# Swamp Thing - Construction Journal 585 lt / 154 Gal Tank



## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Hey guys,

This is my first ever post on Dendroboard. So I hoppe you can help me along with the construction of my 2nd ever viv.

3 Months ago I build a small Exo Terra viv for my Ecnomiohyla myotimpanum.




















Here's the little bugger


But I think it is kind of boring for the frog, and for me... so I decided to go BIG.


Last week I finally got my 150 x 60 x 65 CM (59 x 23.6 x 25.5 in) tank.

Yeah 585 Litters / 154 gallons of pure beauty.

Heres a picture of the monster.










(here with a soccer ball so you can see the size of it)










I call the proyect THE SWAMP THING because if all goes ok, I will transform it into a little mexican swamp.



PS: Yes, my english suck.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I think your english is better than many posters on this board . . .

Good luck - I'm sure it'll look great!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Well... 

First thing I did (before I even got the tank) was to go out looking for drift wood.

But here on Mexico City we don't get the service from The Driftwood Store, so I went to every petshop on the city and all the mayor markets and couldn't find a decent or big enough pice of wood.

Plus I was looking for a hollow tree trunk style.

The solution?

Near to my house is a place with trees older than 100 years, so a month ago the town government decided to cut all the branches that where heavy and damaged (NOT TO CUT THE TREES) so when the windy season hitts the town no one gets hitted by these huge falling death traps.

And while the town workers where cutting the huge branches, I was on the ground collecting all what I could find usefull.










This is a tree branch that has little branches comming out of it. But if you turn it upside down, It looks like a tree trunk




















And this is what I liked.


The huge pice of wood is what I wanted as my hollow tree trunk. Of course it's now hollow and weights more than 9 KG (20 pounds); so I took out my drill and other handy tools and 3 weeks later...




























I decided to cut all the root like branches so it can be more stable.

Next step. 

Day dream with Photoshop!!!

I'm very lousy using photoshop, but I started to try some designs and explore on what I could do with the wood.

Here's my posible future design.

FEEL FREE TO SUGEST ANYTHING!

First attempt 










Second Attempt










Third Attempt










Last and favorite attempt










As you can see, I want it to be like an almost 360 view tank. Just like Grimm's design.

Yes. Grimm, you inspired us all.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

THIS is the place I want to copy or emulate.


It's a National Park called Camécuaro. It's on the mexican state of Michoacán.


It's one of the most magical places I have ever been. I even shot a movie there. Awesome place.

Sugestions for how to mimic it?





































































































The trees are called AHUEHUETES and can live up to 600 years, maybe more.


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## Shohin (Sep 21, 2011)

wow. Man, that place is beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking photos.

-Troy


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

That tank is huge, you can sure do just about whatever with it.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Does anyone know wh´y I can't see all the pictures I uploaded? Or how to edit a previous post?


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

Did you want to have it set up as a palaudarium with water in it or as a vivarium? I'm sure you can replicate the tree roots for 3/4 of the back and have a branch sticking out like the first picture on the opposite side.


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## evilhorde (Aug 28, 2011)

I can't seem to find it now but I remember someone around here building very nice looking roots and vines using polypropylene rope (yellow plastic) and covering it in silicone, peat and dirt until it was the desired texture and colour. Then they put it in place to allow the sillicone to harden up. 

Maybe make the shape you want in styrofoam. (Roots, rocks and tree.) Cover it all in mortar and paint the rock parts to look as you want them, and then silicone some bark from the type of tree you are copying. Of course I am making the assumption that you can easily get that bark.

Edit: there should be a couple of green buttons just below your post on the right hand side. One will have a picture of scissors and that's the one you want.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

I just know, this is going to be a great tank!!!


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Here is what the edit looks like.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I have been meaning to try Montezuma cypress in a riparium setup. They might grow pretty well like that.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I have been meaning to try Montezuma cypress in a riparium setup. They might grow pretty well like that.


Yes they are mazing. I'm planing to try my luck with Bonsais.


I guess they'll look nice.



FIT BMX said:


> Here is what the edit looks like.


Thanx man! But I can't make it apear on my posts! It's soooo weird. I already contacted the administrator. Hope Kyle can help me.




WeeNe858 said:


> Did you want to have it set up as a palaudarium with water in it or as a vivarium? I'm sure you can replicate the tree roots for 3/4 of the back and have a branch sticking out like the first picture on the opposite side.


It's going to be a Paloudarium. But I still don't know what kind of frog/lizard to put in. I don't like crowded Vivs so I still dont know. 

The only thing certain is that it will not be a Tropical vivarium. I want it a bit cold.



evilhorde said:


> I can't seem to find it now but I remember someone around here building very nice looking roots and vines using polypropylene rope (yellow plastic) and covering it in silicone, peat and dirt until it was the desired texture and colour. Then they put it in place to allow the sillicone to harden up.
> 
> Maybe make the shape you want in styrofoam. (Roots, rocks and tree.) Cover it all in mortar and paint the rock parts to look as you want them, and then silicone some bark from the type of tree you are copying. Of course I am making the assumption that you can easily get that bark.
> 
> Edit: there should be a couple of green buttons just below your post on the right hand side. One will have a picture of scissors and that's the one you want.


I'm very lousy with the hand crafts. I already spent more than 100 bucks trying to make fake rocks. I read all the threads here but I totally SUCK.

And about the tree bark... well, al these trees are protected by law. You see, they are as old as the aztec culture, so they are huge and people love them. If someone sees me trying to cut something from them... some one will beat my ass.

So, that's not an option.




I don't think I can make it look identical, but if I capture the essence of the place; I'll be happy.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

MrMonterrubio said:


> THIS is the place I want to copy or emulate.
> 
> 
> It's a National Park called Camécuaro. It's on the mexican state of Michoacán.
> ...


are those your pictures?

But regardless, gorgeous environment


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

evilhorde said:


> I can't seem to find it now but I remember someone around here building very nice looking roots and vines using polypropylene rope (yellow plastic) and covering it in silicone, peat and dirt until it was the desired texture and colour. Then they put it in place to allow the sillicone to harden up.
> 
> Maybe make the shape you want in styrofoam. (Roots, rocks and tree.) Cover it all in mortar and paint the rock parts to look as you want them, and then silicone some bark from the type of tree you are copying. Of course I am making the assumption that you can easily get that bark.
> 
> Edit: there should be a couple of green buttons just below your post on the right hand side. One will have a picture of scissors and that's the one you want.


this one?

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/57563-pics-my-new-constructed-vivarium.html


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Here a little update.

Hope the pictures don't get erased like in the other post...



I started to work on this a couple of weeks before I got the tank. So... I bought lots of eggcrate sheets, electrical ties and build my false bottom















I covered it with a plastic fabric I found at Home Depot, and then I cover all with a second layer of YUTE fabric. I don't know the name of it in the US but its a natural fabric made from weed plant.

Then I reinforce the structure to support heavy weight with more eggcrate.

I want it to be extra strong, cuz I suck at making fake wood or stones and because of that I intend to use the real thing. Yes IT WILL BE HEAVY AS HELL





















And this is how it looks inside the tank.









And here with the Tree Trunk and my experiment to make the root system using wood.









I Made a mistake cutting all the root like branches from the tree trunk, and now I have to fix it placing some new pices of wood to make it look like its own roots.



*All the white dots are parts of eggcrate that fell over the tank. I'm leaving a mess here. I need to be tidier


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> are those your pictures?
> 
> But regardless, gorgeous environment


No, they are not my pictures.

I found them on google. Just type "CAMECUARO" and you'll get thousands of pics.

I been in the place though, and I know it perfectly. I shot a shortfilm there, and it's magical to swim in there early in the morning when it's still covered in mist and the water is damn cold. 


About RAF's root method, well... I already tryed. Like I said I SUCK at this kind of things. I already spent a lot of money trying to copy his tree like backgroung and I got a lot of bad results.

Here's another Photoshop of what I want it to look like.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

you should post that video


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## Peakone (Sep 9, 2011)

The project is great, looks awesome so far and ill be monitoring the developments with interest!

Good luck with it!


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

This is gonna be a sexy tank! Are you doing a background?


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

This is going to be really really nice!!
I love that stump!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Neontra said:


> This is gonna be a sexy tank! Are you doing a background?


Yes I am.


One of the small sides will have a Background. I still dont know what type or the design or anything. I just think it will be nice to hace a waterfall.





FIT BMX said:


> This is going to be really really nice!!
> I love that stump!


Thanx! I love it to. Specially since it took me like 2 freakin' weeks to hollow the thing. My arms looked like Popeye's.


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

Well, the only update is that I went to Home Depot, again, and found a misting system. I'll show you later some pics. 

I think this will make a beatiful rain system for the future animals.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Here a little update.


I been thinking a lot about the background and I came with the idea of making a Cave-like thing to provide hide for the animals, to hide the fan that it'll help mantain the air circulation, and to hide the fogger.

The background will be a corner/side. It will cover all the wall that I want to hide and a bit of the next wall, so I can try to be more creative.

Just built the structure out of eggcrate. As you can see, still very abstract.



















































I still havent decided if I want the cave to be like a rock cavern or another hollow stump.

I'm afraid that the rock cave might look out of place, but at the same time I fear that my crappy skills wont be able to create a decent fake stump.

However, thanks to HX and this thread, I feel a bit confident I can make a last winning try.

But I need a little help with the inspiration, because I've been watching way too many Aquascaping, and all I can think of is to do something like this...










They are awesome! But like I said, it might be out place with the rest of the swamp like stuff.

Can anyone give me a hand with this?


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

AND!!!

Here are all the pictures from the other post that magically disapeared.

Just in case you wanted to know how they looked like.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

This is gonna be fuggin sweet.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE


I still can't find the right rocks to place inside the tank 

But on the bright side, I went to one of the biggest plant markets on the continent and got lots of orchids (that now are blooming) and some ferns and 2 TILLANDSIA PUNCTULATA and live moss for just about $400 pesos (Like $30 Dolars); and yesterday I got the base for the tank and now I can go full speed with these build.

The only thing that might hold me back is the availability of AQUASOIL and the fact that I don't have as much money as I would like to invest in the tank.

The base doors to hide the content are still to be shipped...


Here the pics.


IT'S THE WHITE STRUCTURE BEHIND THE TANK. IT'S ALMOST CAMOUFLAGED


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Awesome. Now plant the tank and repost pictures 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

The stand looks great!!
The plants are super!!! It cost $30 for one orchid in the US, lucky you!!!


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## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

this is going to be froggy awsome

I love everything your planning and have on question

What type of substrate are you planning on using for the water area?


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

I like the layout. I've been wanting to do a Mexican riparian tank too, but l think I'll do a southern Sonora theme. I'm sorry if I missed it, but what is that orchid? Must. Have.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

FIT BMX said:


> The stand looks great!!
> The plants are super!!! It cost $30 for one orchid in the US, lucky you!!!


Yes! Orchids, and plants in general are very cheap, also the tanks and driftwood are cheap... but any EXO TERRA , T REX or ZOOMED products are expensive as hell.

So are the animals. Unless they where collected here un Mexico. But captive breed animals are probably 3 times the price you can getin the US

Ups and downs.



Youngherp420 said:


> this is going to be froggy awsome
> 
> I love everything your planning and have on question
> 
> What type of substrate are you planning on using for the water area?


I want to use ADA AQUASOIL AMAZONIA. But the problem is that here in Mexico these products are hard to get, and like I sayd, EXPENSIVE.

If I can't find it, I will try any other type of aquasoil that looks black.

And If I go crazy enough I might go to the lake and colect real mud from the place.



epiphytes etc. said:


> I like the layout. I've been wanting to do a Mexican riparian tank too, but l think I'll do a southern Sonora theme. I'm sorry if I missed it, but what is that orchid? Must. Have.


The guy that sold me the orchids didn't knew the name of any of the 5 types of orchids I got. That's the problem of buying so cheap.

I already checked half of the Online Orchid Encyclopedia and I can't find it. I promise that i'll post the name of the Orchid as soon as I find it.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I just had one of those terrible months. Lots of work and no time to build the tank.

However, I did find some time yesterday to finally start working on the root system for the stump.

The pictures are kind of crappy because they were shot at night.


What I did was to find pices of wood that might fit and look like the roots for the stump. I did a lot of experiments and this is the one I liked the most.


























Then I place the false botton inside the tank, a large plastic sheet on top, and then the STUMP on its place. I carefully put and all the pices of wood on it's right place.










Then I used Great Stuff to hold everything in place. Let it dry, and this is how it looked this morning once I took it out of the tank.


























I also found a surprise on my orchids. Another one just poped 2 new flowers.  They are tiny and gorgeous. Also the TILLANDSIA is flowering. 


























This orchid still beautiful. Still don't know the name.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Looks great!!!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE


I cut all the exceding Great Stuff from the roots, so no they look like part of the same tree.

I'm very happy with the result.










































Now I just have to hide the GS texture. I was thinking in using epoxy to cover it , and a thin layer of peat moss.

That way it will look like a spot of mud.

I also got some rocks and I'm begining to experiment with the look of the side wall. I think I'm going to cover all the wall (excepting the rocks) with ferns and orchids.

















Once the tank is on its final place (my room), I will make some temperature tests to see if it can house Leucs.

Those little hoppers seem special.



Now a 360 view of the soon to be Swamp


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE


After cutting the Great Stuff, I got one of this bottles of Heavy Dutty Sea Varnish (the one made for beach outdoors furniture).










And coated the roots and the GS with the varnish. I did this 3 times (it takes 10 hours to dry, before you apply a new coat). And on the 4th coat, I did a special mix.




















I mix 3 parts varnish, 1 part peat moss. This will give you a very sticky clay like thing that I place over the great stuff.










Giving you a result like this:










And before it dryes, you throw some Peat moss over it.



























Once it dryes you wont believe it is not real.


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## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

You are doing a great job! From now on my list of subscribed threads!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

wimvanvelzen said:


> You are doing a great job! From now on my list of subscribed threads!


 WOOOOOOOOOW !!!! THAT'S A HUGE HONOR!!! 

Since I'm one of your hardcore fans. Your tanks are a great inspiration!


Keep the good work with that room size viv.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:

I also got the lamp for the tank, some timers and the water part substrate (3 bags of 20Lb / 9 Kg)

Here some pics.










































And finally I installed the doors for the tank base. I think now it looks neat.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

This all looks great!!!!!!!


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

I'm subscribing to this thread. I love big tank builds.... keep it up


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

FIT BMX said:


> This all looks great!!!!!!!





eos said:


> I'm subscribing to this thread. I love big tank builds.... keep it up


Thank you, guys.



So, here the new UPDATE:


I've been working hard on the design of the background for this tank, so after reading lots of threads and hours of staring at the tank, I came up with this:

AGAIN, Sorry for the crappy pictures.











The idea is the same. Have a duct that will hide the fogger, the ventilation fan, and a waterfall.

But now, instead of having it on a corner, its on the side and this will give me a better visibility of the tank.

The rocks are Red Mexican Lava Rocks, which are very easy to sculpt (because I couldn't find the rock size and shape that I wanted), very light weight, and moss love growing on them.

The wood is just random driftwood I found at a store to make the root system, but at the end I didn't use. 

I spent hours trying to find the right look for it, and once I got it, I started to use the Great Stuff. 

The PVC pipes are for the water filter, the rain system pump and the waterfall.










































Here on this pics you can se the return pipe from the pump, that will generate a waterfall inside the ventilation duct. This is to mantain high humidity, and to oxigen water the natural way.



















I know, you may think it will look better if the watarfall is not not hidden, but I believe that if I do have a traditional exposed waterfall, It might be too much for such a small tank. I'd like to keep it as simple as I can.


So, later I applied some Black Great Stuff and place the background on the tank (once the GS was dry) for a little preview.


















So far so good.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Since I liked what I was doing, I applied more Great Stuff and more rocks and plastic pots.



































At the base I placed another PVC pice that will work as an overflow.










This is the duct seen from the inside.

I have to coat all the interior with GS so that it can survive the heavy waterflow, and so the airflow goes throug smothly.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

After the last coat of Great Stuff, I cut all the GS to give it the shape I needed.

Later I apply GS on the inner side of the ventilation duct.

It was a real mess.

I had to put a big pile of GS in my hand, and then introduce my hand to the bottom of the duct and place it all over.

Yes, I used gloves.

Now all I need is to cover the GS with the barnish & peat moss mix.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Here a couple of pictures of the background on its place.


I still havent glued it to the side. i'll do it when the thing is on my room.


I apply one hand of varnish on the pices of wood and all over the Great Stuff... but I'm having a cold feet on the varnish/peat moss final coating...

Any thoughts? Any recomendations?

I read on Raf's thread about the compaktuna/flevopoll + Peat moss mix, but I'm having a hard time finding this materials.

Maybe an Acrylic Cement + Peat Moss mix?

I'm absolutely lost.

PLEASE POST! I feel alone updating so much without feedback!


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## drutt (Oct 4, 2011)

I think you are doing great....keep up the work

I had the same problem when I did my viv. I did not know what to use to cover the GS, Here in Spain there is no compaktuna and I really like Rafs viv.
Ive tried with cement + peat moss but I did not like the result. So in the end I covered everything with brown silicona+peatmoss. But the parts which are under water I cover with cement and epoxy.
I think its enough with just cement if you let it dry correctly...


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

I'm using silicone peat mix in my tank, and it easy and looks great!

The mix is 2 parts black silicone ( only use 100% silicone GE 2) 1 part mineral spirits( or toluene ), and 1 part dried peat moss. Mix the silicone and mineral spirits first, then ad the peat. Then covered the nylon rope with it, and lade it on a pan of dried peat and dumped more peat on top to give it a good coating. It helps a lot and looks much better if you sift the peat moss, so it is very fine.

Here is my build thread, if you want to see some photos!
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/75699-step-step-55-gal-vert-build-3.html


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

One word. Subscribed.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

drutt said:


> I think you are doing great....keep up the work
> 
> I had the same problem when I did my viv. I did not know what to use to cover the GS, Here in Spain there is no compaktuna and I really like Rafs viv.
> Ive tried with cement + peat moss but I did not like the result. So in the end I covered everything with brown silicona+peatmoss. But the parts which are under water I cover with cement and epoxy.
> I think its enough with just cement if you let it dry correctly...


Tu vivario es una belleza! Estoy impresionado con tus grandes habilidades para hacer fondos.

Just one question. What kind of cement did you used?

Your roots are the most amazing I have seen.




FIT BMX said:


> I'm using silicone peat mix in my tank, and it easy and looks great!
> 
> The mix is 2 parts black silicone ( only use 100% silicone GE 2) 1 part mineral spirits( or toluene ), and 1 part dried peat moss. Mix the silicone and mineral spirits first, then ad the peat. Then covered the nylon rope with it, and lade it on a pan of dried peat and dumped more peat on top to give it a good coating. It helps a lot and looks much better if you sift the peat moss, so it is very fine.
> 
> ...



Just like Grims method, right?

The thing is, I went to Home Depot and they don't know what Toluene is.

So, please!!! Tell me what you mean with "mineral Spirits". Maybe that will be the answer to my problems.



jacobi said:


> One word. Subscribed.


Thanx man.


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## drutt (Oct 4, 2011)

Muchas gracias amigo... lo mismo digo..
La verdad es q he usado cemento normal, lo q usan lo albaniles..


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

> So, please!!! Tell me what you mean with "mineral Spirits". Maybe that will be the answer to my problems.


Mineral Spirits is a paint thinner, and is rather cheap! It works great, and once it's dry there is no smell at all! 
1-Gallon Green Odorless Mineral Spirits-GKGO75000 at The Home Depot


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I guess this will be the last update of the year:


I wanted to make a general test for the water pump, the fogger, the air circulation fan and the rain system.

First step was to make a chamber for the pump and an easy access to it.

I cut the eggcrate and the plastic fabric to make this:


























The three holes are for the background pipes and the big one is the Pump chamber.


Here the pump hole cover.


















This is the pump on its package. It's a fountain pump, because I wanted to have a huge watterflow and a lot of pressure so the misting system could sprinkle all around the tank.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Later, the moment of truth came.


*My first test ever of the tank.*

It was 1 AM and I place the pump on its place. Connected the PVC pipes and the misting/rain system. Place the fogger and the fan.

I went for the garden hose, and filled the tank with water.

Crossed my fingers and switched all on.


I have good news and very sad ones.


*
Good news:*


The tank doesn't have any leaks.
The fogger works amazing.
The Fan does a very good job.
The Pump has an incredibly huge amount of water flow.
The PVC pipes work perfect. All the water gets to the misting system.
And the stump roots look AWESOME under water


*Bad news:
*


The water flow is so huge that, as it falls over the fogger, discipates all the fog. So I'll never have fog this way.
The fogger chamber that is at the bottom of the ventilation duct, have lots of leaks. So It will never retain the water for the Fogger once the pump is off.
The upper part of the Duct also has leaks everywhere. All the lower half pots of the background where somehow flooded.
The misting system is a pice of crap. No mater how high the water pressure was, it only dripps water. I does not sprinkle, like the package said. I'm returning this crap ASAP.
The water flow on the inside of the duct does sprinkle all around including the fan, so I must think of a better solution to avoid frog electrocution.


Well, I guess that my original intention of having the tank planted by Christmas day is long gone.



Here some pictures to explain it all.


This is how the tank looked today in the morning












This is the stump with its roots underwater and one of the misting nozzles that fell inside the water.











Sideview of the stump roots











The PVC pipes with it's valves. It was designed so that once you cut the waterflow from the waterfall, all water would go to the misting system. 
And it did work as i planned, but the nozzles suck!











A Close up to the waterflow divider/filter












Close up to one of the nozzles. On this pictures bockground you can see the bags full of this proyects garbage. 
I want to know how much garbage does the proyect generate, to know if are or not worth it.












A picture of the water pump after a bit of action.












Way less than expected, but it's the price of being too ambitious on my 2nd tank. However I'll keep going and report anything new.


I have lots of things to take care of. I must re-think the hole background duct.




.


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## drutt (Oct 4, 2011)

Great...eres una maquina, maybe the pump is not that strong thats why the nozzles sucks?


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Fountain pumps are high flow, but are low pressure. Hook the nozzles up to your garden hose, to see if they work at a higher pressure.

The tank looks great with water in it!


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## Froggyplush (Oct 28, 2011)

great photos thank you ! hope to see more of that big tank ive got a 75 gal havnt started yet got plenty of driftwood tho


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Froggyplush said:


> great photos thank you ! hope to see more of that big tank ive got a 75 gal havnt started yet got plenty of driftwood tho


Thanx man. Hope I can see your tank thread soon.




FIT BMX said:


> Fountain pumps are high flow, but are low pressure. Hook the nozzles up to your garden hose, to see if they work at a higher pressure.
> 
> The tank looks great with water in it!



I did hook the thing to the garden hose. The only thing happened is that the nozzles driped faster, but no sprinkle at all.



drutt said:


> Great...eres una maquina, maybe the pump is not that strong thats why the nozzles sucks?


I did a new experiment with one of these (picture below) and it worked perfect. In fact the pressure is so high that I will place 2 hooked to the same pump, so all the tank gets its share of rain 
Today or tomorrow I'll buy another one and run some tests.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

A Quick Update.



I decided that the way to cover the GS w/ Peat moss was the silicone way.


I think I did it wrong along the way, because the result was a big failure.


Hope you guys can tell me WHAT WENT WRONG????




Step 1:

I applied the silicone tube all over the side of the background.




















Step 2:

With a brush, I coated the GS with the silicone.




























Step 3:

I placed the Peat Moss on this plastic bottle and with a mosquito screen on top, to filter the big chuncks. Then I powder the Peat Moss till it was a thick layer.





























Step 4:

Waited 2 days for it to cure




Step 5:

Clean all exceeding Peat Moss.


FINAL RESULT



















The result is not what I expected.


Here are my personal thoughts on why It might have failed:


I applied way too much silicone, so by the time I started to powder the peat moss (about 5 minutes) it had already started to cure, reducing it's adherence.


The method to powder the peat moss was very slow and gave the silicone another 10 min to cure before it was completely covered all parts of the silicone



The peat moss was slightly humid





So, guys.


PLEASE HELP!!!


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## carbonetc (Oct 13, 2008)

When I use peat moss like that I smoosh it firmly into the silicone with my hands. With a thick layer of peat you won't get it on your fingers, and more peat will be exposed to the silicone. I leave it that way until it's dry and brush away the (considerable) excess. 

If you didn't do that, you should next time. Peat is so airy I could see it barely adhering without pressure.

I've since switched to gorilla glue instead of silicone. I just find it easier. And damp peat would stick to it very well (water helps gorilla glue cure).


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

The silicone most likely had a skin on it by then. Do small areas at a time, and press it in as you go. I did the same thing once with silicone and sand.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I did put some pressure on the Peat Moss when I place it, but not a lot.


I did a new test yesterday and I pushed the peat moss into the silicone as hard as I could, and I only did a little part so the Silicone dont start to cure while I sprinkle the peat moss.

The result this morning was a perfectly good looking peat moss completely atached to the silicone.



YEI !!! 

THANK YOU GUYS ! 


I will be


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:



I finally had time to work on the tank yesterday and I did some progress.



First.

I successfully cover all the background in silicone & peat moss.

It looks bad ass.



























And this is my huge pack of peat moss.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=26078&stc=1&d=1327433948



Second.

I went to all gardening stores that I could find and bought all kinds of garden sprinklers and noozzles to run a new set of tests.

Some of them did outstandingly well (and are ready for new tests) and others will be returned ASAP to their store.

Here some pics of the top 3 sprinklers. Later I'll post pics of them working.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I ran more and more tests with the sprinklers and I finally have a winner.


I had to make some custom modifications to it. Made more holes with a hot wire.

I know it will not look like a 100% natural rain, but it's by far the most efficient one. 

It sprinkles over most of the tank and with the modifications now looks a lot more like natural rain... not a 100 but maybe an 80%



















Here a picture of the loser sprinklers.













I'm also making some changes on the false bottom.

I cutted it to have a bigger watter section. As a direct consequence I started to experiment with diferent positions for the Stump.

Here a couple of pics.



























Next step is to place the tank on it's final resting place.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

With all that testing, this thing is going to be so cool when it is done!!!!


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I'm interested in your rainmaker. Do you or could you get some video showing how the rain looks?


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## 125 (Jun 22, 2011)

WOW! begginer turned in to expert in a blink of an eye looks good so far.


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## VPardoel (Apr 2, 2010)

Damns this will be an awesome tank when its done.

you have my respect


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

FIT BMX said:


> With all that testing, this thing is going to be so cool when it is done!!!!


Thanx, FIT BMX. You are like my #1 supporter.



xm41907 said:


> I'm interested in your rainmaker. Do you or could you get some video showing how the rain looks?


Yes, I will make a video ASAP. The problem is that I already took the +300KG tank upstairs to my room, so it will take a couple of weeks before I place water inside of it again.



125 said:


> WOW! begginer turned in to expert in a blink of an eye looks good so far.


Thanx, but I'm far from expert. I would say I'm still a begginer but I had spent a lot of $ doing tests.



VPardoel said:


> Damns this will be an awesome tank when its done.
> 
> you have my respect


I hope so. It is certainly looking good so far.

I'm very excited.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:


It took a lot of work and 5 people to take the tank up the stairs of my house, but the tank finally rests on its final place... my room. 

I'm mooving in this place so the room is a big mess.

This is how it looks with the aquarium lamp and the new shorter false bottom.

Also, the stump suffered a terrible accident... I kicked it.

I didn't saw the thing and broke 2 of it's fake roots. Guess I'll have to fix them soon.



Anyway... here are the pics:


This is how it looks from my bed










Side Shot










A little stag horn fern










Another side view with a little plastic snake




















The front view











The OTHER side view






























And a BONUS PICTURE of my two lovely Russian Tortoises eating


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

A plastic snake is a perfect pet! It never needs anything!!!!!LOL

The tank looks great, and sorry about the stump.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

You're not going to put the staghorn in that Viv are you?


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

FIT BMX said:


> A plastic snake is a perfect pet! It never needs anything!!!!!LOL
> 
> The tank looks great, and sorry about the stump.


It will be the only ocupant of the tank for the next 3 months, but the snake is a bit pisonous... if you eat it, that is.




frogparty said:


> You're not going to put the staghorn in that Viv are you?


I'm thinking about it. 

Maybe to mount it on the side of the stump. 

I know It will get huge, but maybe with some trimming I can be able to control it's growth.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:


I'm still trying to find the perfect position for the stump... and I started to place the orchids on the background, but not as a final planting, just an experiment to see how it looks.

I also started to build some slight slope transition between land and water. I guess I'll finish them this weekend and figure out the final place for the Stump.

Here some pics.


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## bratyboy2 (Jan 29, 2010)

Personally I love that you have part of the stump on land and the roots in the water....very cool!


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

I love were you have it in the room, three sides of viewing is great!!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

FIT BMX said:


> I love were you have it in the room, three sides of viewing is great!!


Yeah, This way I hope get's easier to monitor the habitants.



bratyboy2 said:


> Personally I love that you have part of the stump on land and the roots in the water....very cool!


Yeah, me too. After a lot of thinking I decided that the stump should be in the initial place that I thought, so it's time for an...




UPDATE:


I placed the fallen roots again on their place with black Great Stuff.

I placed them on the same place except for the MAIN ROOT, the one that holds half of the stumps weight. I place it farther from the false bottom so it wouldnt be hiden by the water substrate.


I also almost finished the slope transition between the water and the land portion... and started to see if some other branches I have might look good as stump roots over the land part.

What do you guys think? Does they look good?



There you can see my snake hangin out in the tank.


Here the pics:


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

The slop will work great, and looks even better!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

AWESOME NEWS !!!!!



I FOUND THE NAME OF MY ORCHIDS !!!!


It took me way too long, but finally I have the name for those little green things.

Some of you where asking the name of it like 2 months ago, so I searched the whole Internet to get the name and a care sheet.


Here they are:


*
Rhynchostell rossii*











Orqudeas Mexicanas - Orqudeas Mexicanas - Rhynchostell rossii

*
Maxillaria aff.variabilis*











Orqudeas Mexicanas - Orqudeas Mexicanas - Maxillaria aff. variabilis


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I've been playing again with Photoshop and this was the result.



It kind of look the way I'd like the tank to be.



I'm open to suggestions.



The plants on the water area are (pictures of) Dwarf Spike Rush, and Dwarf Horse Tail.


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## Broseph (Dec 5, 2011)

Looking good. I especially like the final wood placement. CGI plants look great!


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## Wy Renegade (Feb 15, 2012)

Very nice - thanks for sharing the names of the orchids as well.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Really gives you an idea what it will look like.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:


Since I moved the tank to my room, I've been moving very fast with this proyect. Everyday I can spend at least 1 hour before I sleep.

I can say now that I've almost finished the structure and that from now on It's just a matter of decoration.



So here goes the explanation of what I did this week.

*
STEP ONE*


I sealed the back side of the background with 2 tubes of silicone and a spatula, making shure it's uniform and smooth.

Now I have no more leaks on the backside.

And this is how it looks.




























*
STEP TWO*


The weight of the background (about 44 pounds) over the false bottom was way too high, and it started to sag.

So I figured out I should make the background independent from the false bottom... and by doing so I could win a lot of room to work with the instalation of pipes and filters.



***Sorry. I forgot to take a pic of the base before I used the Great Stuff***



With the eggcrate I made some kind of a T to support the background, and made it strong enough to hold me wile I jumped on it.


The columns are made of various rows of eggcrate united by plastic electrical ties.



















First I placed the background and the base on the floor and apply GS to hold them toghether. But the GS expanded way to much and it crooked the vertical of the union, so it was useless.

It took me a lot of time to deattach them, cut all the GS and do it again.

This time I placed books to hold the position while the GS expanded.




















Like 6 min after applying the GS, and once the exterior layer is dry,I pushed the GS in with my fingers, like slaping it. Taking out the air from the GS and making it more dense and strong once it's dry.




*
STEP TREE*


I filled all the holes and gaps between the fake roots to make it stronger and to make it look better.

Once the GS dried, I used a knife to cut it.




























*
STEP FOUR*



I add extra supports to the false bottom to make it stronger and to make shure the weight of the stump (about 33 punds) don't break it in the future.

I also made a bigger hole at the center that it's the access to the pumps and filters.

And later I cutted the back of the false bottom to make it a perfect fit for the background base.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

*
STEP FIVE*



I placed everything inside the tank to see if it fits.

I even placed the rain sprinklers and the PVC pipes on top.


And all worked perfect. 













*NOW I'LL TRY TO EXPLAIN HOW DOES THIS NEW FALSE BOTTOM FITS THE BACKGROUND
*


The exceding GS from the base was cutted and only a little part was left to work as a top; because the hole could result in a death trap to any animal falling under the false bottom.

You can see it very clear in this picture:










And the false bottom can be slided in or out. 

This will spare me a lot of trouble when I lay the final pipes in there.











Here other pics of the same thing. With a little cameo of my plastic snake.




















*
NOW HERE'S A LITTLE EXPLANATION OF WHAT I DID TO THE STUMP ROOTS*



I cutted most of the GS out so I could make a cave/hide for the aquatic life of the tank.

So between the false bottom and the roots theres a hole with 2 access.

Down there you can see one.



















And in the other side there's this one.












I'ts actually a lot bigger than what you can see in the picture.


I will cover all the GS with Barnish + Peat moss.


*
STEP SIX
*



I placed more black GS inside the ventilation duct, so the FAN can be easily replaced, because it will be placed just over the GS frame on the top of the duct.





















STEP SEVEN



I did a little modification to the slope and placed some silicone stripes over it to make it like stairs and help the substrate hold better over the slope.

Later I'll cover the slope with heavy duty barnish to prevent the silicone from deattachment.











It looks like a delicious pice of pie!


And that's it.


If you guys ever wanted to comment, disagree, warn or whatever about the tank... *It's now or never.*


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:



I had a very busy week. I couldn't do much with the tank, but here's what I've done so far.





I painted with epoxy paint all the White Ties that I used with the false bottom. Then I placed a layer of varnish all over the false bottom. So the natural fabric that I'm using can last longer.












I did the same with the slope.












And with the pump hole cover.












I covered in multiple layers the Great Stuff that I later apply on the stump and the one on the base for the background.

The problem was that each layer had to wait at least 8 hours to dry, before I had to apply the next layer.

But now It's done.




















I later did some tests with the Silicone + Peat Moss, but it didn't convince me at all. So I added two layers of varnish over the silicone.

I hope that this desition don't become my doom.

The next day I applyed one last layer of varnish and then place a huge load of peat moss over it.

Once it got dry, it looked lovely.


SORRY I DON'T TOOK ANY PICTURES OF THIS 



The final thing I did was to place the background on its final place.



I took it inside the tank, place silicone all over the edges of the back part of it and then just push it as hard as I could against the glass.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I haven't been on much.

It look really good, and the snake looks even better!
Everything sounds great to me, keep up the good work!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

FIT BMX said:


> Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I haven't been on much.
> 
> It look really good, and the snake looks even better!
> Everything sounds great to me, keep up the good work!




Thanks man.


I hope next week I can plant the orchids, and put the stump and the substrate into the water.



Right now I'm making tests with the rain thing and the water filters.


But it's looking awesome.

This is how it looks right now. No final planting has been done.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

It looks good with some plants in there!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:


I've been very busy at work, so I only have little time to do the tank.


I placed all the gravel for the acuatic part and around the false bottom to hide it.

Later I attached the orchids to he stumpt and the background and filled the tank with water... and dropped a coryfish inside.

I placed a sumersible filter inside and a water heater (just in case it gets really cold).


The rain system works almost perfect, because the holes I made on the sprinkler are too big, making the pressure to drop and stop spining.

Here a video showing how it works

Paludarium Rain System Test - YouTube


Here some pictures:


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## ClintonJ (May 11, 2009)

That's not rain, it's a monsoon! Very inventive. Looks really good. Can't wait to see it with plants!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't know why the pictures are no longer available.


But here they are... again.


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## rmarcus (Aug 9, 2011)

What a build! keep it up!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

ClintonJ said:


> That's not rain, it's a monsoon! Very inventive. Looks really good. Can't wait to see it with plants!





rmarcus said:


> What a build! keep it up!


Thank you, guys.

MARCUS! I'm proud to receive a compliment as your firs ever post on Dendroboard 


Yeah It's a monsoon (Take that exo terra!!!), but I think the water falls way to violently.

I still need to perfectionate the sprinklers.

Hope next month I can place my first permanent resident inside.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I already put my red eared slider and my Southern Painted turtle inside.


I don't lnow if they will live there... but I did it to start the tank water cycling.

Hope that next month the biofilter settles and I can place some tetras or else inside.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Looks really cool!!!!
It makes me want to work on my tank, as soon as I have time!

As for the rain, if you use smaller pipe it might up the pressure.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Here some pictures of the tank.

The turtles only lived 2 weeks inside the tank, just to help me start the cycling of the water.

I already put the little frog inside to live a happy life.

Right now, the only living animals inside the tank are the frog, one cory fish, one Molly fish, and two very shy kuhly fish.

I used a plastic floor cover thing to cover the tank in the mean time I built the top. Hope I can do it next week.

Cheers.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Nice. Before I read your post, my initial thought was that frog would make a nice little snack for the turtle. lol.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

I can't believe how good this tank looks, and it is not even done yet!!!!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

After buying some plants for the acuatic part, heres how the tank looked last week.


Only the fern died during the week 




























Some anubias


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Here more pics


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

During the week I had an unpleasant surprise.


The water had a strange layer of an oil/glue like thing over the water.

Is is very thin but its thivk enough to hold bubbles under it. You can see thin on the pictures.


I did 5 complete water changes, but this thing keeps apearing after a day of every water change.

Fish are doing OK, they don't seem to bother, but I'm afraid it's something bad.


Also some fungi are starting to grow all over the stump.

Little white dots. Any idea if they are harmless ? I put some pics here too


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

One last thing.

The good news is that all my orchids are thriving perfect.

All of them have new bulbs growing.


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## sjaakdaak (Mar 19, 2012)

MrMonterrubio said:


> During the week I had an unpleasant surprise.
> 
> 
> The water had a strange layer of an oil/glue like thing over the water.
> ...


The layer you see is a surface film of aerobic bacteria. You can remove it by floating a piece of newspaper on the water and very gently lifting that starting in one corner. The cause is too high a level of nutrients and it shows because the water surface is not stirred enough. Your turtles, I suspect, are the ones responsible for the high nutrient level, since they drop a lot while under water.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

A aerator will also help keep down that film.

That is great that your orchids are doing so well!
When do you plan to add substrate?


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

sjaakdaak said:


> The layer you see is a surface film of aerobic bacteria. You can remove it by floating a piece of newspaper on the water and very gently lifting that starting in one corner. The cause is too high a level of nutrients and it shows because the water surface is not stirred enough. Your turtles, I suspect, are the ones responsible for the high nutrient level, since they drop a lot while under water.


Thanx, man.

I removed the plastic top and like magic, after one day, almost all the film had disappeared.

I guess I need a more powerful pump.




FIT BMX said:


> A aerator will also help keep down that film.
> 
> That is great that your orchids are doing so well!
> When do you plan to add substrate?


I will use an ABG mix, but I still don't have all the ingredients, so I hope next week I can start adding it to the tank.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:


I went shopping and got some plants for the tank.

Some broms, ferns, a Rosary Vine and a bonsai Mexican Cypress (Ahuehuete).

This Cypress is the one that grows on the lake I used as a reference early on this proyect.


Here the pictures.


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

The final touches to the Swamp Thing are in progress.


I replaced the (horrible) purple light bulb for a white warm light that looks stunning.


I haven't been able to fully remove the thin film of bacteria (or whatever the hell that thing is) from the water.

Is there any expert around?

Here more pics.


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## drutt (Oct 4, 2011)

Hi again,

had the same problem with the thin film of bacterias. Change the water a couple of times and put in a filter with carbon for a while. that will fix it. Nice anyway.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Just keeps getting better!!!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

UPDATE:


Somehow, one day the heat rised inside the tank to 38ºC ( 96º F ) and killed most of the ferns.

I still don't know why that happened but now the temperature is stable at 24ºC ( 75ºF )


The good news is that the Maidenhair Fern is now full of little baby leaves, not the same with the Brake Fern that is half dead.


The other good news is that the bacteria film is long gone 



I also got some weird subtropical fern on my vacations to a mexican region with an amazing Cloud Forest, and two different Tillandsias.

These are sold by people from the place, and they dont know the name of the plant, so if enyone knows the name, I'll be thankful.


THIS IS THE FERN










THE BIG TILLANDSIA










THE SMALL TILLANDSIA WITH A RED FLOWER


















SOME WILD CAUGHT SPANISH MOSS (I don't get it, why Spanish moss if it lives around the world)












Yesterday I did my own ABG MIX and placed it in the SWAMP THING.

2 Parts Orchid Bark
2 Parts Coco Husk
1 Part Tree Fern
1 1/2 Parts Green Moss
1 1/2 Part Peat Moss
1 Part Activated Carbon
1 Part Little Volcanic rocks

Now the monster is close to being complete...


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I love this setup. All these amazing builds are really starting to make me want to work.. ugh! and that toy snake is priceless lol


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Sorry I haven't posted I have had no time to do anything!
The swamp looks great!! What do you need to do to finish it?


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

I got some Rummy Nose Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Corydoras loxozonus, Trumpet Snails, and placed them inside.

But I haven't noticed that the water pump is so powerfull that it had created an undergravel tunel to suction all the water that it neded to work... and that sucked in almost all the fish.

Then I had to tear apart all the acuatic part, fix the problem and place all back in.

I had to remove the slope and place a stone there. 

Now I have more anubias and a couple of dwarf Cryptocoryne in the water part.

And a Lycaste consobrina new orchid.





Here some pictures.




































































I also got an air humidifier that rocks.









Fororeptiles


An here's the snake having fun with the new moss


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## Giga (Mar 31, 2011)

Cool tank-the film is a overload of bacteria and organic matter that fourms on the top of the water resulting from the organic matter in the tank or any bioload. I tend to install surface skimmers and that takes care of it


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Giga said:


> Cool tank-the film is a overload of bacteria and organic matter that fourms on the top of the water resulting from the organic matter in the tank or any bioload. I tend to install surface skimmers and that takes care of it


Thanks, man.

I changed the rain system pump to be the one that moves the water flow and like a miracle, the problem disapeared.


Here a picture of how much water movement I have now in the tank.


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

That is a lot of water! Cool!


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## MrMonterrubio (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanx, FITBMX.

I built an acrylic top with drilled holes and now it's almost done.


I got more fish since the last ones I got died because of the pump.


Here are some pictures.

If anyone has a doubt, ask me, I'm willing to answer.











































































































































































































































And a pic of my new anole that will live happy in the tank. More to come.


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## Giga (Mar 31, 2011)

really really cool


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## FIT BMX (Jun 10, 2011)

Those fish look great!
So is the tank done? It looks done to me, and I would say it was a great success!!!!!


----------

