# 46gal BowFront REDUX ;)



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Ok so i've had some free time and some extra supplies lying around so i finally decided to rip the artificial bonsi out of my bow, and do a fairly major overhaul. Im trying to get away from using anything artificial.

Here is how it looked....









Here is the "Redux!" (the water section is actually better lit in real life)










I added some lighter gravel between shots.


















And here is the betta living there now. (also a couple newts and fire bellied toad)


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## Geckoguy (Dec 10, 2008)

Thats awsome they both look great but I have to say the "redux" looks a lot nicer. Cool mix of inhabitants too.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog (Jan 25, 2008)

wow, nice work dave, looks really good, what kind of moss do u use in ur tanks, ive always been a fan


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## heatfreakk3 (Oct 15, 2008)

Thats an awesome set up. How do you set something like that up? ha


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

RedEyeTroyFrog said:


> wow, nice work dave, looks really good, what kind of moss do u use in ur tanks, ive always been a fan


Hey thx guys  Most of that moss is a local moss that does ok in my vivs, but there is a lil bit of t&c tropical moss, and a micro liverwort so small it looks like moss, and maybe a couple other local mosses. I tend to throw as many kinds in as i can and let em fight it out.


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## McBobs (Apr 26, 2007)

Very nice looking viv! I really like how it has that stair-stepping effect up towards the middle top. Very well done!

-Matt

Edit: I also love the cryptanthus in the middle. It really sets off the green in all the other plants!


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## afterdark (Jan 16, 2007)

Fantastic job! This is one of my favourites! Do you have any photos of the construction? If not, can you briefly describe how you did the hardscape?

Cheers,


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

afterdark said:


> Fantastic job! This is one of my favourites! Do you have any photos of the construction? If not, can you briefly describe how you did the hardscape?
> 
> Cheers,


Sry no construction pics on his one. This is actually the first viv i ever built...i guess technically its a paludarium. its 2 brick right angles(very heavy) with gravel and slate piled around/laid over the brick, then soil on top of that. I basically just laid pieces of drift wood all in the water section, and kinda used them to some extent to build up more land. And then planted it. the stair stepping rocks are just pieces of broken slate tile stacked up. Can pick it up like 5 1sq ft tiles for 6bucks at lowes or home depot, cant remember which...really odd cuz some tiles that look almost the same cost 5 times as much, and then some other that look kinda the same cost double that. They were a lil nicer but not $30 a sq ft nicer 

The center area is a narly piece with lots of texture/holes in it and partially buried on the right side. Then there is another piece that is a narly base with a long branch sticking up, but i didnt really like the way they looked when i had the one with the branch sticking up so i inverted it and partialy buried that branch on the left and let the narly base be what you actually see. its on top of the other peice and that forms the "center mound" Its kinda cave like in that mound, i didnt wanna deprive the animals completely of some cave like area 
Then i just laid sheets of moss and the soil stuck to them over alot of the drift wood.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Small update, added a couple plants, Divided the anubis nana plants so i could cover more of the water section, took a few more pics....


Can you spot the new additions??? There are 3  (not counting the nana)









Macro betta shot with flash...









Really ugly shot full tank with flash. Can see the brick angles used as the foundation. Under normal lighting, these arent very visible thx to the plants. (First viv, LOL i had no idea what i was doing)









Left side, new addition centered...pilea "moon valley"









New addition centered, Dracaena "Florida Beauty" and bottom right off the drift wood is *Rhipsalis* epiphytic cactus









I think eventually when money isnt so tight i'll add some epiphytic orchids to the background along with some air plants and mabye a brom or 2. I'm also thinking of installing a toms vacum pump that pulls water up and make it drip down the background.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

dude that tank looks so awesome! I now know what im going to do for my next project after i finish the project im doing now. haha


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

myersboy6 said:


> dude that tank looks so awesome! I now know what im going to do for my next project after i finish the project im doing now. haha


Wow you dug up an old thread  Thanks...I would avoid the bricks though, go with a regular false bottom box. This viv is actually crapped out now...I fixed it all up but didn't have any frogs so I ended up just letting it go to hell again...so I think this time it is getting completely redone with a true false bottom, so I'll be pulling everything out especially since I was lazy and used tap water which caused really bad hard water stains on the front. So I'll have to clean that before the new rebuild. Yet another thing on my to do list


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

Dendro Dave said:


> Wow you dug up an old thread  Thanks...I would avoid the bricks though, go with a regular false bottom box. This viv is actually crapped out now...I fixed it all up but didn't have any frogs so I ended up just letting it go to hell again...so I think this time it is getting completely redone with a true false bottom, so I'll be pulling everything out especially since I was lazy and used tap water which caused really bad hard water stains on the front. So I'll have to clean that before the new rebuild. Yet another thing on my to do list


haha yeah i've been running through all sorts of old threads. I actually have a tank that i set up that is pretty similar to what you did but a little different. I did do a falls bottom and im actually going to have fish and shrimp in the water area. Its going to be pretty cool i think. haha I have actually looked through a lot of tanks and i am very impressed with a lot of your builds and a lot of them have given me a lot of ideas. Good to see someone else on here that likes to have more than just a little pond of water for some of there viv set ups.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Thanks  Good luck with the viv! Sounds like it will be cool. The bow is actually not in operation anymore. After the remodel it was a long time before I could afford any new frogs so it got neglected again and basically I'm just using it as sealed container to grow a few potted utricularia...the moss and all the native plants are dead, water is drained...and it is awaiting another massive remodel job when money permits


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

Tank looks much better the second time around. I love paludariums.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

frankpayne32 said:


> Tank looks much better the second time around. I love paludariums.


Given what it looks like being neglected after that last remodel I'm hoping 3rd time is the charm  It was a true paludarium though with no separation between land and water really. It was built on some bricks and gravel piled up around them then rocks and substrate on top of that, though I did use flat rocks to kinda build a platter for much of the land, then the added driftwood served as more structure to support more substrate. It worked but I think this remodel will basically be completely tearing the tank down, probably doing a true false bottom and all. I don't know if it will have a pond, or be all water in the front. The tank has some bad hard water stains so it all depends on how well I can clean it up.


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