# Custom 77 Gallon Construction Journal



## Guest (Mar 1, 2006)

Well… the journey to PDF parenthood has begun. I started the design of this fairly elaborate and expensive PDF oasis several months ago. Over that time, I have been gathering materials needed to begin construction. As you can see in the photos, that has begun. Even though I haven’t asked many questions, I what to thank everyone for the answers I have found here in this forum. What a totally awesome resource this place has been. I hope some day to be able to contribute to this wonderful knowledge base. I suppose that by posting a construction journal here I am starting to contribute back now.










This setup will be in the corner of my living room opposite of my current nano reef that will be updated to a matching 77 gallon tank in the future. Of course the glass on that will need to be 5/8” thick instead of the 1/4" I am using on this. I am trying to keep the outside as clean as possible as this will be accentually a piece of furniture.

I will try to post pictures as things progress. My hope is to have this completed and running in a month so that the system can be seeded and running a month before IAD. I think this schedule may be a little aggressive as I tend to be a little to meticulous and a perfectionist. Only time will tell I guess.










Here is the tank after glue-up. If you look closely, you can see the hole in the back for a 1/2" bulkhead fitting. This will drain down into a 3 gallon tank in the cabinet below.










Here is a shot of the hood that I am pleased to say fit perfectly onto the tank. I just love it when a plan comes together! I am currently installing the electronics and will post pictures when that is completed. I hope that will be later this week or weekend. 

My plan is to post some pictures in this thread as I move forward but my gallery will have more with more details. Please feel free to comment, suggest or criticize on anything you see or read that isn’t within good practice in maintaining a happy as possible PDF family.

I have not completely decided on which frogs I will be getting other then they will be suitable for beginners and maybe mixing a few terrestrials with a few thumbs. This is so exciting to finally be moving ahead!!!!


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

Now that is going to be very nice when it is finished!! excellent plan.
Keep us posted.

S


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## Lukeomelas (Mar 15, 2005)

This looks like an awesome project. I'm excited to see how it progresses! Please keep us posted.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

I am a big fan of BJ's drift wood/great stuff/brown silicone/coco backgrounds and think that would look great in such a nice tank...what were you planning?

drip wall? would be nice as well....

S


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## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

that that whole front window hinge down? that's huge but it will be amazing for access as long as it folds flat down and out of the way. 

would you mind explaining what you did for the glass? did you just give a glass shop the dimensions to cut and put it together yourself?


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## joshsfrogs (May 6, 2004)

> I tend to be a little to meticulous and a perfectionist


I'd say! Your drawings are very detailed and planned well, but adding junk to the cabinet in the drawing is meticulous!

Looks awesome! I'm not a big fan of big doors as that is a lot of room when opened for small frogs to jump out of. Be careful when feeding, clipping, etc.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2006)

> I am a big fan of BJ's drift wood/great stuff/brown silicone/coco backgrounds and think that would look great in such a nice tank...what were you planning?


What I envision at this point is a GS background with a coco bedding/jungle mix mixture attached with silicone. However, I have been following the recent post on skipping the silicone frosting over the GS. I have not decided… may have to experiment a little.



> drip wall? would be nice as well....


I plan to have a small water feature, nothing to dramatic. I have not considered a drip wall. I not sure I need it. It will have misting and fogging systems to keep humidity levels up for the most part. However is has a ventilation system that I think will help keep the flora happy as well.



> that that whole front window hinge down? that's huge but it will be amazing for access as long as it folds flat down and out of the way.


The whole front window will be acrylic that will be held in place with clips. It will not be hinged. Just remove and set it aside. Below the door will be a 1” high area of ventilation. I am a little concerned now, (after comment), about frogs jumping out. I was under the impression that they make tiny little hops, although I imagine very quickly. Do some make 1 or 2 foot jumps? How concerned should I be… do you all think this is a manageable situation?



> would you mind explaining what you did for the glass? did you just give a glass shop the dimensions to cut and put it together yourself?


I cut the glass myself. I had a couple of pieces that did not cooperate but I think I still came out ahead as opposed to have them cut it for me. Besides, I like to do all I can myself and next time I expect it will go better. With that said… I may have someone cut the 5/8” glass that I am going to use for the aquarium! :wink:


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

> Do some make 1 or 2 foot jumps?


They can easily make a 1 foot jump, and if they're in a hurry they'll be 5 feet away in less than 2 seconds. Their propensity to flee is very species dependant. Fantasticus have a reputation of having a rocket up their s butt and will flee easily, while Tincs are pretty laid back. In my experience Tincs and Imitators are pretty tame, Vents and Auratus are apt to flee.



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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

I would say most pdf can make it out of any hole they feel determined to do so...if you can use screen or plastic mesh (craft store) to cover the vent holes....no-see-um screen is best b/c the FF's escape out of anything.

I definitely cover my background with brown silicone b/f doing the coco/mix step b/c invariably some sees through and you don't want to see the great stuff....the black handifoam is a great alternative b/c of its color.

good luck.

S


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2006)

I guess that is just another concideration I need to take into acount when selecting the inhabitants! I think that will be the hardest part of that whole thing. I want at least 2 of every thing!!!! Don't worry, I know better!


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

What Sports Doc was reffering to is this tank, and how instead of just greatstuff/coco they added wood to the backround.
http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html
I really love your idea and what you have done so far, it sounds and looks great. My only concern is the door, because a big piece of acrylic is going to warp. It could also get to be a pain to take if off and on over and over.

Jordan


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## mnchartier (May 9, 2005)

An option would be doing a split sliding door. Silicone a piece of glass on the front and the back bottom and top front pieces then you can cut the acrylic front in half and slide either side to access the tank. Plus the glass holding the acrylic inplace will help with the warping problem. Also now you won't have this huge open area that a frog can escape from when feeding or cleaning the glass.

I've been working on a large display tank similiar to this and it is the door setup that is holding me up I have not found a way to do it that I like, mine is a wood viv that I will be constructing.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

Now that is the one...

I dont recall their door set-up, I believe it is a slider...maybe you could email Rich and Mike and ask how it could be done DYI.

S


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2006)

detrazgw,

I really like you idea. I hope one day to have the ability to build my own tank the way you did/are.

What kind of lighting are you planning on putting in there? Fans? Misting system. 
Ohh soo much fun to be had.

Sportsdoc,

I would be afraid of putting that much wood on the background thinking it would fall off. I hope Im just being ignorant becuase I LOVE the way that looks. :lol:


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## mnchartier (May 9, 2005)

Sports Doc,

Yes there is a sliding door on that I was there last month before they moved, I do wish that they would inhabit that tank with something but they haven't yet. It is a beautiful setup.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2006)

I what to thank you all for your input and ideas. Please keep them coming!

I am very familiar with the 4’ open front construction page at Black Jungle. There is not any pictures with a front glass or door shown. Although, if it is just a terrarium, the plants would probably be happier without one. I am not to concerned about the acrylic warping. It is going to be a 1/4" thick and in a vertical position and supported in the four corners with these door catches.









Now you guys got me wondering! I am going to have to start considering a different door design. I really like my idea as it limits the number of seams. For some reason the vertical seams stand out more to me. Popping the front panel off and leaning it in front of the cabinet and popping it back on once or twice a day doesn’t seem to bad. But then again, I do not have any experience in this. I guess the good thing is I have time to consider this, as the door can be one of the last things I do.

I am installing two 65-watt PC lights both are 6700k. I have a 10000k bulb also if I decide I need it. I don’t think I will though. Both are on their own timers. I am going to have one come on a hour before the other and go off the same way. I don’t think it will have that big affect but it is easy to do so I am going to. I got a inexpensive misting system at Big Apple. I figured if I am not happy with this I can upgrade later. It will be tied into my home RO system for its water supply. The fogger is a thought up design and I will have some details on that shortly. There are two fans. One will be exhausting the electronic in the hood and the other will draw fresh air into the vivarium. Both are regulated with multi voltage transformers.

There will be wood in the background but I am going to try to be a little more artful. I’m not sure if that is a word!  I like the way the 4’ open looks and once the plants fill in it doesn’t seem to mater what you do. But I think I can make it look more natural. I’m not sure if natural is the word I’m looking for but maybe you know what I mean.

Thanks Again
George


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2006)

Making progress!  Here are a few pics of the almost completed hood. Really all that is left to do is one more coat of Polyurethane on the outside. Things have progressed pretty well. Maybe I will make the end of the month for completion.










Here is a picture with all the goodies installed. It all fit well. I will have control of everything under the hinged lid.










This picture shows the external connections. Like I said earlier I wanted this to be as clean on the outside as possible. I am using a 5 pole connector to supply power to the hood and control to the mist pump and fogger that will be located in the lower cabinet.

There are a few more pictures of the hood in my gallery.

My very special lady has started to coat the inside of the tank with silicone. I hope to have some pics of that progress soon.

Please stay tuned for further updates. 

George


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

George
One worry...is that egg crate b/t the hood and the lights? The holes b/t the plastic crate are large enough for a PDF and certainly all your FF's to get out. Can you cover it with no-see-um screen?

It looks great and you sure seem like you know your way around a hardware store!

S


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2006)

There is a solid piece of lexan above the egg crate except for a slot that has no-see-um the width if the front glass.

I have made a few visits to the hardware store!


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

That's a well thoughtout hood. I'm sure it will be a breeze to service, it's so clean.



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## Guest (Apr 20, 2006)

It has been a while since I posted any updates. Things are progressing well but taking longer than I had planned. Not surprised though.

Here is a shot with silicone coated on back and the false bottom installed.










This is a cork curl that is silicone in place and allows access to the pump.










Shot of pump access.










Here the foam has been add.










Coco bedding glued with bronze colored silicone.










I am actually farther along than this but still need to download pictures from camera. I hope not to take so long to post next update. Thanks for looking!

George


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2006)

Finally an update! I've been dying for one. That's going to be a great tank.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

Wow! :shock:


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Its coming along very nicely!!


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2006)

very nice wood placement. this one is going to turn out nice.


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## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

So when is my tank going to be done? I see you are almost finished with it. What was the price that we discussed, $5 right, and you are paying shipping.

Seriously though, you are way to good at building tanks. That is just awesome. I wish I had the time and money for a tank like that.


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## Guest (May 25, 2006)

Ok... The viv is finaly complete... YEAH!!!!!!!!!

It has been running for a little over a month. I moved the frogs in last week and finish the cabinet doors a couple of days ago.

Lets go through some final shots.

This is the overflow basin and fogger. The water from the tank is filtered with filter floss before entering the fogger reservoir. Water still looks like tea but it hasn’t affected the fogger yet. Don’t know if it will or not. The fogger is floating in a foam ring to keep it at a optimal depth for creating fog.









This is the back. I wanted to try to keep it as clean as possible. The yellow cable supplies power to the hood and links the timers to the fogger and misting pump in the lower cabinet. There is also a single power cord that supplies all the power needs.









Here is a shot of the whole kit and caboodle finished. The white instrument that is on the left side of the tank is a wireless temperature and humidity monitor. It is linked to my home weather station and allows me to set high and low alarms.









Closer pictures of the tank.









You can see the love shack (coco hut) in this shot. The residents are still too young.









Here the water feature is visible.









And here are a couple of the kids. There are 5 Azureus that are almost 6 months old and are still getting acquainted with their home.

























Finally I thought I would throw in a shot of the fogger in action. This was taken before it started fogging up the front window.









Well that is about it. I hope everyone enjoys. I know I enjoyed building it and I am sure I will enjoy it for a long time to come.

Thanks
George


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

I...LOVE...YOUR...TANK!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: 

Honestly, that is phenomenal! Fantastic job George, it looks like all your hard work really paid off!

Jordan


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Excellent! Very very nice! Your hard work really has paid off here. The waterfall, the plants and everything is just very well thought out and done. Great job.


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

That looks ace! Very nice job.


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## RGB (Jan 15, 2006)

WOW! Beautiful Work. After building my own cabinet and hood i can appreciate how much work goes into it. I like the glass doors, nice touch.


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Oh, can you explain the door a bit more? Thanks!

Jordan


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## Guest (May 25, 2006)

Thanks everyone... I am glad you like!  

RGB, 
I had thought about doing raised panel doors but someday I might put my satellite receiver in there if I get a flat panel TV and get rid of my TV stand. That way the IR remote would still work. I covered the glass with the same film you would use on your car windows but I did not realize when I bought it that it had a slight mirror to it. I may replace it soon. I am trying to match the black silicone on glass look but still allow some light to pass through.

Jordan B, 
The viv door is real quit simple and is working out at the point. I used four of the acrylic catches that are pictured at the top of page 2. There was a small warping issue but resolved that easily. It had warp just enough on the side top and bottom corners that I think a FF could escape. I just added some thinner stock down the sides that makes the door wrap around the sides of the tank about 3/8”. Since the panel is just slightly wider than the tank, it forms a nice seal now. To stabilize the middle part of the panel I added small tabs. I think you can pick those out in the pictures. It was a little awkward dealing with a large panel at first but I have gotten used to it and it really is easy to pop off and on now. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I will need to be vigil that no frogs jump out when I have it open for feeding and maintenance. 

I am very pleased with the out come. I can't think of anything I would do different at this time. 

George


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## Guest (May 25, 2006)

OMG! I have fallen in love with your water feature!!!!!! Can you go over how you built it? Unless you already did that,  .
Wow what a great viv!


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## Guest (May 25, 2006)

detrazgw,

Well done. That is an awesome set up!


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Khamul1of9 said:


> Can you go over how you built it?


Well let me see how I do here.

This is not a great picture but here is the pipe from the pump. You will notice that rather than using an open end I cut a slit along it’s length.









Then I took a piece of slate and broke it into pieces the sizes and shapes I was looking for. The one thing I would change is to use pieces of different thickness for more realism. I then glued the pieces together in such a way that would allow water to seep between them and fit over the pipe and form a void behind them. I then glued them in place in a way that would make the void watertight. The reason for this is so when the water seeps out the flow is slower in the upper cracks and picks up in volume as it moves down the face. It is a little difficult to explain and I hope this makes sense.









I then formed the stream bed using more slate and foam.









And this is the finished work.









Hope this helps… thanks for asking and the compliments!

George


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## biocmp (Mar 7, 2006)

This is one of the nicest I have seen. The thought you put into it is appreciated. I will copy some of your work, because it looks so nice. Really great job, I'm sure you are proud. That would be such a show piece for guests and such. 

chris


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Thanks for the explanation! I understand now how you use the foam to keep the water in its place. It looks like you don't get much splash either.
Thanks again!!!


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Stunning! I may have to use your water feature idea in my next tank!
I love it, very inspiring!


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## Dartfrogfreak (Jun 22, 2005)

WOW!!!!!!!!!

INF*@#INGCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



That iz one of the nicest vivs Ive ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!


Those are some very spoiled D. Azureus.


Make sure to post some pics every few months for us to see!






TODD


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

biocmp said:


> I will copy some of your work, because it looks so nice.


I hope you do! I certainly copied allot of stuff from others here. Maybe from you for all I know. I have learned so so much in this forum. I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help. I thank you all!!!!

I know I went much further with this viv than maybe most of you will. The only reason to create something this extravagant is for selfish reasons. I doubt the inhabitant really care. The most important thing you need to do with your vivs is ensure the inhabitants needs are meet and are safe so they live long happy lives.

George


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## glowfrog (May 3, 2006)

Your viv is so nice that I want to live in there.



~Steph


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

glowfrog said:


> Your viv is so nice that I want to live in there.


You are welcome to move in as long as you don't mind living on FF, springtails and field sweepings.


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

Are you starting a waiting list for these?


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

Mrnicolai said:


> Are you starting a waiting list for these?


Sure... how many do you want. I can have five more ready to go in a week!  

That would be really cool if there was a real market for these. I haven't sat down to figure out what I have invested in materials and time. I probably won't... I am not sure I want to know. Of course the time spent on design, which was pretty significant, would not need to be repeated.


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## topaz017 (Jul 30, 2006)

update???


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## tbhf (Jul 31, 2006)

awesome tank give us an update please


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## pilo0024 (Aug 22, 2006)

so it's been a while on this one and i thought i'd bring it back to the top and hopefully get some updated pics on that friggin sweet tank.

Kevin


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## EricT (Nov 10, 2007)

New here , Just found this thread... What an incredible job! That is one of the nicest vivs I have seen... Thanks for sharing...


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