# 400 Gallon Construction Build (Picture Intensive)



## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

After a long hiatus I have decided to return to the pdf lifestyle (primarily due to extensive pressure from my son … he has already learned that berating me with pu pu pu pu pleeeease typically results in him getting his way lol) 

In an attempt to reduce the upkeep and maintenance of a tank this size, I decided to construct this one from scratch and incorporate some previously successful techniques. For now, the concept is to keep it nice and simple.

After going back and forth on the design, the ultimate dimensions resulted in a 400 gallon tank 96” long by 31” wide by 32” tall.

This is the first stage of the stand construction. Nothing fancy … 4x4 construction, plywood top and bottom. I did use a foam backing on the bottom of the stand to provide a little cushion for the floor title.











Here is the stand with the Red Oak Veneer plywood. 











Finished the majority of the stand and created a mock-up tank to help get a feel for overall size.











Here is the hood for the tank (built with a large center section that tilts up for tank access).











Finished out the tank stand.











Here is a shot of a few of the glass panels for the tank. Made from ½ plate glass sections. The front, left and right hand sides are constructed with Starphire glass (low lead, higher visibility). The top, bottom and back sections are all standard glass. 

A row of eight holes are drilled into the front of the top section for passive ventilation (designed to convert to active ventilation if necessary) to keep the front glass clear. 

Another row of nine ½” holes are drilled into the front of the top section for the misting nozzles *(thank you to Marty at MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd for helping with the design of the misting system)*.

Two large holes were cut for tank access and two holes were drilled in the back for internal (sealed) circulation to pull air from one end of the tank and return it to the other. 











Assembled the bottom and sides of the tank. 











Here is a shot of the three 1” floor drains on the bottom of the tank. They are connected to a household drain.











Foam Background construction. I went back and forth several times over the type of background but I finally gave into the traditional foam/silicone construction (primarily based upon the sheer size of the background).











Because of the width of the tank I was concerned about having a huge empty space in the middle of the tank so I constructed a “U” shaped extension to help fill the empty space.











Mock-up of the foam structure before the coating begins.











And the fun begins … it is worth noting that buying a sheet of pink foam and a shopping cart full of silicone at Home Depot will result in an awkward moment and puzzling glance when you check out. 











Mock up of the background with the coating and ghost wood placement (the placement and final quantity of the ghost wood was just temporarily installed until the plants are designed and installed).











Pictures of the Left, Right and Center sections of the tank (with a temporary placement of the lights on the top of the tank). I decided on 4 of the 48” Current USA T5 dual bulb fixtures (*thanks to Julio for the lighting advice*). I went with four 10K bulbs combined with four of the 6,700K bulbs. 































The next step in the process will be the plants and floor … 

*Jason from the Dart Frog Megastore (Dartfrog Megastore) has been absolutely instrumental in designing and providing the plants for this tank (which due to the size and complex internal structure … was somewhat difficult). Thanks Jason =)*

Updates and pics when the plants arrive and I get them into the tank.


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## Tuckinrim8 (Jul 26, 2007)

Wow. Cant wait to see this complete! Nice work so far it looks awesome..


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

!!!!!!! i can't even think of a word right now..... AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## nathan (Jul 24, 2009)

That stand looks dynomite!

Cant wait to see this thing planted and again in a few months when it has started to grow in a bit.

What are you planning on housing in there?


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

You, sir, are a maniac, that tank looks outrageous. Look into the issue of sanitizing waste water though -


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## boricorso (Feb 19, 2008)

Keeping an eye on this one......project looks amazing.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

When you finish yours can you make one for MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!


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## Reefer420 (Oct 18, 2009)

nice work..this is gonna be a good one, can't wait to see it planted.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

man that is a nice size viv, that is gonna look great when its finished!!!


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## AlexRible (Oct 16, 2007)

Really Great project!

I do not even want to know what all that 1/2 glass cost you.

What kind of lucky froggies are going in there?


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## BR5 (Dec 7, 2009)

Possibly one of the most impressive builds I have seen thus far. Did you local glass company cut the slots? Keep the pictures coming.
Brian


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## BR5 (Dec 7, 2009)

Possiblt one of the most impressive builds I've seen so far. Who cut the slots in the glass for you? Keep the pictures coming.
Brian


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

Aww thanks for the support and comments =)

It sure has been a labor intensive project but I am excited to start the interesting part!

As for the inhabitants, I haven’t made a final decision yet (other than the tank being exclusively reserved for pdf’s). My son has shown particular interest in the Solid Banded Leucomela’s (British Guyana morph). So a group of those combined with a Tinctorius morph to get started followed up with something a little more diverse later. 

The current plant design incorporates a significant amount of broms so the possibility of some pumilio morphs would be nice.

Any suggestions on inhabitants would be extremely appreciated! 

I will get the plants in and work out all the bugs for a few months before I drop the little guys in there. I will setup a nursery tank to fatten them up before I drop them into an enclosure of that size. Feeding and keeping a watchful eye on juveniles in the main tank can present an interesting challenge lol. 

I ended up purchasing the glass from a local shop but because of the size and number of cuts into the top section (and the size of the Starphire pieces) it had to be ordered nationally. If I remember correctly they had to use a water jet cutter for the top section. 

Thanks again for all the help and support!
Michael =)


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## chinoanoah (Mar 9, 2009)

Looking great so far! Keep it up, and keep posting pics!


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## Energy (Jul 17, 2009)

I love these big builds- you can do so much with the landscaping when you have room. Thanks for documenting this.


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## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

Very impressive.


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## ktewell (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm wondering how easy it was to prop that glass up and tape it. Looks great, keep it up!


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

any updates?


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

The actual assembly of the bottom section was decently easy (other than the sheer weight of the glass). Two of us assembled it in under 30 minutes and we took our time (as neither of us had constructed something that large before lol). 

Nothing too exciting to post yet … I did manage to do a little work on the top section.

I mocked up the misting system and realized I needed a few more misters to improve the coverage efficiency. 

Here is the top section of the tank.











The *Red* highlighted holes are designed for tank ventilation. I have small wire mesh sections that insert into the holes (I will post a little more about these when I get the top mounted). These holes provide the opportunity to plug some (or all of the holes) to increase humidity … leave them passively open (to allow for a small influx of fresh air) … or I can hook a forced (fan based) system to the holes. In theory it should provide the versatility to experiment with the humidity and tank conditions until I get it just right.

The *Blue *highlighted holes are for the Mistking misting system (MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd). Nine nozzles across the front of the tank directed backward. I opted for the premium deluxe nozzles and I am very impressed with the quality and maneuverability. 

The *Green *highlighted holes are the ones I drilled today for three additional nozzles (one double nozzle in the center). After mocking up the setup in the tank I wanted to get a little more coverage on the back and center of the tank. When I ran the system for longer periods of time it moistened the back wall but I wanted to improve the mist coverage efficiency while reducing the time duration. 

The *Black *highlighted holes are for a fan forced “sealed/closed” tank ventilation that will pull air in from one side of the tank and force it back into the other side. I created small screen covers for each of the holes and then I will make a glass “tunnel” to connect the two sides with a fan installed in the middle.

The plants should arrive soon (thanks to Jason Dartfrog Megastore) as well as the additional misters (thanks to Marty MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd). 

I will post some pictures as soon as the plants arrive!

Michael =)


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## geckomann (Nov 8, 2009)

whered you get the ghostwood?


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Outstanding I love the Idea of the Front Elevated Area.

Additional Area for Plants to grow and Gives more dimension and depth.


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

I purchased the Ghostwood from a company called “Save On Crafts”. 

Save on Crafts, Wedding Supplies, Flowers, Tulle, Lights, Decorations & Discount Craft Supplies Save-on-crafts

They have three basic sizes (Small 12", Medium 10"-14", and Large 16"-22"). I went with five large pieces, five medium pieces and ten small pieces. The pieces mounted to the background are all the small size.

I ordered more than what I needed so that I could vary the placement of a few pieces. That’s why the tank looks a little too packed as everything I purchased is temporarily stuffed in there.

Hope that helps!

Michael =)


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

ChrisK said:


> You, sir, are a maniac, that tank looks outrageous. Look into the issue of sanitizing waste water though -


Agreed on sanitizing! The viv looks sweet!


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## geckomann (Nov 8, 2009)

Wow thanks for that site, thats the cheapest ive seen so far. But you must have bought it all cause they dont have any sm or lg available


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## Allyn Loring (Sep 30, 2008)

First you say your son had to beg ,twist your arm a little? SURE !!! Second this is wicked awesome.You have been thinking of this for a long time haaa? I'm sure this is going to get a huge following.Lot's of drooling involved.


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

I use them also for my Wood..


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## snmreptiles (Feb 26, 2004)

Subscribed...


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## vivbulider (Jan 23, 2010)

For the frogs I would get a group of leucs and a group of tricolors a some type of thumbnail


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## hukilausurfer (Aug 31, 2009)

Great idea with the extention thing in the middle of the tank!! This is gonna be a good one!


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

This could potentially be one of the most impressive vivs we've seen. as far as innovation, creativity and shear size!


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

The first round of plants have arrived … well technically they arrived a few days ago but I have been busy getting everything in the tank. 

In keeping with the concept of using as many site sponsors in the construction of the tank as possible, all of the plants for the tank were provided by Jason at Dartfrog Megastore

Here is a shot of what I got from Jason. The post office was unfortunately hard on the boxes but Jason’s packing was great and all the plants made it through in great shape! I was extremely impressed with the quality of what I ordered (Thanks Jason!).






















I placed the plants in the tank right away to provide them with some much needed humidity. I have relocated several of these plants since these pictures were taken but it will give you an idea of how it is coming along. I am experimenting with placement (even putting a few plants in let’s say “less than optimal spots”) to see what thrives in a particular spot.




















































I am going to leave the tags in the broms until I establish a final layout for the tank (then I will record the information and remove the tags ... otherwise I will forget which brom was which lol).

I know the gravel substrate is less than optimal but I am still trying to make the concept to work. Constructing a tank that is roughly 6 feet off the ground and 32” deep makes reaching the bottom almost impossible (although my contortionist skills have improved over the last week lol). As the size of the tank pretty much eliminates the ability to break it down on any type of regular schedule, I tried to design a concept that would extend the need to do so. I realize it is a significant trade off but I am currently leaning toward making the tank exclusively Pumilios, so the bottom of the tank may not play a crucial part for any of the inhabitants. 

As the humidity in the tank obviously jumped (and I don’t have any of the ventilation hooked up yet) the front glass is now opaque from humidity and not very photogenic. I will take some current pictures this weekend and post them (I also have some construction updates to post as well). 

Round two of the plants is on its way from Jason … which should finish out the remaining spots in the tank.

Michael =)


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

nmcobra98 said:


> I realize it is a significant trade off but I am currently leaning toward making the tank exclusively Pumilios, so the bottom of the tank may not play a crucial part for any of the inhabitants.


Pumilio will use ALL of the floor space. Howcome you're thinking of breaking it down periodically?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

great landscaping work!!


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

> Pumilio will use ALL of the floor space


Hmm … I have only had one and it was several years ago but he primarily used the upper portions of the tank (although we did catch him on the floor a few times but it was a rare event). Looks like it is back to the inhabitant drawing board again lol. 

I utilized a soil (mixture) of substrate on my previous tanks and about every 12 months (+/-) I had to completely break down the tank and swap out the substrate (primarily due to debris, odor, plant decomposition, general cleanliness, etc.).

The design was to utilize a gravel substrate to help wash the majority of that out of the tank (as opposed to trapping it in the substrate).

As least that WAS the concept lol


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Well if you want, you can use a more stable substrate that doesn't really break down, something like infield conditioner with some peat moss mixed in to help the plants get established (or just pockets of peat moss where any plant is planted), then leaf litter on top which you would just need to replenish once in a while, or maybe just the gravel with the plants planted hydroponically and tons of leaf litter on top, breaking a tank like that down would really suck  Yeah with pumilio it's better to think cube, they climb as well as like lots of floor space - that tank looks like it has both


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

A few updates …

Here is a shot of the top of the tank with the misters and vents installed. 











There was nothing overly exciting when it came to constructing the vents. Simple pvc connectors and garden hose filters did the job (to prevent the FF from getting out). 




















Here is a shot of the rear vent that will pull air from one end of the tank and circulate it to the other.











Pretty simplistic here … modified electrical pvc connectors with a screen placed between the two sections. This screen is designed to keep the inhabitants out more than FF as the circulation path is still a closed system. 











Here is the tank insulator made from 1/2“ extruded foam that sits between the tank and the hood (since I constructed the tank without a plastic frame, something needed to buffer between the glass and the hood). I taped the four sections together while the silicone set up then I stained the foam brown (yes it’s possible to stain foam but it’s not fun to do so lol). 











Here are the moon lights installed (purely for esthetic value). I went with two 48” strips mounted end to end (I had to relocate the power outlets to the back of the light so they would hit an exact 96” dimension). 











Here is the tank with the hood on it. The glass is still obviously opaque … I still need to assemble the rear ventilation and adjust the front ventilation to help minimize the fogging without sacrificing humidity. 





























Heading for the final stretch … I need to add in the remaining misters, fabricate the glass lids, install the remaining plants, refine the substrate thanks to Chris’s help =) (leaves, possibly soil) and finish out the rear forced air ventilation. 

Thank you all for the support and advice!

Michael =)


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

My monitor exploded when it saw this tank, absolutely amazing!


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Truly Inspirational


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## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

I admire the work, you work is very precise!

A question though - why did you do the build-up so symmetrically?


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## nmcobra98 (Mar 1, 2010)

Hmmm …. That’s actually an interesting question. I never really noticed how symmetric it turned out (or intended to design it that way) until I read your comment and actually looked at the tank lol.

I think it’s the center foam section and wood placement in the tank that gives it that appearance. Unfortunately since I had installed the center foam section before the wood, the remaining space pretty much dictated where the pieces could go. 

Either way it was unintentional but interesting that I never noticed it before =)


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Nice build! I love that stand and hood


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## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

That is nice - you must be a natural symmetric person (whatever that may be)


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

Wow. The tank is awesome! What kind of bulbs are you using? Looks like some blue ones in there too?


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

great build can't wait for updates.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

What a crazy project. I'm really impressed wit the quality of this DIY system.


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## TheFallen (Apr 26, 2010)

I LOVE IT! Cant wait for more updates. I would live in there


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## MA70Snowman (May 18, 2010)

nmcobra98 said:


> Hmmm …. That’s actually an interesting question. I never really noticed how symmetric it turned out (or intended to design it that way) until I read your comment and actually looked at the tank lol.
> 
> I think it’s the center foam section and wood placement in the tank that gives it that appearance. Unfortunately since I had installed the center foam section before the wood, the remaining space pretty much dictated where the pieces could go.
> 
> Either way it was unintentional but interesting that I never noticed it before =)


Lol thats exactly how I am, unless I put some serious concious thought into my design they all turn out pretty symmetric, on one plane or another. Look on the bright side you can put a glass divider in the middle have alot more diversity and the exact same tanks


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## JrayJ (Mar 11, 2010)

Can you post more pics on the hood design? Like how do you open it for feeding etc.. 

Im looking at making a similar hood on a very much smaller scale, but I plan to use the hood for all of my ventilation and humidifiying needs instead of drilling holes in the glass. 

Thanks,

Jrayj


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## DRep (Jun 2, 2009)

Did you ever consider putting maybe a large branch/log across the mid level instead of the "shelf", or maybe 1 branch from each side that met somewhere on the floor? Could add a bit more of a natural look, though it looks great already.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

DRep said:


> Did you ever consider putting maybe a large branch/log across the mid level instead of the "shelf", or maybe 1 branch from each side that met somewhere on the floor? Could add a bit more of a natural look, though it looks great already.


I thought this at first, but it'll look better when the plants start growing in. Some vining plants growing down off of the shelf would definitely help with that.


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## drufrog (Jun 1, 2007)

Amazing!!! That is all I can really say. Great work.


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## boastud (Apr 27, 2005)

any updated pictures?


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

Update!!!!


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Update +1!!!!11111!!!!11!1!1


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

so im guessing no update?


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Alegre323 said:


> so im guessing no update?


Sadly, no.


> Last Activity: 08-03-2010 09:18 AM


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

it's an awesome viv but way too much condensation on the glass he needs some fans to clear it or Grimm's squeegee idea


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