# 10g vert build for a workshop at my job .



## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

This is part of a creative initiate project I've been working on at my job . I set up a 18x18x24 ExoTerra in one of the common spaces about 8 months ago. Since the implantation of this tank, I've gotten countless questions and emails. So with the encouragement of my manager, they agreed to sponsor the build and the completed tank will be raffled off to a lucky employee that attends a 4 part "Build a Terrarium" workshop which covers the construction of this 10g tank from scratch. It also covers plant and frog selection and proper husbandry . 

Disclaimer : We would have built a larger tank , but this will most likely end up at the winner's desk. So a 10g seemed suitable for this situation . 


First class was the construction of the vert-kit. I went to a local glass place and had them measure and cut 1/8" glass to fit the face of the tank and using living hinge the kit was created . I will not be doing a front vent on this tank . With previous vert kits I've built I find that they obstruct viewing. We'll battle venting and aeration another way and will be covered later . 

Much of this tank is well on its way, so this will move a bit fast .


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

The theme of the tank would be a replica tree trunk/buttress . The plan was to use a single corktube, about 6-7" round and about 16" tall . It would also act as a fan tunnel . Unfortunately I was unable to source such a tube on short notice . So plan-B . Create a fan tunnle with corrugated plastic sheet and then cover it with great stuff , then make a mosaic of cork pieces to form the trunk and roots . This would offer the "students" a chance to play with great stuff and conctruct a hidden fan-tube . 

Damn. Sorry, just realized that I can't post pix from my phone ?. Off to the laptop.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Some pix of the glass being cut and the conversion being made.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Didn't take any pix of the corrugated plastic fan tube. It's 4"x4"x16" . The top had 2 vents and the bottom has one. The plan is to drill the top of the tank over the tube with a 2" hole. Screen will be placed over the hole and then a fan placed over that. This will give me access to the fan if there were any issues. The fan will then be covered with a small acrylic box to keep from drawing in dry outside air and only circulating inside the tank.

Here it's already covered with Great Stuff and carved. Also shown is the full glass front for better viewing . I used magnets to secure the door when closed.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Started the mosaic of cork and drilled the drain bulkhead. Couldn't find my 2" diamond bit, so i improvised and drilled a few 16mm holes. It will do. Not pretty, but the fan will be covering it.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Made some fake tank corners out of cardboard for the class to practice making the fan-tube, spray foam, and i made a few models for them to carve. Worked out great.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Finished the cork mosaic and the in between sections where great stuff were showing were shaved/carved down, siliconed and covered in a mix of shredded cork bark and eco-earth mix. The goal was to make everything look like one piece. Came out good enough. Going forward, i'd like to just use a complete corktube. This way i can do away with the plastic tunnel, foaming and carving. I was doing all of this while sick and running a 101* fever (still sick as i'm typing this on my lunch break, while swinging in a damn hammock making me motion sick. #JesusTakeTheWheel

Drilled for misting nozzle and sealed the bottom of the tube and started the drainage layer , only to run out of hydroton. I had some left over from another project and blindly ASSumed i had enough. WRONG!!


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Andddddd here we are at the present state of the tank. Last night i did a rough test fit of some plants to get an idea of placement and future growth. The plants were all pulled out because the next class in the workshop is drainage, substrate, substrate barrier and planting. So far , so good.

PS: I initially catered for about 10-15 attendees to the workshop. WRONG!!! I had to place a cap at 60!! . I has a RSVP/Sign-up list of over 80 interested. What can i say, people love frogs!


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

The tank was proposed to be raffled off with a leucs or 2. After seeing how it's turning out , it might be better suited for a pair of thumbnails or small pumilio. 

You thoughts?

I'll have a test tonight of the fan tube's efficiency. I'll fog the tank on purpose and see how well it clears the glass. This will determine the fan setting/s. low and constant , or on/off throughout the day. 

Clifnote: This tank will have two 12" Finnix 7000k LED bars. Same type of lights i have on the 18x18x24 Exo (pictured below). Growth has not been an issue while i've used them the past 8 months. 
http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Planted-Aquarium-Moonlights/dp/B00GH9HRZ4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444070768&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=finnex+12%22+led+6700k

Little more that daylight, but the fixture fits well on the tank and low profile (without the stands). 

MistKing starter kit, single nozzle. I want to promote a lot of moss growth on the cork, so i might drill the tank for another nozzle. Tank will be misted a lot (4-5 times per day for a yet to be determined duration).


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

I would have to agree with you, some imitators would love it in there. 

It is great that you are spreading the dart frog hobby to more people!


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## emallard25 (Jun 28, 2012)

Beautiful tanks! What's the fern that you have on the bottom of the 10gallon vert?


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

vivlover10 said:


> I would have to agree with you, some imitators would love it in there.
> 
> It is great that you are spreading the dart frog hobby to more people!


I found a loophole to get paid to do it.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

emallard25 said:


> Beautiful tanks! What's the fern that you have on the bottom of the 10gallon vert?


It was sourced from Justin (bluepumilio). I'd have to check the tag. I suspect it will get larger. I'll have to keep an eye on it and possibly replace it with a smaller growing fern/plant. I'm just using it as a filler until moss and the shingling plants grow in and fill the background. Just didn't want it to be as empty on the initial planting.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

emallard25 said:


> Beautiful tanks! What's the fern that you have on the bottom of the 10gallon vert?


Poly tsus-simense


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

After much deliberation . I've decided to put a small group 1.3.2 "Super Blue" Auratus, breeding pair of Leucomelas, 4 froglet Oophaga pumilio bastis and a loan male Lygodactlus williamsi gecko in this tank. Some may say overstocked, but i feel they will all find their own niche eventually and coexist happily . 

~Jon


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## jarteta97 (Jun 13, 2014)

This is a joke, right? This has got to be a joke, I know you can't be serious. And just to make sure, all this in the 10 gallon? Ok, you know what, I'm going to let someone else jump in here...


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## Mr.Frog (Sep 30, 2015)

JonRich said:


> Andddddd here we are at the present state of the tank. Last night i did a rough test fit of some plants to get an idea of placement and future growth. The plants were all pulled out because the next class in the workshop is drainage, substrate, substrate barrier and planting. So far , so good.
> 
> PS: I initially catered for about 10-15 attendees to the workshop. WRONG!!! I had to place a cap at 60!! . I has a RSVP/Sign-up list of over 80 interested. What can i say, people love frogs!


Did you mount the fern on the cork?


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## jarteta97 (Jun 13, 2014)

JonRich said:


> After much deliberation . I've decided to put a small group 1.3.2 "Super Blue" Auratus, breeding pair of Leucomelas, 4 froglet Oophaga pumilio bastis and a loan male Lygodactlus williamsi gecko in this tank. Some may say overstocked, but i feel they will all find their own niche eventually and coexist happily .
> 
> ~Jon


I hate to divert (not really), but you are planning to place 3 different species of dart frog, a species of gecko, and to top it all off, multiple frogs from each species, mixing froglets and adults, all in a 10 gallon? Even if it were 200 gallons crisis would be inevitable. I sincerely encourage you to reconsider this.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

jarteta97 said:


> This is a joke, right? This has got to be a joke, I know you can't be serious. And just to make sure, all this in the 10 gallon? Ok, you know what, I'm going to let someone else jump in here...


Haha, i trolled a lil. This forum is soo damn slow, especially for the amount of active members here . Would have figured there would be a bit more then 3 responses (good or bad) from the *398 views *this thread has gotten. I always seem to see the 100+ post threads with drama and controversy.. Wonder why is that?  

Anyway. it was a ruse . There will be thumbs going in here. Type to be determined. 

~Jon


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

jarteta97 said:


> I hate to divert (not really), but you are planning to place 3 different species of dart frog, a species of gecko, and to top it all off, multiple frogs from each species, mixing froglets and adults, all in a 10 gallon? Even if it were 200 gallons crisis would be inevitable. I sincerely encourage you to reconsider this.


Thats cool, but do you like the tank? Do you not like the tank? would you suggest anything be changed? Do you like long walks on the beach? How bout that Starbucks pumpkin-spice latte? etc.... 




#SeeWhatIMean #HateToDivertButNotReally . This forum is soo damn drama/controversy driven..


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Mr.Frog said:


> Did you mount the fern on the cork?


The fern is not mounted to the cork. Its still in the 2" pot it came in. I placed it to about the level it would be planted once the substrate going in. So in the pic it's about in the true location it would be planted, if that helps. I'm going to try to seed the cork with some spores of smaller fern species , if i can source it. I have some in my other tanks , just not sure how to go about propagating.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

The tank is back at work. 

I currently have two 18x18x24 ExoTerras in what would be a "Jungle" themed kitchen . 

The tank to the left i use to rotate frogs for display. Because it's in a kitchen , i can't feed fruit flies. The tank is heavily seeded with isos and springs. But would only hold about 2 frogs for about a week, without them plowing through the micro-fauna. So they are on display for 1 week per month. This gives the tank's micro-fauna a chance to repopulate and gives me a chance to supplement the frogs correctly when they go back home. 

The middle tank has a male L.williamsi gecko. He is fed mango paste, CGD and i get away with cup feeding dusted dubia nymphs. 

And the tank to the right is the 10g being built through the workshop.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

This is how the fan will be mounted. it will be covered by an acrylic box thats a little larger than the fan itself. A small notch will be made to run the fan wire out the box. The box, along with the exposed foam will be painted over for a more hidden look.


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## jarteta97 (Jun 13, 2014)

Oh my gosh I can't believe you trolled lol you know how much hot blood that causes. I was seriously reconsidering your sanity, I thought "there's no way someone would try this". My fault too for not catching that you were gonna put imitators in there. The brom and fern placement is perfect, I love the buttress, just maybe another plant in the back right? Something that climbs maybe. Otherwise it looks awesome.


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## AbeV (Jul 12, 2015)

JonRich said:


> After much deliberation . I've decided to put a small group 1.3.2 "Super Blue" Auratus, breeding pair of Leucomelas, 4 froglet Oophaga pumilio bastis and a loan male Lygodactlus williamsi gecko in this tank. Some may say overstocked, but i feel they will all find their own niche eventually and coexist happily .
> 
> ~Jon


And a partridge in a pear tree....

It's looking good. I especially like how you built the stump, I have something similar in the works but I like your method better. How did you attach the cork bark?

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

AbeV said:


> And a partridge in a pear tree....
> 
> It's looking good. I especially like how you built the stump, I have something similar in the works but I like your method better. How did you attach the cork bark?
> 
> Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk


Haha. 

I used the GreatStuff as a bonding agent. Worked great actually. I honestly think you can just use a single piece of whole cork tube. It will itself act as a fan tube and be more natural. I let the GreatStuff and silicone dry for about a week and i'm at the stage where i'm starting to saturate the "stump" with frequent misting to get it ready to seed with a moss mix and i can still smell the chemicals. Really wish i could have found a nice piece of cork tube in time for this build. Time was against me. 

I'll for sure build another tank soon using just a nice piece of cork tube . It will be a 360* view build. 

I even considered getting a long balloon and spraying it with foam , letting it set/cure , then popping it . Hopefully leaving a tube shape. I have too many ideas in my head at times, it complicated builds . I keep changing things.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

jarteta97 said:


> Oh my gosh I can't believe you trolled lol you know how much hot blood that causes. I was seriously reconsidering your sanity, I thought "there's no way someone would try this". My fault too for not catching that you were gonna put imitators in there. The brom and fern placement is perfect, I love the buttress, just maybe another plant in the back right? Something that climbs maybe. Otherwise it looks awesome.


Lol, it's all good man. I'm just having fun. There will be another plant in the back right. Hopefully i can find something suitable. We are on the same page, the background will have slow growing shingling plants. Something i can train and wont get out of control. I have a few pieces of Marcgravia for the tank. The plan is to plant it at the bottom and it it find it's way up. Adding in some miniature orchids as well. The 2 broms i chose for the tank are fully grown , i'll just have to watch out for pups.


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## Mr.Frog (Sep 30, 2015)

JonRich said:


> The fern is not mounted to the cork. Its still in the 2" pot it came in. I placed it to about the level it would be planted once the substrate going in. So in the pic it's about in the true location it would be planted, if that helps. I'm going to try to seed the cork with some spores of smaller fern species , if i can source it. I have some in my other tanks , just not sure how to go about propagating.


Thanks.....


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

This is the fan cover and fan on the 18x18x24 Exo, so you get an idea of what i'll be using on this tank. This tank will just have a sleek acrylic cover. 


The cover will prevent the fan from pull dry outside air into the tank and drying it out and dropping the humidity.

Found this big ass ALT computer key at work and it worked perfect.


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## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Nice build man. Also nice troll, I saw it right away lol ^_^


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## jarteta97 (Jun 13, 2014)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> Nice build man. Also nice troll, I saw it right away lol ^_^


Should have seen it haha, but I don't have a lot of experience with trolling, plus I had just finished reading through maybe 5 pages of the USA dart frog thread, I love the lively debate about hybridizing. 

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk


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## TheCoop (Oct 24, 2012)

Looks great, was always fond of well done 10G verts..


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> Nice build man. Also nice troll, I saw it right away lol ^_^


Haha. Thanks. I get bored sometimes when i have downtime at work.

Unfortunately, i haven't had a lot of downtime lately. I had to cancel the final class of this workshop until next week. 



jarteta97 said:


> Should have seen it haha, but I don't have a lot of experience with trolling, plus I had just finished reading through maybe 5 pages of the USA dart frog thread, I love the lively debate about hybridizing.
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk


There are a lot of trolls out there. some more malicious than others. I'm just here to have a lil fun, don't beat yourself up about it. Consider it troll awareness training.lol


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

TheCoop said:


> Looks great, was always fond of well done 10G verts..


Thanks. As much as i like this tank and other smaller tanks. I really think it's more rewarding to build a large tank. Sooo many limitations in a small tank, both frog and plant wise. I'll be getting rid of all my smaller tanks and building 2 nice 90g+ display tanks and calling it done(for my home).


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## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

I think it looks quite nice. I might go with something like that for my new thumbnails.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

tardis101 said:


> I think it looks quite nice. I might go with something like that for my new thumbnails.


Thanks. This case is "spacial" because this will be on someone's desk. But if i had my choice i'd go a bit larger (20g+). holds the same footprint , but with more climbing space. I'm found that a larger tank will allow you to utilize your plants better. Happy plants= Happy Frogs.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

JonRich said:


> After much deliberation . I've decided to put a small group 1.3.2 "Super Blue" Auratus, breeding pair of Leucomelas, 4 froglet Oophaga pumilio bastis and a loan male Lygodactlus williamsi gecko in this tank. Some may say overstocked, but i feel they will all find their own niche eventually and coexist happily .
> 
> ~Jon



This had me dying!


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

eos said:


> This had me dying!


lmaooo. Bro, i was bored!!


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Few days ago i seeded the background with a homemade tropical moss mix (some christmas moss, java, and some random but attractive mosses from some of my existing tanks. Originally grown from Folius mix). 

Got the rest of the hydroton placed and screen barrier the plant substrate sections, leaving the "root" to protrude .It was also seeded with moss. The goal is for moss to establish and grow in to the stump. Looking for 2 nice mini-orchids that will have a nice bloom to put in here.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

I'll be plucking some of these Ferns from my 40g and transplanting them high'ish up on the trunk background in this 10g. 

This is a shot of the moss growth in the moss slurry i seeded this tank with.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Some pix of my 40g breeder. Lady Basti was feeding tads. 4 (4 confirmed anyway.) in this brom.


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## emallard25 (Jun 28, 2012)

Hey, I'm about to start on a 10 gallon vert myself. Hopefully using one of the frog face beta kits. I love this tank, and want to use it as inspiration for my own build! A quick question, how did you build the root section coming off the stump?


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## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

emallard25 said:


> Hey, I'm about to start on a 10 gallon vert myself. Hopefully using one of the frog face beta kits. I love this tank, and want to use it as inspiration for my own build! A quick question, how did you build the root section coming off the stump?


It's pretty much all cork flats arranged in foam to the shape of a root.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

emallard25 said:


> Hey, I'm about to start on a 10 gallon vert myself. Hopefully using one of the frog face beta kits. I love this tank, and want to use it as inspiration for my own build! A quick question, how did you build the root section coming off the stump?


Thanks. And i really like the frog face stuff. I was going to get one myself. I just like having the whole front glass for better viewing on this small of a tank. The "root" part was created with spray foam (great stuff) and carved to shape. I then covered it with cork bark pieced. The gaps between the cork pieces were filled with silicone and i pressed in Zilla Jungle mix and blended cork bark. 

Hope that helps. If you have Instagram , check out my feed "JonRich1320" for more detailed pix and videos of this and other builds. 

~Jon


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

The tank has been planted for a little over a week now. The moss it starting to germinate and the Neos are starting to throw roots and adhere to the background. I still have some marcgravia and mini-orchids to add.


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## emallard25 (Jun 28, 2012)

Hey man, looks great. What kind of moss did you use? Or did you use some kind of moss mix?


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

emallard25 said:


> Hey man, looks great. What kind of moss did you use? Or did you use some kind of moss mix?


Thanks. I made a mix of my own . It consist of some tropical moss i got from BluePumilio, some java, some christmas and some misc mosses i pulled from my existing tanks that i liked their growth patterns.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Now that the plants from the initial planting have become rooted and had new growth. I can now plant the 2nd wave of plants. Some marcgravia cuttings, orchid divisions, Philodendron wend imbe and a Rhaphidophora korthallsii from the other terrarium at the office.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

The top Neo "BlueBerryTart" had colored up a lot in the past 3 weeks. I also added a Macodes petola. The moss is really taking off, can't wait to see this thing grow in and mature. I didn't put anything that should outgrow the tank too much, so should be really nice and not cluttered once mature. Tonsssssssss of springtails allll over the tank as well.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Starting to see some growth on the tank, lots of moss. Can't wait to see the marcgravia start to fill in the background. I'll show the winner of this tank how to trim and guide it around the stationary plants like the orchids.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

I'm using center cuttings of marcgravia. I've found that new growth will sprout in different directions. But with a end cutting it will just continue to grow from one side. The goal is to have it cover about 60% of the background and trim any that overgrow and hit the glass.


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## emallard25 (Jun 28, 2012)

JonRich said:


> Starting to see some growth on the tank, lots of moss. Can't wait to see the marcgravia start to fill in the background. I'll show the winner of this tank how to trim and guide it around the stationary plants like the orchids.


Hey, it's really come together nicely. I just finished the hardscaping on my ten gallon vert. As I commented earlier, it was definitely inspired by this build . I'll make a thread about it soon, maybe in the next couple of days. BTW, whats the plant in the picture, furthest to the right? It's really nice.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

emallard25 said:


> Hey, it's really come together nicely. I just finished the hardscaping on my ten gallon vert. As I commented earlier, it was definitely inspired by this build . I'll make a thread about it soon, maybe in the next couple of days. BTW, whats the plant in the picture, furthest to the right? It's really nice.


Thanks, i'll keep a look out for your build. If you're speaking about the plant on the ground (front right) . It's a Jeweled Orchid _Macodes petola_


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Quick update on this tank. Everything is growing in nicely. The moss is growing more stringy and taller than i'd like , but not bad. 

The Macodes patola is about to bloom, the neoregelia are coloring up nicely , the fern in the front has grown in well and might need a trim soon, the philodendron wendimbi is not filling in as fast, but it's not doing bad either. The marcgravia is finally throwing new shoots. 

No frogs in this tank yet. 

All n all , happy happy happy. 

Enjoy.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Quick video of some progress in this tank and it's current occupant (a male Varadero). 
http://youtu.be/inok_sXO_g0


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## Hawkman (Jan 19, 2016)

Beautiful tank. Do you have any info on your vertical conversion? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

Hawkman said:


> Beautiful tank. Do you have any info on your vertical conversion?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's measured and cut to fit the inner rim of the black frame on the standard aquariums, in this case a 10g. It's all glass, no venting makes for better viewing . I'm using the standard living hinge that comes with most of the commercial kits . The hinge I use was sourced through GlassBox. I used rare earth magnets (6 total . 3 on the inner rim on the tank itself and 3 matching ones on the lid. Liquid acrylic/super glue to adhere ). Disclaimer: you have to be careful when closing , it snaps pretty strong once the magnets start getting close . I believe this can crack the glass if you're not carefully. I'm using 1/8" glass . 

Hope that helps . I think it shows the process early in this thread . 

~Jon


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## Hawkman (Jan 19, 2016)

Thanks Jon. 


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