# First Vivarium (29g horizontal)



## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

Hello! I just finished up making my first vivarium and thought I'd share some pictures! First off, it's a 29 gallon tank I had sitting around, I cleaned it really well, and then laid out my hardscape. Once I had my hardscape all picked out I snapped a picture (so I could remember how I liked it), and then set to work making the false bottom out of egg crate and setting up the plumbing for the external canister filter (which powers the waterfall).








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After I had the plumbing and false bottom worked out, I covered it up in screen and started laying in my hardscape back the way I liked it. Once I had everything situated, I took it back out in a specific order, and began foaming each piece in place with black waterfall foam (and I ran out of gloves! Be sure if you run out of gloves, run out when stores are still open in your town!). Now my fingers are black! It took 2 cans of black foam, and I think I could have used another, because when I finished foaming, it was down to the last drop.


After the initial setup of the foam (about 2 hours), I started carving the excess away, and roughing it up a bit. Then I started with my silicone work. I used 4 tubes of brown silicone, and I siliconed every bit of foam, pressing coco coir into it as I went. I also siliconed shut the bottom of the waterfall so a small pool could form there.








When all of the silicone and coir work was done, all I had left to do was wait about an hour and then vacuum out all of the loose coir (and have my wife yell at me for vacuuming at one in the morning, AND USING THE GOOD VACUUM CLEANER!!!) Luckily our one year old son is a heavy sleeper 

This morning I was very excited to wake up and see if it turned out as good as I remembered it one sleep-deprived night before, and it was!! I actually didn't miss any spots with the silicone or foam this time! I was amazed! But I also had many things to do today with my family, so I sadly covered it back up (so the cats and dogs don't have a vivarium party while we're gone) and went about my day.


Then tonight when we got back home, I hooked up the plumbing, primed the canister filter, put in the ABG mix, long fibered sphagnum moss and leaf litter. And I also put a healthy amount of fluval stratum aquarium soil into the water area, and filled it up! This is what it looks like now, the waterfall is working perfect, and I couldn't be happier! 


















Waterfall









Cork tube terrace








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Now all I need to do is wait for some of the plants I bought to arrive in the mail next week and start planting! I'm going with mainly epiphytic plants like some smaller bromeliads, micro orchids and rabbits foot fern. For the water area, I will be planting some cryptocoryne noritoi "wongso", and maybe some other crypt species or marginal species.

It's going to be mainly a moss setup, I have plenty of aquarium-style mosses at my disposal, so any clear horizontal space will be used to grow mosses.

I'm thinking about keeping some thumbnail frogs in this, probably the easier ones, that's r. imitator, correct?

Any suggestions? 

Thanks,
Liam


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

So I seeded this with springtails and isopods, and have planted it. It will be housing a group of madagascar reed frogs. Here is what it looks like now, it has mainly orchids and moss, but there are a few ferns, a few bromeliads, a piptospatha, a jewel orchid, some anubias nana 'micro' and a few others.

I think it looks nice now, but i'm anxious for the orchids to start spreading


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

Well, mistking came today, I got that hooked up and working, and then the frogs showed up!

I thought maybe I'd regret not shooting for some thumbs, but these Madagascar reed frogs are pretty darn cool.

I fed them dusted crickets and hydei, they loved the hydei, gobbled em up like candy, then after lights out they started hunting crickets. 


Also, I'm glad I stayed up til midnight, for some reason my mistking timer had a program to start at 12:00 am and never end. Glad I caught that, otherwise id be waking up to a drenched viv in the morning.

I'll try taking some pics tomorrow of the frogs with my slr


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Nice catch. Looking forward to the pics


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

I was looking for my frogs with the lights on, and they're all hiding, but I can't find ANY of them...

Then I looked down in this brom and...









oh hai!


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## cyck22 (Sep 8, 2011)

Looks good! Water features can cause drainage issues but rather than fight that you've gone with a moss focused approach. Very smart! Cant wait to see more pics as it grows in.


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

cyck22 said:


> Looks good! Water features can cause drainage issues but rather than fight that you've gone with a moss focused approach. Very smart! Cant wait to see more pics as it grows in.


Yes, i read quite a but about the downside of water features before i made this. Basically the entire area around the water feature is wood and egg crate floor. On the false bottom around the waterfall its just eggcrate, screen and then moss, no ABG mix. So far the waterfall has been doing exactly what I want, and i couldnt be happier.

Thanks for checking out my viv and commenting, I'm having a lot of fun!


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

One of my females came out, so I was able to grab a few pictures:


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## philly phrog guy (Aug 13, 2012)

looks great Liam. you gotta post this up over at TPT


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Hey mordalphus is over here at dendroboard.

That is looking great so far!


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

thanks guys! Yeah, I had an extra aquarium laying around and wanted to make something for micro orchids, i love it! 

Now I want to start one for some thumbnails, and the next one I want to build from scratch. Should be nice and easy with my experience building rimless aquariums, hah.


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

looks cool!
that pitcher plant in the front will be much happier outside though (they require a dormancy period to survive). sarracenia purpurea are actually native all the way up into Canada. Plus most north american pitcher plants need a crazy amount of light. you cold use tropical Nepenthes instead. the other plants seem good though. I like the backround too.
good luck!


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## mordalphus (Sep 14, 2012)

ICS523 said:


> looks cool!
> that pitcher plant in the front will be much happier outside though (they require a dormancy period to survive). sarracenia purpurea are actually native all the way up into Canada. Plus most north american pitcher plants need a crazy amount of light. you cold use tropical Nepenthes instead. the other plants seem good though. I like the backround too.
> good luck!


I was debating taking it out a few days ago just because it takes up so much room, you just made my mind up for me, thanks!


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