# ~290 gal. Peruvian Biotope Pauldarium



## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Now that my other tank which was not doorway friendly is gone, I finally get to start on something I've been planning for the past several months.

Thankfully, there is a great build thread which made this process a lot easier. I am referring to this : http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/52841-300gal-paludarium-project.html

This tank will be roughly the same dimensions (60 x 28 x 41). The water area will only be about 8-10 in high and be in the form of a stream from the right viewing window to the left. Typical egg crate false bottom setup which will be hidden by hand carved foam/drylok rocks. As well as a large rock/tree background.

The inside of the tank will be fiberglassed and then coated in WetSuit Liquid Rubber (which they use to waterproof Koi ponds). The double coating is to help prevent microcracks in the epoxy/fiberglass from leaking which may form when the tank is moved a couple of times over the next few years. The stand/tank/canopy will be covered in grey formica/laminate akin to an ADA style stand.

Lighting will be DIY LED's controlled by my ReefAngel. The tank will drain into a sump (to facilitate water changes) and the return will be split 3 ways (circulate water under the FB, waterfall/trickle, and main return under the waterfall). I'm throttling down the waterfall because my wife said she would kill me if it sounded like running water all the time.

I may or may not be able to add some Dwarf Pencilfish (_Nannostomus marginatus_) to the water feature, I have a few concerns about adding WC fish in with frogs. I'm hoping to add my group of A. pepperi to the tank and maybe another frog (thinking about H. azureiventris) depending on how well it all comes together. I was thinking about Gonatodes humeralis as a tankmate, but I realized that this was something better left in fantasy land rather than reality.

The plants will come from a list I have put together here: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/77663-peru-plantlist.html
The more I look the more plants I find though so aside from carving, plant locating is going to take up a lot of time.

Enough yapping and now some cruddy pictures of a test rock a did a while ago.
















































Not the greatest rock ever, but it was my first try.

More to come next weekend!


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Subscribed!


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## froggies3 (Feb 1, 2011)

COOL can't wait!!!!


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

lookin forward to seeing this come together!


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

u should get some ameerega bassleri chrome
those are amazing if u can afford ~175 apiece


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

I won't be putting another Ameerega sp. in with the pepperi I already have. Here are some pictures of a couple in their grow out tank.


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## mmcguffi (Mar 16, 2012)

woah, really neat little frog!


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

stevenhman said:


> I won't be putting another Ameerega sp. in with the pepperi I already have. Here are some pictures of a couple in their grow out tank.


Oh I didn't know u already had them...


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

Hey, I've got 4 pepperi in a more modest paludarium set up and they love it. 

One design suggestion is that when you're doing the background make sure that there is elevated horizontal space up on the walls if you want them to use as much space as possible.


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

also, did you get those from UE or are those part of the european rood line which apparently Mark says are one and the same; the first frog pictured has got some beautiful red to its coloration.


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Thanks for the advice - that is definitely one thing I've been trying to keep in mind while imagining what the hardscape is gonna look like.

Same line as yours, "rood." You bought up all the other ones while I had to pay medical bills, hahaha.

I supplement every now and then with Superpig - they seem to enjoy snacking down on microfauna more than flies so I dust SuperCal way more. Odd thing is the iso's love, love, love the left over Superpig. They are much more orange than red, must be a trick of the pothos shadow.


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

maybe we'll have to do a trade depending on how the sex of our frogs turns out, how many do you have all together?


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

^ we took things to PM in case anyone thought I was rude not to answer questions 

Not a whole lot going on - waiting on lots of things to arrive in the mail. Got the fogger retrofitted and fiddled with the misting setup. Fans, fan controller, 3 pin extensions, epoxy (etc etc), ecoweb, plumbing supplies (ball valves,bulkheads,locline,heater, dripwall pump etc), door track, Kreg jig, and probably another thing or two are all shipped/being shipped this week.

Hopefully this weekend I will have most of the pieces cut for the main body of the tank and might have the stand built. I'll be going the traditional 2x4 route and skinning it with 1/4in ply.

I may or may not end up using laminate to skin everything - scratches in paint are a heck of a lot easier to fix than nasty gouges in laminate. It's still a while to that stage so we'll see how it goes.


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Got LED's today and I had to buy a bunch of tools and clamps etc. because my friendly neighbor who was going to help cut everything is now moving on the 1st of next month.

For lighting I'm running 48 3w Bridgelux LED's. Two Meanwell ELN-60-48P drivers which will run 24 LED's each in 2 parallel strings of 12. I'll be making a heatsink and mounting hardware out of aluminum U channel and angle.

Here is a quick shot of some LED's while I was testing them.










Thankfully I did a test batch of epoxy... either I didn't get my ratios right, didn't mix thoroughly enough, or I should've shaken the hardener. 24hrs later and my test piece is still not cured.


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Got most of the wood cut for the stand today. 

Ran into quite a bit of trouble. The factory 0 (or 90 deg) setting on my circular saw was really more like 87-88 degrees so all my first cuts have a noticeable...deficit. Also, the guide I was using turned wonky in the middle of cutting and would bow out about 1/16th of an inch. Lots and lots of sanding and triple checking to do tomorrow.


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## boombotty (Oct 12, 2005)

I had the same issue with my old table saw. I used a 2 part stainable wood filler in the gaps that looked great after sanded, stained, and cleared. If you use it, make sure you get the filler that takes the hardener, it will shrink alot less than the 1 componet stuff.
Looks like you get to make up a big batch of clay again  Can't wait to see this beast done.


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## Giga (Mar 31, 2011)

I'm building led to for my tank to be cool to see the results on plants


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Scott - I have quite a bit of epoxy that I could use to help fill gaps. Since I'm just going to paint this sucker (laminate would be another $200 or so) I was thinking about just using bondo. I have about 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket full of clay substrate waiting for its new home 

Giga - Me too! I think I may have gone a bit overboard with 48 LED's, but they will be run on a controller so I can adjust the % that is powered. LED's are going to be near the last thing I do so it may be a while!


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Here is what has been happening for the past...while. Still loads more to do.

Workbench etc. while testing the epoxy and fiberglass










The epoxy & hardener










The cheap plywood I was using to test sucked up a lot of epoxy in knotholes and along certain rougher areas. You can see the dry spot and the shiny epoxy.










Here is a shot of some epoxy thickened with cabosil that I tried using along the corner as a fileting material.










I rented a truck from Home Depot and loaded up the wood and raced home ahead of the rain. Here is a nice shot of 300 some odd pounds of wood I got to load and unload myself - whee!










Ooooo!










Getting ready to mark up all the wood.










About to start on the 1st sheet. 










Everything marked up, wood for 4 sides of the tank on the left - stand and tank base in the pile on the right.










Cut Day! I noticed that I had put the shop vac hose into the exhaust after I had made my first cut. Lots of sawdust blown everywhere.










After lots of problems I mentioned earlier - I did quite a bit of sanding tonight. Here I was drilling the face of the stand's side supports.










I got a bit overzealous and didn't drill this the way I wanted. I saw the two holes in the jig and just went for it. 










Close up of pocket hole and some damage.










More damage on the 'back' side of the stand. I just sanded flush the parts where I would be attaching other pieces. (I tried to sand flush the top and bottom of the stand especially)










Here is one of my many,many friends who joined me in the garage tonight. My wife put up several fly strips and went on a shoe rampage.










Some random pictures:

WetSuit 1-Part Liquid Rubber bucket










Fan Controller and one of the fans - they're really quiet.




















Well, that's it for now!


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## ynotnad (Dec 21, 2009)

Looks great so far can not wait to see all the wood working completed.

Here are a couple tricks to help with your cuts, when you cut your plywood put down some painters tape and that will help to minimize the chipping where you cut. Also if you get a blade with more teeth that will also help, I use the Freud Diablo 80 tooth and have all most zero chipping. Also a real easy and cheap way to create a straight edge for your saw is to pick up a piece of the steel angle they sell at Home Depot and that will help with the bowing that happens when using something that flexes.

Tony


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Thanks for the advice Tony! 

I cut the 'back' piece with the old 24 (?) tooth blade, saw the damage, asked the internet, and then went to Lowes and got the highest tooth count blade they had. I ended up with a 60 tooth (7 1/4in saw) Dewalt blade. The 30ish tooth table saw (10in) seems to cut much smoother than the high count circular saw. I'll have to make another run today then and get that steel angle and a framing square - I have some aluminum U channel and angle, but that flexes a lot as well.


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## masterkush (Aug 17, 2011)

looking good


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

looking forward to watching this come together. Very impressive


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Slowly coming together. Some problems here and there - mostly in cutting a few things just 1/2 of a blade width too short or too long. 

I mentioned earlier that I was going to skip the 1x4 framing like in thedeeb's thread, but I said screw it and went with what worked for him and what I could see pictures of. 

Here is the stand 'frame' together. Basically just the 3/4in ply casing.










Here it is getting the first layer of 1x4's in.










I don't know how much this technique helped, but I know you tighten up tire lug nuts in an opposite alternating pattern so I tried to apply the same idea to the somewhat warpy 1x4's.



















Every hole for every screw has been pre-drilled. I've already broken one drill bit, hahaha.

Back corner with pocket holes










Basic final framing on the top.










More pocket holes










I just wanted to get a better feel for how...large this is gonna be so I put the uncut front panel up on the stand to get a feel for things.










This is what happened when the circular saw jumped.










And a void in the plywood that was pretty deep. I filled this (and other voids/gaps in the stand) with epoxy thickened 1:1 with cabosil.










I've gotten a bit more done than I have pictures for, but gonna wait til I have the stand done.

I have family coming in this week so I'm probably not gonna get much done. Everything is taking a lot lot longer than I thought, but the day I rushed things it did not turn out well at all.


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Looming forward to the next update but don't rush perfection


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## Hubla75 (Jan 17, 2012)

subscribed to this one!


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## the_deeb (Apr 21, 2008)

stevenhman said:


> Basic final framing on the top.


This is great! Total deja vu - I feel like my old tank is being reborn


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Haha, thanks! I don't know diddly about woodworking so copying your pictures helps a lot.


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## moraki (Nov 5, 2011)

Nice work, and your woodworking skills are coming all just fine. The steel angle works fine, but i generally recommend a 50 inch clamp on saw guide. You can pick up one for 30 bucks if you do anymore projects like this. 

And don't kill those over sized mosquitoes, they actually hunt and eat the normal sized ones that bite you  In more rural areas they are called Skeeter Hawks.


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Thanks, I got the only saw guide I could find at the store.

Crane fly - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## nevertoomany (Jul 25, 2011)

Definately going to be watching this one! I have been looking into building one for my self as well. Where did you get the Wetsuit 1-Part from?


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Thanks! 

Neptune Coatings : Neptune Coatings


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## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

Interesting product. How was the cost compared to just using enough epoxy if I may ask?

Also, are you planning on spraying or brushing/rolling it on? It seems fairly viscous so I'm guessing it needs an airless sprayer to get up to around 2000 psi... similar to spraying epoxies or pond armor.

Looking forward to see how this progresses!


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Hrm... I think one gallon is $40 ish. You apply it with a large brush (like a concrete brush, 6in wide). I believe that they make a sprayable product that is more for the professional koi pond application needs. I think it comes in 55 gallon barrels like that. Give them a call and they're usually happy to answer all kinds of questions (I know firsthand!). You also use this 'Invisilink' stuff which is basically a reinforcement fabric. I'll go over the application process when I apply mine and go over any problems I run into.

I wanted the double layered protection because of problems people have had with epoxy only tanks (micro-cracks from temperature fluctuations and moving tanks around). The liquid rubber will also help protect the epoxy from UV damage. I believe the US Composites brand of epoxy is not UV resistant/stable whereas some other epoxies are.


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## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

I like that idea! The liquid rubber is thicker and much more flexible so I imagine that stress fractures or temperature expansion/contraction isn't a big deal.


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## Mindgamz22 (Apr 24, 2012)

Hi Steven. I have been reading the boards for the last couple of weeks as I am starting to prepare a vivarium for dart frogs, and this site is full of good information. I had to ask you a question, if you don't mind.

I am building a tortoise table right now for my sulcata who needs more space, and I was wondering if the rubbercoat would be safe to use as on the wood under the soil/eco earth substrate to protect the wood from moisture. 

I had to subscribe to this thread, because I want to see this tank completed.

Good luck, and thank you!


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

I don't see how it wouldn't be safe, but I'm not sure if the tortoise could/would dig down and damage it.


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Family time has passed, but now it's exam time - I got a bit of work done since last time.

Back legs going on (the stand is flipped upside down)



















Flipping the stand after putting cross members on the bottom for the inside base of the stand to rest on.










Profile(ish) shot of the completed back legs










Stand bottom in (FINALLY in, getting all the slots cut properly then large enough to wiggle the whole piece in was such an enormous PITA - I briefly considered making this thing firewood)










Front leg in (probably going to add another layer to it, this time out of 1/2in ply so my door hinges will line up the way I want.)










In the meantime, between bouts of unbridled fury, I took some time to calm down by doing electrical stuff.

This is the enclosure for all the LED wiring stuff. It's a 24 key lockbox I got at the discount store for like $10 because some genius had changed the combination and locked the box. I used my trusty dremel to grind off the rivets holding the locking mechanism to the case.

Cutting holes for fans.










Lots of sparks, thankfully the paper did not catch on fire.

Cut all the little key hook doohickies off.










They fit!










Drivers will go on one side, and everything else will go on the other. I'll put a 12v DC power supply in for the fans as well.

Here is the computer power supply I am going to use to power the fans that are going up to the tank. I had to take the cover off so I could remove the fan and make it fit inside my PC case.










These are the 2 wires that control the ON/OFF for the PSU, you have to touch them together for it to come on. I'll be putting it on a nice switch later.










Gutted case










Fan controller in the 5.25in bay, I can also put in a controller in the other bay if I need fans somewhere else.










Big mess of fans. All the 3 pin extensions are labeled by their fan number. I have quite a few more 48in extensions to make it all the way up and over the tank.










Everything works!!











Next step is cutting out the windows in the tank's front and side, lots and lots of sanding, painting the stand, then putting the tank together.

I'm going to paint the outside of the tank after I get the glass in so I can spot any potential nasty leaks easier.


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## Giga (Mar 31, 2011)

looks great!


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Not a whole lot to report. Really more to say about my failings at carpentry. I've been sanding down the edges of the main body plywood and have run into an infuriating problem. My orbital sander has this nice foam pad underneath the sandpaper - while sanding it creates a super awesome curve in the wood almost like this -> ( . So, after sanding down all the edges today for more than an hour, then trying to use a sanding block I peeled up a bit of the top layer of plywood on the corner. I'm seriously considering hiring a real carpenter with one of those edge planer's to save me time and my sanity.

Lots of little bits are done, but not really enough to talk about until it's their turn in construction.


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## Dartolution (May 30, 2011)

Ewwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! Im watching!

Thanks for posting the pictures of how you built your stand...
I need to build one for a viv of mine (36"x24"x18") and really have NO carpentry skills at all to do it so, ... visual aids help! lol


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## froggies3 (Feb 1, 2011)

Update!!!!!! No, but really we neeeeeeed an update.


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

With temperatures consistently over 90 (up to 108), working in the garage in my spare time for 'fun' was....not appealing. Taking 18 hours of summer classes also takes up most of my time.

I've purchased an electric hand planer and have painstakingly been taking 1/32 of an inch at a time off the edges of the main body parts of the tank. Since it's been so long since I've worked with my plans and drawings - I'm going to take a while to review and remeasure everything.

As for some progress, I've started collecting plants for grow out until the tank is ready. This was also put on hold due to crazy hot weather.

Fear not that this project won't happen - the materials to make it essentially can't be resold or repurposed.


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## emallard25 (Jun 28, 2012)

Looks exciting, definitely subscribed.


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## froggirl (Jul 1, 2012)

Looks like a big job...lol..


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

yea dude, what's taking so long


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

winstonamc said:


> yea dude, what's taking so long


Haha, trying not to fail my summer courses and avoid heat exhaustion at the same time!  If my garage had AC things might go better. It does cool down enough to work at night, but I don't wanna be 'that guy' with the garage door open using powertools late at night - one of the many drawbacks of living in a crowded subdivision.


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## tnwalkers (Jul 15, 2012)

im gonna tag along for the ride on this one


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

how is this beast coming along? have you been able to start up again?


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

seriously, I think we're all about out of bated breath


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

This tank is on hold until I know if the main body tank sheets can be salvaged. If not then I've lost quite a bit of expensive wood which I will have to have professionally cut. I can epoxy and drill pocket hole screws like a champ so that's basically the major hold back. Also, cure time during the winter might be a challenge. The garage stays in the upper 50's when it's below freezing so with enough plastic sheeting and a space heater we might be in business.

I've gathered (and lost) quite a few plants by now - they're just waiting for me to get off my ass and finish their new house.

I'm reviewing LED wiring procedure and have mostly finished the ballast/control box.

*
Pictures*


Bad cut!










Ballast box on/off switch & power input. Also, exhaust fan cutout.










Inside of box painted - the old key hooks came off easy with a metal cutting wheel and dremel, sanded and painted. Need to epoxy in mounting hardware for ballasts, wiring in fuses & PWM output to ReefAngel. Exhaust fans installed. I didnt know how much heat dual ballasts would generate to there is one 40mm x 20mm fan each on exhaust & input duty.










Dry fit of ballasts and exhaust/input fan DC converter. Check your ratings!!! Make sure that the DC converter you use will be underpowered enough not to generate much excess heat in such an enclosed space. I think the fans draw less than 300mA each and the converter is rated at near/over 1A.










Close up of power input/switch on 'bottom' of box. (the computer style power input is rated at 15amps so I'm gravy)










Cup CAD









Prototype Fans

















Belly









Belly&Peek









I almost had nightmares about catching these guys in this big tank so they went in a trade to the nicest frogger I know.










This is with a 2 year old's finger for comparison OR a giant mutant!!! 










Fan testing (guinea pig, erm I mean...) volunteer


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## Reeffrog (Dec 9, 2012)

Those fans are pretty cool. Im usually turned off by the way fans are done. I like these.


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