# New 55 Gallon Paludarium Construction Journal.



## NickBoudin

Well guys, here it is! My 55 gallon paludarium construction journal. I might be new here, but this isnt my first time making paludarium. In this journal I'll take you through all the steps of making it, i'm gong to keep it as updated as possible. 

11/6/07

Well today has been my first day of "construction". I purchased a 48" Shop light fixture from The Home Depot. Along with a 6 foot peice of PVC Pipe and fittings. For lights I purchased a pair of 48" 32 Watt, 'Philips Daylight Deluxe T8 6500k 2800 Lumens' Bulbs.

I also bought PVC Cement. My total came up too $35.85 total.

Tonight I may cut my PVC and Cement my fittings to proper length, and size, but we'll see. I dont want to really rush into it until I get my hood, and cabinate finished.










Here's a picture of the tank, with just one bulb in the fixture. The one that's laying infront of the tank, is the one with the broken prong. You can read my story about that, here - http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33613

I may update tonight, with the plumbing construction. 

Thanks everyone, I hope to keep this as updated as possible!


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## NickBoudin

Well, I just finished the plumbing section. It's very very straight forward.









Here's all my parts. 4, 17" Peices, and 2 1.5" Peices. 6 90's and 2 threaded reducers.









I had to dremel out the above PVC reducers, because they were threaded. My Home Depot didnt have non-threaded, so I decided to do it this way.









All layed out, and cleaned, ready to be attatched.









All peices are attatched, and soon they'll be dry.

These 2 peices will be hung over the back of my 55 gallon tank, and hidden with a GS, Drift wood, and Cork board, background. There's also going to be a water feature, or 2.

The point of this plumbing is to hide it on the water side, from the viewer. The 1/2 inch reducers on the end of the pipe will be connected to flexable PVC and ran to my XP3 filter.


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## cichniss

Interesting, i cant wait to watch this project progress. Thanks for sharing.


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## AaronAcker

wow, and I thought I was genus just having an external filter! lol... Looks good so far, am very interested to see how your plumbing works when all is installed.


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## NickBoudin

Haha, Thanks! Yeah, I hope that this method of filteration will work just fine. I still have to make some sort of "pre-filter" so that I dont suck anything big into the main filter body. Also, last night I was thinking about the design, and I may have to re-make one of the sections of plumbing. I need to do so, because without the normal XP3 plumbing, there's no way to prime the line. I have a great idea on how to fix that situation, and I probably will soon.

Thanks guys! :lol:


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## NickBoudin

11/8/07

I decided to re-make on of my peices of plumbing. I went out to Home Depot, and picked up a few more things.. 

Light Egg Crate.
Fiberglass Mesh Screen.
PVC "T".
PVC Threaded End.
PVC End Cap.










This is my new peice of plumbing, compared to the old one posted above, you can see I added all the PVC components. This way, I can unscrew the end cap, and use a funnel to fill the tube with water to prime my XP3 filter.

I also bought a sheet of plexiglass. I cut it to size, and started shaping it with a blowtorch to suit my needs. After an hour of mesing with it, and 2 unfortunate cracks. 

















Here's a picture of it in the tank. 

I'll fix the cracks later with silicone. All of the plexi will be covered in rock, or sand. So apperance was to make it as un-manmade as possible.

I hope you all enjoy so far. If you read my thread, please post your thoughts!


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## AaronAcker

cool. Like the plexiglass divider idea... Hope it works out well..


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## kwazarr

If the edges of the crack are in close proximity to eachother, you could use methylene chloride or IPS Weld-On 40 (I think it's 40...u can check the website and call them to find out the best for aquarium use) to bond them back together! The methylene chloride bonds the pieces together almost instantly (2-3 mins); whereas the Weld-On will take a little longer (about 20+ mins). The other awesome thing is that once they're cured, they are completely non-toxic, which ur frogs will appreciate you for!  Oh yeah, you would likely be able to find those adhesives at industrial plastics shops!

Ross.


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## dartboy2

Looks great so far!


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## NickBoudin

kwazarr said:


> If the edges of the crack are in close proximity to eachother, you could use methylene chloride or IPS Weld-On 40.


Thanks soo much, I'll check that out!


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## Frank H

Does silicone bond well to the plexiglass? 

Keep us posted.


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## NickBoudin

From previous experience, it has. Hopefully in this application, it will do the same. Expect an update in the next few minutes after I upload these pics, and type out my next post!


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## NickBoudin

Well, I worked all day, 11-8 and when I got home I was exhausted. After reading a few false bottom articles and readong a few threads I started work on the tank.


Here's my progress.









With the light off, and flash on.









With the light on, a straight front view.


You can see the plumbing on either side of the tank. 

Also, you can almost kind-a see the holes in the plexiglass. There's 2 holes in it, about 5/8ths in diameter, to allow water flow from one side to the next. There are 2 supports under the land side, they're temporary. They're just so that I could cut the egg crate to the correct size around the plexiglass. (that actualy took a lot longer then I expected.) The drift wood shown is what's going to divide the land substrate and the water. That and rocks that will be siliconed.


Under the land side of the paludarium I plan to put skinny, thick slate rocks from bottom to topabout an inch between the glass and the eggcrate. So that way it looks decent, and you dont see the stupid white eggcrate. 


The light is also temporary. That fixture is going to be connected to a wooden hood, that has a hinge for easy feeding. (Also to clean the algea from the front glass on the water side :lol: )

Well, next update I hope to get some 2-3" PVC to make the permanate supports for the egg crate, and hopefully start on my hood construction! 

Keep posting so that I have a reason to update this thing!


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## EricT

I am along for the ride ... Keep us posted and keep the pics coming.... We are moving in to a house soon and I have a few 55 gallons sitting around , I have been toying with the idea .... Also a 72 bowfront ... Extra taanks from our saltwater/reef obsession ... Anyhow ... tagging along!


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## NickBoudin

Thanks Eric, welcome to the board! I hope i can inspire you, or spark your interest so that we can all view your project and get inspired as well! 

Thanks everyone, expect some updates this week!


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## NickBoudin

11/13/07


Took a trip to Home Depot today, on my day off to get some KILZ for my walls of my room. I decided to pick up some more supplys for my tank! 


I got 3 tubes of black silicone, and two 2' sections of 2" Diameter PVC.

After I sprayed all the spots on my room walls with KILZ I started to work on my background, figuring with the smell of spraypaint venting, I might as well add some silicone to the mix! :lol:









Here you can see that with bringing every single thing from my room into the basement, means I have to use a 2 foot peice of 1/2 inch PVC to PUSH the Silicone out of the tube, because i cant find my gun!. :lol:

I used a normal plastic puddy knife to flatten and spread the Silly-Cone. 









Exciting, eh? 









Workin on the sides, almost about to pass out from fumes! 









And there it is! 3 tubes of Silicone and negative 500 braincells later! :lol:

You can see in the picture above, I obviously also cut the 2" PVC to fit.

It's comming along! I've decided to put slate rocks under the land side, agianst the glass. I'm going to put those in, and silicone them so they cant fall, and then I'm going to silicone the substrate screen from the top of the rocks, down the aquarium floor, so that no debris can get stuck in the cracks of the rocks, and be seen. 

Feedbackkkkkkkk!


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## AaronAcker

Looks good so far... looking forward to seeing the beginning of the artistic side of things... Engineering side looks great.


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## NickBoudin

Yeah I agree. I really just want to make sure I have everything 100% functional before I start the decrative hardscape of everything. I'm also in the middle of refinishing my whole room. This is basicaly going to be my centerpeice when it's finished. I'm also going to make a stand, and canopy. Everything will be posted on this thread step by step, as long as a decent amount of people show their interests. 

Thanks agian!


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## NickBoudin

11/14/07

Well durring the day today I decided that I would silicone my acrylic divider into place, so that I could work off of that. 

































As you can see it all fits well. There's not much That I can do now until i make the stand. I really dont want to put the slate in there, until it's in it's permanent location in my room.

You can see the small square of egg crate in the corner. That's going to be used to house my pump, for my water feature. It's going to be covered in net, and then covered in slate rocks, in a fasion that will alow water to obviously be sucked into the filter. This way it's fully hidden, and fully servicable.


Things left to do..

1) Get a pump, for thw water feaute, and create all of its plumbing.
2) Test water flow, ensure proper flow from water side, under land side.
3) Create Stand.
4) Creat hood. (Including vent fans maybe. and a place to open it for feeding).
5) Build Great Stuff & Cork Bark & Drift Wood background.
6) Substrate.
7) Mist system/ Humidifyer system.
8) Plant.
9) Eventualy Stock with frogs and fish.


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## NickBoudin

Stand, almost done. Comments?

I really dont get much feedback on this forum, it kinda bums me out. Especialy after reading other peoples construction journals and seeing all the motivating comments! :roll: 

Anyway, I kinda rushed through this stand.. I really needed to get it done, so that I can paint it tomorrow, the same color as my celing when i paint that. So it's basicaly done for now. It could use a back support, as well as some doors, and sides, but It'll work for now!


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## housevibe7

Dont sweat it too much, my very first viv I built, turned out pretty good, and I still only had one comment after over 600 views. Nature of the beast. Once you get further to being finished, and people get more of an idea of whats in your head, then you will probably get more comments.

BTW, very good tank, I am interested to see how you deal with that plexy divider as I have been throwing around the idea of a paludarium myself. Otherwise, so far so good. I think another reason why not a lot of people have commented is probably your initial comment of "I've done this before" which is obvious  I think most people reserve the extreme positive re-inforcement to newbies.


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## NickBoudin

Haha, I understand. The acrylic divider is actualy used to keep fish and frogs out of the "under land" side of the tank. The PVC tubes and egg crate will be blocked out by slate rocks. I really hope my plumbing works out well. I'm almost 99% sure it will.


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## kwazarr

I like how you're taking things one step at a time and planning things out before embarking on the next step! From the looks of things I think it's going to turn out great! I was curious about your idea about the idea you had about putting all the slate under the land side in order to block out the view from outside. I was wondering about what you'd think about leaving at least a small portion of that area unblocked (not necessarily right out in front). The reason I bring this idea up is because I did something similar with my own setup. Having no way to look inside became an issue when water from my water feature started leaking into one of my drainage chambers. Because I couldn't see inside, I couldn't really tell exactly where the water was leaking in, and thus it's made it a lot harder to figure out. 

Anyways, I thought I'd run it by you and see what you thought! Never hurts to prepare for the unexpected u know? :wink:

Looks great so far man! Keep up the awesome work!

Ross.


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## NickBoudin

I totaly understand what you're saying. I was taking that into considersation, but the way my design is set up will not allow any light under the land side of the tank. My submersable pump will be on the right side of the tank fully servicable.

Thanks for the heads up though. I may provide a small window on the left side of the tank, to give enough room to use a flashlight to view my plumbing output line.


Thanks!


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## AndrewFromSoCal

Looks awesome so far.


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## NickBoudin

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.


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## dufus

I've got to watch this build. Anyone who bends a sheet of acrylic like that has got to have some cool tricks up their sleeve.
consider me subscribed.


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## NickBoudin

Haha, c'mon! It only took a blow torch, a metal rod, and some elbow grease! 8) 

Thanks everyone!

Tomorrow, I'll be heading BACK out to Home Depot agian, to get wood for my stand, and for my canopy, and maybe before work around 3 I'll start cutting for the canopy!


Keep it real everyone, stay with me here!


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## NickBoudin

Well today, I bought the wood for my stand and canopy. I thinl that i'm going to send my stand over to my old neighbor (wood worker for over 50 years) to see what he can come up with. It'd be an honor to have him make something for me.  Everything around his house is made by him, of wood, and it's all so cool! Haha.

Well, today I've been painting my room all morning. Once my walls are painted. My stand if finished, and painted, and my tank is in place I will start working on the inside desing of the tank agian.


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## dufus

Don't inhale those paint fumes,lol.

Just say no.


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## NickBoudin

Haha, I'll try not too !

Thanks everyone.


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## MonopolyBag

Ah fumes... yes. I had an experience with that. Brought my tank to lowes (40 min drive) and the fumes were SO BAD I had to open a window, and it is only 30 degrees outside. COLD! AND SMELLY!


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## NickBoudin

Haha, well I survived painting my room!

Check out the color combo. I obviously couldent get a great pic of the WHOLE room, so I just made sure I got the 2 colors in there. :wink: 











Enjoy! 


All I'm waiting on now is the stand. 8)


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## jdogfunk99

You seem like a real DIY'r. Your documentation is greatly appreciated and will really help me with my project on the horizon!


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## NickBoudin

Haha, thanks! I like the pride behind designing something, and then making it reality. It's a great feeling. My room is 100% done guys. The bad news is, is that my neighbor said it's going to take a while to make my stand.

I dont have my frogs yet, and I'm aware that winter is comming. I think i'm going to have to house them in a temporary tank until the time comes to put them in the paludarium.. 



Anyone sellin' any leucs?


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## dufus

you can still work on the Paul. while he's doing the stand though right?


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## NickBoudin

Welllll. Unfortunetaly I really cant, as far as I see it. I need to put the rocks into the base portion of the land side, to block out the plumbing and tubes and egg crate. So 20-40 pounds of slate inside of a 55 gallon tank isnt going to be very easy to pick up, and put on a stand. :roll: 

I have the whole thing planned out, and ready as soooooon as I get the stand. It really sucks, I'm such an impatient person. :lol: 

It's even worse when you have 3 cans of GS and 4 tubes of 100% Brown Silicone SITTING inside the tank, BRAND NEW.  

I'm not going to rush it though, it'll really be worth it in the end. 

1 step at a time. No rushing it! 


Thanks all!


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## kwazarr

Well...if you can wait, I guess I can too! I really wanna see how it turns out in the end, so whenever it's ready, I'll be waiting to see the end result!  

Ross.


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## NickBoudin

Well thank you! Make sure you keep checking back! I'll be posting pictures of the temporary tank for the frogs, as well as more design ideas and tank lay outs!


Thanks all!


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## rednkhuntertd

Yey More pictures! I love pictures, and I can't wait to see how your tank turns out!


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## NickBoudin

http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... 761#250761


View it here!


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## NickBoudin

Stand's done! I paied $2.00 for it! 

My neighbor just got done today, after a week straight working on it. He said it can probably hold almost a ton. It's all bolted together, and finished! 

I had to pay him 2 bucks for the magnets that hold the doors closed :roll:


Expect updates soon!


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## kwazarr

2 BUCKS? DAMN! This is me feeling just a LITTLE JEALOUS! hehe  That's a handsome looking stand my friend! Nice job your neighbour did! So does this mean that you're gonna start updating us all regularly again? :wink: Not that I should be the one to talk here or anything! hehe Nice to see you back again!

Ross.


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## NickBoudin

I hope so. I just put the tank on the stand, and cleaned up some. One problem is that my neighbor put floors in the stand, and I never specifyed not too, but it dosent leave enough clearance for the XP3's plumbing... hmmm I think i'll cut a hole so the XP3 can fit in it and sit on the floor..


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## NickBoudin

Well, lets see here....

Today, all I did was go Xmas shopping in the morning, and I had all day off from work after that. I....

Made the front rock wall, under the land section.
Put screen on all my eggcrate.
Positioned my plumbing in its permanent place.
Positioned my Drift wood in its permanate place.
Siliconed a lot of the stuff permanately down.
GoodStuff'd the land side of the tank. 



My next task is the water secion. Hardscaping it. I'll get pictures up in a little bit, as long as I get some replys! :lol:


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## Frogtofall

That is the best $2 stand I've ever seen... ever...


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## NickBoudin

Haha, thanks. I cant take credit. My neighbor is a Godsent wood worker!


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## NickBoudin

Alright, Here's todays work! 


































































I Kind-of Rushed things today, and I dont normaly do that. Hopefully I dont screw myself over in the end by forgetting something small and stupid.

Comments, Suggestions, and Feedback are all welcome! 

Thanks, and Enjoy.


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## kwazarr

Looking good as usual! I have 3 questions though...how deep were you planning on having your substrate be on top of the false bottom? What were you thinking of using for your substrate? And what were you thinking of using for encouraging good drainage in the substrate you decide on? I know a lot of people use a layer of hydroton pellets beneath their substrate to promote good drainage, but it didn't seem like you'd be able pile ur substrate up very deep on the edge close to your pond if you used it. 

BTW...I love the lobster! You should keep him in there!  

Cheers,

Ross.


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## NickBoudin

Haha, thanks, it's his home for now! 

Well, I'm going to stack some skinny, but fat slate up agianst the front glass. Similar to the ones that are there. I'm going to use the hydroton pellets in the center, and then coco fiber or some peatmoss on top of that. 

so it will go



Code:


peat/coco fiber
-----screen-----
    hydroton
-----screen-----
     bottom


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## NickBoudin

Here's a picture to better explain where substrate will go.


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## floridaboy

Are you really going to use hydroton and egg crate. I was under the impression most people either used one or the other. I mean if you really want to cool. I would personally be worried about the extra weight on the egg crate. Other than that great looking vive. Cant wait to start my next one. Can't wait to see some green stuff in there!


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## NickBoudin

Well, because of the way it's designd I guess I dont really need the leca, hmm. 


Anyone else have an opinion on this? Because I use Eggcrate , I Dont have yo use LECA?


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## ian

I don't think the LECA would be neccessary either as long as you don't have the water level all the way up into the substrate. I've made 2 tanks using the eggcrate method and have seen very good results with the drainage. So LECA really isn't needed.


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## housevibe7

I have yet to use anything other than screen and substrate on top of my eggcrate - no problems yet. I even have a waterfall and pond in one.


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## NickBoudin

Hmm, Maybe I wont use it then. Perhaps just some Sphagnum moss, and then the substrate. What do you guys suggest I use for substrate? Coco Fiber? or Also Peatmoss?


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## kwazarr

I don't know personally about LECA (not entirely sure what that is actually, to be honest), but I do know, as far as hydroton goes, that weight on the egg crate is not something to be concerned about! The expanded clay used to make hydroton is super light and won't affect the egg crate in any negative way. And with the screen you're putting on top of the egg crate, you won't have to worry about it going between the squares.

Now that being said, there are other ways you can make sure your soil drains well. Some people, myself included add a bit of sterilized landscaping sand into their soil mixture. My own soil mix is made up of 4 parts black earth (LOTS of nutrients, no fertilizers and holds some moisture in), 2 parts sand (makes it easier for excess water to drain out), 2 parts chopped up spaghnum (helps keep the soil from compacting when wet) and 1 part coco fibre (holds some moisture and lightens the colour of the mix a bit). 

I"m sure there's lots of other options out there as well to choose from! Whatever the case, ur viv is going to look great!


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## NickBoudin

LECA is another name for the Hydroton 

Also, i like the fact that you include multible different substrates to ensure proper drainage. I may experiment, and try stuff like you. But then agian i dont really want to experiment on such a large tank..


Hmm..


(Ps. Waterfall was made last night, working on some finishing touches too it, then coco-fibering the background.  )


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## jdogfunk99

kwazarr said:


> I don't know personally about LECA, but I do know, as far as hydroton goes, that weight on the egg crate is not something to be concerned about! The expanded clay used to make hydroton is super light and won't affect the egg crate in any negative way. And with the screen you're putting on top of the egg crate, you won't have to worry about it going between the squares.


Why put anything for drainage on TOP of the eggcrate? I thought the purpose of having an eggcrate false bottom was to avoid using gravel or leca? Just put your substrate soil directly on the screen.


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## dufus

jdogfunk99 said:


> kwazarr said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know personally about LECA, but I do know, as far as hydroton goes, that weight on the egg crate is not something to be concerned about! The expanded clay used to make hydroton is super light and won't affect the egg crate in any negative way. And with the screen you're putting on top of the egg crate, you won't have to worry about it going between the squares.
> 
> 
> 
> Why put anything for drainage on TOP of the eggcrate? I thought the purpose of having an eggcrate false bottom was to avoid using gravel or leca? Just put your substrate soil directly on the screen.
Click to expand...

Exactly, it is.

the reason for leca in tanks w/out eggcrate is to both support the weight of the screen/substrate, and to hold as much water as possible.

in a tank with a false bottom waterfall system, it only decreases water volume and stains the water.

it's not neccassary, especially where you wanted to put it.

Just for reference, i use lava rock instead of leca, simply because it's easier to find, and cheaper.


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## Fishinfl321

You may want to reconsider using the leca and the egg crate...Not that you need to, but you may want to. I built a similar viv and just used the screen and eggcrate. Since the I have added leca in order to raise the substrate off of the water a little bit. With the leca in place you can have your water level in your water section meet the edge of the shoreline better, if not you will have a little bit more of a drop between the land and water. Just a thought. (this may not make sense) 

Troy


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## NickBoudin

it makes perfect sence. I need to use the leca, i belive to keep the substrate above the water level. Here's a diagram.












So you can see that the bottom of the substrate would almost always be ALMOST in the water.


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## NickBoudin

Hmm no replys after I drew the diagram, eh?


C'mon guys.


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## Skibadee

you will need that if you have the water level directly level with the shore line.
you could always leave a little "buffer" so that leca is not required and you gain more open volume space to your tank without any loss of visual appeal.
it wont be one flat suface as well, with the appearance of different levels if thats one thing you would like 
just my thoughts

added- this might help you guage the height of the water where it is hidden


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## HappyHippos1

The hydroton and egg crate do the same thing. Keep the substrate above the dirt. The water level should be flush or below the egg crate. Have the egg crate under the water defeats its purpose. It is simply a waste of money to use both but if that is what makes you happy then go for it.

I've never understood how people get confused and use both? You don't use hydroton above pea gravel.


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## Fishinfl321

I agree that in normal situations using both is a waste. However if you look at the diagram, using both in this situation is not a waste at all. He needs something to keep the leca and substrate supported. The ground is raised up. It can't just float there. I think you need a good 1/2 inch of drainage layer as well. With only eggcrate, the gap between the water and the substrate would be big. If you use both it wouldn't.


Troy


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## dufus

I doubt the leca will do any good.
in fact, it's gonna probally do more bad.

The hydroton is designed to wick water, therefore it'll probally wick the water, or direct mooisture, up into the substrate, which will lead to a soggy mess.

i would go for something like pea gravel, then leca, then substrate, or just replace the leca with a non wicking subsrtate.


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## Chano

Looking nice so far. I am using leca on top of my egg crate for the same reason. I figure that way i can add a little bit of slope down into the water making easy escape for my frogs if necessary without having the base of my substrate in the water. Seeing your design and diagram reinforced my decision and i can now proceed with my construction. I have a question about your driftwood divider between land and water. It appears (this could be deciving) that your driftwood will be mostly above the water. Will this become fairly slippery when wet (and grown with algea) and possibly if it sticks up out of the water what appears to be an inch give or take a little bit, make it difficult for frogs to get out of the water? Please dont think i am trying to be negitive or anything i am just curious (I ask questions constantly when it comes to vivs im like a 5 year old. I must ask why to everything lol)


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## NickBoudin

HappyHippos1 said:


> The hydroton and egg crate do the same thing. Keep the substrate above the dirt. The water level should be flush or below the egg crate. Have the egg crate under the water defeats its purpose. It is simply a waste of money to use both but if that is what makes you happy then go for it.
> 
> I've never understood how people get confused and use both? You don't use hydroton above pea gravel.


In my situation the waterlevel is above the eggcrate. It was in the design plan. Think of the eggcrate as the bottom of an aquirum, with a drain. Except the drain is the whole entire bottom. Adequite? yes. Why? Because instead of water building up in different places, it goes into a filter, then returned back into the tank. It's not stagnant, or stale.

I think I may put Peagravel, Then hydroton, then screen, then my substrate. ( Thanks dufus ) That way I keep good drainage down to the top of the water level. (About 1.5 inches should be good, total of hyrdroton and gravel.) 

Sound okay?


Also. There will be more wood to help the frogs enter and exit the water. Thanks for the concer, I totaly understand. 

Thanks everyone else!


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## zBrinks

Looks good! Why not just forgo the layer of gravel/hydroton, and use some pvc spacers and a second layer of eggcrate? Alot lighter, and you have a little more breathing room if the water level gets too high.


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## NickBoudin

:shock: 



That is a DAMN good idea my friend. Maybe. Hmm.


I dont think I have any left though  . . .

Still, is a very good idea!


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## NickBoudin

Here are some updated pictures! 




Some tank shots.






























And the waterfall.










Here's a water flow diagram.


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## kwazarr

Holy Crap Nick! :shock: That tank is really starting to look great! It's really coming together now! I have a question for you...I was looking at the pics of your waterfall and I was wondering where you wanted the flow to go? I couldn't really tell from the angle of the pics (so if this doesn't apply, just ignore this message ;p ), but it looks like in the middle part on the left side where you drew the water flowing, it looks like it might end up flowing sideways and possibly back into your substrate. Do you want some of the water to collect there also?

Ross.


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## Fishinfl321

WOW!!!! That does look good. What did you use for the background in the water area?


Troy


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## NickBoudin

I used Fine grade aquarium gravel for the water side of the tank. I figured the coco fiber would eventualy come off. So I siliconed the gravel to the walls. I'm glad you guys like it. I enjoyed making it so much. I feel as if it will never be complete. It will always be undergoing work. 

My next great task is the Canopy. I plan to keep it simple stupid. Do the basics, and keep it simple. 


For the other comment. The waterfall actualy does drain into the water section of the tank. It's all siliconed in a fashion so that almost no water will flow back onto the land portion. If it does indeed happen, it'll be fine. I'll have great drainage to controll the problem.


Thanks!


----------



## Derek Benson

Curious, is that a t5 fixture? If so, did you get it at lowe's.... the 46" long ones?


----------



## NickBoudin

T-8 Fixture. 48". $19.99 At Home Depot.


----------



## donnieO

Nic, that is coming along nicely


----------



## NickBoudin

thanks! 


Monday I'll be driving to black jungle to pick up my plants!


----------



## NickBoudin

Well, Maybe not monday now. There's 12 inches of snow. Blizzard saturday, we should be expecting around 30 icnhes then. So almost 4 feet of snow... GREAT!


----------



## NickBoudin

I just picked up my Flourite (sp) today for the water section of the tank. The stand will be painted on monday, and hopefully tuesday will have water in it.

I really just need to test my water features, and make sure that my filteration is going to work 100%. 


Any feedback at all will be a big motivation!


----------



## thiefness

you're killing me...i've been thinkin that i would want to setup a larger tank...and liked the idea of adding fish to it as well...but don't think I have enough money to do it at the time, so I am so jealous of how your tank is coming along. I can't wait to see how nice the waterfall looks, and how the tank looks with plants and water in the tank.


----------



## NickBoudin

I've spent a little over 100 so far, not including the tank.


----------



## thiefness

NickBoudin said:


> I've spent a little over 100 so far, not including the tank.


then plants, then darts, then fish ;x it adds up too quick for me, and i think i'd want 2 azureus, so i'd wanna get sexed ones..so it adds up quicker.

Oh yea, and you got that amazing $2 stand too! ;]

by the way i wanted to ask what you were planning on putting in. :]


----------



## EricT

Updates , updates updates!! Please .... Could we get some new pics , Very curious to see how this works out ... You should be proud , it looks great so far!


----------



## NickBoudin

Hey guys. Figured I'd post a quick picture to hold you all over. I'm painting the stand first thing when I wake up tomorrow. I'm way to tired tonight, I've been on snow duty for the last 3 days. Shoveling and snow blowing snow and ice 12 hours each day 3 days straight, it's horrible. Anyway I know that I'm just as excited to work on this as you guys are to see, trust me. 

Tomorrow I'll be painting the stand, and then I may be taking a trip to black jungle to get a bunch of plants.(Depending on the weather.) I plan to have the water in it tuesday, atleast. 











Gettin' it ready for paint.



This was my list of things to do on 11/14/07

1) Get a pump, for the water feature, and create all of its plumbing. *Done.*
2) Test water flow, ensure proper flow from water side, under land side. 
3) Create Stand.*Done.*
4) Creat hood. (Including vent fans maybe. and a place to open it for feeding). 
5) Build Great Stuff & Cork Bark & Drift Wood background. *Done.*
6) Substrate. *Done.*
7) Mist system/ Humidifyer system. 
8) Plant. 
9) Eventualy Stock with frogs and fish.


----------



## NickBoudin

Stand's painted. Water will be in ASAP!


----------



## NickBoudin

Hey guys. Just Figured I'd update.


I just got my waterfall, and my filter running. Both are doing very well.

I had to buy more 5/8ths tubing from a plumbing store, to hook up my filter to the tank. I also had to buy a special nozzle that screws into my plumbing that's attatched to the tank. I had to change the design a bit. As you can see on the back of the tank. I used the original plumbing that came with my XP3 on the top, because if I used the PVC version I made, it would hit my celing. (My room is a cape.) So it works out well. Here are the pictures:









Painted stand. Cloudy water from the flourite and gravel. :wink:









Here you can see the waterfalls water flow. Not exactly what I had planned, but I dont reall mind it. Rocks will eventualy be siliconed in a more perminate fashion so that the water flows more gently. 

Above: You can also see I've put the substrate down on the land side. I put screen, and then pea gravel, and then my hydroton. Dont like it? Too bad!  The substrate is just Coco fiber for now, I'll add more later when I feel the need too.










Plumbing.




Hope you all enjoy. Expect planting soon! 


PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK!


----------



## beachbabe18509

this viv looks great so far im really excited to see the end result!!


----------



## NickBoudin

Thanks!  The water is getting almost 100% clear now.


----------



## NickBoudin

Ordered some plants from Antone, have some plants, planted. Water's clear. Stay tuned!


----------



## pet-teez

What kind of frogs are you planning to put in here (I may have missed it) and fish? Awesome deal on that stand, I especially liked the doors (how they kind of look like shutters).


----------



## NickBoudin

Thanks! Probably D. leuc. Maybe 3 or 4 of them, we'll see. I plan on letting the plants go wild first. Also going to be adding some more wood to the water part, to give more places for frogs to climb out if they decide to take a dip.


----------



## pet-teez

Great idea (both of them)
How about some Endler's Livebarers for the water? hehe



NickBoudin said:


> Thanks! Probably D. leuc. Maybe 3 or 4 of them, we'll see. I plan on letting the plants go wild first. Also going to be adding some more wood to the water part, to give more places for frogs to climb out if they decide to take a dip.


----------



## NickBoudin

Not sure what I want to do for fish yet, a large group of small schooling fish!


----------



## skylsdale

If you can get some plants growing over the water section (especially with decent sized leaves), some splash tetras would be nice.


----------



## pet-teez

Hmm. you could check the "nano fish list" http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/31095-nanofish-list-v1-0-a.html for what would be an appropriate size fish to have a school's worth in there.


-Cassie



NickBoudin said:


> Not sure what I want to do for fish yet, a large group of small schooling fish!


----------



## kwazarr

Neon Tetras are always a small, cheap, easy, and pretty looking fish to go with! 

Ross


----------



## pet-teez

My favorite part of that idea is that they are from (kinda) the same region, as aposed to using white cloud mountain minnows or something.
You'll want to (or should want to...) take in to account the needs of the fish like temperature, water quality and things like that. Some fish prefer water that moves at a quick pace.
Also, don't neons have a kind of high mortality rate?

I was thinking something like Boraras merah but they are from Asia.
There are loads of different tetras though, or depending on the amount of water is actually in there maybe a small group of hatchetfish. They like lots of plants and would love to munch on feeders that fall in the water.



kwazarr said:


> Neon Tetras are always a small, cheap, easy, and pretty looking fish to go with!
> 
> Ross


----------



## NickBoudin

I'm probably going to go with a few marble hatchets. I think I want to theme this tank around Indonesia.


----------



## NickBoudin

You all could use an Update. 1-7-08.

I can expect my plants from Antone tomorrow, or the next day.

Here's what I have so far.



























(The water is a lot more clear, then the picture.)













Feedback will be awesome.

3 fish, and 1 african dwarf frog are in there now. Just cycling the water.


----------



## rednkhuntertd

*YEY!!*

Looks great!!! I bet your frogs will love their custom home  Great job, Two Thumbs up!


----------



## NickBoudin

Thanks! I hope they do too.

I think i'm going to be making my canopy tomorrow. I need plexi glass, though.


We'll see.


----------



## flyangler18

Those succulents will probably rot out- I'm terrible with plant IDs though.


----------



## NickBoudin

I agree. My grandma bought them for me for christmas. She came over about a week ago amd she was determined to see my tank. She has a bad leg, and she walked 2 flights of stairs to see my tank. I put them in to make her happy, is all. 


Thanks though.


----------



## HappyHippos1

I put some in an old tank (bought from HD) and assumed they'd rot too but surprisingly they're doing great! I mean I'm shocked at how great they are doing. Granted this viv I only lightly mist 2-3 times a week but there is usually water on the plants and they haven't rotted. 

Come to think of it, this tank is pretty amazing. It seems that whatever cutting/plant I put in there does great. I've been putting cuttings in to get their roots establish and them transfer to other tanks.


----------



## NickBoudin

I'll leave these in there until they die, if so. 


Plants from Antone will be here tomorrow!

Got 11 more fish today, and also 3 aquatic plants.


----------



## NickBoudin

1-10-08











A basic full tank shot. Sorry, I dont own the best cammera. But you get the idea.

There's between 15-20 different plants so far. 5 Broms, some other tropicals.

I'm going to have to make a list of what I have.

3 hatchet fish, 6 neon tetras, and 4 blind cave fish.


----------



## rednkhuntertd

WOW. Lookin' good my man. Hope your neons fair well in the new water. They are not really a first setup type of fish, but they might make it. The cave fish will be really cook to watch.


----------



## NickBoudin

Well, the water is basicaly neutral now, I just need a 10 watt small submersible heater to put in the back where my waterfall pump is. (totaly hidden  )

My buddy worked at a tropical fish store for like 4 years, so he came and helped my water out. It's crystal clear now, the pictures really dont do justice.


----------



## NickBoudin

Lighting Ideas? Anyone.

Will my 4' Fixture of 64 watts be enough? (6700k bulbs)

If not, what can I do? I need to know, I'm going to be building the canopy soon!


----------



## NickBoudin

Canopy is built, Most of the background got repaired. Aquatic side has been emptied of gravel, and water for the time being. I need something other. Not Flourite, but Maybe black sand. I've realized I don't have much light getting to the aquatic plants, so my tank, on the aquatic side must remain low light.

Most of my Broms died, due to not being watered because of my crazy work hours, and my misting heads not being here yet. They were shipped out Monday, from MistKing. So we'll see. Within 6-12 days. 


I'm a little disappointed at the turn of events that are happening to this tank. It's a downfall because I really took a lot of time to plan the construction of this tank out, but didn't think about the other important aspects such as lighting. That's one of the major problems, I'm not sure if my plants will thrive as I want them too. Same with the aquatic portion of the tank. I'm confused about if I'm going to need Co2. Also, my tank is about halfway full with water, and only half of that is open to light, and contains plants and fish. Does this mean only half of my lighting is available to that half of the plants? 

My filtration system works great. I feel I don't need a sump, and my XP3 is working fine. The waterfall also acts a bit like a biological filter, brining water through the substrate, up, through egg crate and screen, into a pond pump.

I'm currently running 4, 40 watt, 6500k bulbs above my tank. Is this enough? Is it enough for the water, and land side?

I think the outcome is that I'm not going to use Co2 for the water portion of the tank, because it's not going to be receiving an extreme amount of light. If it was, I'd have to use Co2. I'm going to probably dose with Seachem Excel to give the aquatic plants the nutrition they need. As for the vivarium / land portion of the tank. I plan to make the "Land Side" larger. I want a little more room to plant rooted plants. As well as raise the substrate a little higher off the water level.


Future plans.

I need to get glass cut and drilled for the 2 halves of the 55 gallon rim. They need to be cut to size, and then drilled to compensate for my plumbing, as well as the heater, misting heads, and the pond pump power cord. Once that's done, the top will have the finishing trim applied, and it'll be painted to match the stand. I need to get substrate for the aquatic side, something like black silica sand, or similar. Then I need to re-plant the whole tank, and stock it. 

Not sure what type of frogs are going in here yet, I don't really even want to think that far ahead. 


This project is now 88 days old.

Any comments, or feedback, or suggestions are all appreciated.


----------



## NickBoudin

3ish weeks, and no reply? 


Well for anyone that's interested, the tank's still empty. Now has a full 2 headed misting system, correct amount of lighting. I just need to re-create the water side, and work out a few things.


Thanks.


----------



## markbudde

how do you like the mistking system? Which did you get? Were the 4 40W lights the correct amount, or did you change them?


----------



## NickBoudin

I hope the lights are enough, they should be decent, for now. Until I get out of this debt situation that i'm stuck in. 

I Actualy made my own misting system, I didnt post any of it on here, just because no one seems interested. But it includes a 1 gallon pressure sprayer, sprinkler selenoid, and a few other odds and ends. 

I got 2 of their standard misting heads, for my tank, for now.


----------



## moore40

dude, I'm interested any thing home made floats my boat!


----------



## NickBoudin

Money's tight right now, but once it starts flowing in agian, i'll be sure to update, for myself, and for everone who's posted, and has been supporting in this project!


----------



## kwazarr

Oh there's more of us who are interested in how this project turns out than you might think! Sorry personally for not posting for a while, been hectic with school lately! I know that you've run into a few setbacks here and there, but for what it's worth, the tank does look great so far and it looks like you've got a good idea going here. I have no doubt that if you stick with it they way you have been, it's gonna turn out great in the end! Keep up with the updates as I know that I'm anxious to see how this one turns out! 

Take care and good luck!

Ross.


----------



## NickBoudin

Thanks ross, Will do, dont worry. I appreciate the encouragement.


----------



## crazyfrog

I just joined in on this because I'm setting up a 55 gallon *I don't know what you would call it* with a "L" shaped pond up front. 
I tried a similar setup to what you're doing with a 30 tall but it never quite was what I wanted it to be. I hope your tank turns out! 
Waiting for an update!


----------



## AaronAcker

Not sure what lighting you're using (i may have missed it scanning over the replies) but, could you take a picture of the tank w/ the other lights in the room off (so just the light is lit?)


----------



## NickBoudin

I dont have my other 2 bulbs in yet. Right now just 2, 6500k 32(or 30, not sure) watt 48" bulbs.


----------



## NickBoudin

Expect Pics tonight!


----------



## EricT

looking forward to it ...


----------



## NickBoudin

Alright. Got my state taxes in, figured I'd put some money into my paludarium.

Here's the updated pictures. 









Empty tank, Land side was made bigger, my own substrate mix was put down. New gravel on the aquatic side.









Substrate.









Dryed up waterfall, white substance on the rocks for some reason.









Broms added. Most to the background, 2 planted in the soil.









Different view. Not sure if i enjoy the amount of Broms. I'm sure the frogs will!









Just filled it with water. Waterfall is running. FIltration is going well.









Different angle. You can see how big the water section really is.









New frogs. Got a pair of these Tincs, from Black Jungle.
These wont be the inhabitants of the paludarium.


Well, The tank is almost 100%. I'm going to black jungle saturday to get more plants. Hopefully moss, and creeping plants, and orchids. Maybe a pitcher plant. I'm not sure. The misting heads are a little low, for my liking. I may end up getting more of them. I plan on posting pictures of the more technical stuff in a bit. Lights, and misters are both on timers. Misting system is all DIY. I made my own acrylic tops, for each side of the tank. Getting them made out of glass would have been to expensive, due to the amount of holes. ( filter, misting heads, pump, heater (( each hole is 11 dollars)) )

I still need to paint the canopy, get more plants, including aquatic ones. Buy fish, and frogs, and stock it with springtails, oh, and leaf litter as well. 

Thanks everyone, I'm sorry it took so long to update. Hope you all enjoy. 

Post any type of feedback, it's all appreciated! 


Nick


----------



## NickBoudin

Anything?


----------



## divingne1

Looks great.  will the leaves be enough exit places if the frogs fall into the pond?


----------



## NickBoudin

Not only the leaves, but the background, the drift wood, the glass. Those are all areas. There will also be more wood going into the water section.


----------



## divingne1

I went back and looked at the previous pictures after I asked that question.


----------



## EricT

It really has come together Nick ... I am curious to see the Misting system now... Also any ideas on stock choices? both Fish and Frog? ....


----------



## NickBoudin

I'm going to post pictures of everything tonight I just am on my way to black jungle now for more plants. Will update tonight!


----------



## topherlove

nice olemaries very pretty. Tanks looking great too.


----------



## NickBoudin

Well thank you very much. Batteries are dead, but I picked up some plants today. I got 2 pots of creeping fig, 1 pot of Black Velvet "Alocasia reginula", Some floating water plant "Salvinia natans". I also went to pick up some crickets, and a few things from petco and I saw balls of floating moss. So I bought 2 in hopes of either, java, or riccia. Turns out they wernt solid moss. It's basicaly a golf ball sized styrofoam ball, covered in some type of moss. Hopefully it's java or riccia, because it's sitting in my water fall, and all around the edges of it. I also picked up 2 tropical plants from that little stand. 

I got some Dyna Bloom, some fruit fly cultures, some springtails, a coco hut, and plants, at black jungle. It was a worth while trip! 


Thanks!
Nick


----------



## EricT

Be carefull of the moss you get from Petco and the like ... Tons of times people end up introducing snails and other "unwantables" (that is not really a word :roll: ) and introducing them to thier systems...


----------



## dopederson

If I were you I would move the broms over the water section up higher. They wont like being wet like that. Either that or drop your water level about 2 inches and that would help keeping your soil drier too. Nice tank!


----------



## NickBoudin

Yeah, the waterlevel is going to be a little lower. My buddy helped fill it with RO water, and we had too much, so I put it in anyway. The broms are now up a little higher, i moved them after that picture was taken. I'll post picutres tonight I hope. Stay tuned!



Thanks!


----------



## NickBoudin

Alright, here's an update. 









Full tank shot.









Left side, land side.









Same side, different angle.









Right side. Some nice sized broms.









Land side agian. 









Different view.









Center, waterfall. I got that moss from petco, it was attatched to styrofoam balls, with fishing line.









This is my misting system, and filtation. As you can see, I have a pressure sprayer hooked up to a sprinkler selenoid. The selenoid is hooked up to a sprinkler timer. The timer is plugged in to the outlet. My filter is on 24/7, along with my waterfall. The lights are on a timer, as shown. 









These are the acrylic tops I made. Not the best, but it works for now. I need to cut the other one in half, so that I can open that side. The side that's cut has about a 1/2 inch gap, so I can open it. It's held together with a peice of fiberglass window screen. Siliconed to the acrylic. Holds strong enough as far as I can see. 


I'm going to be re-creating the top, for my tank. The actual canopy because there's not enough room for ventalation. I really have a great design to ventilate the top portion of my tank. I have it all planned out, but I need to make a bigger canopy for it to work. 




I hope you guys enjoy!

All that's left is perfecting the top, letting it all grow in, and getting some leaf litter in there.

Any comments or suggestions are very recomended!


----------



## NickBoudin

Just constructed my whole ventalation system today. Works like a charm! It only costs around 14 dollars, the humidity in the tank is 100% and the glass is crystal clear.


----------



## carola1155

lookin good... moss looks like java to me, kinda tough to tell in those pictures though

what are you planning for as far as plants and "decorations" in the water area?


----------



## NickBoudin

Well I'd like to get some low light, big leaved plants for the background, and some small, grass type plants for the forground of the aquatic section. Not sure what type of plants yet, I still have research to do. 

I may get a nice offcenter rock to put in the middle there, but who knows. 


Still not sure about the moss myself, I guess we'll see!


----------



## carola1155

have you thought about maybe some driftwood to kinda bridge the gap between water and land?


----------



## EricT

I have allways been a big fan of the "tree Root systems" in the water areas ....


----------



## NickBoudin

carola1155 said:


> have you thought about maybe some driftwood to kinda bridge the gap between water and land?


There's no way I could really do that, since there's water on one side, and land on the opposite. So in order to have a bridge there'd have to be a portion of land, water, and then land on the other side. 

EricT

Yes, as well as I have. I'm going to try to find that "Perfect" peice of drifwood this saturday at the reptile show in NH.


----------



## Julio

looks great!! very nice Broms.


----------



## NickBoudin

Thank you julio!


----------



## carola1155

ok, maybe "bridge" was the wrong word... I guess what i had in mind was maybe to get some vines or something and have them kinda jutting out of the water and leading to other parts of the viv... I'm gonna try to find a picture of what i mean, i'll get back to ya


----------



## NickBoudin

I know exactly what you mean, and yeah, that's what I have planned. I just need to find the perfect peices for my tank. I'm going to a reptile show saturday so I should find everything I need, there.


----------



## NickBoudin

No perfect drift wood, unfortunetaly. I'll have to devise some kind of plan!


----------



## kwazarr

Ebay Ebay Ebay...you can find all kinds of awesome driftwood there...Malaysian driftwood might be a good way to go since it could be spending a good portion of its time wet at one end. Finding a nice piece with some roots might just do the trick for you, if that's what you're going for! Anyways, I've been MIA for a while but it's nice to see you've gotten back to work on this viv!  It's looking super now with the new broms in there! :shock: SO how much more are you thinking of doing to this viv before you consider it done?

Ross.


----------



## NickBoudin

I dont think it will ever be 100% done lol.


----------



## kwazarr

LOL Awesome! I'm glad I'm not the only one who's suffering from chronic tinkeritis!   :lol: 

Ross.


----------



## NickBoudin

Not only that, I just have 10000 things going on right now. Work, girlfriend, other types of frogs, my pygmy chameleon just laied eggs, i'm getting a second job. Ect ect..


----------



## NickBoudin

All my plants are growing in well. My misting system, ventalation system, and acrylic tops need to be figured out, and organized better.


Other then that, creeping fig, is being creepy, and it's all over the ground of the tank. Boms are rooting, somewhat. Moss is growing, and taking well as far as I can tell. No one in there yet except springtails.


Enjoy!


----------



## Guest

what kind of pigme do u have?


----------



## NickBoudin

R. brevicaudatus.


----------



## Guest

i have pygmy leaf.


----------



## NickBoudin

Yeah, so do I. There's a bunch of different common names for them, but the latin name for mine is probably the same for yours as well.


Nick


----------



## Guest

let me know if u want to sell any of ur babies?


----------



## Guest

Yeah I think pond filters work great, I was thinking about it and I am going to use it when I make my 10 gal. vertical. Its going to have all 3 sides covered with pond filters, and hopfully I can get the pond filter covered with moss and creeping fig. And I am going to be posting a thread on it, in the next week or two.


----------



## NickBoudin

What?


----------



## Guest

Oops, sorry about that man, that was meant for another thread. I'm sorry for the confusion, boy, talk about embarassing.


----------



## NickBoudin

Haha, no problem. I assumed that's what that was all about. Not a problem at all sir.


----------



## NickBoudin

It's time for an update. I hope you all enjoy. I'm getting more plants tomorrow.









Middle is my 55 gallon paludarium.
Left top is a 20 gallon with my budgett's frog.
Left bottom is a 10 gallon with my tincs.









The right is a new 65 gallon tank, intended for a vivarium, soon.









Some pothos and java moss in the budgett's tank, float free.

You can see the tinc 10 gallon is very basic, but they seem to like it just fine.









The paludarium. You can see the creeping fig growing in very very well. This is the left side.









This is the right side, or "water section" as I like to call it. 4 broms give cover to some of the water section from the light. They flourish well under the misting head.









Here's the waterfall. My favorite picture. That moss is doing great. It's a combination of tropical, temprate, and java. All of it basicaly took over eachother, and some do well in some places, others not so much. 









You can see the roots of the creeping fig through the glass. Some spots are around 8 inches long. I love this plant, it's great for ground coverage and it has a nice lush green color exspecialy when it's wet.



Basicaly I havent done much. I need to still get 2 more misting heads for this set up, and remake the plexiglass tops. I've got to put trim on the wood top, and paint it. I've also got to set up the ventilation system. So still a little ways to go. 


I'm going to be ordering misting heads for my 65 gallon tall that's right next to it, so I'm going to save on shipping and order it all together. Probably order a lot of tubing, and 4 heads.


I hope you all enjoy. This project has been going on since november, and I have not yet gotten bored with it. There's always something that can be changed or added, or made better. I have no regrets on any mistake I made only because I know when I build this 65 gallon I know my limits, and I've had a great learning experience.

Any comments or feedback is always appreciated it keeps me wanting to post and update this as much as I can!

Enjoy,
Nick


----------



## Guest

hay nick that tank looks awsome. i hope u make a thread on ur 65 gal.


----------



## NickBoudin

I plan on it, dont you worry!


----------



## divingne1

Nick - I am with you on the creeping fig. I adore this plant .
Candy


----------



## NickBoudin

Thanks, I'm glad you agree.


----------



## SeattleSlaw

Hi Nick,

I just tuned in today, & have read all 12 pages of this thread with pics! I want to thank you for putting your work out there for all to learn from. Your being willing to ask questions of the group means that we get the benefit also of hearing those answers. For someone like me who's totally new to vivariums & been trying to figure out how to do a land/water/waterfall thing with my tank, this has been a godsend. So I want you to know that you're appreciated.

I'm really looking forward to more pictures and info on how you're building the ventilation system.

Alan


----------



## jejton

Love the work. What is that elbow PVC on top of the tinc;s cage for?


----------



## DizzyD

Nick, your paludarium rocks. That is some sweet work, from the tweeked plexi to the right pump system for the waterfall. Best of luck w/ it and all of it's inhabitants. 8)


----------



## NickBoudin

Thank you all very much. First off the PVC elbow is for easy feeding of fruit flys. I put a connector in, and after I suppliment the flys, I dump them in. There's a peice of sponge in there that will keep the flys in. 

Second off, I appreciate the comments very much, it's those comments that keep me posting and updating this thread. If anyone has any more questions or anything i'd be more then happy to post answers about anything. 

Thank you all very much!
Nick


----------



## NickBoudin

Enjoy!


----------



## kwazarr

Hey Nick!

It'd been a while since I last tuned in and when I did, I was like, 'Holy crap...it looks DONE!' This was quickly followed by, 'Holy crap...it looks GREAT!'  Nice to see how your long months of work have paid off! Truly well done! I was wondering...have you ever considered getting yourself a few small epiphytic orchids to put on your background? Something tells me that you would enjoy them! But beware if you do...it's a whole other addiction in and of itself! :twisted: hehehe Beautiful paludarium man! Great work!  

Ross.


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## NickBoudin

I'd love to get some. I'm working on a 65 gallon tank right now, and it's going to consist mostly of orchids, so i'm going to wait until I stock that, to stock the paludarium with them. I'm glad you enjoy the tank ross!


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## kwazarr

That sounds like an awesome idea! I hope you've been saving your pennies...you're gonna need em to fill a 65 gal with orchids! hehehe Awesome plants...but harsh on the pocketbook! (Not speaking from personal experience of course...ahem...  hehe)

Ross.


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## NickBoudin

Well, I've got a problem with my truck now. So it may be a while...  I need a new catalytic converter so all my saved vivarium cash is going to that (around $300). Oh well, work work work!


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## stevenhman

Very nice tank! Excellent work. Too bad about your car and the saved up money. I hope things go well for you and your tank!


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## NickBoudin

Thank you! I've got the part for my truck, and my check will be here friday, most of that money will go to gas, and my tank. Expect more updates within the next 2 weeks!


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## NickBoudin

5/22/08! Enjoy!


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## NickBoudin

Ripped the watefall out this past weekend. It caused substrate to leak into the water section, causing yellow/brown water. I've rebuild the waterfall, made more drainage for water to go from one side to the other. 

It's still recovering right now, i'll post pictures when it looks half way decent.


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## gundog100

what have you/are you going to put in there, fish and frogs?


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## Carinya

Sorry to hear you had to re-do the waterfall. I can relate to that "it's not quite right and I won't be happy until it is fixed" feeling, which is also closely related to the "none of my tanks are ever really 100% done" attitude. I made what amounts to basically a practice viv in a 5.5g for some western chorus froglets my kids & I were bringing up from tadpoles and in hindsight I agree with you that it would be more visually pleasing to make sure the water doesn't come in contact with the substrate because of the water discoloration. (Can you believe I put a water feature in a 5.5?!)

Thanks for documenting your build so thoroughly.

C


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## bronz

Hi Nick how's the tank, got anything new in there? I've just started a similar size and styled tank and your thorough journal has been invaluable.


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## NickBoudin

I'll have to update this thread sometime. I turned it into a normal vivarium for pygmy chameleons. I decided that since I was having so much trouble with the water portion of the tank, and getting everything to work together, I could just use it as a learning experience for my next one. 


Dont worry, I'll post pics in the future.


Glad you enjoyed, 
Nick


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## Derek Benson

How many pygmys did you put in there? I have like 4 in a 10 gallon and never see them, ha...


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## NickBoudin

I have just a single female right now, plan to get about 6. You need to get a bigger tank for yours. I'd say a pair or trio is fine in a 10, but not 4 man.


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## Derek Benson

Mine have laid eggs in my tank and seem to be doing fine about a year. No need to give me care information on these, only starting conversation.


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## pet-teez

Great size for some pygmys! I can't wait to see new pictures, I've liked pygmy chams for about 6 years but I've never ventured into actually picking any up... maybe one day 



NickBoudin said:


> I'll have to update this thread sometime. I turned it into a normal vivarium for pygmy chameleons. I decided that since I was having so much trouble with the water portion of the tank, and getting everything to work together, I could just use it as a learning experience for my next one.
> Dont worry, I'll post pics in the future.
> Glad you enjoyed,
> Nick


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## NickBoudin

Here's some updated pictures. 





































Hope you enjoy it. It holds 3 pygmy chameleons. 1 is a different species then the others and was unfortunetaly picked up for me at a reptile show by a buddy of mine who was told he got a pair of the same. 

Thanks for looking,
Nick


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## Jeremiah

Great looking tank.

Ditch the chameleons and get a pair of pumilio in their! J/K


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## NickBoudin

Too expensive right now. I'm waiting on a good deal.  

I plan on building a corner vivarium for darts in the future.


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## NickBoudin

I got a group of 4 galac's. I'm probably going to redo this tank, and put them in it!


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## snackpack

what color morph?


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## clwatkins10

Got any pics of the chams? Nice tank!


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## NickBoudin

They're yellow. I got 4 for under 140 so I couldent pass it up. Not many pictures right now, but I'll show you some older ones!









Here's the "big" (under 3 inches) Male.

I cant find any pictures of the 2 female, but they are a different species then the male, unfortunetaly.

Here's one of 4 darts. 










Sorry for the crapy photos.

Here's a little picture of my B&W Tegu, Toby, too.

He's my fav.


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## NickBoudin

Here's an update on this tank.




























Enjoy!


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