permanent home for my retf's that i need to knock out first.  :Smile:

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## bill

> This came out really great, Im a huge paludarium fan keep up the good work!


Thanks! I am definitely a huge fan of paludariums as well. I'm thinking i have to build a few more now......lol

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## bill

And tonight we come to 100% completion. My fish and shrimp are being hand delivered after work tonight!!!!

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## Heather

Ooh! Can't wait to see  :Smile: .

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## bill

Yeah.....neither can i.....lol i got a text yesterday around 4 that he was stopping by. I haven't been able to contact him since....lol we fish folk are real flakes.....lol oh well, at least i know my plecos will arrive next week. That breeder is more reliable....lol

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## Heather

Oh my, that must have been a long wait. You share about the same amount of luck as I do, ha ha  :Stick Out Tongue: .

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## FriedrichsFrogs

> I know how that goes. Darts are in my future as well. The bed bully is buying me an 18" cube exo-terra for xmas. I have plans for that being a mantella viv. But i have a vision in my head for a permanent home for my retf's that i need to knock out first.


_lol already hav christmas plans? + theyr more tanks?? id say something about how it should be a secret but with all your projects im sure u would have seen it coming_

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## bill

Well, i'm considering whether to do a build journal on my next project. A retf tank. Maybe i'll keep that one secret.  :Wink:  i also have an fbt tank.in the design stage. Then on to darts  :Smile:

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_i meant ur wife should have kept ur xmas present a secret but hey a build journal still sounds like a good idea. I just used the foam on the tank u gave me yestrday, its on to the silicone now, but 1st i have to find that moss i was gona cover it with. hey hav u prepared for sandy? i got enough beer for a week, il be fine_

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## bill

oh, duh....lol it's actually better this way. this way i get to pick out what i want. i think i'm gonna go with low and wide, for darts. most likely Mantellas. what kind of moss were you planning on covering it with? and as far as Sandy goes, it's just some rain and heavy wind. i'm going to shut down my filters, heaters and lights on my tanks that have them, that way it's not a shock to the system getting them all started up. all my filters have valves, so i can close them off, making priming them easier. this stuff is a PITA and an annoyance more than anything.

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_Oh i thought u wer gona throw them in with ur wtfs, idk why i thought that. Darts are really cool i jus found out like back in july that u could actually keep them as pets because captive darts arent poisonous, i had no idea. Oh good idea about shutting down the electric to the tanks, hadnt thought of that. Yea i hear u dude, my folks are gettn real crazy about it, ill believe it when i see it. DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE_

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_Oh to answer your moss question, i believe its flukers green moss_

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## bill

ok, so this tank has grown out now for three weeks. The Prophet and Technoboy are doing wonderfully. all is right in their world, for now  :Wink:  in about 3 more weeks, they are gonna get 4 new tank buddies. maybe a bit longer, depends on how big they get over the next few weeks.


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persicaria 'sao paulo' emerging from the water.

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it's their home, i just maintain it, they decorate it as they see fit now. they thrash the tank every night....lol

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the new guys


sorry for the monster post, i just never remember to do close ups, it's normally just a fts, you miss out on some of the detail. hope you enjoy it

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## Adam R

wow amazing bill, this tank looks great. i really like your variety of plants. are you growing that fern out of the water?(10th picture). also liking the duckweed, always adds a nice touch

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## bill

Thanks adam. Yes, that palm is rooted under water. I have soil under my gravel substrate to help the root feeders that are submerged. Most of the plants i chose to plant in the aquatic section will emerge from the water. It will block the view some, but i wanted the tank to look like you were in a boat, looking at the shoreline. And since plants would block your view in the wild, i'm planning on the same effect to occur. I also added some fish after i took the pics. There was already a bristlenose pleco in there, but i added a couple zebra danios, a black neon tetra and a pair of harlequin rasboras. They came from one of my son's planted tanks. They needed a new home because we are swapping tanks. He gets my 20L paludarium with my rubber banded frog and i get his 30L tank which is going to be a planted shrimp tank. They are not permanent residents in the 125, endler's live bearers will be, when i can get them.

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## flynmnky

OK, so following along here, hoping to also do an egg crate false bottom great stuff build..  So, you build the EC frame, cover with GS.  Then do you use aquarium silicone to stick the coco fiber all over? Do you seal over that?
How does that hold up under water?
Do you build in wells for plant pots that root in substrate? I am hoping to use a lot of epiphytic plants.  Will they adhere to this surface?  
I am building a 75g in wall enclosure, and would like to do this too!
I have a lot more questions but this is a start.  If there is a better thread to read on this, please point the way~!
Thanks,
Elizabeth

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## bill

Hi Elizabeth, let me see if i can answer round 1 of your questions  :Smile: 




> OK, so following along here, hoping to also do an egg crate false bottom great stuff build..  So, you build the EC frame, cover with GS.  Then do you use aquarium silicone to stick the coco fiber all over? Do you seal over that?
> How does that hold up under water?


yes, i built the egg crate structure first, then foamed directly onto the egg crate. i used GE Silicone II to adhere the coco fiber to the foam. but only in certain sections. anywhere that would be difficult to repair, i used the brown silicone. the reasoning was that "if" the coco fiber eroded, it would still be brown and no that yellow gs. everywhere else, i used titebond III wood glue. just make up a mixture of wood glue and coco fiber, it should be about the consistency of runny oatmeal, and then paint it on. caution, ood glue takes MUCH longer to dry and cure than silicone does. i let mine dry for a week. now, here are the differences between the two, so you can decide how you want to do it. when using silicone, your coco fiber needs to be 100% dry, otherwise, it will not adhere to the silicone. silicone can be difficult to fill in all the nooks and crannies of the great stuff. finally, and here is the most important part, if you have bare spots after covering with the silicone method, you can NOT go back over them with more silicone. silicone will bond with almost everything EXCEPT previously cured silicone. now, the wood glue. first off, you can get a gallon of titebond III (the green label and yes it MUST be titebond 3, it is the only version that is 100% waterproof) for less than $30 at Lowe's. that's equivalent to 4 tubes of silicone and will cover a lot more. using it is simple. mix it up, paint it on, wait for it to dry. got bare spots? no problem. go for coat number 2, same way. just go over what you did previously. i did not seal over the coco fiber with the exception of one spot. the water fall coming from the pond. i painted on a couple heavy coats of only titebond (no fiber) after the stuff cured. this was to keep erosion from happening since it is in a spot with running water. alternatively, you could do the same for a water feature using clear 2 part epoxy mixed with coco fiber. so far, after just under a month, i see no degradation in the coco fiber anywhere.



> Do you build in wells for plant pots that root in substrate? I am hoping to use a lot of epiphytic plants.  Will they adhere to this surface?  
> I am building a 75g in wall enclosure, and would like to do this too!
> I have a lot more questions but this is a start.  If there is a better thread to read on this, please point the way~!
> Thanks,
> Elizabeth


for root feeders on the background, i placed small mesh pots in strategic locations and then i foamed over them. after they cure, i used bamboo skewers (for grilling) to poke hole in the foam for drainage. i poked a LOT of holes. a couple of the planters i did carve though. i shot out a few big globs of foam in spots and then just carved them into little hidden planters. depending on the epiphytic plants you are using, some will attack themselves others will need to be attached mechanically. Tillandsias and bromeliads (same family), for example, will need to be attached in some way, whether you use crazy glue (yes, it is safe. it becomes inert once it dries), wire ties, silicone, tillandsia glue, ect. personally, i like stainless steel wire. i have access to it and it won't corrode. a lot of junk yards use it to attach part tags to parts when they sell them. if you want to use that method and don't have access to them, let me know and i will mail you some  :Smile:   climbing vines like perperomia and a few others will attach on their own eventually, but will need some help in the beginning. personally, i suggest planting them into your substrate and letting them climb naturally. you can always snip off the bottom once they take hold if you are looking for the "vine growing from nowhere" look. otherwise, the same methods used to attach broms will work. if you decide to go that wire route, attaching a piece of long fiber sphagnum together with the plant will help keep it moist will it acclimates and begins to take hold. 
a 75 in wall? too cool......post pics and show your progress. any other questions feel free to ask  :Smile:  oh, and there are threads out there that are much better than mine, you just need to search a bit to find them  :Smile:  good luck with it!!!

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## flynmnky

Wow! thanks for a really great reply..  very thorough.  That clears up a lot of my questions and really helps me plan.  Titebond III sounds pretty perfect and I'm shocked to learn that you can use it underwater.  I love that you are taking creative approaches to landscaping on such a large scale with such a small budget! Really will allow me to spend my money on plants.  :-)  I'll defienitely be following along..  :-)

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## flynmnky

One more thing, do you have any mosses growing on this type of surface?

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## bill

Yup.....all along the right side, around the pond. There are a few aquatic mosses as well as a species of semi aquatic moss i field collected.

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## flynmnky

Have you field collected any branches/wood? I live in a hardwood forest. What are the rules for that?

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## mikesfrogs

What type of foam is that?





> that is a heck ton of foam. im almost finished my paludarium as well. i hope all goes well with yours!

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## bill

great stuff Mike. there's about 12 cans worth in this tank.....lol if i ever get back onto my red eye tank, that will have construction insulating styrofoam in it.

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## bill

> Have you field collected any branches/wood? I live in a hardwood forest. What are the rules for that?


 i have field collected wood. i don't believe that there are any "rules" so to speak. basically, dead, dry hardwood. no evergreens, and no soft woods. my mantella tank has some locally collected oak. i have used the same pieces in planted tanks for a few years now. yup, you read that right, the same pieces of wood submerged for a few years and no rot. gotta love oak!! LOL oh, and stay away from grape wood vines, they will most definitely rot in a high humidity viv.

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## flynmnky

How dry? Should I age the wood before adding, or is it good to go straight outta the woods?

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## bill

if it's dead wood, then you are kinda good to go right out of the woods. i usually give it a nice, strong bleach bath once or twice outside to kill any hitchhikers that you don't want in the house. then i would boil or bake it. i learned a long time ago that the CDC requires a minimum of 20 minutes in boiling water to sterilize anything, so i go with that as a start. don't forget to remove any bark. and get a TON of scented candles, unless you like the smell of oak tea or roasted oak....lol for baking, i bake @ 350 for 1/2 an hour. if you live near a lake, they are great places to find some nice, driftwood.  :Smile:

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## bill

oh, almost forgot to answer your question, no green wood. nothing fresh. i believe that if you were to use something that was still alive on the inside, that the piece of wood rotting would be the least of your issues. i would worry about mold and bad fungii get in that way.

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## flynmnky

I live near a river with amazing driftwood. Not only that, but I have even collecting good pieces for years. Great to think I could use them!

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## bill

you sound like a planted tank guy, like me......lol

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## flynmnky

Girl, but yes...  ALMOST more excited about the plants than the frogs....  Almost...

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## bill

my apologies  :Stupid:  and so am i, about the plants....hence the paludariums...LOL it's very cool to be able to mix the two disciplines together.

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## flynmnky

:-) wish I knew as much about planted viv's as you....  Still researching health requirements of the plants I want to keep. Even harder than the frogs, IMO...

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## bill

indeed it is...lol i have been doing a lot of research for my mantella tank. madagascar biotope went out the window on that one. aquatics are easy, anubias, crypts, ferns.....easy, i have 'em all in various tanks. but terrestrials?? forget it. very few varieties are exported. the ones that are, are mostly orchids, which is great, i planned on them. but ground cover plants? no way. i think i found one fern variety from there that i could possibly obtain. possibly. so now i gotta wing it and still do right by the frogs, which is still most important  :Smile:

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## flynmnky

I'm fascinated by substrate. Really interested in creating a sustainable microcosm to feed my enclosure. I noticed you use a different soil mix. What do you do and why? (Yeah, a big question I know....)

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## bill

I use this

It's a growing medium for hydroponics. It is loaded with some really nice, all natural good stuffs like bat guano, earthworm castings, crushed bone meal,  dried sea kelp and a few other things. It does have vermiculite in it, so i use a planted tank trick and cap it with coco fiber. I plants my plants deep into the soil. If i get any of my soil on the coco fiber, i replace all the coco fiber around the area, just to insure the frogs can't get to the vermiculite. Since it is filled with natural fertilizers,  my plants love it. I even use it in my planted tanks now. In fact, i just set up a planted tank for crs using that soil and a cap of kitty litter.

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## flynmnky

Dang...  That stuff sounds like plant heaven. I put most of that stuff in my garden. Cool :-)

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## bill

Oh, and if the vermiculite REALLY scares you, you can always soak the soil, vermiculite is buoyant and floats. Then a little sifting and that should be that.

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## bill

And if you haven't already, check out my madagascar build thread, i am doing it more of a tutorial rather than a journal.  :Smile:

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## bill

ok, 6 weeks in now (i think) and i haven't updated in about 3 weeks, so i guess Michelle is in need of a fix...lol it's starting to look like something i can be happy with. although, truth be told, after building the mantella tank and then looking at this one, i think to myself "i can do better "......hmmm....i have a massive tub i can keep the boys in for a while....lol
PICS!!

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## Pluke

Why don't you just buy a greenhouse and turn it into a giant walk-in paludarium? That's the obvious next step.

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## bill

actually, i wanted to convert my basement into my own "tropical rainforest" complete with pond, but i was shot down. i'm thinking if i hide the pond from plain view and work my way out, i might have a shot....LOL

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## Pluke

Go for it. If you don't ask, they can't tell you no. You have my permission anyway, that's all you need. Just be sure to take pics.

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## Laura

I love well-done tank-builds. I'm so jealous. So jealous. I currently have an empty 125 gallon tank that i'm still trying to figure out what to do with. GREAT INSPIRATION HERE.

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## bill

> Go for it. If you don't ask, they can't tell you no. You have my permission anyway, that's all you need. Just be sure to take pics.


"Don't worry about the big pond, dear, Pluke said it was ok to do it." Yeah, that should work......lol

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## bill

> I love well-done tank-builds. I'm so jealous. So jealous. I currently have an empty 125 gallon tank that i'm still trying to figure out what to do with. GREAT INSPIRATION HERE.


Thanks for the kind words Laura, i truly appreciate it.  :Smile:  and don't be jealous, just build a better one for yourself  :Smile:  there are plenty of folk here with valuable info. Go for it!!!   We need more big builds!! Lol

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## exasperatus2002

> actually, i wanted to convert my basement into my own "tropical rainforest" complete with pond, but i was shot down. i'm thinking if i hide the pond from plain view and work my way out, i might have a shot....LOL


Welcome to my man cave....just watch your step.

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## Locascio

this is on my top 10  coolist things ive ever seen its the 8th wonder of the world lol your the man to love your frogs the way you do to take all that time out to purvide them with the best really shows alot about you as purson

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## Wicked frogs

Great job!!! A+

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## bill

thanks folks. i am really pleased how it is growing in. still thinking about tearing it down and rebuilding it. i think i can do better....LOL

btw...here's a teaser....guess what just made it's way to my "build table"


if you just said to yourself, that looks like the red eye tank from another thread, then you would be right. not sure if i'm going to do a journal on this one or not. i might just build it and surprise you guys. that way, if it fails, i won't look like an idiot....LOL

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## bill

Due to some poor planning on my part and shoddy construction techniques (my opinion), this tank requires repairs major enough that i need to tear the entire thing apart to complete repairs. I am going to take the opportunity to do a redesign as well. The problem now is i have no room for all of these plants. If anyone is interested in any of them, pm me and we can work something out i am sure. I will say this much though, if you want a plant and i am shipping it to you, i am offering no guarantees on them. I will pack them best i can, but i do not have heat packs and won't be purchasing them since most of the plants will be shipped out as an RAOK.  :Smile: 

See you guys when the redesign is complete  :Smile:

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## bill

well, sadly, this is going to be the last update for this tank. at least in this configuration. it all goes bye bye on tuesday. it needs to be rebuilt, but i figured i could at least post up the last pics of this tank

i will take a full tank shot before i tear it down. i just have a few things in the way of where i need to be to take the pic.

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## FriedrichsFrogs

_dam, sorry to see it go. the thing was a tropical paradise_

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## Sherry

:Frown:  But it's so pretty!!!

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## bill

wait until you see the rebuild Sherry  :Smile:

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## Adam R

so sorry to here its coming down, at least you can improve upon the design like you stated

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## bill

i hope it will be an improvement. i guess we'll see in the upcoming weeks.  :Smile:

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## bill

stage one of the tear down is complete. The Prophet, Technoboy, Headhunterz, Hubby, MacKenzie and Frog are all in their temporary enclosure and settling in nicely. i fed them heavy over the weekend, hoping that very full bellies will help reduce the stress of moving. all that's left now is to package up some plants for some people (ronin, expect a pm soon) and then completely rip the sucker apart, and hope the fish that got under the land are still alive so they can be re-homed as well.

i have yet to decide whether or not to do a journal on the re-build. guess it all depends on my motivation.....LOL

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## NatureLady

Good luck on the stages to follow!

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## Calmwaters

Aww I just read this whole thread and I must say it was amazing! I am sorry it had to be torn down but I am looking forward to the next build.  :Smile:  ... Shift+R improves the quality of this image. CTRL+F5 reloads the whole page.

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## bill

thank you amanda, stay tuned, i think i'll be starting this in a week or so.

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## Lynn

> well, sadly, this is going to be the last update for this tank. at least in this configuration. it all goes bye bye on tuesday. it needs to be rebuilt, but i figured i could at least post up the last pics of this tank
> 
> i will take a full tank shot before i tear it down. i just have a few things in the way of where i need to be to take the pic.



I am so confused !!!!!!  Why !

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## bill

in answer to the big question, WHY??? here ya go:





the terrestrial section on the left lifted and is floating. this allows aquatic creatures to get underneath and possibly die. if they die back there, i can't remove them, so they will pollute the water. i just would rather tear it down and rebuild than risk my frog's health with polluted water. even though i run massive amounts of filtration in the aquatics area, i just won't take the chance.

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## bill

all that's left after getting a care package together. sad to see it go, but i am REALLY looking forward to the rebuild.  :Smile: 

everything left is headed to Alaska, to a very good friend of mine. i'm giving 10-1 odds that they all survive the journey. LOL oh, and all the duckweed and snails are headed to Michelle on Monday.....LOL

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## xboxQueen

Wow what a breathtaking tank! So sorry that it started lifting. But you'll enjoy building and improving it  :Smile:  I laughed out loud when I read the whole "architect & contractor" parts!

Question, could I use plain ol' peat moss? Or would that be too boring? I have some coco husk left over from my daughters hermit crab tank, could I mix them? Think it would look decent?

Thanks for your time  :Smile:  

Ps I look forward to the new build!

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## bill

Plain ol' peat moss works just fine. In fact, it is the main plant food source in abg mix. The rebuild is on hold indefinitely as of right now. But when i know more, you guys will know more

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