# Bio pod - A new Vivarium?



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

I found this on FB. Looks very promising. 
Here is a link 
https://www.facebook.com/mybiopod


----------



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Like those new Eheim vivariums, this one also looks like the space for a drainage layer is too shallow. The bottom could become a swampy mess.


----------



## PFG (Oct 9, 2014)

I've been seeing a lot of their posts, too. Think I might grab one from the Kickstarter to try out.


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

I agree that the drainage might not be deep enough, however I'm thinking of getting one and setting the back layer high with ABG and sloping towards the front with sm. size gravel.


----------



## jwright08 (Jul 14, 2015)

Looks like they have 3 different types - the Aqua one is designed with a deeper area for falsebottom/water


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

Yes, they have 3 sizes not sure if all three have the same features. Also forgot to point out this vendor posted it is working with Tesoro to monitor and record climate data in Colombia.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Looks pretty cool.


----------



## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

It is really cool! But it does not seem to me to see air vents for passive ventilation. If I saved most of my frogs last summer, with temperatures in my house up to 31.5 ° F (never happened before here these temps), it was thanks to passive ventilation.
(I do not have AC).


----------



## dutch (Feb 5, 2015)

these look amazing! and are even better then i first thought after having watched the video on the website
Biopod


----------



## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

From the video I see the air intake under the door. So I think its a very nice product. I really like the lighting, effective and helps saving space. I would like to have this stuff! But why it was not put on sale before?


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I saw this and am interested to learn more too. The shallow drainage area I don't think is all that uncommon in Euro vivs, but I'm not sure. It can definitely work though. It's just a bit different build philosophy then we are used to here.

They mention they have built in ventilation. Looks like it is right in front at ground level, and maybe some at top, which would make sense if they truly do have LED UVB because it would mostly be blocked by most glass and acrylic.

Looks promising, and probably worth checking out; at least at the pre-order price. Actually considering all it does, and includes the light at the price per size it isn't unreasonable IMO. If you're willing to spend the money the "Aqua" looks like it could be adapted pretty easily to our traditional building methods. 

Oh they posted the sizes...


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> I saw this and am interested to learn more too. The shallow drainage area I don't think is all that uncommon in Euro vivs, but I'm not sure. It can definitely work though. It's just a bit different build philosophy then we are used to here.
> 
> They mention they have built in ventilation. Looks like it is right in front at ground level, and maybe some at top, which would make sense if they truly do have LED UVB because it would mostly be blocked by most glass and acrylic.
> 
> ...


I had all the same thoughts; for everything you are getting, the pre-order price seems incredibly inexpensive. 

I am tossing between Terra and Aqua personally, but fully intend to give one a shot.


----------



## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

rigel10 said:


> It is really cool! But it does not seem to me to see air vents for passive ventilation. If I saved most of my frogs last summer, with temperatures in my house up to *31.5 ° F* (never happened before here these temps), it was thanks to passive ventilation.
> (I do not have AC).


Sorry. I mean 31,5° C.
Errata corrige:
31,5° C = 88,7° F


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

TJ_Burton said:


> I had all the same thoughts; for everything you are getting, the pre-order price seems incredibly inexpensive.
> 
> I am tossing between Terra and Aqua personally, but fully intend to give one a shot.


I've been on a bit of a frog/plant spree lately, so it will be the "one" or "terra" for me. Probably the "one" 

I'm wondering if I can fit a Finnex 24/7 over the front without obscuring to much of the built in light. Then I could get my dawn/dusk and use their light as extra mid day sun, if it doesn't block any of their other gadgets.


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Bummer that it doesn't have any dawn/dusk function... They went through all that trouble you would think they would have added that especially considering that they are clearly into the aesthetics of it.

I didn't see anything about a drain at the bottom either.

Otherwise, looks really cool.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

I think I'm getting one... Either that or a new coat haha.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> I've been on a bit of a frog/plant spree lately, so it will be the "one" or "terra" for me. Probably the "one"
> 
> I'm wondering if I can fit a Finnex 24/7 over the front without obscuring to much of the built in light. Then I could get my dawn/dusk and use their light as extra mid day sun, if it doesn't block any of their other gadgets.





cam1941 said:


> Bummer that it doesn't have any dawn/dusk function... They went through all that trouble you would think they would have added that especially considering that they are clearly into the aesthetics of it.
> 
> I didn't see anything about a drain at the bottom either.
> 
> Otherwise, looks really cool.


I wouldn't be at all surprised if those functions are already in the works, or if they release them at a later date. They put a lot of effort into making a system that is able to exactly replicate the conditions of very specific regions; it really doesn't make sense that their LEDs would be a hard on/off. They obviously have intensity control if they are able to adjust to the light levels of various regions.

I really don't think a second fixture will be necessary - not even for dawn/dusk. Don't get me wrong, I am all for custom spectrum control for making a nice orange sunrise and pink sunset on my enclosures, but its really just aesthetics. Even if their lights are not RGB, they could easily ramp up/down, provide dull moonlight, etc.

I am really looking forward to them releasing more information. Questions I have: Where is the HD Camera placed? How large is the misting reservoir, what type of nozzles do they use, and how are the lines routed to the nozzles? What is the exact placement and makeup of the LED array? Is ventilation active or passive and how is it provided exactly? Is there a drain line? Is the unit entirely glass? etc.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

TJ_Burton said:


> I wouldn't be at all surprised if those functions are already in the works, or if they release them at a later date. They put a lot of effort into making a system that is able to exactly replicate the conditions of very specific regions; it really doesn't make sense that their LEDs would be a hard on/off. They obviously have intensity control if they are able to adjust to the light levels of various regions.
> 
> I really don't think a second fixture will be necessary - not even for dawn/dusk. Don't get me wrong, I am all for custom spectrum control for making a nice orange sunrise and pink sunset on my enclosures, but its really just aesthetics. Even if their lights are not RGB, they could easily ramp up/down, provide dull moonlight, etc.
> 
> I am really looking forward to them releasing more information. Questions I have: Where is the HD Camera placed? How large is the misting reservoir, what type of nozzles do they use, and how are the lines routed to the nozzles? What is the exact placement and makeup of the LED array? Is ventilation active or passive and how is it provided exactly? Is there a drain line? Is the unit entirely glass? etc.


Yes I think they are nice too. They answer some of that on thier FB and website pages.

-it is not all glass, front panel is but the rest is acrylic.
-reservoir is 2L
-HD camera looks like it is housed in the same portion of the setup as the light so it's looking down from the top
-ventilation looks passive

Try blowing up some of thier pictures, one of them has a listing of features and points to where they are located.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

austin said:


> Yes I think they are nice too. They answer some of that on thier FB and website pages.
> 
> -it is not all glass, front panel is but the rest is acrylic.
> Confirmed what I saw from the photos
> ...


I got what I could from blowing up pictures, but most are computer generated renders and not actual photos. 

I will see what else I can dig up.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

TJ_Burton said:


> I wouldn't be at all surprised if those functions are already in the works, or if they release them at a later date. They put a lot of effort into making a system that is able to exactly replicate the conditions of very specific regions; it really doesn't make sense that their LEDs would be a hard on/off. They obviously have intensity control if they are able to adjust to the light levels of various regions.
> 
> I really don't think a second fixture will be necessary - not even for dawn/dusk. Don't get me wrong, I am all for custom spectrum control for making a nice orange sunrise and pink sunset on my enclosures, but its really just aesthetics. Even if their lights are not RGB, they could easily ramp up/down, provide dull moonlight, etc.
> 
> I am really looking forward to them releasing more information. Questions I have: Where is the HD Camera placed? How large is the misting reservoir, what type of nozzles do they use, and how are the lines routed to the nozzles? What is the exact placement and makeup of the LED array? Is ventilation active or passive and how is it provided exactly? Is there a drain line? Is the unit entirely glass? etc.


I'm all about FX lighting, so for a rig that fancy if I couldn't add a finnex, I'd probably rig up a tc420 and some led strips stuck to their light or something to create my dawn/dusk.

I don't see anything about dawn/dusk or even a timer unless I missed it, but ya it wouldn't shock me if that is added later. 




austin said:


> Yes I think they are nice too. They answer some of that on thier FB and website pages.
> 
> -it is not all glass, front panel is but the rest is acrylic.
> -reservoir is 2L
> ...


They mention "ventii action" which I don't know what that is but it points to the front floor vent which looks like a Sherman vent, or some variation on a euro vent.

The Bio-Pur air injection system I bet works by injecting air through the background. I believe I've seen that done on some planted walls which this basically is with a vivarium built around it. It might just be a tube going in from a fan in top, or just fan blowing down through a top vent.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> I'm all about FX lighting, so for a rig that fancy if I couldn't add a finnex, I'd probably rig up a tc420 and some led strips stuck to their light or something to create my dawn/dusk.
> 
> I don't see anything about dawn/dusk or even a timer unless I missed it, but ya it wouldn't shock me if that is added later.
> 
> ...


LED effects are a lot of fun to play with - one of the reasons I decided to use my Radion XR30W Pro for my Exo 18x18x24. Little overkill, but I do appreciate the sunrise and sunset I set up!

Sounds like a few of us may be getting these biopods; should be good fun to see what we all pull of with them!


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

Dendro Dave said:


> I saw this and am interested to learn more too. The shallow drainage area I don't think is all that uncommon in Euro vivs, but I'm not sure. It can definitely work though. It's just a bit different build philosophy then we are used to here.
> 
> They mention they have built in ventilation. Looks like it is right in front at ground level, and maybe some at top, which would make sense if they truly do have LED UVB because it would mostly be blocked by most glass and acrylic.
> 
> ...


Will the preorder be 50% off these prices?


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Hello everyone,

This is Jared from Biopod - it's great to see Biopod being discussed here on Dendroboard! 

We just wanted to answer some of the questions here:

1) Substrate/False Bottom 

The system is designed with a customizable false bottom system that separates the substrate from the lower water layer. The system is continuously aerated from below, keeping plant roots healthy, preventing stagnation and maintaining a very fresh smelling environment. 

2) Active Filtration

Biopod has an integrated active living wall system that acts as biological filtration. It is a thin panel that accepts any substrate (we use coco coir and shredded sphagnum) and works as an aquaponic wall continually pumping water from underneath the false bottom across the plant root network in the living wall. The wall is also very easy to plant with its individual angled cell design and bromeliads go in without any gluing (stainless clips hold them in place) It can also be selectively designed to have dry, non-irrigated sections if desired. It is a much better environmental and functional alternative to tree fern.

3) Active and Passive ventilation 

Biopod has a ventilation strip in the front as well as the top. Ventilation is actively balanced and controlled to ensure temperature and humidity match the programmed settings.

4) UV transparent top

We use a special rigid polymer for the top piece that is heat resistant and UV transparent - allowing UV light from our 294nm diodes to pass right through.

5) Onboard memory

The system is controlled by an integrated chip, has WIFI connectivity and has onboard memory so the system will work regardless of internet connection. The program for each biopod can be manually set up in the app or one of our pre-set programs can be used.

6) Water pools

Both the ONE and TERRA models allow for a maximum pool depth of 5 cm, the AQUA allows up to 11.5 cm. The size of the false bottom system can be adjusted as it is composed individual removable panels so you can make larger pools depending on your preference.

7) Construction - the Body and front door of Biopod are both made from Clear Float Glass - an earlier graphic incorrectly said acrylic. 

8) Conservation

We are currently working with Rainer Schulte at INIBICO and Ivan at Tesoros de Colombia to place weather stations that collect continuous environmental data from many different localities for the Biopod server. We plan to expand this effort to other regions in the future. This data can be selected in the app to automatically program any Biopod. Our hope is that this will result in a better way to precisely match the microclimate of many different species, and help with a global effort that anyone can take part in to save the frogs and other rare plants and animals from extinction. 

I hope this answers all questions so far. Please feel to contact us directly through our facebook page if you have any more inquiries on Biopod.(facebook.com/mybiopod)


----------



## zerelli (Sep 14, 2009)

I tried to message you on Facebook to let you know, but your site is currently getting listed as a parked domain on our company firewall, probably worth looking into since people looking for these might think there is no site.



biopod said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> This is Jared from Biopod - it's great to see Biopod being discussed here on Dendroboard!
> 
> ...


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

biopod said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> This is Jared from Biopod - it's great to see Biopod being discussed here on Dendroboard!
> 
> ...


Thank you for joining Dendroboard to discuss our questions!
Very much looking forward to your product.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

biopod said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> This is Jared from Biopod - it's great to see Biopod being discussed here on Dendroboard!
> 
> ...


Awesome Jared, thanks for the info and welcome to Dendroboard... I was that "*Dave Marks*" guy that commented on one of your post btw (*Not* the David Martin guy)


----------



## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Too bad I have no more room for vivs!  I'd like to take at least four!


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Thanks for the feedback everyone! - looking forward to this Sunday's launch at 3PM PST on Kickstarter. Links will be up on our facebook page and at biopod.org Please message us directly if you have any more questions, and we will also check this thread periodically as well.

Cheers,

Jared


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Are you guys going to be at any shows or do you have a showroom somewhere where people can see what they actually are?

Would love to purchase one but have so many questions that need to be answered first... Some of which were asked here in this thread but not answered. 

Look like they could be really cool though...


----------



## jarteta97 (Jun 13, 2014)

This looks super promising, the aesthetics mixed with the functional aspects along with the very reasonable price is great, usally you have to give on one of the three when it comes to setups. I also have the same questions as cam does, I would love to see even more video once they're released, and seeing them at shows would be amazing. Thanks for the feedback btw, very informative. 

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk


----------



## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

Im curious where are the misting nozzles, from the pictures I have seen I dont see any


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

bsr8129 said:


> Im curious where are the misting nozzles, from the pictures I have seen I dont see any


Check out the latest video - they actually show a glimpse under the hood and also feature the nozzles for a moment

https://www.facebook.com/mybiopod/videos/170842413254544/

Looks like the nozzles are at the front of the viv in the top corners.


----------



## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

TJ_Burton said:


> Check out the latest video - they actually show a glimpse under the hood and also feature the nozzles for a moment
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/mybiopod/videos/170842413254544/
> 
> Looks like the nozzles are at the front of the viv in the top corners.


I saw that but in all other exploding views or any other view you never see them or any tubing running to it. It seems like they pick and choose different features in each picture or video.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

bsr8129 said:


> I saw that but in all other exploding views or any other view you never see them or any tubing running to it. It seems like they pick and choose different features in each picture or video.


Probably removed during photo/video shoots for a clearer unobstructed view of the inhabitants.


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

When I first saw this it peaked my interest, after a few days and some questions that Jared answer for me I decided to share it on this forum. I'm glad I did because some of the questions that were asked on this post had escaped me. Did not even think of asking, I will order mine this weekend. The price is right and if it does not work out for me I will have a lot of parts that I can use on a new build. Lol.


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Hey guys - to answer some questions on the misting system - yes it was not shown in the video shots, just the close up. The two nozzles have a very sleek look, not as obstructive as other systems on the market. We will try to get some photo assets up on our site asap.

Cheers,

Jared


----------



## Swehenrik (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi Jared,

Which pump are you using för the misting system and can it be connected to a lager reservoar?

Cheers from Sweden/ Henrik


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Hi Henrik,

This is a micro diaphragm pump - yes multiple units can be connected to a single reservoir. 

Also I also wantedto mention more about the capabilities... in a frogroom even with multiple units connected each biopod can run an independent program if desired. Locality specific weather data from our database can replicate precise conditions, for example - differentiating many different habitats - lehmanni, terribilis/quebrada guangui histrio, mysteriosus, boulenger fantastica etc. Our goal is to start collecting weather data from the most critically endangered species first with help from Tesoros & INIBICO. In addition each individual system can also be custom programmed through the app.

Jared


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Hey Jared,

Is there a dusk/dawn functionality to the lights?


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Yes - there is a dawn/dusk functionality! This feature somehow got missed on the website - We'll have to get it in there .

Jared


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

biopod said:


> Yes - there is a dawn/dusk functionality! This feature somehow got missed on the website - We'll have to get it in there .
> 
> Jared


Oh man, then I think you just sold a biopod. I'd like to see a video of that feature if possible.


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

^ Agreed... Thanks Jared, just wish there was a place where I could check one out that's all set up... Hopefully someone here will purchase and make a review video...


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

There are some predrill holes in the back that can be use to create water fall and to plumb in the mist from a humidifier. This is looking like it can be a great Vivarium with a lot of extras. I'm definitely getting one. If it turns out as good as the video and explanation use to describe it, this might be the Viv of choice for most keepers. Maybe in the future Bio Pod can even build one that is larger.


----------



## Swehenrik (Feb 9, 2014)

Yes to all features suggested and crowdfunding campaign... this might take some time. 

I really hope it will become a reality.



Cheers from Sweden/ Henrik


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Coqui said:


> There are some predrill holes in the back that can be use to create water fall and to plumb in the mist from a humidifier. This is looking like it can be a great Vivarium with a lot of extras. I'm definitely getting one. If it turns out as good as the video and explanation use to describe it, this might be the Viv of choice for most keepers. Maybe in the future Bio Pod can even build one that is larger.


Yes an Aqua that is 36in tall would be perfect!


----------



## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

Are the front and the ventilation parts safe from ff (melanos)/ firebrat / pinhead cricket escape?

Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

jimmy rustles said:


> Are the front and the ventilation parts safe from ff (melanos)/ firebrat / pinhead cricket escape?
> 
> Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


Hard to say but my assumption is they were smart enough to use a FF proof mesh on front vents. The point of escape if there is one may be those vent slats that look cut into the top. I think we'll just have to wait and see


----------



## Calivet (Aug 12, 2013)

Just snagged an EB Terra


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I got the "One"... If I see some video of the dawn/dusk and other stuff that I like I might get a terra or aqua, but I need to see more before I risk that much $$$


----------



## Chrisc147 (Jun 11, 2015)

I just backed the project for the AQUA.


----------



## Calivet (Aug 12, 2013)

Dendro Dave said:


> I got the "One"... If I see some video of the dawn/dusk and other stuff that I like I might get a terra or aqua, but I need to see more before I risk that much $$$


At the EB level, it was only a $29 difference ($179 vs $150, plus whatever the shipping would be) to step up to the Terra, and I wanted the extra floor space. I hear you though.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

I did the aqua, hope the project goes through!


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099003506/worlds-first-smart-microhabitat

There are only 24 Aquas left last I checked - and I am sure the others will go fast too, so anyone sitting on the fence: PULL THE TRIGGER ALREADY!


----------



## ulyssis (Aug 12, 2015)

I just backed the project for the Aqua. Christmas is going to be good this year.


----------



## ulyssis (Aug 12, 2015)

austin said:


> I did the aqua, hope the project goes through!



It will. They got half of what they were asking for in 45 min.


----------



## tth2010 (Aug 11, 2015)

Getting the Aqua as well.

How do you guys think it will hold up as far as the water filtration plan goes? Apparently the water is going to go up the back wall through the soil, media and plant roots, which are all going to act as the filter, and then trickle back down. Do you think this will be fast and efficient enough to act as a filter powerful enough to prevent stagnant water and algae? This is my biggest skepticism about it so far, but I really hope something so natural like that will sufficiently work.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

tth2010 said:


> Getting the Aqua as well.
> 
> How do you guys think it will hold up as far as the water filtration plan goes? Apparently the water is going to go up the back wall through the soil, media and plant roots, which are all going to act as the filter, and then trickle back down. Do you think this will be fast and efficient enough to act as a filter powerful enough to prevent stagnant water and algae? This is my biggest skepticism about it so far, but I really hope something so natural like that will sufficiently work.


If the wall is planted, your aquarium water will likely never reach the required nutrient level to experience an algae outbreak of any significance. Not to mention the light source is quite far from the water, and you can easily cause shade with plants.

At the end of the day, I really don't think algae is going to be an issue.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Calivet said:


> At the EB level, it was only a $29 difference ($179 vs $150, plus whatever the shipping would be) to step up to the Terra, and I wanted the extra floor space. I hear you though.


Ok you talked me into it. I upgraded 



tth2010 said:


> Getting the Aqua as well.
> 
> How do you guys think it will hold up as far as the water filtration plan goes? Apparently the water is going to go up the back wall through the soil, media and plant roots, which are all going to act as the filter, and then trickle back down. Do you think this will be fast and efficient enough to act as a filter powerful enough to prevent stagnant water and algae? This is my biggest skepticism about it so far, but I really hope something so natural like that will sufficiently work.


If you plant the water section and only top it off as it evaporates, the water will age and usually after a few month clear up. If stagnation does become a problem you could add a small pump to circulate the water some, and air stone, or just throw a floater in there like some salvia natens to take the place of any scum on top. I do my ponds with no filtration other then the biological action from my wood/rock shoreline and the substrate. Sometimes it gets scummy but once the water ages and finds its equilibrium, it tends to stay clear. 

What I wonder about is how robust their pump is if it pulling water from the false bottom. I think people are going to wanna use an aquarium substrate, or gravel, some kinda inorganic filler around the false bottom section and keep that false bottom clean during construction, so when you fire up the viv the pump doesn't have to deal with a bunch of crap.

Honestly if that whole part of the setup failed, you'd likely be fine with just the automated misting hitting the background for most plants. It would then just become like any other viv with a planted background and misting, but still have the rest of the integrated features. In fact all the technology could fail and you could just add new light and still have a viable vivarium, for a relatively reasonable cost at pre-order price.

I think my biggest worry would be if the heating malfunctioned and got to hot. I keep my entire house around 70 year around, sometimes night dip to 60, and sometimes in summer it hits 80 so I need that heating to either be off or very reliable. I assume you can keep it shut off, so I may wait to try that feature for awhile in case people start reporting problems.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They are around $1500 away from goal. So phase one is almost certainly going to be funded, and hopefully that is all that is required for us to get our viv. I didn't see any option to choose uvb like they talked about so I assume that is coming later? ...Possibly at extra cost? ....It is looking good, and it is nice to see our lil hobby get something like this off the ground.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Yes Dave, I got the aqua, I agree aquarium gravel. I would like to do dirt and leaf litter on top of the false bottom but may just opt for leaf litter... I may actually do more of a dry river bed look, I rally just wanted the height with the aqua. Who knows though I may get creative with the water area, but I doubt it.


----------



## jarteta97 (Jun 13, 2014)

I'm 17 and currently trying to get an 18x18x24 setup with bday money (october 15th) for some tinctorius azureus but I'm trying hard to convince my dad how great of a Christmas present the aqua would be, he still has 29 days to pledge!


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

austin said:


> Yes Dave, I got the aqua, I agree aquarium gravel. I would like to do dirt and leaf litter on top of the false bottom but may just opt for leaf litter... I may actually do more of a dry river bed look, I rally just wanted the height with the aqua. Who knows though I may get creative with the water area, but I doubt it.


OK here is how I would do the aqua...

I would surround that false bottom/land area box with drift wood and/or rock to create a shore line from top to bottom of it and around the corners to completely hide the box. A stair step style rock ledge going around it would be a good way to go too, or the combo. 

Then I'd probably go with a mostly inorganic substrate like turface, or really whatever you want and at least some portion would have a leaf litter area. I like some moss, or other foreground plants... but I'd be really sure my substrate barrier kept small particles out of the water so as not to interfere with whatever pump/filter is working to draw water into that wall. Those thin foam air conditioner filters I use, or something similar would be my choice for that. Basically I would want that false bottom water to be pristine. 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...c-filter-foam-fans-vents-ff-lids-etc-etc.html

As for my drift wood/rock shore I would probably try to over lap a lot of the pieces and create lots of ramp/climb out areas. These 2 old vivs of mine kinda illustrate what I have in mind...


















Here are albums with construction pics if anyone is interested....
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Long story, made slightly shorter...

I think the example they offered is probably one of the best ways to go with that model, and If I got one it would be made kinda like theirs... but better, because it would have blue flowers, iridescent plants, firefly lights, and quasi holographic plasma lightning and possibly a real cloud (Some of you saw my proof of concepts, and know I'm not joking ) 

Their example...


----------



## jwright08 (Jul 14, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> OK here is how I would do the aqua...
> 
> I would surround that false bottom/land area box with drift wood and/or rock to create a shore line from top to bottom of it and around the corners to completely hide the box. A stair step style rock ledge going around it would be a good way to go too, or the combo.
> 
> ...


Ok, can you come to my house and design mine? I went in for the Aqua also, but pretty sure I'm biting off way more than I can chew. I didn't want to miss out though. This is going to be a slow process for sure. Guess I have a couple of months to start prep & design though.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

jwright08 said:


> Ok, can you come to my house and design mine? I went in for the Aqua also, but pretty sure I'm biting off way more than I can chew. I didn't want to miss out though. This is going to be a slow process for sure. Guess I have a couple of months to start prep & design though.



It looks.more intricate then it is. If you look at my construction picks it all often looks pretty horrible as it comes together, but I keep in mind that.the only part that has to look nice and blend together is the visible part. Also a lot of the time the wood or rock you find will inspire an idea. 

Study the construction pics in those albums, and try to dig up build threads with construction pics. Most of mine are pretty self explanatory, but feel free to ask if you have any questions. Also you can research artistic composition, flower arrangement etc... to help with layout.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

I am really considering minimizing the amount of water I use in the AQUA provided it will function correctly at lower levels.

I personally went with the AQUA because I wanted more vertical space, not so much because I wanted a pool at the bottom. Guess we will see how that turns out; if the pool must stay, might change what species I keep.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

TJ_Burton said:


> I am really considering minimizing the amount of water I use in the AQUA provided it will function correctly at lower levels.
> 
> I personally went with the AQUA because I wanted more vertical space, not so much because I wanted a pool at the bottom. Guess we will see how that turns out; if the pool must stay, might change what species I keep.


Likewise, I will be trying the same. I may not even use the recirculating feature and just go with gravel, keeping the water level very low and siphon out when needed.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

austin said:


> Likewise, I will be trying the same. I may not even use the recirculating feature and just go with gravel, keeping the water level very low and siphon out when needed.


I am definitely going to use the water circulation system since it feeds the grow wall, but I may try and find a pump that can run under lower water conditions if the pump included can't deal with it.


----------



## jprosser (Jan 9, 2015)

I will definitely be getting the aqua, but I am a little confused about the bottom, does it have a false bottom already in it, or does it not? As I would only be getting the aqua for the extra height, I would not be creating a pool at the bottom. Would I need to create a drainage layer or not?


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

They are sold out of the aqua at the 50% off price.


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

Oh and sold out of the terra size one too at the 50% off price


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

They still have more of all sizes, but the discount is a little over 30% rather than 50% now.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

austin said:


> Likewise, I will be trying the same. I may not even use the recirculating feature and just go with gravel, keeping the water level very low and siphon out when needed.





jprosser said:


> I will definitely be getting the aqua, but I am a little confused about the bottom, does it have a false bottom already in it, or does it not? As I would only be getting the aqua for the extra height, I would not be creating a pool at the bottom. Would I need to create a drainage layer or not?


Like you said depending on how low of a water level the system will work with that may limit your options, but you can basically use that section as is and build around that box a collection of drift wood/real or fake rock and create a land area there I think. 

I don't know if that box under the wall has holes in it to pull in water from the sides/front, probably does but my guess is you could plug those, and just create a typical false bottom/drainage layer in that area and make the land as high as the box, or make it a sunken land area full of leaf litter, or whatever you want. You could make a stair step/terrace rock and/or drift wood structure to go around that box and hide it. 

One thing that might be cool if it does work with low water level, or if you do that sunken land area and a typical drainage layer would be to plant some utricularia down there, that would hopefully flower regularly. Here is an example of U. sandersonii one of the easier ones to find and grow...


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Hey guys, first post on the board. Just purchased my Aqau (was number 9 overall supporter ) yesterday after LOTS of talking with the guy creating this. As far as the false bottom system for the aqua goes, it has (just went back to confirm this) 8 seperate false bottom panels that can customize the size of the pond. You can do anything from that small land/big pond setup to medim sized pond to small or no pond. You can also have the pond with the tall and the short false bottoms. Short one just has very shallow water. As far as I know with the aquaponics wall it is circulating water through there at a pretty decent pace. Given that the water is filtered by terrestrial plants it actually makes the water very clean since terrestrials get ALOT more co2 and PAR compared to submered plants. Same goes for floating plants so I'm going to try and have a corner of my pond with some duckweed (hopefully I can keep it from taking over the water lol).

BTW I'm about to be a newbie into darts. I always wanted to get into them but it seemed like a pain to custom make your own setup. Plus at the 50% preorder it's a steal for the features and I would spend more to do half of what that thing does and not be near as sleek. Been doing my homework for the past few days and I'm sure will be asking a ton more questions of you guys. So far I'm thinking of doing the medium to small, deep pond setup with a couple or trio of tincs. If I can get a healthy breeding pair I would love to do yellowbacks since nobody seems to breed them. Otherwise I'm looking at patricias. Got PLENTY of time to make my decision and make sure I'm up to snuff on husbandry and already have bug colonies setup (this will be full bioactive with springs and isos too). Going to even give the setup time to grow a bit and establish before froggies go in.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> Hey guys, first post on the board. Just purchased my Aqau (was number 9 overall supporter ) yesterday after LOTS of talking with the guy creating this. As far as the false bottom system for the aqua goes, it has (just went back to confirm this) 8 seperate false bottom panels that can customize the size of the pond. You can do anything from that small land/big pond setup to medim sized pond to small or no pond. You can also have the pond with the tall and the short false bottoms. Short one just has very shallow water. As far as I know with the aquaponics wall it is circulating water through there at a pretty decent pace. Given that the water is filtered by terrestrial plants it actually makes the water very clean since terrestrials get ALOT more co2 and PAR compared to submered plants. Same goes for floating plants so I'm going to try and have a corner of my pond with some duckweed (hopefully I can keep it from taking over the water lol).
> 
> BTW I'm about to be a newbie into darts. I always wanted to get into them but it seemed like a pain to custom make your own setup. Plus at the 50% preorder it's a steal for the features and I would spend more to do half of what that thing does and not be near as sleek. Been doing my homework for the past few days and I'm sure will be asking a ton more questions of you guys. So far I'm thinking of doing the medium to small, deep pond setup with a couple or trio of tincs. If I can get a healthy breeding pair I would love to do yellowbacks since nobody seems to breed them. Otherwise I'm looking at patricias. Got PLENTY of time to make my decision and make sure I'm up to snuff on husbandry and already have bug colonies setup (this will be full bioactive with springs and isos too). Going to even give the setup time to grow a bit and establish before froggies go in.


Well you get a "Thanks" on your first post because I forgot they said they had those multiple panels to customize the false bottom. So you are off to a good start here! 


Ya do your research, take your time, check out the stickies in each section of the forum and try to go through as many of those threads as possible and you'll be much better prepared for frogs.

Vivs are in my opinion easier to take care of then an aquarium, assuming you are caring for the aquarium correctly. Might be a bit more complicated to construct, but once done they are pretty easy. 

Check out my flickr albums in one of the above posts with pics. they might be helpful, and go to the parts/construction area of forum and pull up the sticky there which has a list of threads detailing building methods including my cork mosaic method, and build threads from other people that will likely be helpful... If you haven't already done all that 

And since you are new let me tell you the culture in this hobby is a bit different then other herp hobbies, and some times new people run afoul of the member base because they don't know and respect the differences. People here are great, and most will bend over backwards to help you if you are respectful and seem open to taking advice, and don't try to mix species or create hybrids which unlike a lot of other herp hobbies, is a very taboo/no no here. Mixing you can sometimes get away once you have the trust of the community and we know you are experienced and doing very careful planning of your setup and hopefully have some experience with each animal before you ever plan to mix them in another viv. Basically mixing is one of those things that if you have to ask about it, especially given how many threads there are here about it if you search, then you probably aren't a person that should attempt it... and when you become a veteran, you may find you've lost all desire to attempt it (for good reasons) 

So if you steer clear of the controversial stuff, and just show people you are willing to put the time in to do this right for your sake, the animals sake, and ours since we hate to see people fail when it is so very very avoidable with a little due diligence: you will be fine and quickly on your way to becoming a respected member of the community  

Oh, and...
Welcome to the addiction!!!!


----------



## jwright08 (Jul 14, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> It looks.more intricate then it is. If you look at my construction picks it all often looks pretty horrible as it comes together, but I keep in mind that.the only part that has to look nice and blend together is the visible part. Also a lot of the time the wood or rock you find will inspire an idea.
> 
> Study the construction pics in those albums, and try to dig up build threads with construction pics. Most of mine are pretty self explanatory, but feel free to ask if you have any questions. Also you can research artistic composition, flower arrangement etc... to help with layout.


On another note - Can I have your fox? I'll trade you a neurotic red Doberman! Sounds like a steal right? ;P


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> Well you get a "Thanks" on your first post because I forgot they said they had those multiple panels to customize the false bottom. So you are off to a good start here!
> 
> 
> Ya do your research, take your time, check out the stickies in each section of the forum and try to go through as many of those threads as possible and you'll be much better prepared for frogs.
> ...


HEY lucky me I'm a garter owner. Hybrids are super taboo in our breeding circles too  Sounds like I will get along just fine if that's the worst you have to warn me about


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

jwright08 said:


> On another note - Can I have your fox? I'll trade you a neurotic red Doberman! Sounds like a steal right? ;P


You don't want her, she's a pain in the ass  Nah she's worth it if you don't mind giving up a large walk in closet, or a spare bedroom like I did to keep one. But they are more work then the typical dog/cat, and can get mean if not given enough interaction. It has been a rare occurrence, but there have been a few time where I was sick or busy with work and didn't let Echo out enough and when I finally did she was mad, and just sunk her teeth in to my leg or arm. She's 3lbs but the rare times when she decides to go off on you she does not back down, even though I'm 50 times her weight and 5 feet taller 

Here is a thread about her I made when I first got her....
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/lounge/28792-meet-echo-my-new-fox.html

If you ever need to look up that fox thread again google "meet echo my new fox", this forum is kinda weird about letting you search for threads in the lounge or thunder dome and I don't think Echo's thread will come up. I always google it to give the link to someone.

OK sorry for the derail/fox talk. Back to the Biopod!!!


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

Anyone know what that plant package they offering consists of?


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Also I will be studying up on my husbandry like mad. I will spend hours creating perfect temp gradients in my garters viv and obsessing about ways to make a nice but clean water feature for them. Actually doing something like the back wall of this thing but on a bigger scale since snake poop is big. Will have a refugium with duck weed and pothos and creeping fig planted emergent. Duckweed takes care of ammonia spikes quick and fig and pothos keep things overall clean the rest of the time. Saw this system and thought it was so elegant and right in the same vein as my idea for the garters but all self contained.

Granted this system takes alot of the hard parts out of husbandry (besides raising the bugs lol) but I will not skimp out just hit the frog button on the app lol.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

C los7 said:


> Anyone know what that plant package they offering consists of?


More or less everything to recreate the pics shown. AFAIK even some driftwood is included. Speaking of phib safe wood. I have a beautiful cedar stump I want to use in a viv that has a nice cup at the top I could use for some substrate to growth pothos out of. I know evergreens are a no no for reps but somebody said he thinks they are cool for phibs. Is this true?


----------



## Mavpa (Jan 5, 2015)

Jared or anyone else could probably field this...

I have an entertainment center that looks like this that I got on the cheap sans fireplace:










The opening is 25" x 18.5" and it's about 17" deep. I've been looking to fit an Exoterra in there if I found one cheap, but always had too much trouble with things like adding lights and getting things to fit in there. It LOOKS like this could be the answer, and would just take some minimal modifications to the front to make it look flush.

My question is... would having something like this in an enclosed area cause problems? I would be using this for plants only. Thanks!


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Mavpa said:


> Jared or anyone else could probably field this...
> 
> I have an entertainment center that looks like this that I got on the cheap sans fireplace:
> 
> ...


Well since the led shouldn't get to hot and especially if since the lower to the ground the cooler it is, heat probably won't be a problem. 

But...
The biopod has integrated misting/filtration, and you may need to access the back or top of the tank to refill the reservoir or fiddle with other stuff, but that is just speculation.


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Hello - Yes our maximum opening is under 1mm - keeps fruitflies and pinheads inside

Cheers,

Jared



jimmy rustles said:


> Are the front and the ventilation parts safe from ff (melanos)/ firebrat / pinhead cricket escape?
> 
> Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for all your support. We are super excited to launch Biopod!!! Just so you all know, we do have 250 more Aqua's available at 30% off Retail (the 50% off is pretty much Cost for us  So please keep buying them, you are helping to launch a great product and what we believe to be the future of the hobby!

Cheers,

Jared 



TJ_Burton said:


> https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099003506/worlds-first-smart-microhabitat
> 
> There are only 24 Aquas left last I checked - and I am sure the others will go fast too, so anyone sitting on the fence: PULL THE TRIGGER ALREADY!


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Yes - the AQUA is designed to work as an Aquavivarium as well as a standard vivarium. It includes all the false bottom panels for less water, and since our pumps are external and designed to work in under 1" of water, you will be fine using it this way (its how it is designed to work) and the back wall will work no problem. 

Cheers,

Jared



TJ_Burton said:


> I am definitely going to use the water circulation system since it feeds the grow wall, but I may try and find a pump that can run under lower water conditions if the pump included can't deal with it.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

You are def going to have to do a vid soon where you do a total teardown on the Aqua so we can see exactly how the modular false bottom panels work and all the places we need to access to maintenance it (aka add water lol) and all the other doodads.


----------



## Mavpa (Jan 5, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> Well since the led shouldn't get to hot and especially if since the lower to the ground the cooler it is, heat probably won't be a problem.
> 
> But...
> The biopod has integrated misting/filtration, and you may need to access the back or top of the tank to refill the reservoir or fiddle with other stuff, but that is just speculation.


I'm sure I can rig something up to make it a little easier to get water in there. The overheating/poor air flow thing was my biggest concern.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Mavpa said:


> I'm sure I can rig something up to make it a little easier to get water in there. The overheating/poor air flow thing was my biggest concern.


3/8" clear tubing running through the back to to top of the entertainment center is what I'm thinking. Pop a funnel in and fill. I wouldn't think temp would matter much since you are just going planted on this anywho. Maybe you have some really sensitive plants though I don't know ><


----------



## Mavpa (Jan 5, 2015)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> 3/8" clear tubing running through the back to to top of the entertainment center is what I'm thinking. Pop a funnel in and fill. I wouldn't think temp would matter much since you are just going planted on this anywho. Maybe you have some really sensitive plants though I don't know ><


I hope they're not that sensitive. I was more worried about the LED unit itself overheating in there. I have one that pretty regularly pops off to cool down a few times a day.


----------



## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

If they will be available in Europe, how soon and how much? I really like Bio pod One (two of them fit perfectly in my mini-rack).


----------



## biopod (Oct 1, 2015)

Hi Rigel10!

Yes they are available in Europe - pre-orders for Euro shipments are open until November 3.

Best regards,

Jared




rigel10 said:


> If they will be available in Europe, how soon and how much? I really like Bio pod One (two of them fit perfectly in my mini-rack).


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Mavpa said:


> I hope they're not that sensitive. I was more worried about the LED unit itself overheating in there. I have one that pretty regularly pops off to cool down a few times a day.


It's not the LEDs that are hot, it's the transformer stepping the voltage down and switching it from AC to DC in lights light jungle dawns that do it internally. 10 bucks says this thing is ran by a 12v dc so basically the transformer is going to be your wall plugin and all the heat of changing the current will be isolated on the wall.


----------



## jprosser (Jan 9, 2015)

Also, just wondering what kind of livestock you guys would be planning to keep in them? just because the depth really seems quite small to me.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Compared to most other tanks (zoomed and exos aside)I don't think the depth is that bad.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

austin said:


> Compared to most other tanks (zoomed and exos aside)I don't think the depth is that bad.


Ya it's about the same floorprint as a 20h for both terra and aqua. I'm sure many people have deep tanks too that they make much shallower with fancy backgrounds


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

jprosser said:


> Also, just wondering what kind of livestock you guys would be planning to keep in them? just because the depth really seems quite small to me.


Thumbnails for me!


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

jprosser said:


> Also, just wondering what kind of livestock you guys would be planning to keep in them? just because the depth really seems quite small to me.


The depth is more then a 10ga (about 10 jnchesl, looks to me like my 20h is only 12" and a standard 30gal I'm.pretty sure is also less then 14-15 inches deep front to back. A d my 55 gal is only about 12.5-13" deep. So even the smallest sized BiOpod is deeper front to back then most of the most popular sized aquariums used as vivariums.

But on reviewing the pics I see the graphics seem to include the stand and light fixture of the "ONE" in that 18.5" measurement. So if they do the same with front to back depth and include the misting reservoir and whatever else may be in that back panel you can probably shave 2 inches off the depth, but that still leaves it with a front to back dept equal or greater then most standard aquarium sizes converted to vivs up to 55gal, (but we must exclude the 40b because of its deeper foot print).

So basically it is no worse then what a ton of people are already using as a vuvarium, including yours truly  ...I have one 10gal her with an old FCA very kit, and J have some 20h's and some of Danes very kits waiting to be put together but other then that FCA 10 vert'm not running any front opening vivs. I don't own a single exo terra or zoo med viv.... yet


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

jprosser said:


> Also, just wondering what kind of livestock you guys would be planning to keep in them? just because the depth really seems quite small to me.


Oh I preordered the terra and it will probably house a pumilio trio (Rio colubre or Escudo) or a small colony of R.Benedicta


----------



## JPP (Mar 25, 2015)

Is controlling your viv with an app really necessary though? Does that mean you can also have a video chat with your frogs on your smart phone during your lunch break too?


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

JPP said:


> Is controlling your viv with an app really necessary though? Does that mean you can also have a video chat with your frogs on your smart phone during your lunch break too?


He needs to create a translator that makes what you say into frog chrips and croaks


----------



## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

biopod said:


> Hello - Yes our maximum opening is under 1mm - keeps fruitflies and pinheads inside
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Jared


Hi, 
Mmh - i tried Different mesh sizes as ventilation and i had pinheads Come through 1 mm mesh, melanos and Smaller firebrats making it through 0,8 mm mesh without problems. i consider 0.5 mm FF proof (for melanos, ive even seen 0,3 mesh width on some tanks here. 
Dont wanna nitpick or make your product bad, i just find your product very interesting and have that as a personal make or break for tanks and just under 0.8 mm or larger doesnt do it for me, as im living in a flat and dont want my neighbours to "suffer" under my firebrats, pinheads and melano use. so although i might be a Little extreme in that regard and your product seems to be selling extremely well in the First few days, this is a point that could be improved in the future if the productline expands. 
Thanks and all the best! 


Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


----------



## Chrisc147 (Jun 11, 2015)

I'm not sure why everyone is going haywire about a couple of inches in depth. Overall the AQUA is bigger than an 18x18x24 Exo-Terra. Taller and wider which more than makes up for the 2 1/2 inch depth difference.


----------



## Mavpa (Jan 5, 2015)

Chrisc147 said:


> I'm not sure why everyone is going haywire about a couple of inches in depth. Overall the AQUA is bigger than an 18x18x24 Exo-Terra. Taller and wider which more than makes up for the 2 1/2 inch depth difference.


I don't think it's that big a deal personally... but, height can't really be used to compensate for depth because height isn't really adding floor space. I think the better argument is the earlier one about people having no issue chucking on two or three inches of foam back there often times.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Something interesting I just saw him mention....they are looking into the possibility of making a chilling unit as an addon to help those that don't have AC and homes get warm.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Mavpa said:


> I don't think it's that big a deal personally... but, height can't really be used to compensate for depth because height isn't really adding floor space. I think the better argument is the earlier one about people having no issue chucking on two or three inches of foam back there often times.


You can make various levels, that maximize usable surface. Drift wood and rock is often used for that, and especially in the case of drift wood that is the next best thing to leaf liter for microfauna. So you get more surface area for the frogs to explore and more opportunities to feed. You can even use cork tubes which have the surface area inside the tube, and the top of the tube.

On the floor a hollow cave type structure could be made that had leaf liter in the cave, and soil/more leaf litter on top, so you nearly double the effective surface are of that section of the viv. 

Plus even many larger frogs will usually use a well planted background often enough it is worth wild to create that extra surface are, Cover, feeding, breeding. 

2.5 cents (adjusted for inflation)


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> You can make various levels, that maximize usable surface. Drift wood and rock is often used for that, and especially in the case of drift wood that is the next best thing to leaf liter for microfauna. So you get more surface area for the frogs to explore and more opportunities to feed. You can even use cork tubes which have the surface area inside the tube, and the top of the tube.
> 
> On the floor a hollow cave type structure could be made that had leaf liter in the cave, and soil/more leaf litter on top, so you nearly double the effective surface are of that section of the viv.
> 
> ...


Totally agreed. Same with garters. They aren't truly terrestrial but they will happily use vines and branches to explore their enclosure. I also setup my basking area right on one of the viney areas and they love it. Totally flat terrariums are terrible IMO unless you are trying to recreate some plains lol.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

jimmy rustles said:


> Are the front and the ventilation parts safe from ff (melanos)/ firebrat / pinhead cricket escape?
> 
> Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


BTW, I'm not sure this answers the question exactly but I noticed that the little slim bar below the door on the front is not passive ventilation. Found a clear picture that it is in fact part of the active vent system. Look closely at this pic you will see the clear tubing running into the bar. Not sure if it's flyproof though and it could be bad if it's not and flys get into the tubing. I'm sure it would be easy enough to adhere the super tiny screen material on it though.


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

Where did you find that picture. I've been looking for some other than the ones on the website


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Their facebook page. That's where most of the pics are.....poor guy is getting absolutely flooded with questions right now I'm sure (pretty sure it's him and one other at this point answering em) so I'm sure he hasn't had time to update the website. Seems he appeared in alot of online publications and blogs over the weekend and went from 70k yesterday to 100k today so it might be a while till he's able to update things. He said he's compiling an FAQ atm though.


----------



## Calivet (Aug 12, 2013)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> Their facebook page. That's where most of the pics are.....poor guy is getting absolutely flooded with questions right now I'm sure (pretty sure it's him and one other at this point answering em) so I'm sure he hasn't had time to update the website. Seems he appeared in alot of online publications and blogs over the weekend and went from 70k yesterday to 100k today so it might be a while till he's able to update things. He said he's compiling an FAQ atm though.


He's doing it wrong. This is not a well run Kickstarter. He needs to be putting that info into updates on the Kickstarter, and answering the questions asked on the Kickstarter in the Kickstarter instead of other places, PM's, and emails. It would cut his work dramatically by not having to repeat things and also drive interest in the page. Right now, there's no reason to look at it.


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

He is answering the Kickstarter questions on Kickstarter


----------



## Calivet (Aug 12, 2013)

It appears he is now. I stopped looking after I asked a question (my third which had gone unanswered, and still is, in the comment section for the second update) and got ignored a third time. The first week was a different story. Good for him, though I'm still put off about that.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Crap my bank account is screwed. He just announced a 49x16.5x32.5 version. Not 100% but it looks like it can do the deep pond like the aqua. $649 US preorder special.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

What would be a good species to utilize that much room? How many? I almost wish he had made an inbetween size ><


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Do you have a link? Didn't see it on their Facebook...

Seems like a number of people here bought them, I wonder when they will ship?


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> Crap my bank account is screwed. He just announced a 49x16.5x32.5 version. Not 100% but it looks like it can do the deep pond like the aqua. $649 US preorder special.


They are comparing it to the terra. I don't think it can hold water like the Aqua


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

Here is the photo


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

I actually think when you get into this size they messed up by not going deeper. You're going to have a tall, thin tank that will be a pain keeping higher up plants from blocking light to the bottom.


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Agreed, also wish they made a larger version of the Aqua instead of the terra...


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

mongo77 said:


> They are comparing it to the terra. I don't think it can hold water like the Aqua


All his models hold water, aqua is just deeper. This one appears to have the deep front lip like the aqua.


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

The bottom of the Aqua is raised and the back wall doesn't extend to the bottom of the viv. In all their other tanks, including the grande, the back wall extends to the bottom.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Ya but the aqua can convert into the terra style as well. In fact I just confirmed with Jared that it will have a deep water area like the aqua (and I'm assuming can be configured multiple ways like the aqua). He will be posting more in the kickstarter comments (or update) soon about it.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Since this thing is so gargantuan wouldn't it be a candidate for multispecies? What species could you mix in such a big space? Especially if you take advantage of the copious vertical room..


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

Still wouldn't do multi species in this tank. I have a 36x24x18 Exo that has azureus in and they use the whole tank. Constantly climbing to the top and back down.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Fair enough, I'm still new to this so it's best for me to stick to one personally. Would this be enough room for say multiple female tincs to eek out a territory?


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

That size tank should be great for a group of Terribilis. Their bold, do we'll in groups and have a awesome call. With tincs, I would still stick with a trio max cause they'll eventually run into each other and aggression may occur. Leucs would be great in this also


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

mongo77 said:


> They are comparing it to the terra. I don't think it can hold water like the Aqua





Rushthezeppelin said:


> All his models hold water, aqua is just deeper. This one appears to have the deep front lip like the aqua.




Ya it looks to at least hold as much water depth as the Aqua. I tried to post the pic but it wouldn't work, seems to be protected somehow. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the comment I just left...

*Dendro Dave here; 
Very Excited about the Biopod, and interested in the "Grand", but I'd really like to see more video of the features working, such as the dawn/dusk lighting specifically, before I can justify further investment. I'd also like to see some specs on the lighting, like totally wattage at the very least. I may be willing to increase my pledge and I think others might as well if we can get such info soon... Thanks! ...and best wishes!!! *

I need to hear back/see that stuff before I can justify risking more money, but am still very excited about the project


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

mongo77 said:


> That size tank should be great for a group of Terribilis. Their bold, do we'll in groups and have a awesome call. With tincs, I would still stick with a trio max cause they'll eventually run into each other and aggression may occur. Leucs would be great in this also


Hmmm maybe I'll look at leucs then.....I've got a ton of time to decide.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Will leucs or terribilis actually use the vertical space?


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> Will leucs or terribilis actually use the vertical space?


Leucs would probably be more likely to. I find galacs, at least my reds are pretty good about using the entire vivarium also.


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Does anyone know when they are planning on shipping the biopods to kickstarter sponsors?


----------



## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Hey Dave, would you say your red galacs are as bold as say tincs?


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

Supposed to ship this December


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

BTW he just updated the FAQ on his kickstarter (bottom of main page). He's got some light specs up too at least for the grow lights. 6000k color temp and 3w LEDs. Smaller models with have a whopping 36w and grand has an astounding 90w  I went ahead and upgraded to the grand.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Woot even has a 1 year warranty against defects and everything is modular so if one system fails, you just pop it out and replace.


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

I ordered the aqua while it was still 50% off. I wish I could see these in person to be able to justify moving my order up to the grand. The name fits lol it's about what it costs shipped and all


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

A grand canadian maybe. It's projecting 665 for me although it's only projected shipping so I'm expecting a bit higher. I backed out of the plant package though. 3x plant package is alot. I'll have a few months to fill it out so it's all good.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Wait it says shipping will be determined at completion lol. Well I've got the money I'm willing the bite the bullet....still will be a deal as this thing is worth a grand easy.


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

Add taxes and shipping you'll be at about a grand. If it's $120 to ship in Canada I'm sure it will be higher to ship to the states or equal in US dollars.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> BTW he just updated the FAQ on his kickstarter (bottom of main page). He's got some light specs up too at least for the grow lights. 6000k color temp and 3w LEDs. Smaller models with have a whopping 36w and grand has an astounding 90w  I went ahead and upgraded to the grand.


That's good, I still wanna see a video of dawn/dusk working though


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Hmmmm, not sure if I'd pay taxes or not. I know Texas won't charge me sales tax for an online purchase but I suppose Canada could tack it in somewhere. Well bring it on lol ^_^ Also where did you see a definitive number for shipping on the grand?


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

I am unclear on the dimensional details with how they have listed the measurements of the tanks, does anyone know what the actual dimensions of the useable space inside the glass are. All the measurements I have seen includes the housing and stand. So the useable height and depth are unknown to me.

Thanks!


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

I know the grand is 49x15x28 inside....should be to extrapolate the others based on gallonage. Or you can take one of the pictures into paint and put a grid next to it matched up to measurements.


----------



## Spidey88 (Feb 9, 2015)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> More or less everything to recreate the pics shown. AFAIK even some driftwood is included. Speaking of phib safe wood. I have a beautiful cedar stump I want to use in a viv that has a nice cup at the top I could use for some substrate to growth pothos out of. I know evergreens are a no no for reps but somebody said he thinks they are cool for phibs. Is this true?


Not in the slightest. The aromatic phenols in cedar are, to my knowledge, pretty unhealthy for just about anything in an enclosed space and cause severe respiratory issues at minimum. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods - you name it, it's bad news for them. Amphibians, with their permeable skins and small body masses (esp. in the case of dendrobatids) are probably extra sensitive. I've seen salamanders under rotten cedar logs in the wild, but that's a much different story! Cedar rots so slowly (and lasts so long under damp conditions) because the toxic compounds in it greatly limit microbial and fungal growth - which is hopefully a decent warning sign!

(Forgive me if this had already been answered and I missed it - I hope this is helpful!)


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

BTW looks like he finally got a prototype of the Grand done and has posted a picture of it.


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

Looks good I want one. Lol. I've got an aqua on order. Now to work on the wife to let me get the grand as well.


----------



## k5MOW (Jun 19, 2015)

Very cool.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

C los7 said:


> Looks good I want one. Lol. I've got an aqua on order. Now to work on the wife to let me get the grand as well.


Lol I have the money to get both, but I'm going to limit myself to just the grand for now. I might buy a aqua sometime in the future though. Even at full price it's still worth it imo.


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

Does anyone have an idea on what kind of plant Biopod is using to create a living wall. I usually put a 3D rock background on my Vivs but if I get the Grand I don't want to take space away from the depth. 
Thanks


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

It's not any specific plant. The back kinda like a more commercial modular drip wall basically. It becomes aquaponics too if you are using the aqua or the grand with the water feature and fish (or I suppose tads too). It doesn't take up basically any depth.


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

Thank you, for that information. I guess if the back wall is a water drip feature it would be counter productive to place a 3D rock feature on it. Any recommendations on a plant that will cover that back wall quickly besides Java moss


----------



## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

Creeping fig


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Ya I'm going to probably do a native Venezuelan ficus of some sort, maybe a philodendron as well growing up it...with moss as well. You can also shut certain panels off IIRC for plants like neos or orchids that don't like wet feet. I'm just going to have wood to mount mine on.


----------



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

it looks like the background "grate is angles to hold media while allowing it to still drain. So I am assuming it needs to be loaded with some media that is large enough to not drop through the bottom of each "cell" in the background grate. Is that about right?


----------



## Deer (Sep 28, 2013)

I am so excited for the amount of build threads that will be happening once these are shipped! Went for the One to trial it before purchasing any of the larger tanks.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Well the kickstarter campaign is over. First run is hopefully getting manufactured right now. I really do hope we see them by December but of course it was just an estimate anyway. He still seems to be confident with the date though. Hopefully he's got some smart people working with him to get this thing built on time and right. As least the R&D has been done over the past 15 years so that is one less hurdle than alot of crowd funding products.

If anyone wants to get in on the second run of them, he's got an indegogo setup.... https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/biopod-world-s-first-smart-microhabitat--2#/story Smart of him to keep it going in this way until he can actually get contracts with stores, distribution contracts and get an online store up and running.

Ohhh BTW he updated on how the humidity controls work. The substrate aeration system is what picks up humidity to distribute into the tank and keep RH up without the need for spraying. At the same time it discourages root rot and anaerobic bacterial buildup.


----------



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> ...how the humidity controls work. The substrate aeration system is what picks up humidity to distribute into the tank and keep RH up without the need for spraying. At the same time it discourages root rot and anaerobic bacterial buildup.


Sounds solid!

Stoked for these to ship.


----------



## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

TJ_Burton said:


> Sounds solid!
> 
> Stoked for these to ship.


Ya better than what I was thinking of having a cool mist setup somewhere in there (I still might do a home made fogger on this for Ss&Gs). This way is just much simpler, reuses water already in the system and should have less parts to potentially break.


----------



## MisterMan (Nov 2, 2015)

Anyone know if the Grand comes with the same/similar multi-configurable false bottom as the Aqua?


----------



## macuser (Oct 8, 2015)

MisterMan said:


> Anyone know if the Grand comes with the same/similar multi-configurable false bottom as the Aqua?


it does

Hi All, Great news for The GRAND supporters! We have upgraded the Grand to include a customized island just like the Aqua so it is more easily convertible between a vivarium and an aquavivarium. This is a free upgrade and you do not need to do anything to your pledge. Thanks for your support!

Jared and Tom

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099003506/worlds-first-smart-microhabitat/posts/1381296

edit:

The maximum water capacity of the Aqua is 6.5 gallons (up to 5" deep) and the Grand can hold 19 gallons of water - up to 6" deep. 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099003506/worlds-first-smart-microhabitat/description


----------



## macuser (Oct 8, 2015)

MisterMan said:


> Anyone know if the Grand comes with the same/similar multi-configurable false bottom as the Aqua?


below is more info i saw about the grands customizable island. 

“In case anyone is interested, this is a message I received from Jared: So sorry for the delayed reply. We have upgraded the Grand to include a customized island just like the Aqua so it is more easily convertible between a vivarium and an aquavivarium. We will be posting this update shortly. The Base size of the grand is 14" X 37.6" -Kenneth Stevens

Oct 21 2015 on Biopod - World's First Smart Microhabitat
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...tat/comments?cursor=11467691#comment-11467690


----------



## sminarski (Oct 21, 2014)

When will these be available? Seems like the kickstart has gone well and the preorders have been going forever


----------



## Jarhead_2016 (Jan 7, 2010)

Website says available in stores this coming fall...


----------



## DunderBear (Feb 5, 2016)

They are still in the progress of completing the product like getting it verified as safe for shipping. No estimated date yet honestly should expect delays but it will be well worth it. I put my money down on a Biopod Grand so I can't wait.


----------



## grackle (Sep 18, 2015)

I'm down for a Grand too. I'll need to scour this thread again for clues as to just what they are providing and what needs purchasing.


----------



## DunderBear (Feb 5, 2016)

grackle said:


> I'm down for a Grand too. I'll need to scour this thread again for clues as to just what they are providing and what needs purchasing.




The Biopod provides everything you would have and more unless you want a fogger then they don't have that.


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Do a search. There's another thread about this somewhere.

s


----------



## grackle (Sep 18, 2015)

Thanks guys. I did need that extra nudge to find the other threads.
Coping with not knowing what I'll be dealing with and if there are limitations is not one of my strong suits. So far I'm pretty sure that the sides can get corked. But this "living wall" is outside of anything I've read on Bioactive setups. What is its angle of incline to keep the biomedia from obeying gravity? Need I devote a month to stuffing bits of moss and vines back in the wall? Does the wall even have a backing? It sure would be welcome if they let us have access to instructions and specs.


----------

