# Ryan's 40 breeder build!



## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

long time no see, people of dendroboard.... I haven't been on here much at all lately (due to all the bad luck i've been having. I totaled my car, messed up my knee, ran out of money, among other bad situations in just a two week period. I think god decided to take a massive poop on my life. This has not been a good winter... lol) But I have been slowly making progress on my 40 gallon tank just so i don't slowly go insane from all this sh!t. 

My plan for this tank is to house my two blue and black auratus along with two other adults later on down the road. Like i said, i'm completely broke, so this is most definitely a budget build. 

Here is what i have so far.



















Pretty standard build so far.. just a standard false bottom, clay background, and some pieces of driftwood i've collected over the years. Once i get a light, the clay will be seeded with a riccia and java moss mix, so give it a few months, and the background will be green instead of grey. I have a few broms that will be put in there, but other than that, i really don't have a set plan for plants. Maybe some cryptanthus or a fern or two? i need ideas.

Let me know what you think so far. There is still a long way before i can call it finished, but hell, its a start.


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## allllllen (Sep 24, 2011)

dude! im loving the way it looks!
great job man, really!
Can't wait to see it planted and ready to be used by your frogs


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## InHoc1855 (Apr 28, 2011)

Sry to hear about all the mess.

But those stumps look great with the way they seem to come out of the clay. Lookin forward to seeing some updates as you plant it.


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## eyeviper (May 23, 2006)

Nice looking drift wood, Im doing the same with my 40 breeder, pulled all the glass off will be interested to see how you finish yours.


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## paludarium freak (Mar 2, 2010)

Looking good


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Looks nice man. I like the wood and how you have it situated. Sorry to hear about the other stuff it will all pass soon and start looking up. I just found a job a couple of weeks ago and i already have plans for another build and i havent even finished my current one.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

little update for you guys.

I got tired of trying to find a cheap used 36" light, so i just ended up making one myself out of some metal clip lights, three 6500k 26watt cfl's, some cedar 1x2"s, and thin pieces of high density fiberboard to cover it all up. Pictures below. 



















I also stole a couple plants i had lying around and put them in the tank to keep it at least halfway interesting. From left to right: Neoregelia "chiquita linda", Cryptanthus bivittatus, Neoregelia "fireball" green form. 

It doesn't look like it yet, but i added a moss mixture of java, riccia, and live sphagnum, to the clay background and stumps.





























That's it for now folks. I'll probably be adding a lot more plants here pretty soon, along with the possible addition of a misting system. Tell me what you guys think of it so far!


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## Azriel (Jun 15, 2011)

Nice job on the homemade light fixture! I like the layout of the tank and those tree stumps you put in there too.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words guys! I added a few plants and tried to take a better picture with my cannon powershot. I also seeded the tank w/ springs earlier. Enjoy!


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## eyeviper (May 23, 2006)

How did you decide to finish the glass? did you replace the front with one pane? I cant quite tell.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

Its going to be a rimless tank actually, but its only Saran wrap right now haha. I'm waiting for my tax return to come before I buy a big enough piece of glass to make a nice top with a living hinge.


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## jlb (Oct 15, 2006)

I like your tank. Very natural looking. I am a fan of the clay background (I have a 10 gallon with clay BG). It will look real good when moss gross in. 

Keep your chin up...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.


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## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

I'm lovin your clay background. It's fantastic looking, especially for a budget build. Love the pieces of wood too.


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## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

It's a lovely build. Great driftwood!! Can't wait to see it grown in!!


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## bristles (Jan 19, 2011)

poop happens brother, believe me Iv'e been there the set up looks great! very nice clay work, I'm just starting to do clay in some of my tanks & love the poop out of it ! thinking of adding at least a little clay in all my set ups as the plants love it. Can't wait to see some pics of yours with mature moss growth.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

i'm glad everyone is liking it so far! I think it's really starting to come together, and it'll look wayyyyy better once i get some moss growth. Lets just say i learned not to use fast growing plants from my last build..... Nothing invasive is making it's way into this tank, that's for sure!

I noticed my big cryptanthus is starting to regain its color already. Keep in mind that this plant was in a complete absence of light for about 5 months (why the newer leaves are all stretched out and thin) and it has only been under high light for maybe a week. I really can't wait for this plant to turn bright red in a month or so! 

Some pics just for poops and giggles.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

this tank is going nicely so far. A lot of the plants are growing new roots and regain color.


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## SNAKEMANVET (Dec 14, 2011)

Looks great, the frogs will have a nice home.


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## eyeviper (May 23, 2006)

yeah they are.


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## jordanthegreat3444 (Feb 10, 2012)

Thats DOPE dude great job!


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

some pics for you guys


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

ryan10517 said:


> some pics for you guys


That is one SEXY plant! Good work!


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

got my mistking system in the mail today, and bought an actual piece of glass to use as a top. just need to drill some holes, make a hinge, and this baby is a finished tank. The moss is really starting to puck up growth, i have three new fronds on the Korean rock fern, both neo. "chiquita linda" are starting to get darker red and speckled, some red starting to show on both the fireball green forms, and well... the cryptanthus speak for themselves!


Any plant/ inhabitant suggestions? I'm contemplating keeping the auratus in the 20 gallon (possibly going to redo that tank in the near future) I think i want something a little more bold and fun to watch than my blue and blacks.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

check it out!


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

where'd u get the driftwood? what kind of driftwood is it?


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

the three pieces on the left i bought at a local pet shop, and the one (well actually two) piece(s) on the right i collected from a nearby lake, sanitized, and had in a fish tank for about a year. I honestly have no idea what kind of wood they are, but they seem to be holding up fine.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

when are the inhabitants going in?


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## bristles (Jan 19, 2011)

the moss is really taking off  this setup looks so sweet ! the red plant just off center is a landscaping success


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## Colleen53 (Jan 19, 2009)

What a beautiful tank set-up!!! Thanks for sharing your step to step design. My auratus are very shy, so I would suggest luecs. They do great in groups. Thumbs would also love it in there. How long do you have the lights on each day? The crypts are so bold RED!!


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## paulmont1719 (Sep 18, 2009)

what a nice tank I need to get my 40 started soon


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

Looking great, clay seems to be holding up really well.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

I'm stoked you all are liking this tank! I'm enjoying it more and more every day.



Alegre323 said:


> when are the inhabitants going in?


To be honest, i have no idea. I don't even know what the inhabitants are going to be!




bristles said:


> the moss is really taking off  this setup looks so sweet ! the red plant just off center is a landscaping success


My intention was to make the big cryptanthus the focal point of the tank (the reason it is offset to the left a bit. gotta use the rule of thirds ) I just didn't think that plant would rebound so quickly! It lived off the ambient light in my room for about six months and was pale green when i first put it in there. Probably my favorite plant ever!



Colleen53 said:


> What a beautiful tank set-up!!! Thanks for sharing your step to step design. My auratus are very shy, so I would suggest luecs. They do great in groups. Thumbs would also love it in there. How long do you have the lights on each day? The crypts are so bold RED!!


My auratus are pretty shy too :/ but they are blue and blacks, so its kind of a given. That is why i'm still unsure of what i'm putting in there. I want people to actually see beautiful, eye catching frogs in this tank, not have to search for them. I have one lonely juvenile azureus, but its gonna be a while until he is full grown and ready to put in there. I'm an instant gratification type of person hahha. Too bad i'm completely broke from fixing my computer 

The lights are on from 1pm to 12am everyday. I'm running three 26 watt spiral cfl's for a total of 78 watts (cooled by a decent computer fan. I've never had a single bulb get more than slightly warm to the touch)

I'm misting twice a day for 30 seconds as well. I need to buy an extra misting nozzle from mistking so i can get both sides of the tank at once.


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## warlock (Jun 7, 2012)

hey.. is there an update?


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

wow guys, its been a helluva long time since i've been on dendroboard for sure. Figured I'd give a little update on this tank for you all. My auratus were moved into this tank quite a while ago and have been comfortably settled being bolder than i've ever seen them. The plants are almost too much for this tank to handle. Everything including the broms grow like weeds and i'm trimming like twice monthly now! Lots of green and red in this baby! For reference, the only new plant in this tank is a bigger neo on the left side. Everything else has grown from the original plants or sprouted from thin air (including the moss floor and the big fern on the left side. And yes, that huge cryptanthus is the same one from the original pictures I posted! 

For your viewing pleasure


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## froggorf (Nov 22, 2008)

Wow, that has grown in beautifully! Those pinks and reds realllly pop.


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## Amphinityfrogs (Jan 30, 2013)

great looking tank. I love all the moss.


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## hoehnelli (Jan 12, 2013)

Wow I love those broms. Crazy color. Wow.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

The live sphagnum at the bottom was completely unintentional btw. Its really a pain in my ass to maintain. I just pulled out a softball size clump of it last week and its already grown back. 

Thanks for the kind words tho guys! The broms have more than doubled in numbers since this build began lol. Still have three more pups growin right now too!


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## Colleen53 (Jan 19, 2009)

Before and after pics are just amazing! Beautiful tank!!


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## Froggywv (Aug 9, 2010)

Wow, what an amazing tank! - I know you want to mail me that clump of spagnum you pulled out...


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

Did you change the lights out or did you actually use the same in the first photos? It looks amazing.


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## mrfrogdude (Jun 26, 2011)

VenomR00 said:


> Did you change the lights out or did you actually use the same in the first photos? It looks amazing.


I am wondering the same thing. What misting schedule have you used? Awesome growth!

Mark

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## Morgan Freeman (Feb 26, 2009)

Fantastic example of letting the plants do all the talking! Really impressive.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

Yup same lights from the OP. 3x26watts I believe. Misting is basically a couple times a week with a hand pump mister. I did have my mistking set up on this tank but the timer geeked out a couple times and drained all my ro water into the tank. The frogs loved it tho hahaha. Lotta light and high humidity can grow damn near anything lol


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Amazing colors!!!!! 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## Tyguy35 (Feb 2, 2013)

Do you have to keep that clay background moist so it doesnt crack? 
Wicked tank by the way I love the drift wood.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

I don't do anything special with the clay bg. I just mist it every so often, and the humidity in the tank keeps it together. Easiest bg method there is.


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## Tyguy35 (Feb 2, 2013)

That one is my next plan. What are you ingredients?


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Ain't it amazing how things goes when you let things grow in and come along naturally.

No Fancy lights needed


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