# First Build - 29G w/ Waterfall



## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

Hi everyone! I've spent the last few weeks/months lurking and reading and reading and reading this forum before I started my build. There is so much great info on these boards!!! But, if there's one thing I learned, its that there are no fewer than 2 ways to do anything (build related) and for each idea, there's at least one person that says its the best way and there's at least one person that says its the worst way. So with that in mind, I decided to just start building and share my experiences along the way. 

So, a little background... I've had this 29G tank sitting around for years. It was given to me 3-4 years ago and I had always planned to turn it into a high-tech planted freshwater tank (I have 2.5G and 5.5G nanos already). I never really had the resources to build it the way I wanted, so the tank sat around. Somehow, while browsing the aquarium forums, I found my way to this site and have been plotting ever since 

On to the build!!

I decided on the GS background, false bottom, and waterfall. I took into account that the waterfall is supposed to raise humidity, and since I live in Phoenix, I figured consistent humidity may be one of my bigger issues. To "map" out my ideas, I stuck some stuff in to see what it might look like...










With that, I taped off some dimensions, and carried the tank outside for the Great Stuff-ing. 










Top-tip to the other n00bs out there... wear gloves and old clothes when using GS. Safety glasses really ain't a bad idea either. No joke, this stuff is an ooey-gooey mess and you do NOT want it on you. 

After the GS set, I covered it in silicone and hit it with a healthy dose of coco fiber/powder. Due to my rush job, and lack of enough silicone (are you listening fellow n00bs? buy more than you think you'll use), you'll notice some spots I missed. 










After that set up (overnight), I sat the tank upright and was pretty impressed with how it looked. I scooped out the excess coco and dropped in my PVC supports for scale as I pondered the waterfall.










Next up was the waterfall build. I had lots of ideas. My favorite idea was the rockwall design (packing foam covered in portland cement). The problem there was sourcing the foam and cement (without additives). I figured I could just GS a blob and carve it to how I needed. So here's the blob... 










Oh, and notice I ran the tube through the GS. It is 1/2" tubing and it held up fine to the GS expansion. (no crushing)

Another n00b tip: GS will not build on itself vertically. You'd need to spray, let it set, spray, let it set, spray... I don't recommend it. Basically, instead of going up, it just settled into a large gooey blob on the bottom. This lead to some head-scratching and my next idea. I'd just carve it and add some slate to build the waterfall with real rock using the carved GS as a foundation. 

I built the falls, flooded it with some water and turned on the filter, not really sure what to expect. Actually, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. 










The filter gives me the perfect flow for what I wanted. It is the ExoTerra F150 if anyone is keeping score. I was afraid it would spray everywhere, but it has a nice, steady flow. 

Next up was building the false bottom. I ran into a few snags and surprises like the fact that LECA will fall right through the light diffuser/egg crate I was using. Fortunately I had some #7 mesh from an aquarium project laying around. Also, one of the challenges I ran into was that since the false bottom sits under the background, I had to construct it in the tank. Not the end of the world, but made the zip-tying a little more challenging. No biggie... 

Yet another top-tip: seriously, if you have a water pump, leave an area you can access it. Its been running three days and I've cleaned it every day. Its also convenient if you have a flow control on the pump 

Here's a shot mid-LECA-adding...










And here we go with the LECA and the wood in place. The gravel in the pool is Flourite (planted tank substrate). I have delusions of planting aquatic plants in there at some point. Also, for reference, I used 2/3rds of a 20L bag of LECA. (I had no idea how much to buy!)










The only thing I have done since is placed the fiberglass screen overtop the LECA and trimmed the false bottom ledge on the left side near the pool. Next up will be laying out the DendroBedding (hopefully tomorrow! )

I think the only thing I would do differently at this point is the way I built the waterfall. Next time, I'd definitely forget the foam altogether and build it entirely with slate. 

Overall, I'm really happy with where it is at so far. Please, feel free to give me some feedback. The good, the bad, and the inquisitive  

Thanks!!

- Ken


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## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

It looks to me like you might have some problems with the hydroton making its way into your water feature. Are you going to have a dam on the edge there to keep the substrate and hydroton from eroding into the water? 

Looking good! Are you planning on sticking anything on the back wall? I've had some luck with making GS pots and sticking them on after the wall is already finished.


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

Occidentalis said:


> Are you going to have a dam on the edge there to keep the substrate and hydroton from eroding into the water?


In short, yes. I'm not sure of the details yet. The water level is below the false bottom, so there is a gap between the substrate and the water. I'll probably use small 1-3" river rocks to transition. 

There will definitely be some kinds of plants in there. I have found it difficult to get grasp the what/how/where of the plants. I guess because there are so many variations of each plant... 

Thanks for the comment!


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## Pyro4x4 (Nov 19, 2008)

Looks good! Cant wait to see the end result.


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## Dean (Mar 1, 2008)

It's nice but I would hide the false bottom in the front glass section if it's not to late.


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## Rick (Apr 10, 2009)

Its never to late for black contact paper!


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## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

Rick said:


> Its never to late for black contact paper!


Or oak tape... that might look good, since he has an oak trimmed tank already!


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## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

I'm impressed with the waterfall... mostly since you threw it in there before you knew how it worked. I'd be pleased if I did that. For your next build, however, you may want to test your waterfall when there's still a lot of time to make the changes you want to. I like using lace rock and running water down it before I even put it in the tank to know exactly which angle it should be at to get the desired affect. Not to say yours didn't turn out great, but next time you might not be so lucky, that's all.

Good work.


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks for the comments!

The false bottom doesn't really bother me. Though, I may use some black contact paper on the side to hide the GS of the waterfall. 

Smack' I thought your comment was pretty funny, because you're exactly right. I had no idea how it would turn out. When I turned on the pump, my expression was, "OMG! it works... uh...um... I mean, of course it works"   I will definitely take your advice and try to build the next one outside. 

I'm about to start laying down the coir, so that should be an adventure.


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

Alright, I added in the DendroBedding. This is my first experience with it and I was amused while watching it grow. (its the simple things...)

I'm a little disappointed at how small the waterfall looks now. I realized that I definitely need some kind of barrier/dam between the substrate and the water (as Occidentalis mentioned). I found a piece of drift wood that I had laying around. It fit the gap, so in it went. Ideally, I still like the river rock idea I mentioned earlier, but this is what I've got right now.










That's pretty much it as far as the build goes. I need to cap the pump access and throw down some leaf litter, but other than that, its time for plants!! Please, does anyone have suggestions? What fits well in a 29G? What might look good?

If it makes a difference, I'm thinking 3-4 auratus.


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## yumpster (May 22, 2009)

Two of my personal favorite plants are ludisia discolor (jewel orchid) and neoregelia pink stripe (brom). They will fit well in a 29 gallon. They can both be found on joshsfrogs.com if you want to check them out.


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

So its been a while. I finally got my plants. A selection of 6 broms, an orchid, baby tears, and a peperomia to start with. I know nothing about arranging, so I just stuck everything in and this is how it turned out.










I welcome any and all suggestions!


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Here mate...

Thats actually looking very very nice.

You must be very pleased with it, I know i would be.

Only thing I could say about it is, Id maybe put the big brom on the right at more of an upright angle, so the axil can gather water, i looks pretty horizontal in the pic...

Welldone mate

Richie

EDIT: P.S Covering up the false bottom would really make a huge difference to the overall appearance of the tank, as small as it is, that little white strip of eggcrate really does detract from the natural beauty of the tank. Anything as simple as some black paper or even this sticky sided contact paper would work wonders.


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## JoshK (Jan 5, 2009)

Looking good Ken.


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## yumpster (May 22, 2009)

Is that a pink stripe!?


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

R1ch13 said:


> Only thing I could say about it is, Id maybe put the big brom on the right at more of an upright angle, so the axil can gather water, i looks pretty horizontal in the pic...
> 
> Welldone mate


Thanks Richie!

It is a bit horizontal, not quite so much as it looks. I do need come up with a better method for mounting such a top-heavy brom. 

The false bottom still doesn't phase me at all. Maybe I'm just used to it. I'll pick up some of the contact paper and try it out to see what I'm missing. 

Thanks for the feedback!


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

yumpster said:


> Is that a pink stripe!?


I ordered a mix pack so I didn't know what I was getting until they showed up today. I'm really happy with the variety of sizes and colors! 

Left to right:
Neo. Aummensis x Compacta (not sure if I'm reading the handwriting correctly)
Neo. Tiger Cub
Neo. Superball
Neo. Compacta Small Form
Neo. Flaming Lovely
Neo. Zoe


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## Amanda0192 (Aug 7, 2009)

Ken said:


> I ordered a mix pack so I didn't know what I was getting until they showed up today. I'm really happy with the variety of sizes and colors!
> 
> Left to right:
> Neo. Aummensis x Compacta (not sure if I'm reading the handwriting correctly)
> ...


where did you order them from? my home depot doesnt have a very good selection


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## HunterB (Apr 28, 2009)

Amanda0192 said:


> where did you order them from? my home depot doesnt have a very good selection


My personal fav plave to get broms is from SpringValleyTropical.


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## Amanda0192 (Aug 7, 2009)

HunterB said:


> My personal fav plave to get broms is from SpringValleyTropical.


thats a website where i can order them??


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

In fact I did order them from Spring Valley Tropicals  

Check the sponsors around here. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Ken said:


> I ordered a mix pack so I didn't know what I was getting until they showed up today. I'm really happy with the variety of sizes and colors!
> 
> Left to right:
> Neo. Aummensis x Compacta (not sure if I'm reading the handwriting correctly)
> ...


Sorry about my chicken scratch handwriting. Haha. You got them all right except the first one. Neo. fluminensis x compacta. Sorry again! 

Your viv looks pretty well arranged. This will grow in really nice. I'd say in about 2 mos., its gonna look really well grown in and full.


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## Ken (Jun 21, 2009)

Frogtofall said:


> Sorry about my chicken scratch handwriting. Haha. You got them all right except the first one. Neo. fluminensis x compacta. Sorry again!


No worries! If I had written it, it would have looked like some alien language!


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