# 85ish gal construction **UPDATED pics**



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Updated pics are on page 3 Then again on page 4
I'm exhausted, it was more work than I expected, but so far I am happy with the outcome. 

The tank, a 85 or so gallon acrylic custom built tank. Yes I know about potential warping and will be taking precautions to help prevent it. I followed some general guidelines brought forth by blackjungle.com in their how-to. It was simple, yet it yields what I was looking for. On with the pics.

This is the tank, still protected from scratching with the paper on the acrylic. This is the layout of the wood I placed. The wood is driftwood, hopefully it will hold up as it looks it will. Also I used their idea of adding tubing in the background as a low flow trickle system.









The layout with some of the great stuff in there. 









The idea behind this was some "islands" more or less as planters. I wanted a false bottom and used leca (hydroton) for this. The tank is drilled and run to a sump. I used eggcrate and some nylon screen cut to a cute little design. 









Here is some foam added on the islands. I ended up cutting all off the back side as it got in the way in the end. This required a lot of cutting and shaping in the end.









An island with some silicon and coco fiber in place. I also ended up adding a ridge around the bottom so it sunk down in the water a little. It gave a more rounded natural look IMO.









I started adding some silicon/coco to the background. Also installed here (or whenever) are the mistking nozzles. I was the guinea pig for Marty, his first customer. These things are awesome, and as you can tell very nice looking.









A closeup of the nozzle









Another, go buy some!! :wink: 









Here is the placement of the nozzles as well as the ventelation holes. I am extremely happy with how I placed them. More on this later. They are: 2 4" diameter holes on each side, and 1 1"x12" slot center in front. 









Here is the background with all the coco on it. Not fully touched up, but basically done.









The water running and the leca in place.









A couple plants in place. Just cuttings from my other tank. Tomorrow hopefully the plants will be here, a bunch from peaceofthetropics.










The lights that are on the tank, are two VHO's 46.5". I had a reef tank and these lights were very old. The spectrum should be good enough now for the plants. We will see I guess. I also have an icecap fan on the canopy. It is variable speed, according to temperature. I have it centered blowing over the tank. The way the slots are the center slot captures some of the fan movement and seems to keep the front glass completely clear. The humidity is steady around 90%in the front middle, where the most air is moving. The two side holes keep the air moving around the front glass. 

If I turn off the fan, within 2 minutes the glass completely fogs. I also added a won titanium heater to the sump to maintain temperature. I let my house get cold at night, low 60's high 50's so the water being warmer (80) should keep everything comfortable. 

Here's just a fun shot of my auratus. Its going to be a mixed species tank (eggs to be destroyed) and I'll be adding the others once the plants are in place.


----------



## Guest (Jan 21, 2005)

amazing tank looks really good. just one question what kind of auratus is that?


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Thanks...

Auratus as sold to me from a local as a blue/bronze. He just looks to have some bronze in him, but is very green.


----------



## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

*Re: 85ish gal construction **lots o' pics***

Nick, that is a beautiful and impressive tank ! I can't wait to see it fully planted and overgrown. Nozzles look great...although I did modify them a little. No more yellow gaskets  (I have them on my tanks too :lol: ) 

Make sure you use java moss wherever you can, that thing will look amazing when it's done. With your lights and constant misting you'll get that java moss out of control in no time.

superb job man! As my first customer you'll always have a special place in my heart :shock: heheheh...just kidding dude :wink:


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Thanks Marty,
I'm happy with the results thus far. I got the plants in today, awesome, awesome plants from peaceofthetopics.com and for a great price. Most of the frogs are in place, still have one to catch. I'll be shooting some pictures soon to share.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Alright, more pics. 
Full on with plants  










Right side of the tank









Let side










One note, you'll see the slide bolt locks on the front. This is my counter to the warping. Just the weight of the doors made them warp a little, basically just flexing. Where these are placed it should prevent warping at least enough to keep it escape proof, which is all I _really_ care about.


----------



## Dunner97074 (Sep 19, 2004)

That's going to look awesome when everything grows in. Are you just keeping the dirt substrate? Or adding moss or leaves? Did you get all of the plants from peace of the tropics?
Mike


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

I'm sure hoping its going to look awesome when grown. 

I'm not a leaf fan, but I'm contimplating the moss. I have some plant that is good groundcover, can't remember its name (Im horrible with plant names), but its done well in the other tank. I took two cuttings from it. 
All of the plants except like two are just in from peaceofthetropics. 

I'm considering doing some java moss.. anyone know a good source?


----------



## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

BlackJungle, and Aquabid are probally the most reliable sources I would use, and of course users on the site will most likely have some they can send you. 

Ryan


----------



## Guest (Feb 6, 2005)

Can you give post the link to the Black Jungle page that has the How-To pics.

Oddly enough, it isn't in their How-To section and their website is a little hard to navigate.

Thanks.


----------



## Guest (Feb 6, 2005)

I found the link here but I don't know how the heck I got there.

They don't seem to have it linked from their site in any logical fashion. Just takes a ton of mysterious clicking around.

http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/image1.html


----------



## Guest (Feb 6, 2005)

UPDATE:

it isn't in their how-to section for some reason, and the gallery in the info page won't get you there.

You must go through their supply page gallery to find it. Here is a better link:
http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html


----------



## EverettC (Mar 9, 2004)

Crazy! I'm going to use your idea for those island things, very cool.


----------



## Guest (Feb 8, 2005)

Wow! It looks great! Can't wait to see it grown in. 

Black Jungles viv construction: Go to the gallery and then scroll down, click the pic of the viv and it brings up the step by step construction. 

~Sara


----------



## Guest (Feb 8, 2005)

i picked up a massive bag of moss at my local garden store for 2.99 Maybe the plant you are thinking of is sellaginaria? sort of like moss, yet a little leafier. Looks really good too..


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

iHMMM. I responded yesterday and the response is gone. Odd. 
Thanks for the compliments.....
If you use the islands thingies be sure to make the deep. I wish I had built it up a little higher so the planting soil would be deeper. Adding foam on the bottom that sinks into the water worked great, be sure to do the same. 

here is a pic more recent. i added a bunch more broms from peaceofthetropics


----------



## Darks!de (Nov 16, 2004)

Is there water in there yet? Can't see any...

Luke


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Yup, its about 1.5" deep. The leca floats so it comes up to the water level. The middle area is the water level. There is also a constant flow in the drip areas on the back wall.


----------



## EverettC (Mar 9, 2004)

So that's where all the broms that I wanted from PotT went :twisted: . The only thing I would have done different than you is the use of leca, I wouldn't have put anything in there at all, but that's just me. I'm probably gonna make a new tank when I use that island stuff, wouldn't go good in the 10gals .


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Yeah I went back and forth on the leca, but basically for longterm stability I decided to go for it. Since Its not a 100% false bottom there would be too many places for things to get stuck under and/or trapped. I figured this way everything would be cleaner and I think it did end up working out the way I wanted. I just really hate the look of anything white, like the eggcrate, and I did need some water/drainage.


----------



## EverettC (Mar 9, 2004)

I can definatly see how the LECA was a best choice for ya, I probably would have done the same. I just am not a fan of it, I would prefer putting dirt on the bottow and creating a drainage somehow (using slopes and whatnot).


----------



## Moe (Feb 15, 2004)

Awesome tank,

but i would have removed the leca once you placed in the islands; there is no use for leca in a pool really. Then, i'd pour a few dirt clogs in the water area to make it darker and look more natural 

but it looks fantastic either way.

M.N


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Actually I thought about removing it, and tried. Basically the islands moved and fell down way to easily once it was removed around them. I might do something to make it work, I just don't know how workable it is they way I made it.


----------



## EverettC (Mar 9, 2004)

Schism, see if you can removes some of the LECA, then put orchid bark in, then remove the rest of the LECA. That might work and the orchid bark would give the water a really nice color.


----------



## TimsViv (Feb 16, 2004)

If you don't like the look of the LECA, you could cover it with black landscaping felt and then cover the felt with Sphagnum Moss.

Just an idea.

Tim


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

I am thinking about changing that around. Those are some good ideas..... 

:?


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Thoughts processed  Me likey much better!


----------



## Dunner97074 (Sep 19, 2004)

That made a world of a difference. When I first saw your tank, I said man that would be cool with out the Leca. I was thinking stone would look more natural so I say Bravo! I think it looks great now and will only improve in time! Best of luck and keep us updated with pics.
Mike


----------



## Darks!de (Nov 16, 2004)

Wow Schism!!! Awesome job...looks much better. Beach pebbles fill it really nicely and look natural.

Luke


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2005)

it looks fantastic now, nice stones make all the difference


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2005)

I have to agree with everyone here.

I thought the LECA really ruined the appearance of the tank.

Now, it looks exceptionally good!

Wise choice my man.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Thanks for the compliments. I didn't like the look either, and originally the plan was to make it just like I have it now. When it added the islands on top of the leca, for some stupid reason I didn't think I would be able to remove the leca outside of the islands. 

I just changed the lights to 6500k bulbs, and wow it looks SOOOO much nicer. The previous bulbs were 10K and a 50/50 actinic/daylight bulb from the reef I tore down. Once the glass clears (the fans been off while changing the lights) I'll shoot a new pic. Its a much more natural look. 

Anyone know if there are any fish that would work in that shallow of water just to clean up the dead flies, poop, etc? Tads would be ok if eaten since this is a mixed tank and they won't be raised anyway. 
The water is very warm, about 75+ maybe 80 in the tank. It keeps the tank up to temp.


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2005)

Gambousia, while not exactly attractive fish, would certainly work.

They are essentially guppies, and small fancy guppies might work too.

The last option would be a betta fish. Those are labrynthine fish that can gulp air to facilitate breathing and therefore they are used to low water depths.

They are from rice patties in Asia.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

I was contimplating a betta, But i'd prefer something that is just blah. It would only be a poop rat, My attention will be at the frogs. I will check into the Gambousia. I am thinking that an air breather may be better as this water isn't circulated to much. There is a lot of o2 exchange from the sump, but I don't think the water it lives in benefits too much from it....


----------



## TimsViv (Feb 16, 2004)

I think the Betta is the way to go, as they will pick off any fruit flies that fall in the water and don't have to have perfect water. Once the tank is estabilished, you could add a cory catfish - they are, also, air breathers and can thrive in less then perfect water conditions.

Tim

Edit: Not to mention the beautiful colors you can get in a Betta.


----------



## Darks!de (Nov 16, 2004)

Betta or white clouds.

Luke


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

After the new lights. It is somewhat subtle in the photos, but really a huge difference in person. Here is a side by side difference between the types of lights.
B4








After


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

*4 months of growth/death and here are new pics*

some plants have gone nutz, some died, some are still on their way out. overall, I like how it has turned out. The broms are all happy, most are sprouting pups. 
I still have all 8 frogs in this tank. 4 azureus, 3 cobalt tincs, and 1 auratus. All has been peaceful, no breeding that I know of, and all appear happy. I am only using the mistking misting system, now hooked up to a reservior rather than the ro system. 








Compared to 4 months ago:








Back to current pics


----------



## Guest (Jun 20, 2005)

Nice looking tank just one question. The doors look like they have areas where fruit flies can escape. How do you keep the fruit flies from escaping? Also what width acrylic is that?


----------



## Guest (Jun 20, 2005)

very nice very nice. i would like to know more about the tank construction also


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

No problem at all with flies escaping. The islands keep flies from making the trek from the dirt to the front, for the most part, and the gap while physically large enough for a fly isn't practical for them to try and squeeze through it to escape. I honestly never see flies around the house and I feed quite a bit. 

The acrylic is 1/4". Custom made by and aquarium guy. it is thin enough to warp at the door, considerably. This is the reason for the bolt locks. This has stopped all warping, it can't go past its max with the resistance.


----------



## jmcc000 (Apr 7, 2005)

I have no words :shock: 
Well i will try, that is an awesome tank!!
Jason


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

thanks jason,
it turned out better than I expected honestly. 

I am kind of surprised I haven't heard any calling or eggs so far. Maybe its the group size, or maybe I somehow got all females... ???


----------



## Guest (Jun 21, 2005)

Being a fish guy i figured i would throw out my .02 feeder aka wild strain guppy's would do great in that shallow water. They are cheap and a lot hardier than fancy guppy's pus they would look more natural and only get to maybe 3/4 inch  if you want a little more flash endlers live bearers are the about the smallest fish i know of getting to maybe 1/2 inch  both are top feeders and i have seen my feeder guppies take ff 

anyway looks AMAZING i really like the islands


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Thanks MRK,
i decided against adding any fish. No particular reason, just figured it would be fine without. I was right. It all turned out fine without any fish.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

*Another Update.... Its grown in a bunch*

I figured I'd post to this thread again. The viv is growing strong and still in great shape. I lost 1 frog, a cobalt tinc. It just wasted away for some reason, ate strong but didn't make it. 
The rest are in good shape, no calling or breeding yet, which I find odd but nice at the same time. I haven't had to youthanize and eggs or worry about and major territorial disputes. With the amount of foliage all the frogs have their spots and can stay quite isolated if they desire. 

Most of the low lying plants, especially on the right have dwindled or died, unless they found a way to grow upward. Obviously the one type of plant is going NUTZ, I don't know what it is, but it looks like a jungle.....
Enjoy!

BTW this misting system from mistking keeps everything perfect. I had been misting 6+ times a day while keep some air flow (it is arizona and dry) but recently changed to two quick mists and no air flow. Things seem better!


----------



## MattySF (May 25, 2005)

Wow, I missed this in the past. Looks great.


----------



## Lucidblue (Jul 23, 2004)

Is that Pilea in there? It's grown in well. Congrats!


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

Lucidblue said:


> Is that Pilea in there? It's grown in well. Congrats!


Dunno what it is actually. Honestly I'm not big into plant names, really don't care. I just get what looks good and hopefully will grow. 
I only kinda care with orchids, but don't have the time to figure out what I should get to add some blooms, if anything... I also don't know that I want to spend the money to get into orchids.


----------



## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Very nice! What's in it?


----------



## mbrutger (May 23, 2004)

Very Nice!

I see a few azeurus in a couple of the pics.


----------



## Guest (Oct 26, 2005)

Hows your acryllic held up, warping wise?


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

There are 4 azureus 1 cobalt tinc and 1 auratus... I think its more detailed somewhere else in the thread.

The acrylic has held up very well! I used the slide bolts as you can see to prevent the door from getting screwed up. All the warping that has occured, happened in the first couple weeks. Once it hits its furthest point allowed, it has stopped altogether. I am very glad I went acrylic just for the options and weight of it.


----------



## dmatychuk (Apr 20, 2005)

Very Nice and helpful, thanks especially for the follow up pictures.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

I will try and update this thread every few months, just to show progress. 
Hope this thread helps some people with tank construction. I know it can be tough to get something that last and looks good, I think I succeeded at both.


----------



## dmatychuk (Apr 20, 2005)

Diffinately, Very cool.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

*New Update*

Well its been almost a year since the last update so here goes  

Everything is rolling along, virtually unchanged. I lost a cobalt and 1 azureus along the way, territorial disputes/stress I assume. Never found the deceased but they surely are gone. I am now with 1 auratus, 3 azureus, and 1 cobalt. Never bred, never called, but fat healthy, seemingly happy. The photos below are just after a HUGE trimming. You couldn't see most of the broms as the ficus has gone nutz in the past couple of months. The tank really has turned into a gem in my opinion, tons of plants and a great tropical setup. 

My next step, someday may be to make it a species specific tank, just to hopefully get some breeding going, but for now all is well....


----------



## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Schism,
How well has your pump and external system held up?
Have you found any problems not having a true false bottom?
I like the island idea, just wondering if it has any problems with soggy soil.


----------



## Schism (Nov 12, 2004)

You know the soil is kinda soggy, but I have pretty much all plants that will either root straight through into the water/leca, or in the foam on the back. It actually works better IMO as it leaves some of the soil bare for the frogs to enjoy. The plants are so thick elsewhere I don't have to worry about the frogs not having some open space, particularly to feed.
I haven't done one thing to the sump/pump system other than a once a year cleaning of the drain. Takes a few minutes if the water level starts to raise at all in the display. 
I really have no problems without the true false bottom, in fact if I ever another tank for frogs that is near this size, I will surely to it the exact same way with one exception. I would add some backup water lines through the foam, as two have never had any or much flow through them... I guess they got pinched somewhere in there.


----------

