# living room display tank (pics as I go)



## rabu92

I recently started work on this build. But because this is my first tank ever, things are going slow. I recall reading beginner threads and people warning first timers to double time and money estimations… they were right 
Anyway here’s a teaser shot of the beast I’ll be working on and hopefully I’ll get some progress this weekend.
Dimensions are 120x80x90cm (47x32x35 inches)









I'll post pics of the wood tomorrow. Some awsome pieces IMHO


----------



## dartboard

Holy cow, you were right that thing is a beast. Those huge tanks never look huge because there is nothing to compare the size to. Put a soda can or something in the tank so people can get a look at how big it really is. With 4 feet vertical, do have some pretty strong lights planed for this puppy?


----------



## rabu92

I can't take another pic with a coke can for size comparison because I'm only home during the weekends (I'm in college). 
But if you look closely you can see my reflection in one of the glass panes, I was standing right next to it 

I already build the light a few weeks ago. It's a custom 100W Cree LED setup with pretty specific lens and angle patterns.
With google sketch up:









In action here (without the lenses) on my temp plant setup.


----------



## mahji

Wow this is freaking amazing . Good job so far.


----------



## Julio

Way to go big! love big tanks


----------



## toksyn

Your approach, workspace, build technique, and choice of units all speak to my heart. Following this with a lot of interest!


----------



## JoshsDragonz

Subscribed! This has a lot of potential.


----------



## singhm29

Very clean looking tank, how many sides are you planning to make it viewable from? Really like the slim profile of your custom LEDs, how much did they cost you to build? Also noticed that your rendering shows that the lights will be mounted within the tank, so I assume you have made them watertight? Looking forward to the build!


----------



## singhm29

Woops now I see they will be in a custom hood youll be making it looks like!


----------



## rabu92

singhm29 said:


> Very clean looking tank, how many sides are you planning to make it viewable from?


3 sides. But where it will be standing, only 2 sides will be best visible.



singhm29 said:


> Really like the slim profile of your custom LEDs, how much did they cost you to build? Also noticed that your rendering shows that the lights will be mounted within the tank, so I assume you have made them watertight?


The light cost me around 300€, mainly due to the 5 separate heat sinks and the (back then) newly announced Cree XML2's.
I'll be building a lighting hood, but the materials haven't arrived yet. Probably the weekend after this one.
If you want to know more about the LED's performance, I did a rather extensive post a while back: My LED plan

Don't worry, most everything will be posted with pics in due time


----------



## IndustrialDreamz

rabu92 said:


> 3 sides. But where it will be standing, only 2 sides will be best visible.
> 
> 
> The light cost me around 300€, mainly due to the 5 separate heat sinks and the (back then) newly announced Cree XML2's.
> I'll be building a lighting hood, but the materials haven't arrived yet. Probably the weekend after this one.
> If you want to know more about the LED's performance, I did a rather extensive post a while back: My LED plan
> 
> Don't worry, most everything will be posted with pics in due time



Wow this gave me a whole different insight into lighting! I dont mean to be a copy cat but Im going to probably do as you did!


----------



## rabu92

IndustrialDreamz said:


> I dont mean to be a copy cat but Im going to probably do as you did!


That actually makes me happy  I'm glad I could help

I don't want to turn this into a lighting thread but one more thing, those calculations don't take into account bad lenses, reflections, diffusing of light etc. One example: skanderson did an LED build and if you calculate his PAR (ppfd) it should be 60. But his meter clearly says 157. That's weird? I think it's mainly due to those kind of lenses concentrating light towards the center + the reflection from the glass back in the tank. 
But I'm no expert on lighting what so ever... so I could be wrong. All I want to say is that lighting is a difficult thing to predict... a lot of parameters


----------



## epiphytes etc.

Following!


----------



## rabu92

*The wood:*

Centerpiece: was soooo excited when I found this online, plus I got it cheap 


Branch/root:


Grape vine:


Small stump:


Eventhough there aren't many options because the pieces are so big (lucky me), I have a pretty good idea for their final configuration in the tank. 
But I have a lot of other stuff to do first so that won't be done any time soon


----------



## Dragonfish

Where did you find that wood? I've been having a hard time finding a good online source since driftwood.com shut down.


----------



## rabu92

Dragonfish said:


> Where did you find that wood? I've been having a hard time finding a good online source since driftwood.com shut down.


I doubt I'll be of any help, I found it on a local (Belgium) 2nd hand website. I was lucky to find something there to begin with. I don't think the guy realized what he had.


----------



## Defica

Nice wood! Haha that first piece is sick.


----------



## rigel10

Great potential. It will be a very nice viv! But I would not put different woods, but all the same type (that's my opinion).


----------



## rabu92

rigel10 said:


> Great potential. It will be a very nice viv! But I would not put different woods, but all the same type (that's my opinion).


Thank you. 
Yes I realize it's not visually optimal to mix wood. But they look pretty similar when wet, except for the grape wood. Which I'm planning to cover completely with moss.


----------



## rigel10

Centerpiece and small woods are stunning! I look forward to see how the work progresses. I will follow your thread!


----------



## Palehorse0321

*Wow*that tank is huge. Did you have any idea of what species you were going to put in there? Good luck i cant wait to watch this unfold


----------



## rabu92

I really like all Ranitomeya, but I haven't yet decided at all. I was actually hoping to get some advice when my tank is finished. Because there is going to be a rather big water area.
But that's a long way down the road, I'll probably let the tank grow in for a few months before adding any frogs.


----------



## rigel10

The premises are all there to do well. I like your patience! In Belgium (if I'm not mistaken you come from Belgium) is not an issue get the frogs you want.
(Regarding group frogs, I love sirensis - former lamasi - Highland!)


----------



## rabu92

I'm from Belgium yes. As far as I know there aren't many shops that specialize in PDFs. But you can find serious hobbyists that sell their offspring to pay for their "addiction".
In holland however frogging does seem to be more popular and they have some very nice specialized shops. Like this one.

If I'm not mistaken, Raf is also Belgian. So maybe I could ask him for some good PDF places.


----------



## duyisalilazn

Wow very nice so far! I'm green with envy  can't wait to see how it turns out. Subscribed.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk now Free


----------



## skanderson

nice start looking forward to see how everything developes. really interested in the color of that light and what the par it pushes is. all the wood looks good and with a bit of growth on it it will look great.


----------



## rigel10

Panguana.be. Great choise and good prices!


----------



## rabu92

skanderson said:


> Really interested in the color of that light and what the par it pushes is.


Here's a picture that might help with the color. They are 5000K Cree xml2 t6 3c. I'm happy with them, although I might have chosen 4000K if I did it again.


As for the PAR output, I wish I knew too but I don't have a meter. I might know someone that does but I'm not sure. 
The calculated numbers are in the LED build I linked a few posts back, in the excel screenshot. Just multiply them by 23,15 and that should give you the PAR values.


----------



## Dendro Dave

rabu92 said:


> Here's a picture that might help with the color. They are 5000K Cree xml2 t6 3c. I'm happy with them, although I might have chosen 4000K if I did it again.
> 
> 
> As for the PAR output, I wish I knew too but I don't have a meter. I might know someone that does but I'm not sure.
> The calculated numbers are in the LED build I linked a few posts back, in the excel screenshot. Just multiply them by 23,15 and that should give you the PAR values.


5000k is good if you're going with all the same led's. You get much below that and at least for my tastes you're going to far towards the red side for things to look good. Now if you were mixing 6500k with other leds, 4000k or around there might be better then 5000k. 5000k seems like a good compromise if going with all one led type though.


----------



## rabu92

I don't dislike the hue, it's just that in my living room the lights are very orange causing the LED's to appear "cold". On the other hand the color contrast will probably make the tank pop and catch your attention, so that's a good thing.
Anyway this was a filler post, the update post will be up soon


----------



## rabu92

*Circulation:*

Did some vent work and here are the results so far. Slowly but surely things are progressing. (quick thx to Grimm, whom I got the inspiration from)

As you probably already realized, I love working with Google SketchUp. No need to fiddle with rulers and having to do things over. You get the exact dimensions from the start.



Carved up the backplate and fitted the ducts. They will be held in place with Great Stuff.



I couldn't find any Hardware cloth, so I had to be inventive. Now I got angry birds on my phone AND in my backyard 



The fans I'll be using are Zalman ZM-SF2 Shark Fin 92mm. They are quiet yet powerful enough to get good airflow. (the green stuff is dried up algae)


----------



## Dendro Dave

You might try this stuff for covering the vents to FF proof stuff, and generally make things look nice and clean, assuming you can cut a straight line, which you can obviously see I can't in the thread 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...c-filter-foam-fans-vents-ff-lids-etc-etc.html

You could even attach the foam over vents with cuttable sticky magnetic tape (might have to silicone tape to the foam, and maybe to the opposing pieces to the vent since humidity might make the "tape" not stick.), so that the pieces were removable since the stuff will kinda act like a dust filter. That way you can wash or replace it periodically.


----------



## FroggyKnight

Wow, very ambitious for a first time build! I like your style

I would like to point something out though. You know the grapewood tends to mold easily right? I have little experience using it myself, but i've heard of others having troubles with it when used in vivariums. Just wanted to make sure a simple problem would not cause a delay in the construction of this soon to be gorgeous tank


----------



## rabu92

FroggyKnight said:


> You know the grapewood tends to mold easily right?


Yes I did read some worrying posts about grape wood molding. But I also read that mold and fungi are reduced when an airflow is present. The fans will provide decent "wind" and I'll be covering the wood as much as possible with mosses. Hopefully together they will reduce or even eliminate the molding.

But just to be sure I won't attach the wood to anything permanently. So if mold does become a problem, I can remove it easily and maybe replace it with hardwood if I ever find a similar piece.


----------



## Giga

I'm looking to rebuild my tank and I will be following this for inspiration for sure!


----------



## FroggyKnight

rabu92 said:


> Yes I did read some worrying posts about grape wood molding. But I also read that mold and fungi are reduced when an airflow is present. The fans will provide decent "wind" and I'll be covering the wood as much as possible with mosses. Hopefully together they will reduce or even eliminate the molding.
> 
> But just to be sure I won't attach the wood to anything permanently. So if mold does become a problem, I can remove it easily and maybe replace it with hardwood if I ever find a similar piece.


Nice! I'm glad to hear that you have a plan if all goes wrong. We all need a backup plan, me especially.


----------



## SpaceMan

Those screen holes look pretty big, are you worried about frogs/froglets crawling up into the ducting to be very unpleasantly met with a 4,000 RPM fan? . You might want to try something like fiberglass screening used for windows, it comes in rolls and is pretty cheap.


----------



## rabu92

SpaceMan said:


> Those screen holes look pretty big, are you worried about frogs/froglets crawling up into the ducting to be very unpleasantly met with a 4,000 RPM fan? . You might want to try something like fiberglass screening used for windows, it comes in rolls and is pretty cheap.


They are a fifth of an inch (0,5cm) wide. I thought they were small enough but I could be wrong, and I would love to know now rather than later.


----------



## Dendro Dave

rabu92 said:


> They are a fifth of an inch (0,5cm) wide. I thought they were small enough but I could be wrong, and I would love to know now rather than later.


put that AC foam over the screen. Bead of silicone around the edge and press it on, lets air through stops frogs and ff


----------



## rabu92

Dendro Dave said:


> You might try this stuff for covering the vents to FF proof stuff, and generally make things look nice and clean, assuming you can cut a straight line, which you can obviously see I can't in the thread
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...c-filter-foam-fans-vents-ff-lids-etc-etc.html
> 
> You could even attach the foam over vents with cuttable sticky magnetic tape (might have to silicone tape to the foam, and maybe to the opposing pieces to the vent since humidity might make the "tape" not stick.), so that the pieces were removable since the stuff will kinda act like a dust filter. That way you can wash or replace it periodically.





Dendro Dave said:


> put that AC foam over the screen. Bead of silicone around the edge and press it on, lets air through stops frogs and ff


I thought you meant for the AC foam to go on the ventilation strips of the tank, not the circulation openings of the background.
But given your suggestion, I'm assuming 0,5cm is big enough for a froglet to squeeze through? I'm not worried about FFs getting inside the ducts, I just want to make sure no froglets can get through.

The main reason for the bigger holes is less airflow restriction. But if needed I'll replace them with smaller screens or that AC foam.


----------



## Dendro Dave

rabu92 said:


> I thought you meant for the AC foam to go on the ventilation strips of the tank, not the circulation openings of the background.
> But given your suggestion, I'm assuming 0,5cm is big enough for a froglet to squeeze through? I'm not worried about FFs getting inside the ducts, I just want to make sure no froglets can get through.
> 
> The main reason for the bigger holes is less airflow restriction. But if needed I'll replace them with smaller screens or that AC foam.


I meant it for basically anywhere. It does let in a pretty fair amount of air. I just blew on some gently to test it, and I'm doubtful I could have even put a candle out with how hard I blew, but I could still feel the air through the foam.

That wide mesh will block very little airflow, so you won't be loosing much by putting the foam over the mesh, as opposed to just having the foam. The mesh could just kinda be a support structure I guess. I wouldn't even bother removing it. 

Unsure if a froglet could make it through there or not. I just prefer never to underestimate them (anymore) 

I think you'll find in a sealed box it doesn't take to much airflow to accomplish what you want usually, because it has no where else to disperse to, so whatever movement there is happens where you want it and it takes awhile for it to disperse or settle down. That's why I like running fans on interval timers. Once it kicks on it will stir things up for awhile, no need for it to be on for an hour, run a fan for 1-15min then give it 15min to settle down, and then do it again, or space it out even further to help the humidity to recover during the lull so you're blowing around more humid air.


----------



## calz

controversial for an american site, but i would recommend _Excidobates mysteriosus_


----------



## Dendro Dave

calz said:


> controversial for an american site, but i would recommend _Excidobates mysteriosus_


Well Rabu is from Belgium (right?), so no reason for us to freak out here. Unless the EU decides to confiscate them all, at this point I don't know what can be done other then breed the crap out of them and hope it eliminates future smuggling of the species to the EU.

Pretty frog


----------



## calz

yea i knew he was from belgium, tis why i suggested them 

they are great group frogs, bold, active, climb etc so are good for a display tank imo.


----------



## rabu92

I actually saw them in one of the breeder shops here in Belgium. Coincidentally 2 days after I read about them here on Dendroboard.
I told the guy I had just read that they were illegal after which he explained they weren't when bred/sold inside the EU and that he had a special license to breed them. So who knows, they might become the future inhabitants


----------



## rigel10

I'm not sure that this is so. You should know the laws of your country on protected species and if mysteriosus are legally exported from the country of origin. The fact that they're here in Europe (or because they are smuggled or because the ignorance of the authorities), does not make them legal. It's better inquire about them first, IMO!


----------



## Dendro Dave

calz said:


> yea i knew he was from belgium, tis why i suggested them
> 
> they are great group frogs, bold, active, climb etc so are good for a display tank imo.


Ya I had to go back and see the post where he mentioned that since somebody doesn't have their location right there in their profile  

I figured most people might go on the attack first before bothering to look so was just trying to head them off at the pass 



rabu92 said:


> I actually saw them in one of the breeder shops here in Belgium. Coincidentally 2 days after I read about them here on Dendroboard.
> I told the guy I had just read that they were illegal after which he explained they weren't when bred/sold inside the EU and that he had a special license to breed them. So who knows, they might become the future inhabitants


I'm not the best guy to recount dendro history (so others feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), but I think the deal was that a confiscated shipment was given to a breeder in the EU, and he was allowed to sell offspring, so then everyone who had illegal Mystis claimed they were from this guy and now there is just no way to tell which mystis came from the one semi legal source (since their native country never gave permission for this they are still kinda sketchy depending on how you look at it). 

My guess is everyone who sells mystis over there is going to say they have the legit mystis and are allowed to sell them, but not sure it is even possible to find out for sure now unless you can track the frogs back for sure to that one guy. Plus I'm sure by now the illegal once have been crossed with the semi legal onces. It seems to pretty much be a mess that can't be undone, short of massive confiscation by the governments across the EU, so it's just kinda a vote your conscience situation. 

Anyways no judgment from me, I'm not informed enough to pass judgment  (You don't hear that from people in life nearly enough... do ya? )


----------



## rabu92

Ok to prevent derailment of this thread, I'm not going to buy mystis... the thin line between legal and illegal specimens is enough of a reason for me. 
And to be honest I don't even like them that much  I'd rather have colorful PDF's, like R. imitators.

Oh and I changed my profile location


----------



## rigel10

I agree with you! Excellent choice: imitators are stunning! But without hijack your thread, the problem remains... What to do with frogs like mystis, that is with frogs 'legal / illegal'?


----------



## Dendro Dave

rabu92 said:


> Ok to prevent derailment of this thread, I'm not going to buy mystis... the thin line between legal and illegal specimens is enough of a reason for me.
> And to be honest I don't even like them that much  I'd rather have colorful PDF's, like R. imitators.
> 
> Oh and I changed my profile location


Sorry for the partial derailment  Imis are cool. I have 2 chazuta and a tarapoto. I think I like the tarapoto look the best. The chazuta are ok but they aren't doing it for me looks wise. Standards are my favorite but I picked these up as tads so they were pretty cheap. 



rigel10 said:


> I agree with you! Excellent choice: imitators are stunning! But without hijack your thread, the problem remains... What to do with frogs like mystis, that is with frogs 'legal / illegal'?


Let's leave that for another thread... actually I'm sure we've had some threads over that already.


----------



## rigel10

If you like orange and blue, Varaderos are the best! Bold and active frogs... I dream sirensis Highland: a group frog with gorgeous yellow.


----------



## rabu92

*Light hood + water filter:*

It's been a productive weekend: made the light hood, the in-tank water filter, made good progress on the background and made some test vines. 
This update will not show the background because it isn't finished yet. Next week I'll finish the hardscape and hopefully the elastopur/peat coating.

Light hood construction (with help from my dad). It's a lot more rigid than it looks. The shelfs are there for storage room and electrical equipment.



Fitted on the tank (click on the picture to get the correct dimensions). Added the coke can for size reference. On the bottom you can see the filter.

The lights are not yet installed as they are being used on my temporary plant setup.


The water flow: It's basically an in-tank sump for the water feature.

On top of the filter will be the false bottom with substrate. The part above the pump will be removable so I can easily reach the pump and clean the filter materials if needed.


Construction: The long bottom piece of bark is there to create deeper substrate which will be planted with swamp plants that grow out of the water. The top is made with bark and silicone/peat to create a mosaic (the main reason was a lack of bark ). The bark pieces are attached with bolts which are then covered with silicone and peat.



Close up: Still need to do some touching up and maybe extend the silicone/peat further down. But you get the idea 


I'm happy with the results, the only concern I have is the silicone detaching from the filter walls. But I figured if that happens I can always attach normal cork plate to it.

Next week will be the big one: finishing the hardscape.


----------



## Giga

I'm really liking where this is going!


----------



## rabu92

*Vines:*

Vine coating setup... used what I could find to make a stand. Worked pretty well.



Finished bundles of vine:



Before I made those I did some testing with the silicone/peat method. I made a few "mistakes": 
I first did a coating without using thinner... bad idea. The silicone quickly forms a thin hardened film causing the peat to not stick to certain parts.


I first used PP (polypropylene) rope... not a good idea. The silicone doesn't stick to it causing it to tear. (also the silicone bottle says it doesn't stick to PP or PE )


I then used rope of hemp (don't know if that's the correct name) with the use of thinner and it worked perfectly.



*Background:*

When I first started foaming the background I completely forgot to place the wood. Luckily it was very cold which slowed the hardening process giving me time to run upstairs and grab the saran wrap from the kitchen. I quickly threw some saran wrap on the expanding foam and just placed to wood on top. 


By the second can of foam I remembered to wrap the wood decently 


Finished background ready to be coated:


For the coating I used Elastopur + peat. Elastopur is awesome! I like it better than silicone because it's more liquid making it easier to "paint" onto the foam. Plus a huge advantage is that the top layer doesn't dry as fast. This means that you can paint the whole background in one go and add the peat when it's all coated. This makes you less likely to miss spots.
The coating is messy, use gloves!!


Letting the Elastopur set: It should have been hard within the hour... It took over 5 hours! So in hindsight I shouldn't have rushed at all  The reason it took so long was because it was cold and because I added a lot of coloring powder. So top tip, if you use Elastopur: place the can in the freezer for a few hours before using it.



I also replaced the screens covering the ducts with smaller holed ones + spray painted them.


Still have to do the detail coatings which will be done with silicone/peat.



Unfortunately everything was still drying so I couldn't place the wood or attach the vines. But I just couldn't withhold the result from you guys... so here's a pic of the (drying) background inside the tank



Oh and I also added the filter materials and made a removable tray that I still have to drill holes into.



Everything is taking longer than I had anticipated... but that doesn't matter. I'm having a lot of fun making these things. I think I'm catching the bug... it wouldn't surprise me if I start building more tanks after this one is finished.  
And in the end it's just so much better when you know you're the one that made the whole thing from scratch.

Oh and I wanted to thank everyones supportive messages, I just love how active the community is on this board! I probably wouldn't even have started this project if it wasn't for this forum!

Plans for next week: details, details, details... lots of time consuming finishing touches.


----------



## RobDraw

It is just awesome.....!
I went through the whole thread and found that you are really a creative man and can really utilize the all objects in the most suitable and effective way...
I really appreciate your creativity....!
Keep it up buddy....!


----------



## rigel10

Nice! You're doing a great job.


----------



## JoshsDragonz

It's coming along great! I can't wait to see this with some plants in it!


----------



## IndustrialDreamz

Cant wait to see how that inside sump works out!!! (stealing idea! muahahaha)


----------



## rabu92

Thx guys, I'm glad you like it  

This is what it looks like from the frog's perspective, I'd be happy to live there


----------



## LoganR

Wow, looking forward to seeing progress on this. Impressed with the planning you have put into this build - makes me quite interested to see what you plant choices will be. Have you thought about only using plants from the locale of the frog you choose? I think that would take this build even further over the top.


----------



## rabu92

LoganR said:


> Wow, looking forward to seeing progress on this. Impressed with the planning you have put into this build - makes me quite interested to see what you plant choices will be. Have you thought about only using plants from the locale of the frog you choose? I think that would take this build even further over the top.


The thought of a imitating a frog's natural habitat with plants from its origin does appeal to me. The only problem is that I still haven't got the slightest idea what frog will go in there 

And I haven't actually thought about planting that much to be honest. All I know is that even though this is a big tank, I want small plants. Lots of them  Small orchids, ferns, broms, tillandsias... lots covered in moss and peperomias.


----------



## BigFishy

Great work. I am definitely subscribing.


----------



## rigel10

I would not mix frogs. I would put a group of frogs of the same species. According to your taste, small plants = small frogs, or contrast: small plants = large frogs.


----------



## rabu92

For now the best candidate is a group of R. imitator varadero. Although I'm considering pumilio's too... soo many awesome frogs to choose from  
My biggest worry is not seeing them for long periods of time due to the size of the tank. It's a bit early to be worrying about this but I was thinking of getting tads instead of frogs. I feel like it would make the frogs more relaxed in their home if they actually grow up in it. That way I hope they will show themselves more often instead of hiding all the time. But maybe I'm just anthropomorphising here


----------



## rigel10

Varadero are very bold, so you'll see them easily. But I think when they reach maturity there will be fights between males. The same goes for the pums. 
It is also true that your viv is very large and each frogs may have its own territory. But if you want frogs that live well in a group, you have to try with other ranitomeya. Ranitomeya are all beautiful!


----------



## dart8888

What method did you use to make background?
titebodn3 or clay or silicon, or other method?

It looks great!

I'm about to make my first Viv.


----------



## rigel10

It is said in the previous page: Elastopur + peat. Elastopur is widely used here in Europe, but it is quite expensive. Here is a link about this:
http://www.dutch-rana.nl/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89&Itemid=99&lang=en


----------



## dart8888

Nice.
It looks similar with tile bond 3 method.


----------



## rabu92

Not an update but I just wanted to share this 
I placed the LED system on the light hood to get an idea of the brightness... the result was a big grin on my face and 2 parents in doubt on whether or not they want a big flashlight in their living room.


----------



## duyisalilazn

Looks awesome broski! I'm thinking varadero for my viv too. Excited to see how yours will turn out. 
I totally know how suprisingly bright LED lights can be. When I built mine for my aquarium, I stupidly plugged it in and it completely blinded me and my roommates lol.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk


----------



## sanderdm

looking good, first time dartfrogs?


----------



## rabu92

Yes, first time darts, first time viv


----------



## rabu92

For those who are wondering, I didn't forget about this build. I have been doing small stuff like changing the vines, finishing the lighting rig (I might do an update on that later this week), figuring out where to place the misting system, silicone/peat coating the electrical wiring in the tank...

Other than that I'm just anxiously awaiting the arrival of the permanent stand that's being build. It will have wheels so it will be easy to move around once it's finished. 
However if I place everything in the tank now it would become impossible to lift, so I'm stuck for now.


----------



## SCS1014

Wow that looks awesome. I'm jealous. I've been wanting to redo my tank for a while but haven't had the time


----------



## Tazman

High tanks create different humidity zones. Gives more options with the types of plants you can put in your viv.

Good luck with the rest of your project.


----------



## fullmonti

Love it
following along


----------



## rabu92

The stand has arrived, but I won't be able to finish the tank this weekend as I'm in the ardennes (belgian temperate forests) for my dad's birthday.

I didn't realize that I would be able to get some inspiration from belgian woods but the scenery here is really awesome. I thought stuff like this was only in tropical forests 


Anyway next week I'm going to finish the hardscape and do some planting and in the meantime I'll post some more pics of the belgian forests in the Photography section


----------



## sanderdm

any updates?


----------



## rabu92

sanderdm said:


> any updates?


Sorry to disappoint but I probably won't be working much on the tank until... well february  
I have exams, so not much time to do other stuff and after my exams I'm away on holiday. 
But the first week of february I have the whole week to spend my full attention on finishing the tank! Can't wait for it to be february! 

Now back to the books.


----------



## rabu92

filler post


----------



## rabu92

I'm very close to finishing the hardscape. Here's a quick update picture, any remarks are welcome as I'm still able to change stuff. The more eyes and opinions the better 
I'm still in doubt about placing a vine on the front right part of the tank as it seems a bit empty to me, any thoughts?


Oh and try to ignore all the visible electrical wiring and dirty glass 



Any problems/remarks?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Looks very promising! Are you to hide the straight lines of the land/water divide?


----------



## rabu92

wimvanvelzen said:


> Looks very promising! Are you to hide the straight lines of the land/water divide?


That bothers me as well. I will try to hide them as much as possible with plants but they will unfortunately remain straight. Any tips on how to mask them?


----------



## rabu92

A quick video to show more depth


----------



## fullmonti

Love how the one piece of wood is supported by vines. Will look great when the plants are in!


----------



## repking26

wimvanvelzen said:


> Are you to hide the straight lines of the land/water divide?


A suggestion to break up the straight lines would be to silicone some slate stone slabs or other thin flat and jaggy rock pieces to create a shoreline? You could vary the heights and angels of the rock and wood pieces and be on your way. Looks great though!

-Mo-


----------



## diggenem

.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk


----------



## skarasek

You could build up a GS burm in front of the box to break up the wall effect. Or go simple and just slope your substrate up to it with leaf litter spilling out of the box


----------



## rabu92

Started planting the tank, but I didn't have that much time to take pictures. More pics coming this weekend.

Pre-planting:


Post-planting:


I had a lot of moss that I grew in separate small tanks for more than half a year long. So I had a good head start on that, which will hopefully help to suppress the moulding of the grapevine.

And it's final placing on the house:


----------



## fullmonti

Looks great! and fast work too.

I'd say you had a lot more than just a lot of moss. I'd say a good many plants as well.

I'm jealous, I do not have any plants or moss waiting to get my tank started.


----------



## rigel10

I like it very much! What do you think you put in it?


----------



## rabu92

fullmonti said:


> Looks great! and fast work too.
> 
> I'd say you had a lot more than just a lot of moss. I'd say a good many plants as well.
> 
> I'm jealous, I do not have any plants or moss waiting to get my tank started.


I bought a lot of plants about 4 months ago and they have since been growing in a temporary tank. Unfortunately that tank was too small and it overgrew badly. I lost about 4 plants but overall they did great.

I, and no doubt many others, are anticipating your finished tank! Go buy some plants 



rigel10 said:


> I like it very much! What do you think you put in it?


Probably Ranitomeya (maybe Pumilio), hopefully varadero if I can get my hands on some. But I want this thing to grow in for a few months before adding any frogs. Remember this is my first ever viv, so I have no experience and will probably be making a lot of mistakes. I don't want the frogs to suffer from any stress caused by my incompetence.



skarasek said:


> You could build up a GS burm in front of the box to break up the wall effect. Or go simple and just slope your substrate up to it with leaf litter spilling out of the box


As you can see, I'm going the simple way  The water area will have some swamp plants that will grow out of the water and partially cover the dividing area... hopefully.


Here's a better angle. All the wiring on top is still a work in progress and won't be visible in the future.


----------



## eos

That looks great. I'd live in there


----------



## Sammie

Spectacular! 

Since you're in the Netherlands you could probably get just about any frog you want, no?


----------



## fullmonti

How do your parents like it?

Do they think the flashlight effect has happened at all?


----------



## rabu92

Sammie said:


> Spectacular!
> 
> Since you're in the Netherlands you could probably get just about any frog you want, no?


Thank you!
Yes I do have a big list to choose from but I can't seem to find any shops selling varadero, at least not on their online listings. But I'm sure it won't be a problem to find if I ask them.



fullmonti said:


> How do your parents like it?
> 
> Do they think the flashlight effect has happened at all?


Haha, they love it. After they saw the finished product they were happy. They did admit that they were afraid of having to tell me to place the tank in my room if it wasn't good enough


----------



## rigel10

In Europe imitator Varadero are often named as Jeberos. I know some Dutch sellers who usually have these frogs.
But Varadero are not very suitable as group frogs. They can be aggressive between them.
I would go on a lovely group of other Ranitomeya.


----------



## rabu92

rigel10 said:


> In Europe imitator Varadero are often named as Jeberos. I know some Dutch sellers who usually have these frogs.
> But Varadero are not very suitable as group frogs. They can be aggressive between them.
> I would go on a lovely group of other Ranitomeya.


This is exactly the kind of stuff I still need to look into. Group frogs, boldness, temperature, humidity... but I have time, no rush what so ever  The only thing I will do frog related is seeding with isopods and springs.


----------



## TimsViv

Subscribe.


----------



## rabu92

Got some springs today, funny looking things.


----------



## toaddrool

Wow great thread!! That tank already looks mature, can't wait to see it when it actually matures. Very nice.
How much heat do those LED's put out?


----------



## rabu92

toaddrool said:


> Wow great thread!! That tank already looks mature, can't wait to see it when it actually matures. Very nice.
> How much heat do those LED's put out?


Thank you!
The LED's are very cool, literally and figuratively. They are running at about 50% their capacity with an overkill on heatsinks. The heatsinks are stable at about 30°C, so almost no heat is being transferred to the tank. At the end of the day, the tank is max 1°C higher than the room. So the tank hovers around 22°C.

I'll try to make a lighting post later this week, so you can see how everything fits together.


----------



## rabu92

Did the aquarium part, it's a "dirted tank".

The substrate is regular potting soil (no fertilisers), which I washed to get rid of all the floating organics.


Added a small layer of about 1cm thick. Pushed it away from the glass so it doesn't show the different substrate layers.

Topped it with volcanic rock, or coral rocks. Don't really know :roll eyes:


Planting:
I split the plants to make some cuttings. Planting them all the way in the back wasn't easy.


----------



## Pubfiction

I didn't realize this was going to be in the orientation it was. Why put in a eurovent if its going to be on the side? The eurovent is suppose to reduce condensations on the viewing surface.


----------



## rabu92

Pubfiction said:


> I didn't realize this was going to be in the orientation it was. Why put in a eurovent if its going to be on the side? The eurovent is suppose to reduce condensations on the viewing surface.


For one it's for "easy" acces, this tank is huge  I can barely reach the far side of the viv. Secondly the guy that made this only makes eurovent type vivs. The condensation is almost non existent, only 10-15 minutes after spraying there are a few small spots. But they clear up fast when the fans turn on.
Also I prefer the clean "single glass" look, instead of the 2 glass doors.

This is how I had to work in it


----------



## frogpecker

First things first: this is an awesome viv. I have been following your build for quite some time and I have to say this is probably one of the most spectacular vivarium builds ever posted on this board. Serious GRIMM territory. 

Like in the comment posted above I was always curious about your motivation for choosing a "side orientation" for this setup. Was it for clean looks alone (i.e. having a full glass pane in the front that is not disturbed by the broken lines of a door)? If so than the price you pay is indeed a certain loss of functionality (no front ventilation because door is on the side; reaching the right side of viv becomes pretty difficult). 

Anyway: nothing in life is perfect and we all would never do things the same way twice. 

Forget all the criticism. This is a wonderful viv made even more impressive by being your first. And I am confident it won't be your last. 

Keep the pics coming - of this and all future builds. You are a true artist.


----------



## toaddrool

Is that about ten gallons? Are you planning on adding fish? It looks amazing!


----------



## asunderco

Plants looking great under those LEDS! I enjoyed the build thread.


----------



## rabu92

toaddrool said:


> Is that about ten gallons? Are you planning on adding fish? It looks amazing!


The total amount of water in the tank is about 35 gallons. The part where fish can swim is about 20 gallons. In about 2 weeks the first fish and shrimp will be introduced. I'm going to do things slow because I want the tank to be almost self sustaining, no water changes, little food... Here's the thread for my inspiration.
Some species I have been thinking about: Aphyosemion, Nothobranchius, Lebistes, Paracheirodon, Corydora... haven't figured it out yet


----------



## papa_mcknight

rabu92 said:


> The total amount of water in the tank is about 35 gallons. The part where fish can swim is about 20 gallons. In about 2 weeks the first fish and shrimp will be introduced. I'm going to do things slow because I want the tank to be almost self sustaining, no water changes, little food... Here's the thread for my inspiration.
> Some species I have been thinking about: Aphyosemion, Nothobranchius, Lebistes, Paracheirodon, Corydora... haven't figured it out yet


Also a planted tank member, you couldn't have picked a better thread to be inspired by. Every now and then I still go back and read through the whole thing haha. Dwarf corys like habrosus or pygmaeus could be an option. Also for small schooling fish i'd throw Nannostomus Marginatus (dwarf pencilfish) up for consideration. I have a school of 12 and I absolutely love them, so glad I didn't go down the usual tetra route. 

Also well done on your build, unfortunately it has made me want to start a new, big build with some driftwood I had put to one side even though im not completely finished the one I have atm


----------



## rabu92

papa_mcknight said:


> Also a planted tank member, you couldn't have picked a better thread to be inspired by. Every now and then I still go back and read through the whole thing haha. Dwarf corys like habrosus or pygmaeus could be an option. Also for small schooling fish i'd throw Nannostomus Marginatus (dwarf pencilfish) up for consideration. I have a school of 12 and I absolutely love them, so glad I didn't go down the usual tetra route.
> 
> Also well done on your build, unfortunately it has made me want to start a new, big build with some driftwood I had put to one side even though im not completely finished the one I have atm


It is a fantastic read. I would love to have the fish he has, especially the Tateurndina ocellicauda! The problem is getting hold of them. The reason I listed those fish is because they are all from a nearby fish store.

Oh and I took this picture this weekend. I think the fish will be happy with a springtail floating on the surface once in a while


----------



## Glassgarden

Wow Great looking tank. Love the layout and plants looks really cool under those LED's. What supplier in Europe have you used to purchased components for those LED's?


----------



## Dendrobait

I would consider Aplocheilichthys or Oryzias for this tank. A school of those would be amazing in here.

Celebes rainbowfish are another option.


----------



## rabu92

Glassgarden said:


> What supplier in Europe have you used to purchased components for those LED's?


Not much from europe, the heatsinks were from ebay (china I think), the LED's and lenses from this website, the driver (from the US I think) was from a random website I found by googling it  and the wiring and timers I got from an electrical store across from where I live.


----------



## rigel10

I would put a group of Amazonian tetras, Otocinclus and Corydoras panda. As for Asian fish, a nice group of Boraras brigittae.
However, one group "monospecie" because I do not like aquarium as "fish soup".


----------



## FrogNick

Good work, one thing that has put me of keeping the sides of a viv clear is the glass gets dirty quickly and can look messy have you found this too?


----------



## Dendro Dave

Great viv... Look forward to seeing it grown in


----------



## rabu92

Fish! Corydoras sterbai to be more precise. They are the first small group of fish. I bought these today, 4 of them. They are still shy and quite hard to take a picture of.
Not a great picture (out of focus, low shutter and high ISO), but their beauty makes up for it


----------



## rabu92

Cleaning the substrate


----------



## frogpecker

Cool. I have never had fish in my vivs. So jealous. Looking forward to your choice of froggies.


----------



## Giga

Yeah I'm still in debate if I want fish in my viv, and you leaning me tword yes lol


----------



## pdfDMD

Nice job; it's very inspirational! Kudos!


----------



## rabu92

More fish!
Betta splendens (my dads favourite): 1 male with 2 females. They are by far the most interesting to watch. They are either hunting or displaying and not camera shy at all.
Male:

Female:


Otocinclus affinis, as part of the cleaner crew: They have already helped me a lot with getting rid of a small brown algae bloom.



So the current stock is 4 corys, 3 betta and 2 otos. If all goes well with the nitrates I might add a small group fish to have some fish out in the open. I think this tank will be stocked to it's maximum capacity after I add those.

And to those waiting for frogs, I'm still deciding on what species and when I will add them. The thing is, I'll be on holiday during the whole month of July. So I'm not sure that it's a good idea, being a first timer, to leave my frogs unattended for a whole month. On the other hand, the springtail population is growing fast and I'm sure I can fashion an in tank fruit fly culture. Any advice?


----------



## toaddrool

Great fish!!!! Bettas love shallow water like with ample horizontal space. But they like it warm, how warm is your tank? 
On the upside, I find they also love fruit flies.


----------



## mollbern

Damn, you nabbed some really nice photographs. 

Looking good!


----------



## rabu92

toaddrool said:


> Great fish!!!! Bettas love shallow water like with ample horizontal space. But they like it warm, how warm is your tank?
> On the upside, I find they also love fruit flies.


It's 25°C, there is a heating element in the filter keeping the temp steady. They are loving all the plants and small nooks and crannies to hide and hunt. Way better than what they were given in the store!


----------



## rigel10

I kept my betta in 5 gallon tanks at ambient temperature without any problem. In the winter, at night, temps went down to 16 ° C. Never had any problems with temperatures. Rather - it depends on personal taste - I prefer to put together fish that come from the same biotope. 
As for the month of holidays, I think it's risky for the frogs if you do not have anyone who provides them. Frogs and holidays are not always compatible.


----------



## ryno71

That's a really sick tank


----------



## ecichlid

Make sure you stock one of these. It's the only fish I know that will eat black brush algae. Siamese Algae Eater (SAE) - Crossocheilus siamensis

For green hair algae, purchase a platy, molly or a north american flag fish.

Your couple of ottos are great, they take care of everything else. 

If you feel that you are overstocked by the fish above, remove a few of your corys.


----------



## Yo-han

Do keep in mind that the SAE will grow fast and become quite large, 15 cm (6inch). You can also keep the water clean and you'll never get black brush algae


----------



## rabu92

Yo-han said:


> Do keep in mind that the SAE will grow fast and become quite large, 15 cm (6inch). You can also keep the water clean and you'll never get black brush algae


I just read that in his link, they are also quite aggressive it seems. I won't add them until necessary, which is hopefully never. I am trying to keep the tank balanced so hopefully algae won't be a problem. The nitrates are going down fast and the brown algae had already stopped growing before I added the otos. So fingers crossed  
Would this method work for black brush (in the early stages)?


----------



## Yo-han

rabu92 said:


> I just read that in his link, they are also quite aggressive it seems. I won't add them until necessary, which is hopefully never. I am trying to keep the tank balanced so hopefully algae won't be a problem. The nitrates are going down fast and the brown algae had already stopped growing before I added the otos. So fingers crossed
> Would this method work for black brush (in the early stages)?


They aren't aggressive when you keep them in decent numbers, something most people don't do, so they have problems.

Hydrogenperoxide, excel and a number of other chemicals work like a charm but don't handle the root cause. If your water isn't balanced, the algae will come back everytime. Fix the imbalance and it won't grow back


----------



## rabu92

Yo-han said:


> Fix the imbalance and it won't grow back


Amen to that


----------



## rigel10

Seachem Excel and fast-growing plants, such as duckweed, Ceratophyllum or Cabomba, reduce algae in a short time. But then you have to keep water balanced. Crossocheilus, kept by themselves, are a plague to the other fish! I had one that did not give a moment of peace to my tetras.


----------



## ecichlid

I had a 110 gallon tank that was a thriving planted aquarium. I had no issues with agressive SAE's as Yo-han, has. That being said, fish do have their own personalities and how they are kept will also impact their behavior.

Notice in the video, that guy mentions he has not done a water change in two months. How about instead of using chemicals, why not some regular water changes?! 

Although a planted tank can have zero nitrates, there are DOC's (Dissolved Organic Compounds) in the water. The best way to remove DOC's are water changes. 

I do disagree with Yo-han on the conditions when black beard algae can thrive. It can thrive in very clean water.


----------



## Yo-han

ecichlid said:


> I had no issues with agressive SAE's as Yo-han, has. That being said, fish do have their own personalities and how they are kept will also impact their behavior.


I didn't have any trouble with agressive SAE's. I only know these stories from people who keep them in too small numbers:



rigel10 said:


> Crossocheilus, kept by themselves, are a plague to the other fish! I had one that did not give a moment of peace to my tetras.


Another problem is that most SAE's in the USA, aren't SAE's, but a very similar looking fish. One that is known for being more aggressive and doesn't eat BBA. Either way, with regular water changes, not too much food or other organics in the water, not too much light (and a descent number of algae eaters) BBA isn't a problem


----------



## rabu92

What are these? Eggs, fungi, lice?
 100% crop:


----------



## inka4040

Yo-han said:


> Do keep in mind that the SAE will grow fast and become quite large, 15 cm (6inch). You can also keep the water clean and you'll never get black brush algae



Can't say I agree with this. BBA is caused by unstable CO2 levels, rather than nutrient overload. As counterintuitive as it may seem, doing a ton of water changes when you're filling up right out of the tap can really exacerbate the issue, as before it off gasses, tap water is often really CO2 rich. You can alleviate this by letting your water age for a while to offgas before filing up the tank with it. 

Another thing to consider would be amano shrimp, which are very peaceful, and hair algae eating machines. 

I'd also like to contest the notion that true SAE are aggressive fish. I have 4 big boys, (5"+) in my 90 gallon tank, and they have never been an issue, even with the tiniest fish (stiphodon percnopterygionus, microdevario kubotai). It is true though, that many fish are mistakenly sold as SAE. 

In any case, a gorgeous setup!


----------



## deadsea60

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/12584194483_f77c92eb50_b.jpg

What is the feathery ?fern? in the top right?
Thanks


----------



## rigel10

It is hard to distinguish between Crossocheilus and "false Crossocheilus", as Garra cambodgiensis (formerly taeniata) and Epalzeorhynchus kalopterus.
I bought mine years ago, when I was not much espert in these fish. It was sold to me as SAE, but it was quite aggressive and not at all efficient against algae.


----------



## rabu92

deadsea60 said:


> http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/12584194483_f77c92eb50_b.jpg
> 
> What is the feathery ?fern? in the top right?
> Thanks


Lycopodium squarrosum


----------



## Wings

ecichlid said:


> Make sure you stock one of these. It's the only fish I know that will eat black brush algae. Siamese Algae Eater (SAE) - Crossocheilus siamensis
> 
> For green hair algae, purchase a platy, molly or a north american flag fish.
> 
> Your couple of ottos are great, they take care of everything else.
> 
> If you feel that you are overstocked by the fish above, remove a few of your corys.


I highly disagree with this. They eat it for a while then if you give them any food they get spoiled and start avoiding it (algae). They become giant missiles later in their life and destructive to some plants. If you insist on having them ok, but I'm just telling you I've had 0 good experiences with the SAE, and ottos have given a much more peaceful, beneficial experience. I would focus on whats causing it rather than adding fish to fix it. Just my experience.


----------



## inka4040

Otos don't touch hair algae. Mine are huge, and still keeping my hillstream tank 100% free of any hair algae, despite me pumping the system with light and nutrients to grow encrusting algae for the residents. They are also super fat and still performing as expected. Really depends on whether your fish were properly labeled when you got them.


----------



## inka4040

Otos don't touch hair algae. My SAE are huge, and still keeping my hillstream tank 100% free of any hair algae, despite me pumping the system with light and nutrients to grow encrusting algae for the residents. They are also super fat and still performing as expected. Really depends on whether your fish were properly labeled when you got them.


----------



## Athena

This is looking amazing! Brilliant tank, I remember seeing the thread when it was in its early stages. I can see that it's truly lived up to the thought and planning that went into it. 

Eh hem... folks, are we really going to turn this into _another_ SAE thread? This topic has been the scourge of aquarium forums for ages, and truly, has been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere. I don't recall the OP asking about how to manage black brush algae 

Maybe if he becomes interested in controlling it we could revisit the issue?


----------



## inka4040

First post on page 14. Maybe not an issue at the moment, but it has definitely been discussed in reference to this setup.


----------



## terrorsquad

Impressive young jedi. lol nice build.


----------



## rabu92

Well, apparently there are earth worms in the tank  
He was fighting with this for over 15 minutes and when he finally managed to swallow the whole thing his belly was huge! I've also seen the bettas rip snails out of their shells. True hunters.



I'll try to do an FTS update later today. It's too bright now, too many reflections in the glass.


----------



## Dendro Dave

inka4040 said:


> (stiphodon percnopterygionus, microdevario kubotai).


Not to derail,, but OMG thank you! ...I think I had microdevario kubotai or another microdevario something years back. It was a little silver fish that was unlike any other I'd ever seen to this day at petco/petsmart or other fish shops. Searched and searched but never found anything that I was so sure was a match. Now I'll have to find a seller when I have a suitable paludarium/vivarium ready


----------



## rabu92

The moss is growing fast, too fast actually. It has already overgrown the mini orchids.



All the plants are doing good. I did place the orchids that were on the top branch all the way down to the bottom one. They had too much light and had burned leaves. When I removed them, they had already attached themselves to the wood with new roots. I hope they will like the new spot.
The plan is to have the top branch covered in broms.


----------



## fullmonti

I've been reluctant to put any moss in my tank because I had seen or heard some mosses will overgrow small orchids. Do you think the moss will actually choke out the orchids or has it reached it's max? 

Every thing looks really happy in their new home!


----------



## rabu92

fullmonti said:


> I've been reluctant to put any moss in my tank because I had seen or heard some mosses will overgrow small orchids. Do you think the moss will actually choke out the orchids or has it reached it's max?
> 
> Every thing looks really happy in their new home!


I doubt it will stop, unfortunately it's the kind of moss that spreads over everything it can take hold of. I you want moss, try to find some low/slow growing moss.

I found a very low growing moss, and I'm now trying to grow it in the tank. It's slow growing so it's going to take a while. Also, it's not a tropical moss so it might just die off but so far its been doing great.

Here's a pic to show how small and low growing it is:


In the tank:


What I hope it will eventually become:


----------



## rabu92




----------



## fullmonti

That moss looks good, hope it lives for you. I found a moss near a stream by our house that is a low grower, but didn't know how a nontropical moss would do in a terrarium.

Tank is looking good! Can't believe how fast it grew in.


----------



## rigel10

I have tried non tropical mosses collected here, but they do not last long in a viv. This is my experience. It is better to use aquatic moss, like java moss.
Now I'm trying a moss found in a very humid area, hypnum sp., but I need it especially to root the cuttings.


----------



## Greasy

I'm not a huge fan of java moss, I would suggest using something in the Vesicularia genus, like xmass moss. Low grower at least under my conditions. 

Emmersed Moss Tank


----------



## rabu92

I just looked at the pictures on a different computer and they looked horribly yellow! Does anyone else see this?
I now tried to replace the picture on flickr with a better version but it didn't copy the change on this board. If anyone knows how to change pictures without getting the error, please let me know. 
Anyway here it is again:


Is the yellow cast gone or did I over adjust? Btw if anyone wants the .CR2 file, pm me.


----------



## fullmonti

Computer monitors can be very different if not calibrated, mine is calibrated & Your pix are fine.


----------



## rabu92

Bad news, and I'm almost too ashamed to tell this because I feel like this is bad husbandry. There's a Columnaris infection killing all the fish in the tank. Even now with the dosing of antibiotics, the disease has killed the male beta, one female beta and 3 tetras. One of the corys and the second female betta now have it on their fins.

The worst thing is that it's very contagious and kills so fast (48-72h)! The first symptoms (small white spot on the lips) were on the male beta, and within 2 days he was dead. It had spread from the lips to his whole head, even covering his eyes in just one night!

I have no idea what to do other than keep dosing the medicine and hope for the best.


----------



## hydrophyte

This setup is awesome! I really like the negative space that you see with the side view. The side access and single glass panel in the front was a really good idea.


----------



## moore40

If this is what you have this is a good article 
https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/128/


----------



## fullmonti

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I wish I could offer some help but I'm not up on fish deceases & treatments. I lost three discus before I learned how to treat that problem, so I know how you feel.

Good luck.


----------



## toksyn

I actually recently fought a bad Columnaris outbreak in my school of Corydoras hastatus. The treatment I used was to lower the water temperature and treat with Kanamycin and Nitrofurazone. My school took a really heavy hit from the bacteria, but this treatment stopped it cold.


----------



## Yo-han

rabu92 said:


> Bad news, and I'm almost too ashamed to tell this because I feel like this is bad husbandry. There's a Columnaris infection killing all the fish in the tank. Even now with the dosing of antibiotics, the disease has killed the male beta, one female beta and 3 tetras. One of the corys and the second female betta now have it on their fins.
> 
> The worst thing is that it's very contagious and kills so fast (48-72h)! The first symptoms (small white spot on the lips) were on the male beta, and within 2 days he was dead. It had spread from the lips to his whole head, even covering his eyes in just one night!
> 
> I have no idea what to do other than keep dosing the medicine and hope for the best.


That's bad news indeed. It does spread fast, but fortunately antibiotics do work quite well. Here is a good article about columnaris:  http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/columnaris.htm 

As you can read, it does best in water with high organics (the same water where black brush algae does best in), so like I said before about the BBA, make sure your water is clean! Not just optical, DOC should be low!


----------



## rabu92

Unfortunately the second betta female died too. The other fish seem to be recovering from the columnaris. Not sure if I'll get new fish. Somehow that seems a bit disrespectful to the old ones.


----------



## fullmonti

I always like to see some one take the care of their pets seriously, even if they are just small fish. Many of the most vocal discus people seemed to think of their fish as a commodity to be done with as you pleased. There was a thread about culling where some made jokes about how they did away with (killed) unwanted fish. That kind of thinking took a lot of the enjoyment out of keeping discus for me.

Glad to hear it looks like the rest of your fish will be OK!


----------



## Hlabov

Astonishing tank, beautiful and naturalistic!  Post some video of your beauty.


----------



## rabu92

Well, this is the result of not being home for nearly 5 weeks because I had my finals and stayed at the university. I was home for only a few hours this month and my parents were on holiday for 2 weeks. So pure neglect of the tank. The plants seemed to love it though, and the fish are happy in their underwater jungle.

This monday is my final exam so after that I'll be doing some trimming. And after that it's 4 weeks of Peru!! So excited!

https://flic.kr/p/o3fxgd



Hlabov said:


> Astonishing tank, beautiful and naturalistic!  Post some video of your beauty.


Thank you! I'll try to get some footage in the coming week.


----------



## Giga

WHats that spiky viney thing at the top right?


----------



## fullmonti

Man, I thought my tank was growing well. Yours has gone crazy (in the best way)! We need pix from your trip!


----------



## rabu92

fullmonti said:


> Man, I thought my tank was growing well. Yours has gone crazy (in the best way)! We need pix from your trip!


It really has gone crazy. It's mostly the vines though, they filled in nicely. 
And for the pictures, one of those 4 weeks will be a trip deep into jungle with professional photographer Jeff Cremer! So I should be bringing back some awesome pictures, hopefully some nice froggy pix too! I really can't wait for it to be departure time 




Giga said:


> WHats that spiky viney thing at the top right?


Lycopodium squarrosum


----------



## gbeauvin

Wow, this thread has simply blown my mind. Gorgeous viv, superb photography. I am in awe.

Thank you for sharing.

-GB


----------



## easternversant

Where in Peru are you going? Lots of good places for poison frogs, so I'm interested to hear where you are travelling.


----------



## rabu92

easternversant said:


> Where in Peru are you going? Lots of good places for poison frogs, so I'm interested to hear where you are travelling.


Tambopata National Reserve, I did some googling and it doesn't seem to be that rich in frog activity. Epipedobates trivittatus seems to be there a lot.


----------



## easternversant

rabu92 said:


> Tambopata National Reserve, I did some googling and it doesn't seem to be that rich in frog activity. Epipedobates trivittatus seems to be there a lot.


Cool, I hear there is a lot of great wildlife there. I can't say anything for the frogs though since I've never been there, but there should be some good dendrobatids. I hope to make it there one day.


----------



## rabu92

I was looking for an automatic feeding system for when I'm in Peru and came across this. Simple yet genius! Phone feeder. (skip to 2:31)


----------



## nburns

Awesome job all around. Would love to have something like that in the living room. The other half would strongly turn that idea down…


----------



## Indianwoods

Gorgeous build, thanks for posting such nice images


----------



## rabu92

Hi guys, I'm back from Peru and yesterday I finished my last exam. So I will finally have some time to look after the tank, trim it, probably change the substrate (I think it's too acidic) and maybe get some jumping inhabitants.

I'll be sharing some pics from my trip to Peru in a different thread. But here are 2 pics that I like.




This is my favourite picture of the whole trip. I'm really proud of this one.


----------



## Pawky

Beautiful setup thanks for sharing.


----------



## KarmaPolice

rabu92 said:


> ... So I will finally have some time to look after the tank, trim it, probably change the substrate (I think it's too acidic)...


Rabu,
Welcome back from Peru, i'm sure you had a great time, and don't forget to link your new thread of pictures on this one.
I will probably have to PM you about your substrate / contruction and PH levels for your inhabitants because I am trying to figure that out myself for my newest tank.

Tank of course looks awesome, I think everyone should have a slice of nature in a display tank that you can enjoy in your home like you do.


----------



## rabu92

The worst thing about having a big a** tank like this? Cleaning the glass! This is what the glass looks like after not being touched for 2 months:




Does anyone have any tips on keeping the glass clean, and cleaning it? I've found that using lemon juice is better than ammonia (both diluted of course). But it's still really hard to clean.

Also does anyone have any idea on how to clean the farthest glas pane, because reaching it is almost impossible. And when I get frogs I don't want to leave the doors open for too long. Is lemon juice harmful for the frogs, not that I think they would come in contact with it but you never know.





KarmaPolice said:


> Rabu,
> Welcome back from Peru, i'm sure you had a great time, and don't forget to link your new thread of pictures on this one.
> I will probably have to PM you about your substrate / contruction and PH levels for your inhabitants because I am trying to figure that out myself for my newest tank.
> 
> Tank of course looks awesome, I think everyone should have a slice of nature in a display tank that you can enjoy in your home like you do.


I actually don't know too much about substrate, all I know is that I used a shortcut and used pure peat for substrate. And peat has an acidity of around pH4, which is very low (very acidic). I've seen some of the "substrate plants" struggling and even dying while the other "non-substrate plants" are doing great.
So I think I'll be doing a ABG type substrate or maybe a clay one if I find the time/supplies.


----------



## fullmonti

Looking forward to your photos from trip & tank (after glass cleaning of course)

Last exam for good or just this year?


----------



## rabu92

fullmonti said:


> Looking forward to your photos from trip & tank (after glass cleaning of course)
> 
> Last exam for good or just this year?


Just finished my third year, 2 more to go. I'm studying for environmental engineer. Very interesting but not easy 

I should be able to finish a lot of pictures this week, and get the tank back in shape. I brought back 2 small patches of low growing peruvian moss, and it seems to be growing for the last month. It is very slow growing, but it's definitely the kind of moss I want the hanging branch to be covered with. Not the long fluffy moss that's on there now.


----------



## easternversant

Nice pic of the juvie Dendropsophus!


----------



## rabu92

easternversant said:


> Nice pic of the juvie Dendropsophus!


Thank you! This is the adult right? There were so many of them. After the rain you could hear them calling. A very "jungly" feeling when they started calling.


----------



## Kastina83

rabu92 said:


> Does anyone have any tips on keeping the glass clean, and cleaning it? I've found that using lemon juice is better than ammonia (both diluted of course). But it's still really hard to clean..



First, I would buy a good stove top scraper (those which are intended for stove tops in glass) and try to scrape everything of. I used it on my big tank without it scratching the glas at all. 
Second, I would invest in a reversed osmosis filter and only use that water in the terrarium. Today my rain system hits the front glass directly in some places but still doesn't leave any marks.


Skickas från min iPad via Tapatalk


----------



## rabu92

For those interested, here's a link to the Peru picture thread. I'll be updating it in the coming weeks.


----------



## Barrel Dreams

Look up an aquarium cleaning magnet called The Flipper. It has a razor blade side that works great for getting coraline algae(harder than lime scale) off of my saltwater.


----------



## rabu92

I bought frogs today!!

Let's see if anyone can guess which ones


----------



## fullmonti

I don't know, but a very cool photo!


----------



## rabu92

Let's make it a little easier  Bold little frogs.


----------



## papa_mcknight

Ranitomeya Vanzolinii?


----------



## FroggyKnight

VANZO!!!!!!!

I know that little face 

John


----------



## rabu92

papa_mcknight said:


> Ranitomeya Vanzolinii?





FroggyKnight said:


> VANZO!!!!!!!
> 
> I know that little face
> 
> John


Correct! Vanzos! I've already fallen in love with these guys. And their call is so sweet 

They were so active and fun to watch explore the tank. Taking insane jumps from the vines onto the spray heads. Even falling down from the branch into the water area! That gave me a good scare, but they easily swam to the side and climbed back out onto land.
Yesterday I saw the male calling and one of the females was interested in the bromeliad he was showing her, so fingers crossed  I tried to film it but the glass was too foggy and I could get a clean shot.

Here's some pics, it's harder than I thought. I'll need to invest in a high ISO capable camera


----------



## papa_mcknight

Would love some vanzos. How many did you get?


----------



## rabu92

papa_mcknight said:


> Would love some vanzos. How many did you get?


It's a 2.2.0 group, no confirmed couples but 2 of them seem to like each other so I'm hopeful 
I don't have any experience to compare them with other frogs, but I definitely recommend them. I bought them at an amphibian fair and they were one of the most active species compared to the other Ranitomeya.


----------



## rabu92

Belly shot!


----------



## FroggyKnight

Those are some stunning vanzo pics! Really nice job!

Vanzos are probably my favorite dart and I have a group of what I believe to be 3.2. They are really bold frogs and have such a pleasant call

John


----------



## Dev30ils

Your photos are amazing, great job!


----------



## rabu92

Testing out the new makro lens on the new frogs, I feel like a kid in a candy store 

Does anyone else notice the resemblance of the skin with barnacles?









No harm was done in the making of these pictures  I didn't use flash, these are all 10s exposures!


----------



## fullmonti

Yes barnacles or coral polyps both. Who would have thought it? 

Looks like you are putting your macro to good use!


----------



## FroggyKnight

Those are awesome pics! Never thought frogs skin would remind me of my reef tank so much

John


----------



## diggenem

Very nice pics. You can see skeletal structure in the frog's toes...Awesome! !!


----------



## rabu92

This may sound ridiculous, but I think I saw something move on one of the vanzo's backs. He was moving from one brom to another, in the shade and the glass was foggy so I couldn't get a clear view. Is my mind playing tricks on me or is it at all possible to already get tads after only 1 week?


----------



## Hlabov

That's definitely a tad! Congrats on this! Maybe female was pregnant before she was introduced to tank?

How glass cleaning is going on? I also had and still have this problem in my vivs, so all I do is scraping the algae with sharp razor inch by inch... It takes time, but is worth of investing it


----------



## rabu92

It was probably not a tad, just a piece of dirt 

The glass cleaning is going well, I made a magnetic cleaner with some insanely strong neodymium magnets. It does take about 30-40min to clean the glass so it's not fast but it is effective and most importantly I can keep the tank closed so there's no risk of escaping frogs.

The frogs have been calling non stop every day and it seem like there may be one couple in the making. Although the male is calling from a hole in the branch so not sure if the female is willing to lay here eggs there. Go call in a brom please 

Here he's sitting on the vine that hangs next to the hole he is calling from.


Edit: just now made this pic, he was calling on top of the hole which is covered by a moss I brought back from Peru. Beautiful to see and hear. (got a video too)


I got a few videos of him calling but I still need to figure out how to remove the background noise from the house and microphone. I'll post it tomorrow maybe.


----------



## fullmonti

They are really cute!

I am finally vary close to getting my frogs. You talking about cleaning your glass & frog getting out made me realize the way I've been cleaning my glass may be a problem. I've been taking my glass out to clean, not sure how that will work in the future.


----------



## rabu92

fullmonti said:


> They are really cute!
> 
> I am finally vary close to getting my frogs. You talking about cleaning your glass & frog getting out made me realize the way I've been cleaning my glass may be a problem. I've been taking my glass out to clean, not sure how that will work in the future.


Get a magnetic cleaner, but not an aquarium one. I have found they are too weak and fall down when you try to move them on glass above water. Best way is to make one yourself with stronger magnets.


----------



## rabu92

Video of the male calling  The first clip is on top of the hole in the branch, the second is inside the hole with the female behind him.

Notice how he pumps up his lungs 3 times before calling.





I wish I had better video quality though.


----------



## Slengteng

Nice frogs! 

Which camera and makro lens did you use? These pics are completely amazing!


----------



## rabu92

Slengteng said:


> Nice frogs!
> 
> Which camera and makro lens did you use? These pics are completely amazing!


Thx! I use a Canon 500D mostly with a reversed 100-400mm, but if they are close like the ones on the glass I can use the MPe65 which is waaay sharper.


----------



## Barry Thomas

Your skills in vivarium design and photography are truly inspirational. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## Nestle_

update! update update!


----------



## diggenem

Yes update please!!! How is the grapevine holding up? I'm thinking about using it in my next viv, but don't want it to become molded over mess.


----------



## rabu92

Update looong overdue.

Got some bad news and some good news.

Bad news is that 3 weeks ago me and my parents were away from home for 2 weeks. So I left a FF culture in the tank for a fresh supply of food during those 2 weeks. When I came back, I found a dead frog inside the FF pot. 

But something didn't seem right about the dead frog. Even though it was already shriveling up, it looked too small. So I looked for all the frogs, quickly finding 3 and desperately looking for the 4th. After about 20 minutes I found all 4 of them happy and alive??? They are breeding, the dead frog was a juvenile!

So the good news is that they are breeding AND that they managed to take care of the tadpole until it was ready to leave the safety of its bromeliad pool.
Even more good news, just a few hours ago I noticed 2 more tiny little froglets poking their head out of a bromelia!! So they managed to feed and take care of not just one but at least 3 tadpoles. That's amazing!


I am a bit flustered as to what I should do now. I don't have a small backup vivarium to raise the froglets in. But I have reseeded the tank with springtails, and I'll add FF more often. I kinda want to let nature take its course but on the other hand, I don't want the remaining 2 froglets to die from a lack of food. What to do?


Oh and I'll try to post some pics of the froglets soon.


----------



## rabu92

This is how I spotted the tad for the first time: poking its head out of the brom (btw these pics don't show their size, but they are sooo tiny! I still can't get over how small these froglets are)









Still has a tiny tail:









This is where the frogs are most of the time, around this brom filled branch. The large brom in the middle on top is where the 2 froglets are.


----------



## rigel10

Beautiful! Compliments


----------



## FroggyKnight

Hey man, congrats on the froglets! Your tank is also looking great by the way. The Lycopod in particular look awesome in there!

John


----------



## fullmonti

So cute! Maybe some day I will try keeping frogs. Tanks looking good too.


----------



## rabu92

First walk. I say walk, but it basically fell down while hopping from leaf to leaf. He's now exploring the floor of the tank, I didn't see him eat yet though.










Also, any sense of scale is completely lost in this picture. It is sooo tiny


----------



## rabu92

This one shows its size a little better, notice how the legs are thinner than the strand of moss behind it.


----------



## rabu92

I placed a small pot with springtails near the little guy. I think he likes it.


----------



## myersboy6

Link won't work


----------



## rigel10

To me it work. Nice! Rabu, I love this little guy.


----------



## rabu92

myersboy6 said:


> Link won't work


Huh, for some reason the video link doesn't work on mobile devices.

Here's a link to youtube.


----------



## ChrisAZ

The link worked fine on my phone. 

Congratulations on the breeding success. Also, can you tell me what the plants are in the pic that shows the froglet's scale?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rabu92

ChrisAZ said:


> Also, can you tell me what the plants are in the pic that shows the froglet's scale?



Huperzia (Lycopodium) nummulariifolia
and
Lebermoos spec. Bali


----------



## rigel10

Interested in purchasing this Lebermooss spec. Bali. What light needs?


----------



## rabu92

Not in the very shady parts of the viv. But it does survive medium-low light and if it gets high light it will grow out. It does grows rather slow, but that is a plus for me. I don't have to trim it like I had to with the moss it replaced.


----------



## rigel10

Thanks. I really like this liverwort, but I'm still undecided. On the bottom of my vivs the light is pretty dim.


----------



## Makarov

How about a new full tank shot? Please!


----------



## rabu92

The little one isn't so little anymore. I had no idea they grew so fast.

The one in front is the dad


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

rabu92 said:


> This is where the frogs are most of the time, around this brom filled branch. The large brom in the middle on top is where the 2 froglets are.


Is that all the broms you have in there?
I looked back at other pics and didn't even see any broms at all lol. 
I would put a bunch more in there since you have vanzolinis


----------



## Mork

The tank is looking incredible. How often are you doing water changes on the aquarium section?


----------



## cwebster

What a gorgeous setup and what beautiful frogs!


----------



## ulyssis

rabu92 said:


> Started planting the tank, but I didn't have that much time to take pictures. More pics coming this weekend.
> 
> 
> 
> Pre-planting:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Post-planting:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had a lot of moss that I grew in separate small tanks for more than half a year long. So I had a good head start on that, which will hopefully help to suppress the moulding of the grapevine.
> 
> 
> 
> And it's final placing on the house:




Hey rabu92,

Awesome tank! Very inspirational. Thanks for sharing your build. 

I'm in the middle of a build myself, and I'm starting to think about plants I want. My main feature is going to be a tree-like structure and I was planning on planting all types of plants on it. 

I love the selection of plants you chose to grow off the wood in your viv. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your plant selection?










A) What type of plant is that? Is it epiphytic? If not, how did you get it to root on your hardscape?

B) Is that a creeping jenny? If so, where did you plant the roots? Also do you find it wants to grow up towards the light?

C) This is a cool looking plant I have never seen before. Epiphytic? Or is it planted in a net pot built into the background?

D) Another plant I would like to know the name of. Looks like it is also growing off the wood. 

E) The moss you chose. I love how it hangs of the branches. It is exactly what I had in mind for my tree. Do you know the name?

Here's a sample of my planned hardscape. I'm still waiting on my glass being cut so I was just trying some configurations:










Lastly, when you took that pic, how long had the tank been growing in for?

Thanks for any help.


----------



## Tivaj

Great work man....i notice that the opening of this built is on the left side...am i correct?...if so...how do you reach the other side to clean the glass..trim...etc?
I will be building something similar and this is giving me ideas

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


----------



## rabu92

Selling this tank due to moving abroad. 

Selling link: gifkikkerforum (dutch).


----------



## noworries

Great build!


----------



## TorrentialTokay

Fantastic!


----------



## rabu92

I'm still alive, and so is the tank (barely)  
I decided to keep the paludarium, but I'm planning to do a "rescape".

Reasons: the grape wood branch is falling apart, some plants died off during my 8 month absence (tank dried out a couple times), the maintenance on the water area is too much with this setup, and I want to move it into my room onto my desk so I can stare at it all day.

Most important reason is simply that building something new from scratch is fun 

I'm thinking of flipping it sideways and building something like this:


----------



## VAnative

Can’t wait to see you make that vision happen!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------

