# 20 Gallon Square Construction Journal



## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I've started construction on my viv. I originally thought it was a 30 gallon tall, or so the previous owner had told me. I was doing some measuring and realized it was a 20 gallon square tank. Anyway here are some pictures to begin with. 

My original plan was to create a Mayan wall theme. While researching and experimenting, I've decided that it was too ambitious of a project at the moment. I think it will be better suited for a larger tank, and that I need more experience working with the materials. Therefore, I've decided to go with a simple viv, with a waterfall along the right side. Enough chatter and on to the pictures!! Don't mind the diaper box or other misc stuff in the pics, building it in my laundry room!

Blank Slate (sides siliconed):










False bottom support and siliconed front:









Zoo Meds 501 decided to go with this as a canister filter. Doesn't have a lot of power but wanted an external pump. Will see how it comes out!









Falsebottom in place, small pond for waterfall in the corner:









Added PVC pipe to conceal pump tubing, and front raised area:









Place a few plants in for scale:










I'm going to start the first layer of GS tonight. Will post more pics as things develop.

To everyone that has posted on here, be it construction journals or otherwise,

THANK YOU for all the inspiration and expertise. 

James


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## rhacos (Dec 11, 2007)

What is the fine mesh material you are using over the grate?


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

the mesh is called craft-it artistic stiff plastic canvas. I got it at walmart for about $6. It's not as fine of a mesh as most people use, but I tested it and holds up fine. I used fishing line to connect it to the eggcrate. I got 10 lb test line, should have gone with something stronger though, as it is very thin. I might have a thin layer of LECA on top with regular mesh, still debating that one. suggestions?

James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Also, I am undecided about what I am going to put in here. I've been thinking of either 2 azureus or 2-3 leucs. There is going to be a wood waterfall ledge over the pond. I know ground space is a concern with azureus, but I like them the best. Which should I do???

James


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## dom (Sep 23, 2007)

i like that pump ive had it and had no problems with it.. works really nice


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

good to hear others like the pump. I've read a lot of complaints about it. my test run seemed to do fine, not a high output pump, but I'm not looking for heavy volume. I finished the first layer of GS. not worth posting a pic on. I am considering diverting some of the water for a drip wall on the right side. also, I think I probably should have put the pump input tubing on the other side of the tank from the pond. Didn't think about it earlier, but would probably be better for circulation. Oh well, live and learn. Thats all part of the experience!!

James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Here's an update on my construction.

First, I noticed last night this little gem in a 2.5 gal tank I've put some plants into.

tester tank









Mushroom pic one:









Mushroom pic two:










I finished my second application of GS last night. Here are a couple of pictures. Notice the three tubes for dripwall and waterfall. 

Tankshot:









Closeup of waterfall:









I will be doing some refining on the background and possibly apply the silicone/peat this weekend. Tonight i have the water feature testing.

James


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

Is that shroom already growing? :shock: 

Or did you transplant them?

EDIT:: Oh, I see. I must've read too fast. I thought it was in the tank that you JUST set up :lol: :lol: :lol: That would've been cool.

But it's cool nonetheless.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

this is actually the third time that a shroom has popped up in that place they only last for about a day. I noticed it emerging last night, and tonight it's almost wilted down. . I've had these plants in my 2.5 gal for maybe a month now, and it's the third time. I used soil and some of the plants from outside. Just playing around with this as I set up my bigger viv. I doubt any of those plants will make it into it.

James


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## Regan (Oct 30, 2007)

I tried the pump you're using on my 38 gallon and had some kind of air leak, so I swapped it with the smaller/cheaper submersible one also by exoterra. I also wanted an external pump. I've got this one in a place that I can get to, at least, if it breaks without having to tear apart the false bottom. I'm hoping to use the external to pump water out of this and other tanks when I need to change out the water. 

Good luck with yours! (my problem, also, was there wasn't enough reach in their hoses to get to the water, so I tried to splice together hoses to no effect)


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I have had some trouble with this filter. It's pull really is not very strong. the tubes that come with it are entirely way too short for many applications. I've had to modify mine just to reach the water, and now I am faced with trying to hang this pump close to the top because it won't reach the table my viv will be on. I've seen that you can purchase hangers for them, however, I will most likely create something myself. I have modified the output to divide three ways into a dripwall and waterfall feature, so far the testing was fairly promising. Will be tweaking with the division part (explain later with pictures) 

In my design, I wanted to account for a change in the external pump system. I placed a PVC pipe to hold my tubing along the left side. This is wide enough that I could add a second pump if necessary. I've seen some DIY sites for canister filters. I may try my hand at changing to a strong pump if this one doesn't work.

Construction is coming along. I finished my last of the GS application, and will begin applying silicone/coco fiber tonight. Will post pictures soon!

James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I have finished the background this weekend. The silicone process was not as difficult as I had thought. When I used black silicone to cover the sides up, it was much harder to use. Both were GE II. Anyway, it went much smoother than I had thought. I added in some moss fragments to the mix of coco fiber, it was locally collected moss, so I hope it will begin growth. I know have it in place and will let the last of the silicone cure for the next day or so before I start adding water and plants. Here are the latest pics!

Last of the GS applications!












Full front view of tank in place.









Left side view, waterfall off the wood sticking out, give it a cavelike feature underneath.










I'll prob place a few plants in tonight, and add some more over the next few days. Still need to make a trip to get the majority.


What ya think???

James


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## dom (Sep 23, 2007)

looking good!!!!


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

here are a few more pics. I've added a few plants, filled the pond, and misted the tank down. Now for the question. What frogs to put into here? My wife and daughter keep saying "blue frogs". Do you think there is enough land are for two azureus or two tincs?? I know it's got more height than ground cover. what about a few thumbnails?

What would you put into here? Sorry for the clarity, had just misted it.

Full tank:










Looking down from above:









From the left:









From the right:










What would you put into here??

James


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

Well I say thumbs 

But you need WAY more broms and background plants for them  The denser the better.....and leaf litter is your friend.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

my collection of plants is quite sparse right now. I am planning to hit a few nurseries sometime this week. I'm having some trouble with the water feature. I'm using the zoo meds 501, I know, not that strong of a pump, but my problem is dividing it into three streams using air supply tubing. With one stream, I get a strong flow (shoots across the tank) from each of my tubes. I bought some connectors from HD, and then a gang valve to split it into three, for some reason nothing really comes out of any of the tubes when connected to the GV. Have to work with it some more tonight. right now only one stream for the waterfall is running. It will be awhile before I would put any frogs in. I want to ensure it is a stable environment and give time for plants to grow in. 

James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I've added the last of the plants, at least for now. Now its time to let everything grow in. I have one brom, a miniature orchid (Masadevallia hybrid), various ferns and other plants from home depot. some ivy along the back, a peace lily in the pond, and some dwarf baby tears spread around on the background and the flooring. I guess we will see what takes!

I've had to do some work to get the water feature working correctly. I ended up adding GS/Silicon/coco by the water fall to keep it from saturating the rest of the substrate. This seems to be working, I still need to cover up where the water hits as you can see some GS. Should be an easy fix. I have a slow drip wall on the far right, which seems to be working wonderfully. I have adjusters for the three water tubs so I can change the flow when I want to. The last thing I need to do is add some leaf litter and moss to the top of the substrate. Will most likely do this later today. 

I'm quite happy with how it has turned out. Now I'm looking forward to watching it grow. I'm still undecided about what frogs to put in. I think it will either be a pair of D. auratus or D. azureus. I decided against thumbs because I don't feel there is enough vertical areas for them. There is very little that sticks out far from the background. 

And now for the latest pics!

Full tanks:










Top view:










Waterfall view one:










Waterfall view two:










Comments?


James


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## Abbathx (Aug 15, 2007)

very nice! i like it~ a few more plants in the background couldn't hurt.
but very good start


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

before I put anymore in, I want to let it grow out some. I know it does look sparse, but I'm sure it's going to grow in fairly quickly. If not, then I'll add some more.

James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Update: Viv has been up and running for almost two weeks. I've had a few plants start to wilt, changed some positions, adjusted my water features, and seeded with isopods some isopods. The blooms on my orchid have fallen off, I hope they will come back in time. I've been using an exo-terra sunglow bulb that was given to me with the tank to help supplement the light. I only have it on when I'm in the room though, as it gets quite hot. Some plant growth has occurred and I'm waiting on a Current USA Satellite 40W 20' with moonlight setup I won on Ebay to increase the lighting in the viv. Here are some latest pics. I've tried being creative with some to display different views of the tank. 

Full tank view









Angled look towards the right side









Angled look towards the left side









Watefall 









Across the pond towards the land









Isopods (rollie pollies, pill bugs) on the background









James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I recieved my new light and took some more pics. It is a Current USA 20 inch with moonlight. It came with a 10,000k/460nm actinic sunpaq, so I will most likely be changing it out for a full daylight one. The latest of my dendro diaries is that my brom is probably not going to make it. starting to show signs of rot in the middle leaf. I am planning on buying a few more to replace it and suction cup the others to the glass. Also, I have a mushroom coming up on a piece of wood. I have seem growth in a number of my plants. I might be making another trip to get plants this weekend. 

Pics:

99 cent brom from HD, there is some rot in the center:










Mushroom day one:









Mushroom day two (about 1 inch tall):









Moonlight feature, full tank. Not a great pic, but gives the effect:









Zoomed up on plants to show moonlight effect:










James


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Update 2/1/08

Here are the latest pics. I had bought 3 shrimp for my pond. After having them for over a week, 2 died, the third is doing well. I wonder if they fight in small areas? Here are the pics!

Full tank view:









Side shot:









Looking down, small fly on the condensation:









My remaining Shrimp:









Mold on a plant:









Waterfall/pond view, duckweed growing:









Moss growing in on top of my waterfall:









New growth in my brom Look between the two layers. I think it is pushing out the center leaves!!:










James


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## MonopolyBag (Jun 3, 2007)

Shrimp...? hm... will these bother the frogs? I never heard of anyone using them in the water features.

At least my water feature is a bit acidic and water quality not kept to fresh, water quality is a lot like a jungle stream, not fresh water.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

the shrimp are considered non aggressive and do not get out of the water, so I don't see them being an issue with frogs. Jungle streams are freshwater, but yeah, in many situations, they are highly acidic compared to a temperate stream or lake. The shrimp I have are native to Taiwan so I would imagine their natural habitat to be fairly acidic. I originally bought three and two died within two weeks, but the third is doing quite well. 

I wanted to have something besides the frogs, and my water feature is fairly small so I didn't want to try fish. The same fish store also has freshwater clams, so I may try one of them as well. 

James


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Nice viv! It might be the water.. i think the shrimp do better in cleaner water. They do like acidic water..i may try 2 in my water feature just to see..but i think i made my water feature too small? let us know how the third is doing


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## Android1313 (Dec 15, 2006)

Viv looks very nice!. You may want to stay away from the clams. If youve ever smelled a dead one, you know what I mean. :lol:


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Just returned from the Mid-Atlantic Dendro Society meeting and thought I'd post my updated viv. Thanks Scott and Mike for the plant cuttings. I think they helped to fill out my background. There are also a few more plants bought from the local nursery last weekend. 

On a sadder note, the last of my shrimp died either last night or today. I guess it wasn't a good fit for them. I have read that they prefer clear water and mine is quite brown from the plants. Maybe it was just too much for them. I really wish I had placed my filter input on the other side of the tank. I don't think the water circulates well enough. 

Latest picture:


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Your tank is coming along quite nicely. Sorry to hear about your shrimp, i use to breed crystal red shrimp and cherry red shrimp for a while and did lots of research on them and from what i remember they do prefer clean water with frequent water changes and acidic water. Not sure what you were feeding them or if you were at all but Hikari algae wafers and hikari crab cuisine are 2 foods which i fed mine.


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