# FrogFevers 55g Display Tank Build...



## FrogFever

The time has come... I've been gathering supplies and brainstorming the design for about 6 weeks now. I've ran out of space in my frog room so this one will be front and center in my living room. This is my umpteenth build and I'm going big this time.

I first picked up a 55g tank at Goodwill: $25!

My next step was to paint the wood grain frame to black.
Sanded it down, painted it, and finished with a few layers of clear coat.








Look at the mess of stuff. Unfortunately my new place does NOT have a garage!
Luckily my roommates are understanding. But they'll love it when its done.
(Still looking for a beautiful black stand).

Next step I went to ACE hardware to get glass cut to section off a quarter of the tank to allow for a water feature utilizing a real slate waterfall.








The two glass pieces cost me only $2! (They know me there now). One horizontal piece and one vertical piece to block water that may try to leak through the great stuff and into the substrate section.
I used Aquarium silicone which I ordered on Amazon: $12. The silicone spreading tools: $3 at Home Depot.
I water tested it today and its doing its job so far.


The next step is of course, the egg crate layout. I personally prefer to use this method for a false bottom to reduce the weight a bit and also so I don't have to use so much LECA balls.
Eggcrate at Home Depot: $11 for a huge sheet
Wire cutters: $5
Small zip ties: free (they were in with my girls medication in the mail?) 








PVC pipes layed out









bottom base, hideout cave, water area slope, waterpump/waterfall tower
Malaysian driftwood: I won in a ZooMed contest!









water area view









I was initially going to just make a mound out of this, but as I was designing it I decided to make it more useful by making it a mound as well as a cave.









Here you can see how I put the powerhead pump tubing and electrical cord through the pvc pipe for easy removal if I have to get to it.
Sunterra powerhead: $13 on Amazon
1/2 in plastic tubing: $4 for numerous feet
black pvc: $2









These are the doors that open allowing me to access the pump should I need to do so.









This tower will hold the slate pieces that make up the waterfall. I will be using great stuff to hold them in, somehow. This is going to be an extremely hard task to make them all sit and stay set in place. Most likely the hardest and most tedious part of the whole build.
The black pvc piece on top is where the water will be draining into from the tube, spilling out each side, and I'll drill a couple holes in the center too.


Everyone please do subscribe to this as I have many more goodies yet to come. In tank circulation fans in custom housing, LEDs, rock ledges, glass canopy, glow in the dark mushrooms (thanks GRIMM), and some other ideas that I've personally never seen and am not even sure how I'm going to pull off yet!

Coming soon: the slate waterfall feature build...








I found these scrap slate pieces at a stone company for about .26 a pound (or some ridiculously low price) so this all cost me less than $3.









Here's me sanding them down so they don't cut my froggys!
Sandpaper: $3

I'll try to post more updated pictures tomorrow...

Questions and comments always appreciated.


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## FrogFever

Just started working on my in tank fan circulation setup. I must credit GRIMM because he was my inspiration behind this whole system. 
Following in his footsteps I bought these super quiet Suscool fans from Amazon as well as a Y adapter and a Fan Mate speed controller.










Suscool 7 blade design: $9 each









Fan Mate: $9
2 to 1 Y converter: $3









I used Plaskolite for the housing of the fans. It is pretty dang easy to work with. You can use a razor or a special Plaskolite cutting tool.
Plaskolite sheet at Home Depot: $8
Cutting Tool: $3









I then used black duct tape to hold it all together (it will all be covered by great stuff and/or brown silicone).










All plugged in. Just have to add some screen to cover up the intake and outtakes. I found that any angle given to the housing will take away from its power and putting screen over it will have the same smothering effect.









These fans are nearly silent!









Fans siliconed to back wall.
Eggcrate structures are now all covered with weed blocker- 3 x 50ft roll: $13 at Homedepot
Also shown new pieces of driftwood i picked up. 2 small pieces for $8.

Now its time to do some shrooms!!

My girl and I got this idea once again, from GRIMM.
We used brown and white sculpey clay ($5) and water based acrylic paints ($.75 each) We molded them, baked them, painted them, and will probably do another touch up coating, clear coat, and THEN they will be painted with powerful glow in the dark green and blue paint, then more clear coat.









Kind of our practice run. (Its tough to be as creative and precise as GRIMM.) Next time they will be more realistic.









The glow in the dark paint I used is by GlowInc! $8 bucks for 1/2 oz. I got bright green (24+ hours of glow) and Pure blue (3 hours glow time)









Probably going to change the brown dots to bright red for that classic cartoon mushroom look.

Another amazing idea I took a liking to as welll... making fake vines/roots. 
I figure copying someone else's ideas and bringing them to life myself is a sincere form of flattery. 









So for this I went and bought different strands of rope: $5
Toluene ($8 at Aces Hardware) Essentially this is used as a thinning agent for the silicone so it more thoroughly coats items better. There was a fairly long discussion on another thread about the safety of this stuff and after all the reading I deemed it to be safe for my viv (after it cured/dryed and evaporated). Another option to check out would be natural based turpentine.
Brown silicone II: $6









The mixture I used was 2 parts silicone to 1 part toluene to 1 part peat moss
I mixed the Silicone and toluene together first to make it real soupy (thin) and then mixed in the peat moss. Once the ropes were completely covered they were then dipped in dry peat moss. I had to do a couple coats and they came out looking like this!









I particularly like the thin strands of rope that started to come undone from the rest of it.








I then took 3 or 4 rope strands and tied them together on top with a zip tie (which will eventually be covered in silicone). They end looking like bunches of roots.









My lovely assistant/girlfriend Crystal displaying the finished product.



And now for a couple of my newly acquired toys...








I got this High Pressure Sodium Marine Lighting setup for free!
I met a friend of mines friend, one time, we started talking, and he told me had some extra things from his reef tank. I told him I'd take it all off his hands for some cash. He just told me to take it for free and get it out of his sight!
I got a 40 gallon tank, Cascade 700 Canister filter, numerous lights, pumps, crazy pipe things, more crazy acrylic sump things, a black bakers rack and a bunch of other stuff I don't even know what to do with!
I have since gifted all of the salt water setup stuff to my girls brother who will put it all to good use.

Here is the perfect light for my 55 gallon!










(You can see the ridiculously heavy ballast on the left)

Not sure of the brand because its not listed anywhere, but I have to imagine its a couple hundred bucks at least. Anyone recognize it?









And the bright blue flourescents that are built into it just made my day! Hell, it made my entire build!

Its shining beautifully after I cleaned all the years of salt and dust out of it!

And...
I personally only know of two other vivs that have these lights incorporated into them.
Much thanks to Dendrodave for the idea.









These are called Lights in Flight. What they are is firefly resembling patio light sets. They come in strands of 10 lights and they randomly light up for a couple/few seconds each and then fade away. There may be 0-8 lights on at one given time.
Super cool idea if I can get them to successfully fit them and get them to work in my viv.









I got 2 sets at Lowes. $13 each.









These are of course pictures taken at night. Video camera would do much more justice.
I'll post some more pictures further along as the build progresses.

If anyone has any questions or comments please feel free to comment or PM me.

Be sure to subscribe because there is tons more to come!


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## parkanz2

Lookin good! I'm excited to see you progress with it.

Max


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## diggenem

This build looks very promising. Your mushroom looks great IMO. Are you going with an Avatar motif?


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## winstonamc

looks like this is gonna be a sweet one, looking forward to watching the progress


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## B-NICE

This viv is already looking great. I have to check out those fire fly lights. I've also tried to get some of those mushrooms off Grimm but it was a no go.


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## GRIMM

Oh gee golly gosh darnet, you done made me blush from flattery 

Haha looks like a good start bud. Send me a pm if you have any further questions.

Also, how do the shrooms looks with the glow paint applied over the coloured paint? I usually add the colour details last because the grainy glow paint seems like it would cover them all up. Friggen bright stuff though eh!? Especially if you do 4-5 coats of it like me, its just rediculously bright.


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## eos

Nice build so far... I'll tag along for the ride.... and your wallpaper is awesome! Diggin the power lines.


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## jester61288

Nice work so far..can wait to see the finished product


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## FrogFever

Thank you all so much for the encouraging comments! I can't even begin to express how excited I am for this little indoor rainforest to be finished. This is the culmination of my vivarium building endeavors in the last 10 months. 
I've been patient with this one as to not forget or overlook anything and everything has fallen into its right place so I will continue to take it slow. Well, maybe... haha. I can't seem to think about anything besides it!
The next post you guys will see is of my slate waterfall... and wow. Its not finished yet, but it has far surpassed how I envisioned it would be. 
Diggenem- The Avatar theme is a great concept! Afterall, its one of my favorite movies just cause its so beautiful. I may have to figure out how to get some crazy blue striped frogs.
GRIMM- I mean it. I'm new to the hobby and you are a huge inspiration to me, and countless others. Extremely creative and very helpful.
And I've not actually put any glow paint on the shrooms yet per se, but I have the paint and it glows super bright in its jar! 
Oh so many things yet to do.


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## BethInAK

this looks great - the vines are some of the nicest i have seen!! (cute girlfriend too and I like your hair!!)


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## FrogFever

Why thank you Beth. I like to think so too.


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## FrogFever

GRIMM said:


> Oh gee golly gosh darnet, you done made me blush from flattery
> 
> Haha looks like a good start bud. Send me a pm if you have any further questions.


Hey Grimm, I figured I'd post publicly in case some others have the same questions..

1. As far as wattage/volts/amps go for the fan setup I want to make sure that I've got it right... 
I used all the same equipment you have sand you mentioned that the volts should be equal to the fans. I found an old phone charger that is listed as having INPUT: 100-120VAC 50/60Hz 0.3 amps
OUTPUT: +12V --- 1A
Is this correct? I ask because with the fans turned all the way up I can only slightly feel them against my hand, although I'm sure they're fine to circulate the air inside the viv. (And I've accounted for the slight loss of power from the restricted angle at which the fans are sitting in the fan housings). From your experience could I maybe use a more powerful charger to push out more air or am I maxed out at where I'm at?

2. I bought some of the Plant stratum substrate that mentioned and I'm planning on using it in the water feature part in addition to/or instead of pebble rocks. I don't know much about it but it seems like a great idea. Can I use that solely alone for the water feature substrate? And since I"ll have extra left over should I mix that in with my substrate mix for the rest of the tank or simply put it over the top of the substrate?

3. And finally, I've never had great luck with moss growing, but I've really never tried that much either aside from taking it from outside and hoping it grows on the top of my soil (which I don't really think works at all). 
So you mentioned that you just take spagnum moss and tropical moss and blend them up, put it on the wood pieces, and give it high water and high light. And that's it?
Whenever you find the time. Thanks a bunch.


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## dfrmav

FrogFever said:


> So you mentioned that you just take spagnum moss and tropical moss and blend them up, put it on the wood pieces, and give it high water and high light. And that's it?


Yes, this is what he recommends. I just did this today, mixing 6 different species of moss with sphagnum in a blender. It looks (and smells) absolutely disgusting, but in a month my wood should be covered in green-ness!


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## GRIMM

FrogFever said:


> Hey Grimm, I figured I'd post publicly in case some others have the same questions..
> 
> 1. As far as wattage/volts/amps go for the fan setup I want to make sure that I've got it right...
> I used all the same equipment you have sand you mentioned that the volts should be equal to the fans. I found an old phone charger that is listed as having INPUT: 100-120VAC 50/60Hz 0.3 amps
> OUTPUT: +12V --- 1A
> Is this correct? I ask because with the fans turned all the way up I can only slightly feel them against my hand, although I'm sure they're fine to circulate the air inside the viv. (And I've accounted for the slight loss of power from the restricted angle at which the fans are sitting in the fan housings). From your experience could I maybe use a more powerful charger to push out more air or am I maxed out at where I'm at?
> 
> 2. I bought some of the Plant stratum substrate that mentioned and I'm planning on using it in the water feature part in addition to/or instead of pebble rocks. I don't know much about it but it seems like a great idea. Can I use that solely alone for the water feature substrate? And since I"ll have extra left over should I mix that in with my substrate mix for the rest of the tank or simply put it over the top of the substrate?
> 
> 3. And finally, I've never had great luck with moss growing, but I've really never tried that much either aside from taking it from outside and hoping it grows on the top of my soil (which I don't really think works at all).
> So you mentioned that you just take spagnum moss and tropical moss and blend them up, put it on the wood pieces, and give it high water and high light. And that's it?
> Whenever you find the time. Thanks a bunch.


1. You need both the fan stats, and the transformer stats. They should have the same volts in DC, and the transformer should supply the fan with more amps then it is rated for. What is the cubic feet per minute rating on the fans? Maybe it just isnt a very powerful fan...

2. Yeah I only used the stratum in my water area. I would hold onto any extra you have, because it is expensive and can be used for another tank. Just be sure to have it submerged, or covered with leaves because it sticks to the frogs.

3. Easy peasy



dfrmav said:


> Yes, this is what he recommends. I just did this today, mixing 6 different species of moss with sphagnum in a blender. It looks (and smells) absolutely disgusting, but in a month my wood should be covered in green-ness!


Haha really? Mine smelled amazing when I first blended it up. Kinda like a sweet tropical rainforest. I had some extra and kept it in a bowl. Next day it was horrible lol


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## FrogFever

Thanks guys!
And I used the exact same fans and setup as you did with your tank GRIMM. I think you said it was 12v with a matching 12v. I just didn't know if I needed more amperage from the charger or not.


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## FrogFever

I usually don't use black foam because its harder to come by and more expensive but I had to go with it this time. Luckily I found this brand on Amazon for $10 each. I bought 3.










Alright so I forgot to take a picture of the initial session of the waterfall construction, but here are some pictures of the second session.

I started by using quite a bit of black pond foam on top of the eggcrate. That allowed for the slate to have something to stick to.

I found that after the foam had cured the slate was not really stuck (from being sticky) but instead, the force of the expanding foam wedged the pieces in place. About half of the pieces fell out upon touching them so basically this pond foam isn't as gooey as regular great stuff and it cured very fast so we also encountered the problem of not working fast enough to get the pieces in place. (The tank was laying on its back unlike how its pictured.)








(The first session had A LOT more tape to hold the slate pieces in place.)
So for the second session we used brown silicone to stick the remaining pieces in place so they'd stay put this time. In hindsight of should have used the black silicone...








In my opinion I think the brown definitely made it look 'off' so I planned on covering that all up with more foam.









So far so good but you can see all the big gaps where the slate is missing.








Water test shows that I've got a pretty powerful stream going so I'll have to turn it down a notch or switch to a smaller powerhead.

3rd foam construction session - 2 cans worth of black pond foam used in the tank








Tubing and fan housing concealed; pots, film canisters, and water bowl all set in place...









Right side of tank









Left side








I decided to incorporate more slate pieces in other parts of tank to tie it all together, so its not "just a waterfall"









The foam expanded much more than I anticipated the second time around. BUT it did get rid or the brown silicone look like I wanted.
It looks sloppy to me so I know I have some SERIOUS sculpting/carving to do to clean it up and make it flow. I really enjoy this step though.

I was hoping to find a species that will utilize the climbing areas in this habitat or use the perching spots for calling...
Any recommendations on which species would most enjoy this entire setup? :0


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## FrogFever

Finally got the first coating of Pond Foam carved out. It took me well over 3 hours.
(Right side of tank)









Waterfall area carved out. I added more slate pieces on top to hide the drilled pvc pipe that distributes the water over the rocks.
I do plan on hiding the water tube as well. I am also planning on using one more can of black foam to get spots throughout the tank that I missed before.









I almost decided to not use the Lights in Flight because of the whole technical detail oriented aspect surrounding them, but then I couldn't find the receipt ($26), so I decided to use them! Like I said before, "I've gotta go BIG in this build", so I'm glad I decided to stick with the original plan.









Here you can see how I taped up the lights with painters tape. I did this so that the lights didn't become covered in foam or silicone. It helped out tremendously not having to worry about how they were laying in the background.









In another build I saw someone mentioned that they covered up the lights casing in silicone. I thought this was a smart move just to be extra cautious since there will be water/humidity surrounding these lights. I took this a step further (got the idea from the gf) and decided to coat the entire string of lights in silicone and then peat moss. That way if I can't figure out a good way to conceal the light strand into the background then at least the wires will look like vines strewn across the enclosure.









It turned out better than I had hoped and this was only with one layer of silicone and peat moss! This time we didn't use the Toluene to thin the silicone it and it coated it very well. Any spots that were still showing green will be covered with more pond foam.


Silicone: $6
Peat Moss: $3 (Fred Meyers)
1/8" Fiber Insulated Staples 40ct.: $1.50 each (2)









I found these insulated staples at Home Depot. I thought they would be perfect to hold the strands of wires to the background as I set them all in their right places.



It was quite a tedious task as the staples kept falling out every time I moved the wires at a different angle, but after more than two hours the whole tank was set up with two strands! I then used dabs of silicone on the staples to give them a little more stability adhering to the foam.









End shot








I also finally got this beautiful stand I ordered online!
Petco online: Shipped for $140.









It may be hard to tell in the picture, but here are a couple of lights glowing green and the way the blue tape is covering them it makes them much dimmer than before which in my opinion looks a thousand times better. Much like real fireflys and not super intensely bright LEDs flashing in a tank.
My plan is to replace the blue painters tape with green painters tape and leave them covered.









COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS WELCOME!


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## Okapi

looks good, keep the updates coming


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## FrogFever

Okay, its been a while since my last post but much progress has been made!

This picture is after the first coating of black Silicone II and peat moss.
The blue tape is covering all the slate, wood, and air/fan vents.









I ended up using half a small bag of peat moss ($3 at Fred Meyers) and 3 tubes of GE Silicone II Black ($7 each)








This is what it looks like after the final coat of silicone/peat moss was applied, after I took off all of the tape pieces from the slate, circulation vents, and off of the firefly lights, and after I vacuumed up all excess peat moss.
This took me about 2 hours.

I decided to do only a slight coating of peat moss in the water fall area just to give it a little color. I am assuming that most of it will eventually come off when the waterfall is turned on.









Lights in flight with the lights (and tape) off. As mentioned earlier I plan on re-taping the lights with green painters FROG tape to dampen the brightness of the lights so they appear to be more natural.









Picture showing the lights on in a lit room!
Blurry, but the colors shine through.









A quick test and all systems are still fully operational!
Lights, fans, and water pump.









After one last quick water test then comes the next step...
Planting the substrate and plants!









Hydroton: JoshsFrogs- $10 for a large bag.

I am using the ABG soil mix recipe.

Tree fern pieces: Sierra Fish and Pets- $7 a lb. I think I used about $10 worth.
Spagnum moss: from Joshsfrogs $5 for 200g. I used less than $1 worth.
Charcoal: Fred Meyers- $3 per bag. Used 1 bag.
Orchid Bark: Fred Meyers: $5 for a huge bag. Used $3 worth.
Peat Moss: Fred Meyers: $3 per small bag. Used 1 bag.

I mixed the proper amounts per ABG recipe, and because I had some extra on hand I added:
2 handfuls of coco fiber (JoshsFrogs- 3 pack brick- $5. Used less than $1 worth)
2 handfuls of coco husk chips (JoshsFrogs- $3. Used $ less 1 worth.
1 handful of washed sand (Fred Meyers- $3 a bag. Used less than $1 worth.)
1 bag of leaf litter- Free 

(Also pictured is a bag of Fluval Plant Stratum for the water feature. (Amazon- $16)

In case anyone is wondering why I am including prices for absolutely everything its because for one, I want people who are not familiar with these products to have a good idea of how much it would cost them to buy all of this, as well as where to buy them from. (I am what I like to call "thrifty", so wherever I bought my supplies from there is a good chance that it is the cheapest price around.) And two, I want to keep track for my own purposes exactly how much this build cost me.


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## FrogFever

So instead of planting today I found another 5 hours of things to prep! Haha. There are always more steps than there seems.

My intention was to re-tape all of the lights with Frog tape, but the damn stuff is barely sticky at all! (I wouldn't recommend it.) Plus I couldn't get to a couple of my lights properly so I had to abandoned that idea. In the process I realized that I only had 16 lights blinking, so that means that 4 of my lights were covered under foam/silicone/peat moss somewhere.  If it weren't for previous pictures I took I never would've been able to locate where they were.
I still wanted my lights to be 'dimmed' so I decided to go with green acrylic paint instead. Two coats of green and then one of clear coat got it to the color that I preferred.
I am debating whether or not I should paint all the lights in glow in the dark paint as well...
What do you think?










Anyways, the water test passed again, and the water flows down the slate just as it should after contnuous hours of fine tuning the rocks edges.
Here you can see 3 of the lights painted green. In my opinion they look like nice little flowering buds throughout the tank. 









I also forgot that before I layed down any plants and substrate I had to sand more rocks...
These vice grips work MIRACLES when it comes to breaking off pieces of slate. One would be surprised how accurate and easily they break off little chunks!









I am trying something new that I haven't seen anyone else do yet... something that worked great for me on one of my previous tanks.
You know how some people make a false front out of rock/substrate to cover up the LECA balls? Well instead of a fine soil to cover it up I am using very thin pieces of slate to tie it in to the rest of the tank. 









Comments and questions always welcome.


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## Ryno202

i like the slate cover-up idea. My buddy and i were trying to come up with a way to do something like that. coming along nicely. waterfall looks great.


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## Shinosuke

I'm really liking this build so far, and I appreciate the way you keep track of prices. I try to be "thrifty", too, but it always shocks me how much these things end up costing!
I gotta say that your water feature is pretty sweet, too. Nice work on getting it to flow across so many levels like that!


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## FrogFever

Thanks guys I appreciate your comments. Glad I can help.

So I've got the hydroton layer set up. Notice the black pvc pipe set in place for easy access for drainage. I ended up using a rubber band to put a piece of weed block over/around it so all I have to do to access it is make a little slit in it and stick in the siphon tube. Additionally I put a 1" piece of slate over the top of this to so I can find it easily. 
And I decided not to use the egg crate wrapped in weed block false bottom I had previously made. I just figured that using strictly leca balls would be more beneficial for microfauna.
I had to go to the store once again for some more hydroton to add to the amount I already had so I ended us spending $18 total on hydroton.
Of course, black weed blocker will be cut to size to fit over this area to keep the layers separate.









I have a bad habit of buying plants far before I need them, but here is a shot of some that I've acquired in the last couple of months. And yes, I realize that all of these won't fit!
Got some bromeliads, and other assorted "tropicals".
Some of these I've used before and I know will work, and others I've never tried, so we'll see if they stay alive!
Home depot and wal-mart just happened to be my main sources this time. Gotta love the clearance section.









I realize that some individuals think its lame or a waste of a nice tank to use plants bought from Home Depot, but I don't necessarily care all that much. Sure, it'd be nice to be able to afford all those crazy tropical plants I see online, but hey, at least I don't have to pay for overnight shipping!
The plants that ended up with a permanent place in the (dry section of the) tank I estimate to cost about $50.










Picture of the abg soil mix after sitting over night, and the wood pieces I have to choose from.
The cost of the 3 wood pieces that ended up being used in the tank cost me about $17.










I am so very tempted to post the planted tank picture, but I'm going to wait until the water section is planted as well. Sorry guys!

After laying down the substrate, fixing the wood pieces in place, and planting the plants I realize just how much room I DON'T have in a 55 gallon! Another 6 inches of depth sure would be great!

I still have to add the glowing shrooms, and the vines.
The best pictures are yet to come!


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## looking4frogs

Nice work. I really like how you did the slate waterfall.


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## rsain

Well done with the build and the thread. I'm enjoying the attention you are giving to little details about pricing and sourcing. Gonna help some new folks out with this one! 

Patiently waiting to see the end product.

- ryan


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## Alegre323

how's the waterfall look once on? im curious to see a video of it


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## FrogFever

Before I post the final pictures and the video I've decided to post the rest of the build first. Its all about the anticipation. 

55 gallon custom canopy process.









4 pieces of glass cut. 23 1/4in x 5 3/8in from Aces Hardware for only $12 w/ tax! (Its says quantity 1, but it was actually 4.)









4 bare pieces laid out before sanding.









Here I have marked where I plan on drilling the holes.









Outlined with Play-Doh to keep water on the hole saw while cutting.
Play-Doh: $2









Diamond coated hole saw 7 piece set. 11-25mm. Ebay - $14
I've never drilled glass before so this will be my very first attempt.
I discovered that the 25mm would not be big enough to pass all the wires through so I had to buy a 40mm one as well from Amazon. $5.55
40mm=1.5in. This hole was big enough to allow the Lights in Flights bulky wires to pass through as well as the large water pump plug in. 

During the drilling process I very easily drilled the 11mm holes that I'm making to hang the vines from.. BUT the 40mm is a whole other story... I think it was a combination of me drilling to close to the edge of the glass and my pushing too hard that ended up breaking both pieces of glass!! Good thing I had two more left of the exact same size. 

So I managed to get all of the holes drilled in the two remaining pieces, thank god. The key is to be slow and steady. I would highly recommend having a hose moving flowing water over the glass holes while they're being cut.
The 2 more glass pieces at Aces cost me $8 this time. I definitely got hooked up before.









So I thought of something creative to cover these massive 1.5in holes in the glass top.
I bought these (3) computer grommets from Aces Hardware. 
A whopping $4.57 each with the caps.









Grommets inserted in holes.









When the glass is placed on the top of the tank the background is too high where the grommets lay so I had to cut them down to fit. 
A Dremel can be a vivarium builders best friend.









Camouflaged with silicone and peat moss.









Front opening lid pieces with 'living hinge' attached. I got the living hinge from USPlastics.com - 6ft for $9









To allow the living hinge to lie flat (ff proof) along the top edges of the tank it is necessary to cut the underside portion of each end as shown. One sideis cut, the other is not. (I kind of butchered the first one with a pvc saw, but touched it up with sandpaper.)









Picture of the screws I use for the vines/roots. These will be fed through the 11mm holes and secured with a small washer and a nut.









Glass top siliconed in place with aquarium sealant. GE II clear silicone would've worked just as well.









Picture of the grommets in place. Very clean look to the whole top imo.

Finishing details to come followed by the final photos. Soon..


----------



## Alegre323

it already looks like its gonna be badass from the top... now on with the front pics.... NOW lol


----------



## drutt

looking good...


----------



## droogievesch

This is amazing! I'm building my first tank soon once I do more research/get more money. Part of me thinks I should look at every build I can, and the other part of me thinks I should steer clear because I'm getting all of these ideas which won't fit into a 29g!

I really like your firefly lights, but they seem to be a lot of work/not what you were expecting. Are these something you'd recommend, or do you wish you wouldn't have done them at all?

Also, will the fans hurt anything (ie: are there any species that DO NOT tolerate/like air flow in regards to plants and/or frogs). From what I've read there are some species that thrive on air flow, so I think that having a fan in there can only help. Am I wrong?

I would like to thank you also for posting in sections. Some builds are posted all as one and I get the impression that it should take me a single afternoon. I tried telling my boy friend that our build may last over six months or so, and now I feel better with taking our time and going slow.

Again, awesome job and thank you!


----------



## FrogFever

droogievesch said:


> This is amazing! I'm building my first tank soon once I do more research/get more money. Part of me thinks I should look at every build I can, and the other part of me thinks I should steer clear because I'm getting all of these ideas which won't fit into a 29g!
> 
> I really like your firefly lights, but they seem to be a lot of work/not what you were expecting. Are these something you'd recommend, or do you wish you wouldn't have done them at all?
> 
> Also, will the fans hurt anything (ie: are there any species that DO NOT tolerate/like air flow in regards to plants and/or frogs). From what I've read there are some species that thrive on air flow, so I think that having a fan in there can only help. Am I wrong?
> 
> I would like to thank you also for posting in sections. Some builds are posted all as one and I get the impression that it should take me a single afternoon. I tried telling my boy friend that our build may last over six months or so, and now I feel better with taking our time and going slow.
> 
> Again, awesome job and thank you!


29 gallon is a decent sized tank. That was the size of my first one too for my red eyes.
You'll certainly want to put everything you can in your first build, but just know that 29g is not all that big after the false bottom, substrate, and background. My 55g doesn't even seem that big to me anymore. You can do anything you please, but I would advise against a water feature on your first build if you were thinking about squeezing it in. As many have stated, it will more than likely give you problems in the long run. I say this from experience. This was my umpteenth build and I've learned from many many mistakes on my previous tanks.
One fan would be fine in that size for sure. Air circulation is always a plus. As far as I know it benefits the plants more than it does the frogs. 
I've not yet posted night time photos, but the firefly lights are better than I could've imagined. The only thing I might recommend is to use it on a tank that hold two sets of them because each strand has only 10 lights. I thought it looked awkward with only 1 to 4 lights coming on at one given time. More is better in this instance in my opinion. And yes, the light strands added probably another 2 weeks onto my build! If I didn't have the fans, the vines, the mushrooms, the water fall, and the firefly lights I could've have technically busted this entire tank out in a couple weeks.
Definitely look at every build you can to get ideas and helpful hints. There is a great thread that talks about 'top beginner mistakes' that I highly recommend reading to avoid most mishaps. Research research research. Be patient like a tree and you will have plenty of days to think about how you want to make your ideas come to life.


----------



## droogievesch

FrogFever said:


> 29 gallon is a decent sized tank. That was the size of my first one too for my red eyes.
> You'll certainly want to put everything you can in your first build, but just know that 29g is not all that big after the false bottom, substrate, and background. My 55g doesn't even seem that big to me anymore. You can do anything you please, but I would advise against a water feature on your first build if you were thinking about squeezing it in. As many have stated, it will more than likely give you problems in the long run. I say this from experience. This was my umpteenth build and I've learned from many many mistakes on my previous tanks.
> One fan would be fine in that size for sure. Air circulation is always a plus. As far as I know it benefits the plants more than it does the frogs.
> I've not yet posted night time photos, but the firefly lights are better than I could've imagined. The only thing I might recommend is to use it on a tank that hold two sets of them because each strand has only 10 lights. I thought it looked awkward with only 1 to 4 lights coming on at one given time. More is better in this instance in my opinion. And yes, the light strands added probably another 2 weeks onto my build! If I didn't have the fans, the vines, the mushrooms, the water fall, and the firefly lights I could've have technically busted this entire tank out in a couple weeks.
> Definitely look at every build you can to get ideas and helpful hints. There is a great thread that talks about 'top beginner mistakes' that I highly recommend reading to avoid most mishaps. Research research research. Be patient like a tree and you will have plenty of days to think about how you want to make your ideas come to life.


I read a thread in the "beginner" thread that was stickied. I think we want to sketch out our plan on paper first. I showed him the video in the thread "the peninsula" and he really liked that set up (no water feature prominent, just a fogger) and he's now understanding that we don't need one. It's hard because I can't make it how I want, I need to communicate and compromise with him and he wants all the bells and whistles. We have limited space so we can only do one tank and I'm fearful for our mistakes (they will happen).


----------



## FrogFever

"Everyone who got where they are started where they were" so just work with what you've got. While your building your first tank keep checking out Goodwill and Craigslist in the meantime. That's where I got my 55g for $25. And believe it or not people give away 55g's away for free weekly. I've even got a 75g acrylic for free myself.


----------



## Aminah Undone

I've been thinking of getting the 90g out of the "man cave" ...hubby will be delighted.. and setting it all up for half dozen or so P. terribilis "Mint". Your thread has really lit a fire under me... I'm super inspired! 

Thanks for all the great info and pics, etc. I've built a few vivs for others, but it's always great to see what everyone else is doing ..and this viv build will finally be for me!


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

well let's see a full tank shot 
looking good.
I would suggest you take down the plexiglasss divider and have it slope from land to water or at least scrape the hell out of the plexiglass(so silicone will stick) and cover it in silicone and whatever you used for the background.
Also you should get better plants or you're gonna have this generic look to the tank, it will look good and all but with better plants it will be amazing lol. I had generics until I got my hands on better plants and it looks so much better now.

I'm subscribed and I can't wait to see more


----------



## FrogFever

Aminah Undone said:


> I've been thinking of getting the 90g out of the "man cave" ...hubby will be delighted.. and setting it all up for half dozen or so P. terribilis "Mint". Your thread has really lit a fire under me... I'm super inspired!
> 
> Thanks for all the great info and pics, etc. I've built a few vivs for others, but it's always great to see what everyone else is doing ..and this viv build will finally be for me!


I'm glad I can be your inspiration. Some mints would be awesome.


----------



## FrogFever

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> well let's see a full tank shot
> looking good.
> I would suggest you take down the plexiglasss divider and have it slope from land to water or at least scrape the hell out of the plexiglass(so silicone will stick) and cover it in silicone and whatever you used for the background.
> Also you should get better plants or you're gonna have this generic look to the tank, it will look good and all but with better plants it will be amazing lol. I had generics until I got my hands on better plants and it looks so much better now.
> 
> I'm subscribed and I can't wait to see more



I'm glad your checking out my build, but without ever having seen the tank yet its pretty bold of you to make all of these outrageous recommendations, but yeah... I'll get right on that. I'll take apart my entire build, substrate, plants, frogs and all to change the already effective glass divider and switch it to a lesser quality material (acrylic) which will eventually end up leaking because it warps and won't hold a seal? Sorry, but I will NEVER use acrylic again.
I've already explained my reasoning for the plants I've used. They're all tropical and they're all still alive which I think is a good start. But just because I'm curious, which' better' plants were you specifically recommending? I don't mean to come off like a jerk, but I couldn't leave your advice unnoticed.


----------



## Alegre323

FrogFever said:


> I'm glad your checking out my build, but without ever having seen the tank yet its pretty bold of you to make all of these outrageous recommendations, but yeah... I'll get right on that. I'll take apart my entire build, substrate, plants, frogs and all to change the already effective glass divider and switch it to a lesser quality material (acrylic) which will eventually end up leaking because it warps and won't hold a seal? Sorry, but I will NEVER use acrylic again.
> I've already explained my reasoning for the plants I've used. They're all tropical and they're all still alive which I think is a good start. But just because I'm curious, which' better' plants were you specifically recommending? I don't mean to come off like a jerk, but I couldn't leave your advice unnoticed.


lol

we need the damn pics already lol


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

FrogFever said:


> I'm glad your checking out my build, but without ever having seen the tank yet its pretty bold of you to make all of these outrageous recommendations, but yeah... I'll get right on that. I'll take apart my entire build, substrate, plants, frogs and all to change the already effective glass divider and switch it to a lesser quality material (acrylic) which will eventually end up leaking because it warps and won't hold a seal? Sorry, but I will NEVER use acrylic again.
> I've already explained my reasoning for the plants I've used. They're all tropical and they're all still alive which I think is a good start. But just because I'm curious, which' better' plants were you specifically recommending? I don't mean to come off like a jerk, but I couldn't leave your advice unnoticed.


and people say I some off wrong sometimes and even make them cringe by my post....
how have I not seen the build lol you have pics posted.








So you must be using glass for the divider instead of plexiglass or acrylic?
Ok good, you're using glass  
Could have said so instead of being like that or maybe I looked over it and if I did, my bad on looking over it or assuming.
Everyone is gonna chime in with their own opinions sometimes lol maybe you could have handled this a better way?


----------



## FrogFever

I meant you haven't seen the 'planted' tank. From the looks of your build you bought the exact same home depot plants that I have in my tanks... every single one of them. I guess I'm confused. 
Just don't should on me and I won't should on you.


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

FrogFever said:


> I meant you haven't seen the 'planted' tank. From the looks of your build you bought the exact same home depot plants that I have in my tanks... every single one of them. I guess I'm confused.
> Just don't should on me and I won't should on you.


Yeah and I thought it looked so awesome but then I got plants from a convention and saw that i was a fool for thinking that looked good lol.
I was just saying that it would look better with non generics plants is all.

I pretty much only have 1 generic plant now and that the ficus pumila...have you seen the tank update?










looks better now cause some stuff has grow a bit but the lights are off and if I turn on the timer then it won't cut it'self on in the morning lol...weird lil timer.
I will be posting an update pic tomorrow on my thread if you wanna check it out.

can't wait to see your viv finished


----------



## Ryno202

hey Brandon, what are those big leafed plants in the front corners of that tank? how sturdy are they? looking for stuff for my buddy's Red Eye viv we are working on.


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

Ryno202 said:


> hey Brandon, what are those big leafed plants in the front corners of that tank? how sturdy are they? looking for stuff for my buddy's Red Eye viv we are working on.


yeah they hold up great. I use to have those in my green tree frog tank.
Yes I sanitized them before I out them in my PDF viv 
I was told they are aglanomea...what type tho idk.
I got the one plant from a local petstore called Petco and there was no id tag on it and I got them to give it to me cheap cause it looked like it was dying.
I have split it into 2 plants.
It is a slow grower tho from what I have seen.
I've had it for almost a year

edit:
well I think I just found it for you...
aglanomea gemini
I'm certain this is it 








pic source:
Ornamental Plant, Gemini Evergreen Ornamental Plant, Small Aglaonema Gemini plant, Aglaonema Ornamental Plant, Small Aglaonema Gemini, Small Plant, Gemini evergreen, Gemini Evergreen Ornamental Plant - The Ornamental Plant Store


----------



## FrogFever

I have to include a picture of these black nitrile gloves. 100 pack + 100 bonue for only $13 at Home Depot. 
These have saved the day on many occasions. If I didn't have these my girl wouldn't even bother helping me. We went through 40+ of them with this build.










I used black contact paper to cover the sides and back to give the frogs a more "secure" place to live. 
Magic Cover black contact paper - 18in. X 24ft. - Amazon.com -$13









Side of tank before contact paper...









After. 









Painted shrooms.









These pictures really don't do justice to the real life sight.









Another variety.


















The blue is not as vivid as the green but still looks awesome in the tank right after the lights go off for the night.









We ended up applying 3 or 4 coats of glow-in-the-dark paint to really make them glow. It dries a whitish color that kind of takes away from the fine details of the painted shrooms, but well worth the trade off.


----------



## FrogFever

I've still got a couple minor adjustments and additions to make to the tank, but I'll post those in due time. I do plan on making a final post with the total dollar amount spent to make this vivarium. I will however, post the full planted tank picture since some of you have been patiently waiting!









Still waiting on a better lighting system, but I really like this picture.









I may take out some of the leaves to avoid the messy look it creates.









Water area close up.
Note: I can't stress this enough for beginners. After a weeks time I have come to find (just as I thought I might) that the water from the waterfall feature managed to soak into the great stuff enough for it to makes its way around the vertical glass partition (which I put up in order to stop the water from dripping into the soil mix) and dripping into the substrate! It was a slow drip, but it eventually soaked all of the substrate in the dry land section. To remedy this I cut the great stuff to a point that dripped just near the water's edge. This was close enough to the water area that the drip would drip onto a large magnolia leaf first that helped guide the trickle into the water section. So ALWAYS make a glass partition bigger than you think you need it to be. Water will always find the quickest route downward so when carving the foam make any "carved points" immediately above the area where you want the water to drip into. I'll try to post pictures of what I'm referring to.









Still waiting to see which plants hold up and I'll prolly add a couple more vines/ ground cover.


















Waterfall video is next.


----------



## jacobi

Looking good... Are the sanseveria in the water? And is that a hedera species on the background? (the climbing, vine like plant)


----------



## FrogFever

Yes. I think it is called a snake plant. They had it in water at Petco. These plants are about as hardy as pothos are IME. They can be in extremely dry soil or submerged in water. And the vine is actually just a form of ivy I found. Not tropical like the other plants, but its all I could find locally at the time.


----------



## FrogFever

I'm still waiting on a couple more aquatic plants I ordered off of Ebay. 
3 bags of Java moss for $19. 
10 dwarf water lettuce plants for $9
I'm going to see how they fit in the water section and any extras will be used in my rainchamber/tanks.


----------



## FrogFever

I almost forgot to mention a very important timing system that I ordered for all the electronics to be controlled specifically for this tank.
I've been using one of these exact same models for some months now and I was so happy with it I've decided to go with another one. Never had a single issue.

Aquarium Digital PROGRAMMABLE TIMER Wave Maker/Light !! | eBay

Aquarium Digital PROGRAMMABLE TIMER Wave Maker/Light !! --$65--

--2000w PROGRAMMABLE TIMER--

Daily/Days Programming
Weekly Programming
5X6 On/Off Programs
1 socket always on
5 Separate timer-controlled outlets
Each Outlet Up to 6 on/off times per day
24 hours digital timer with 1 minute setting intervals and separate day controls.
Great for switching water pumps to create tidal- flow currents
Alternate day-night cycles. 

Specification:

Voltage: 110V/ 220V
Max Load 10 A 2000W
Mini Setting Time 1 Minute
Operating Temrature -25~60C
Accuracy <±0.5 SEC/DAY
Battery Backup Rechargeable Ni
Display LCD
Size 31X9X4cm
Weight 1.4kg


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

Turned out pretty well. Great viv


----------



## jacobi

Yes. Looks really good. Nice job on the waterfall!

May I suggest you research the snake plant (Sansevieria sp.) and the ivy (Hedera sp.)? The snake plants roots may rot in the water, since it prefers drier conditions, and the ivy could potentially ruin your tank, sending thick roots through everything and breaking up your background and waterfall. They also have the potential to get enormous. 


To replace the ivy, you could put some form of ficus pumila, variations of which are fairly common and do well in terrariums. I personally really like Ficus Pumila Quercifolia.


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

jacobi said:


> Yes. Looks really good. Nice job on the waterfall!
> 
> May I suggest you research the snake plant (Sansevieria sp.) and the ivy (Hedera sp.)? The snake plants roots may rot in the water, since it prefers drier conditions, and the ivy could potentially ruin your tank, sending thick roots through everything and breaking up your background and waterfall. They also have the potential to get enormous.
> 
> 
> To replace the ivy, you could put some form of ficus pumila, variations of which are fairly common and do well in terrariums. I personally really like Ficus Pumila Quercifolia.


yeah he is right about the Ivy...it has taken over the rock walls and stuff in the back yard I have been slowly getting rid of it but it has embedded itself everywhere.
ficus does the same but it doesn't grow so big...it will spread everywhere but it has smaller roots and leaves and it's just more manageable.
although with ficus it would dwarf compared to the size of the viv and the size of the plants so Ivy will blend in pretty well just make sure you keep it trimmed back 

here is a pic of what is has done to the back yard and it use to be all the way down to the chair on the left


----------



## FrogFever

I will take both of your words of advice into consideration as my tank grows out more. As was mentioned before I bought the snake plant from Petco and it was sitting in their water plants section with the first two inches submerged so I assumed it was made to sit in the water. Only time will tell if it survives or not. As far as the ivy goes I've used it in my other cages and so far it hasn't taken them over. I just really like the texture it adds to the enclosure. I have to imagine that the outdoor giant-leafed looking ivy you are referring to is a different strain altogether than the one I got, but I could be wrong. If it grows a bunch and attaches to the wall then I'll be glad. I'll be sure to keep a close eye on it before it tangles with the waterfall. And I will be sure to buy some ficus pumila next time I come across it.


----------



## halo3

i think that it turned out great? i like to see how everyone comes up with alternate ways of solving problems. i would like to post a link to my tank, and maybe you can help me find a way to create a good flow of air. i like the idea of using computer fans. (how do you power yours by the way?). there is an issue with mine. i have a immune suppressed kid. who cant breath in the mold spores. keeping it sealed make the humidity rise, and then mold grows. i have a canister filter that give me the control to clean the water with it being in closed. now if i can do that with the air, i think that will help out.

this is my setup
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/76090-welcome-tiki-island.html


----------



## FrogFever

I got my fan idea from GRIMM so I'll post a link to the extremely helpful diy video that he posted. Hope this helps!

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/65988-peninsula-2.html


----------



## FrogFever

I finally got my new toy today. Shipped from China.










Programmable Timer










Here you can see all the options it has.









I also got 3 bags of Java Moss from EBay for $20. Now if I only new what the green fabric netting was used for...
I just used some of the java moss and attached it to wood and the slate rock
as per the instructions.


----------



## FrogFever

It has finally arrived. The display build video. Check it out! (This is the only way I can figure out how to get it to post on here...) 

Video :: 022.mp4 video by FrogFever - Photobucket


----------



## Nismo95

Looking good man. I decided to finally hop over here from the DF board and check out some builds. Glad to see another person from WA state getting involved. I swear im the only one on the other forum. How is that Java working out for you in the places without water?? I was curious about using it in some of my upcoming builds. and, I dont know if I missed it, but what frogs you going with?? My lady made me get Azureus for our first set


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

FrogFever said:


> I finally got my new toy today. Shipped from China.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Programmable Timer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here you can see all the options it has.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also got 3 bags of Java Moss from EBay for $20. Now if I only new what the green fabric netting was used for...
> I just used some of the java moss and attached it to wood and the slate rock
> as per the instructions.


in the fish hobby they attach the moss to the net and place it in the bottom of the tank.


----------



## ocellaris123

That water fall is really nice, you have a very nice looking vivarium.


----------



## jimisox

WoW!! Being bew to this and looking to build a Viv, this is inspiring and very helpful. I thank you for all the help and guidance you have in this thread.


----------



## FrogFever

Nismo95 said:


> Looking good man. I decided to finally hop over here from the DF board and check out some builds. Glad to see another person from WA state getting involved. I swear im the only one on the other forum. How is that Java working out for you in the places without water?? I was curious about using it in some of my upcoming builds. and, I dont know if I missed it, but what frogs you going with?? My lady made me get Azureus for our first set



I sometimes feel like I'm the only one around here too. Seattle is such a huge metropolitan area that it just seems like there would be more active users... But Phil Tan, Tor Linbo, Darren Meyer, and I believe Todd Kelly are locals here, but they don't frequent the forums a whole lot as far as I understand.

I currently have a group of Santa Isabela Anhonyis occupying the tank.


----------



## frogparty

There are a lot more WA members on here than you think. I have only recently moved away to California(dont regret it for a minute) from Seattle, and there are a LOT of WA people on the board. 

You cant really bitch though... not too many active forum members, but some of the all time best breeders...cry me a river. I miss hanging out at Darrens house


----------



## FrogFever

Haha. I actually just talked to Darrenfor my first time last week. I forgot that I was suppose to check out his frogs/setup soon. He lives about 3 minutes from me. Now I'm stoked!


----------



## frogparty

Great looking vivarium. I like it!


----------



## FrogFever

frogparty said:


> I miss hanging out at Darrens house


FrogParty you aren't kidding! I went to his house yesterday. Stayed for over an hour. It forever changed my life. Haha. But seriously, it did. With him being such an all around awesomely cool guy it just makes the stay seem like a field trip that you can't wait to go on again.


----------



## frogparty

did you drink his kombucha? best Ive ever had. Most of it tastes like vinegar, but his tastes awesome. I also miss playing with his crazy french bulldog.


----------



## MountaineerLegion

Do you know the species of the big brom. I believe I had the same one and absolutely loved it...so did my leucs. I sometimes would find 6 of them in that single brom. The problem was it outgrew my 220g tank. I had to pull it and the frogs never forgave me. The thick banding is nice enough to keep it and just replace it when it gets too big.



FrogFever said:


> I've still got a couple minor adjustments and additions to make to the tank, but I'll post those in due time. I do plan on making a final post with the total dollar amount spent to make this vivarium. I will however, post the full planted tank picture since some of you have been patiently waiting!
> 
> 
> Still waiting on a better lighting system, but I really like this picture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I may take out some of the leaves to avoid the messy look it creates.
> 
> 
> Water area close up.
> Note: I can't stress this enough for beginners. After a weeks time I have come to find (just as I thought I might) that the water from the waterfall feature managed to soak into the great stuff enough for it to makes its way around the vertical glass partition (which I put up in order to stop the water from dripping into the soil mix) and dripping into the substrate! It was a slow drip, but it eventually soaked all of the substrate in the dry land section. To remedy this I cut the great stuff to a point that dripped just near the water's edge. This was close enough to the water area that the drip would drip onto a large magnolia leaf first that helped guide the trickle into the water section. So ALWAYS make a glass partition bigger than you think you need it to be. Water will always find the quickest route downward so when carving the foam make any "carved points" immediately above the area where you want the water to drip into. I'll try to post pictures of what I'm referring to.
> 
> 
> Still waiting to see which plants hold up and I'll prolly add a couple more vines/ ground cover.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Waterfall video is next.


----------



## MrMonterrubio

Impressive tank and building skills.

I hate broms, but the huge one you got looks amazing.

Keep us posted.


----------



## soldier

Not sure of the name but I bought the same one at Walmart the other day! It's flower was to cool to pass up!


----------



## frogparty

Vriesea splendens


----------



## crested

Hey, great looking tank!

Good point with the GS not being submerged in the waterfall... found that out first hand too!!

I've just finished up my own tank and have a question for you.

How did you fine-tune the misting schedule and ensure all the plants get the right amount of water?

I'm having an awful time trying to get things right in mine. Been tweaking for over a month and it's not going well...
36x36x18 Exo Terra, Mistking System, 4 nozzles, potted plants on the sides of the walls/background are not getting enough water enough, but brom at the bottom is almost dead from too much water and the ficus is doing well, if not possibly being over watered.

Ive considered building a drip line system to keep the potted plants soil adequately watered, which would then make fine tuning the misting system much easier... it seems the plants planted in the soil at the bottom get enough from the misting/dripping water off the plants.

Tank with plants (when first planted, doesnt look this healthy anymore  )









Tank before planting (so you can see the structure)









Any suggestions??


----------



## FrogFever

Vrisea. The flower it had when I bought it was taller than the lid (12+ inches) of the tank so I had to cut it off! Beautiful plant though and it does well planted in the soil. The other broms I've tried (every single one) I ccouldn't get to survive in the substrate soil because its too wet. On this build I finally put the broms into the holes in the wood an they are starting to root out and look great.

Crested- I don't have a misting system. I just spray the cage down a couple times a week and it stays really wet because of the humidity from the waterfall. I just make sure the broms are filled with water.
I can't see your pictures, but the one thing I've learned about plants is that they will die much faster by over-watering them than by under-watering. Are you sure the soil is actually not too wet along the wall plants? They shouldn't need to be watered every day or even every third day if the humidity level is up there. If they are in fact too dry then try hand spraying them more often of change the soil mix so it holds more water.
Try reposting your pictures so I can see what your working with.


----------



## SMenigoz

FrogFever said:


> I then took 3 or 4 rope strands and tied them together on top with a zip tie (which will eventually be covered in silicone). They end looking like bunches of roots.


Tank? What tank? 
Keep us posted on the things that worked and those that didn't.
Enjoyed the "thrifty" angle...very resourceful.
Scott


----------



## FrogFever

SMenigoz, I'll try to get you a picture of her with blonde hair.


----------



## FrogFever

Just an update:
I ordered and installed 2 larger sized acrylic handles from JoshsFrogs- $3 for both.









AND I finally got my lighting set up! I searched far and wide to see if I could find a killer deal on Craigslist, but no such luck in the last couple months. I've decided to go with this one here... 48", LEDs, actinic (will be replaced with a different day light bulb), and a 10000k bulb. It got 5 stars on Amazon so I had to go with it.
$76 shipped! Plus $12 for a 5500k bulb.















The LED lights are always on.










So far I am very impressed with its quality. The only thing I would change is that the different lights could be plugged in separately. Instead when one is on they are both on (or off, depending on the switches). I guess I'll just have to just do it by hand.










For the life of me I can't figure out how to take a great full tank shot dead on without getting a blinding reflection. 










It sure does give a nice constant brightness to the tank though.


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## FrogFever

SMenigoz said:


> Tank? What tank?
> Keep us posted on the things that worked and those that didn't.
> Enjoyed the "thrifty" angle...very resourceful.
> Scott


So the things that didn't work as well as I would have liked them to....
The dwarf water lettuce- died after about 2 weeks. I'm not sure what conditions were not right.
The insulated metal pins that held my wiring to the background- they work to hold items in place, but eventually they got rusty (when I didn't think they would).
No major complaints, but I figured these two things were worth mentioning.
Currently all plants, features, and electronics are all green-light-go.


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## FrogFever

Since I don't plan on making any more purchases for this viv I tallied the total amount spent. Lights, tank, stand, plants, substrate, electronics, supplies, and of course the 5 Anthonyis inhabiting it the grand total comes to... drum roll please...

$957!

Wow. I should've paid off my debt in full instead! Haha. Psssh... no way. The joy and contentment I get from this is absolutely worth it in every way. 

Keep in mind that this pricing is with me finding the absolute lowest price on every purchase. Paying full retail price for everything one can likely expect to add 25-100% to the final price.


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## FrogFever

To put a face to my name here's a quick couple pics of me, and my girl. A huge thanks to her for all of her help and understanding throughout the entire process!


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## SNAKEMANVET

Your viv turned out great,now to get mine looking like that.


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## JB_orchidguy

Awesome tank. Thanks for sharing. It has truly inspired me.


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## EvilLost

FrogFever said:


> I also got 3 bags of Java Moss from EBay for $20. Now if I only new what the green fabric netting was used for...
> I just used some of the java moss and attached it to wood and the slate rock
> as per the instructions.



The netting is also used to create flat moss "areas" most typically to make moss walls for backgrounds/etc


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## irishkreem

How did you hook up the pump tube to the pvc did you just point it down i cany really see in the pic


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## FrogFever

I bent the tube over and wedged it in between the top layer of slate so that the water pours into the (horizontally cut) pvc tube. I also drilled holes in the pvc pipe so the water dripped down over all sections of the waterfall.



[URL=http://s220.photobucket.com/user/PimpinJettaStud/media/55gallonbuild024.jpg.html][/URL]

Hope this helps.


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## RobertoBR

FrogFever said:


> I almost forgot to mention a very important timing system that I ordered for all the electronics to be controlled specifically for this tank.
> I've been using one of these exact same models for some months now and I was so happy with it I've decided to go with another one. Never had a single issue.
> 
> Aquarium Digital PROGRAMMABLE TIMER Wave Maker/Light !! | eBay
> 
> Aquarium Digital PROGRAMMABLE TIMER Wave Maker/Light !! --$65--
> 
> --2000w PROGRAMMABLE TIMER--
> 
> Daily/Days Programming
> Weekly Programming
> 5X6 On/Off Programs
> 1 socket always on
> 5 Separate timer-controlled outlets
> Each Outlet Up to 6 on/off times per day
> 24 hours digital timer with 1 minute setting intervals and separate day controls.
> Great for switching water pumps to create tidal- flow currents
> Alternate day-night cycles.
> 
> Specification:
> 
> Voltage: 110V/ 220V
> Max Load 10 A 2000W
> Mini Setting Time 1 Minute
> Operating Temrature -25~60C
> Accuracy <±0.5 SEC/DAY
> Battery Backup Rechargeable Ni
> Display LCD
> Size 31X9X4cm
> Weight 1.4kg


Hi,

would you have the manual or programming instructions in PDF or a photo?

I bought mine a few years ago and I'm not finding the manual.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Roberto


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## Stiles

wowww what a score on that tank! anytime i need something and decide to go to goodwill or a thrift store so i can save money...i never find what i need. any other time, i find like 50 of them. but of course when you need it, its never there.



FrogFever said:


> The time has come... I've been gathering supplies and brainstorming the design for about 6 weeks now. I've ran out of space in my frog room so this one will be front and center in my living room. This is my umpteenth build and I'm going big this time.
> 
> I first picked up a 55g tank at Goodwill: $25!
> 
> My next step was to paint the wood grain frame to black.
> Sanded it down, painted it, and finished with a few layers of clear coat.
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> Look at the mess of stuff. Unfortunately my new place does NOT have a garage!
> Luckily my roommates are understanding. But they'll love it when its done.
> (Still looking for a beautiful black stand).
> 
> Next step I went to ACE hardware to get glass cut to section off a quarter of the tank to allow for a water feature utilizing a real slate waterfall.
> 
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> The two glass pieces cost me only $2! (They know me there now). One horizontal piece and one vertical piece to block water that may try to leak through the great stuff and into the substrate section.
> I used Aquarium silicone which I ordered on Amazon: $12. The silicone spreading tools: $3 at Home Depot.
> I water tested it today and its doing its job so far.
> 
> 
> The next step is of course, the egg crate layout. I personally prefer to use this method for a false bottom to reduce the weight a bit and also so I don't have to use so much LECA balls.
> Eggcrate at Home Depot: $11 for a huge sheet
> Wire cutters: $5
> Small zip ties: free (they were in with my girls medication in the mail?)
> 
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> bottom base, hideout cave, water area slope, waterpump/waterfall tower
> Malaysian driftwood: I won in a ZooMed contest!
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> water area view
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> I was initially going to just make a mound out of this, but as I was designing it I decided to make it more useful by making it a mound as well as a cave.
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> Here you can see how I put the powerhead pump tubing and electrical cord through the pvc pipe for easy removal if I have to get to it.
> Sunterra powerhead: $13 on Amazon
> 1/2 in plastic tubing: $4 for numerous feet
> black pvc: $2
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> These are the doors that open allowing me to access the pump should I need to do so.
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> This tower will hold the slate pieces that make up the waterfall. I will be using great stuff to hold them in, somehow. This is going to be an extremely hard task to make them all sit and stay set in place. Most likely the hardest and most tedious part of the whole build.
> The black pvc piece on top is where the water will be draining into from the tube, spilling out each side, and I'll drill a couple holes in the center too.
> 
> 
> Everyone please do subscribe to this as I have many more goodies yet to come. In tank circulation fans in custom housing, LEDs, rock ledges, glass canopy, glow in the dark mushrooms (thanks GRIMM), and some other ideas that I've personally never seen and am not even sure how I'm going to pull off yet!
> 
> Coming soon: the slate waterfall feature build...
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> I found these scrap slate pieces at a stone company for about .26 a pound (or some ridiculously low price) so this all cost me less than $3.
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> Here's me sanding them down so they don't cut my froggys!
> Sandpaper: $3
> 
> I'll try to post more updated pictures tomorrow...
> 
> Questions and comments always appreciated.


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## jemzam

Looks great! Thank you for sharing!


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