# New 30 Gallon Build after a long hiatus



## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

I haven't had frogs in a while. I recently started collecting plants again, and one thing kinda leads to the other. I started a 30 gallon viv to house some of my plants in, but it's going to eventually have frogs as well. 

Here's how far I've gotten so far. 



















There will be a waterfall coming down between the two "roots", and this is the water intake. 









A view from above, where the little pond will be. 









Crappy picture after applying most of the background. I used dry peat moss and brown silicone. 









This gives you an idea of the depth. 









Background is dry, and most of the pots are replaced. 









I can hardly wait to have moss growing all over this. 









Can I get some feedback on pots? These are the two options I have on hand. The black ones fit the holes better, but the brown ones I think would blend in better. What do you guys think?









I still have more to do on the background. I'm planning on making vines out of the rope to give the background more dimension, and maybe to help hold the pots in place. I still need to figure out lighting, but I'm happy with how the background is going.


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Here are some of the plants that might be going into it. 

This is Syngonium rayii. I kinda expect this to be temporary, and that it will outgrow the space, but I hope to set up a larger tank soon that it'll work better in. Love this plant. 









This is a Peperomia sp. from Costa Rica. Not sure of the exact ID. This will probably also be larger than I want in the long run, but it'll be happy until I get a larger tank set up. 









Below it is Pellionia repens.









A couple ferns.









A Microgramma sp. 









A small Phylodendron. The leaves get a little larger, but not by much, from what I've seen of the plant this cutting came off of. I'm sure this will have to be cut back frequently, but I really like philodendrons. 









I'm planning on getting moss, some Peperomia emarginella, possibly Trichosalpinx rotundata and/or other mini orchids, and some mini broms. I'm not sure what else yet. I really like the tiny plants I see in other vivs, so I may just grow the larger plants elsewhere, and get more small plants. 

Here in Washington, we have some awesome liverworts that grow wild. These typically grow near cold water, so I don't think they'd transplant well to a tropical tank. Is there anything like this that does well in our warmer tanks? 









I love mosses, ferns, and liverworts, so any suggestions for where to find some would be great!


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## Hayden (Feb 4, 2007)

Awesome! Can't wait to see it planted.

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## Hill (Jan 6, 2014)

It is an extra step, but why not silicon and peat moss the pots. They will match perfectly then. Might make the build take longer, but it will be harder to do after it's finished. Just my two cents. Love the layout. 


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

That's a really good idea. The project got delayed by car trouble, so I haven't done anything more yet, so it's not too late to do it. My new car has way more room for bringing home larger tanks, so it's a good thing. ;-)


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Finally made some more progress. I'm really pleased with how the roots turned out. When I started on them, I was expecting it to be a disaster, but after adding silicone and peat moss, I'm really happy with them!

I need to set up better lighting to get rid of the glare, but you get the idea. 









I used the roots to form more support for the pots. All the roots are tacked down with pins while the silicone dries. I might need to use something more to keep the roots in place. Any suggestions?









I put silicone and peat moss on the pots as well. This will look a lot better. Thanks for the suggestion, Hill! It didn't add any extra time, since I had already planned on doing all this with the roots. 









Almost ready for plants! I still need to decide what other plants to buy. That's probably the hardest part.


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## Styx (Oct 25, 2008)

Looking awesome.


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## Hill (Jan 6, 2014)

Nicely done!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks! I'm getting pretty excited about planting. I stayed up way too late last night browsing plants for sale on various sites and trying to find a few plants on my list. 

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## jrudd013 (Jul 8, 2013)

Lookin awsome. Subscribed. I love to build and watch builds its my favorite part.


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## Bunsincunsin (Feb 11, 2008)

I remember seeing your frog photos on another forum a while back - I always enjoyed your posts.

The background looks great so far!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks guys! Watching builds is one of my favorites as well. The best part is watching the progress when it's planted. I love that part! 

That really means a lot, Bunsincunsin.  Hopefully I'll have more frogs soon. I've been keeping snakes and turtles lately, but I can't stay away from frogs! 

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## Yuley (Feb 14, 2013)

lestat said:


> Here in Washington, we have some awesome liverworts that grow wild. These typically grow near cold water, so I don't think they'd transplant well to a tropical tank. Is there anything like this that does well in our warmer tanks?
> 
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> ...


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks! Glad to be back. I forgot how much I enjoy building. 

I think Aberdeen is probably similar or colder than Seattle. I guess liverworts are probably pretty adaptable, since they stopped evolving and still survived. I'll give it a try. I'd prefer a smaller species than the common local variety, for this tank, anyhow, but a small patch would be cool. 

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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Made some more progress. I may make some changes, but it's pretty much done except the plants. I'm still hoping to find Goodyera pusilla for this tank, but I ordered almost all of the plants I wanted yesterday, so I'll be able to start planting in the near future. 










































The ferns are just temporarily placed for now. I haven't decided if I'm going to use them in this tank since they'll get larger than I want. I'm really looking forward to getting the plants!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

The moss for this tank arrived today! I'm going to wait until the plants arrive to place any of it. Also, I think I'm going to change the water feature. It's too deep. I'm going to try filling it in a bit and see if it'll still flow ok.


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## mollbern (Feb 10, 2013)

Looking good! Thanks for keeping us updated.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I have had no problem growing temperate Liverworts in warm terraria other than it will take over if not watched.



lestat said:


> Here in Washington, we have some awesome liverworts that grow wild. These typically grow near cold water, so I don't think they'd transplant well to a tropical tank. Is there anything like this that does well in our warmer tanks?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm going to try the native liverworts in a different tank. This tank is going to be primarily small plants, and the liverworts seem a bit too large. If they take over, that would be perfect for another tank that needs some more aggressive greenery.


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

I suppose I should clarify: the only plant from my earlier post that I still plan on putting in here is the microgramma. I bought all new plants. Which means that I already need to set up a second tank for the larger plants. lol One way or another, this hobby sucks you in! ;-)


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## Hayden (Feb 4, 2007)

Hey lestat! I remember you! I'm just getting back into the hobby as well after a 4 year hiatus. Welcome back. Your tank looks great so far. I'm starting a 100 gallon build in the very near future. STOKED!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

I remember you too! Welcome back to you as well. 100 gallons? I'm jealous! I'm trying to figure out how to rearrange things so I can use one of my 75 gallon tanks. I have turtles everywhere though.


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Hello,

I was wondering where you got your moss from? Thanks!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

bluepumilio.com I got the package with all three varieties in it.


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## ahvy (May 14, 2012)

lestat said:


> The moss for this tank arrived today! I'm going to wait until the plants arrive to place any of it. Also, I think I'm going to change the water feature. It's too deep. I'm going to try filling it in a bit and see if it'll still flow ok.


Hi...love your tank! Good job there.. an inspiration for me. Can i check what is the name of the first moss?



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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks! I'm not sure exactly what that moss is. This is where I got it: Tropical (?) Sheet Moss Sm Bag - $6.00 : Blue Pumilio


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Well the tank has developed a slow leak. I have to take everything out and reseal it. I guess the fact that it's not planted yet is a good thing. VERY disappointed right now.


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## LordHollis (Nov 12, 2012)

Looks great!!!!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

FINALLY made some more progress. My 30 gallon tank started leaking, so I switched to a 40 gallon that I know holds water. The background was too small for it, however, so I had to make some changes. 

When I tore apart the 30 gallon, I found that the silicone never dried, so I let this dry for a LONG time. That's what delayed this so long. 










Well, crap, this is ugly. 










Oh man, this really isn't going to work...










Ok, I guess that did work. I was really starting to worry it wouldn't blend in at all, but with the peat moss layer, it's seamless. 










Finally! Plants! Any advice on moss? I want the entire background covered in moss, and I'm not sure what the best method for accomplishing this is. 

I ordered more lights, so the whole thing will be lit in the next couple days. 










Neoregelia “Chiquita Linda” bromiliads, Ficus villosa, Syngonium rayii, and fern moss.










I love this vine. It didn't like being shipped, and I thought it was going to die, but after being under lights for a couple days, it took off! This is all from the past month. The old leaves died off and everything you see here is new growth. 










Marcgravia rectiflora, temporarily supported by a pin to keep it in place. 










I put little bits of Riccia in around the water. I need to get some more, but these are mixed with fern gametophytes, so I wanted to get a little of that in there as well. 










More Neoregelia “Chiquita Linda” bromiliads, Riccia, and other mosses. 










I've been documenting the whole process on my site. It's kinda fun to scroll back through the pictures and see how far it's come! I still have more to do, but I have to figure out what plants I want to get. I'm going to get a jewel orchid for sure, but I'm not sure what else. I need small plants. I have two more broms, but they're a different variety, so I haven't decided if I'm going to use them in this tank or not.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Great job! You can mount broms directly to the background removing them from the pots. Just curious to know how it goes liverwoort and mosses. Keep us updated!


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

That is looking spectacular! I do believe a few of those plants look familiar.  Bump me if you have any questions with placement or anything.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Just a thought. If you use toothpick halves, instead of stickpins, they quickly darken and look very natural and unobtrusive. They also eventually rot away to nothing, so you don't even have to bother pulling them. I'd also rather have my frog find a fallen toothpick, than a fallen pin.


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks Doug! Don't worry. The pins were temporary. I counted them as I put them in, and replaced them with toothpicks before the frogs went in. I didn't have any toothpicks when I put the plants in at first, so I just planned on using the pins until I got to the grocery store again. 

Here's an updated shot: 










I like how the moss is coming in. 









The frogs climb all over the place. 









This is currently my favorite corner of the tank.


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## Jegger (Jan 16, 2014)

This tank looks amazing


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

It looks so natural! I like it!


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks rigel. That's my goal! I'm slowly adding more foliage. I want to add some jewel orchids or something with a similar look, but I haven't decided exactly what kind I want yet.


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## tsn81 (Jun 9, 2014)

lestat said:


> Finally made some more progress. I'm really pleased with how the roots turned out. When I started on them, I was expecting it to be a disaster, but after adding silicone and peat moss, I'm really happy with them!
> 
> I need to set up better lighting to get rid of the glare, but you get the idea.
> 
> ...


Can you tell more about how you made those smaller roots?


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## DorisSlammington (Jan 12, 2014)

Those camouflaged pots look great, why have more people not done this? I wish I had. Can't wait to see the moss take over!


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## davispm (Apr 28, 2014)

Looks great! Looking to do something similar with my tank. With that being said, how is the peat moss over silicone holding with the water feature over time? I really want to make some roots going into my Bog but im afraid overtime it will come apart. Any help would be amazing!


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

lestat said:


>


do you remember the brand of that pump? I've been looking on amazon and can't find one that small with decent ratings


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## john.pate (May 16, 2014)

Dude you're build is sick! Hopefully mine comes out this well


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks guys! I need to take new pictures. It's filled in quite a bit. But the lights are off for the night, so it'll have to wait. 



davispm said:


> Looks great! Looking to do something similar with my tank. With that being said, how is the peat moss over silicone holding with the water feature over time? I really want to make some roots going into my Bog but im afraid overtime it will come apart. Any help would be amazing!


The peat moss didn't stick well. I'm going to try a variation next time, although I haven't worked out the details yet. The moss is starting to cover things. Once that's done, it won't make much difference, and everything's brown anyhow, so it kinda works anyhow. The rope itself seems to be holding up just fine. I like how the natural material wicks moisture. I think that's helping with the beginning of some moss growth. 



wriggles said:


> do you remember the brand of that pump? I've been looking on amazon and can't find one that small with decent ratings


The pump is EcoPlus. I'm pretty happy with this brand. I have a larger one in one of my turtle tanks, powering the filter, and it's done really well. The little one in this tank is a perfect fit, although the way the opening fans out at the top of the water feature, and the screen over that opening, helped to slow the water down enough that it's a trickle.


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

I think this pump is specifically the 



. I believe this is a newer design for this model. I had an older design as well, and the older one broke, so I recommend the newer style, but not the older style.


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

lestat said:


> I think this pump is specifically the EcoPlus 185. I believe this is a newer design for this model. I had an older design as well, and the older one broke, so I recommend the newer style, but not the older style.


Awesome thanks =D
I can't wait to see how your variety of mosses are doing =O I'm thinking about buying blue pumilio's moss pack aswell.


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## lestat (Feb 25, 2007)

I'd definitely recommend the moss pack. I didn't get it into the tank right away, so it doesn't look quite as good as it would have if I'd taken better care of it, but it's bouncing back nicely and starting to fill in. 

I also just bought some java moss and christmas moss to grow terrestrially. I think I'm going to try those in a different tank first though.

Here are a few updated photos. There are a few more on my site if you want more. The glass is so foggy, I didn't get any clear full tank shots. I'm really enjoying the small vines everywhere, but glad some of the larger foliage is starting to come in too. I don't want it too overgrown, but the frogs will enjoy some more cover.


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