# 40 gallon viv w/ waterfall



## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

I decided to convert an old 40 gallon fish tank from my parents house into a viv. The plan, as of now, is to house some species of anole or geko. Sorry for the lack of photos. I didn't really think about documenting this while I was throwing it together. 
Anyway, to start I grabbed some wood off of Etsy. 









While that was shipping I put together the main plumbing module for my waterfall feature. I knew I wanted slate and had to figure out a way to set it without it slumping down over time. Solution: I cut some slots into a 3" pvc pipe and fit the slate rock in there deep enough so that it wouldn't move around too much. I just eyeballed it and got extremely lucky with the results. They ended up being just about dead level. The holes drilled between are for the fog to roll out over the slate. 









I did the standard silicone layer over the back wall/sides and placed the wood/pvc pipe. I couldn't get the glass clean after trying just about every method known to man (non chemical options, of course). So here is a shot from the top down. You can see the different tiers of ledges that I foamed in to create a little depth + hides. (I used black pond foam for the water feature and switched over to regular GS for the rest.)









Next I coated everything in brown silicone and textured the background with a 50/50 mix of 100% Sphagnum peat moss and coco husk fiber. Again, here is a top shot. You'll see what I mean about the glass in the second photo.


















You can see the white lead for my fog system in the right-hand side of the tank. I plumbed it into the side of the pvc pipe and capped the pipe. That way the fog builds up inside the pipe and gives me nice even flow through the outlet holes. 

Last but not least, I threw down the substrate and added some more slate to create a shallow wading pond under the waterfall. I used the NEHERP mix which seems to be doing well and then planted. I've got new growth on almost all my plants after just 5 days, which shocked me quite a bit. I know it's not all grown in yet but it looks like it's going to take off here soon. The current lighting is only temporary. I will be supplying better lighting by the end of the week. So anyway, here it is. Let me know if you have any questions at all. I'd be glad to explain further and in better detail.


















Oh yeah, there's a mistking misting system set up as well


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## thermo (Feb 26, 2013)

Hi, that's really nice, could I please get some more up close shots or discription of the waterfall and possibly how you assembled/built your feature in your viv, like how you stabilize the slate retaining wall and how you prevent too much moisture from wicking into the soil? I really like the system.


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## TheCoop (Oct 24, 2012)

You did a wonderful job! Turned out great!


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

thermo said:


> Hi, that's really nice, could I please get some more up close shots or discription of the waterfall and possibly how you assembled/built your feature in your viv, like how you stabilize the slate retaining wall and how you prevent too much moisture from wicking into the soil? I really like the system.


Sorry for the lack of detail... I definitely didn't cover everything I should have in that initial post. So here is what the waterfall consists of.

3" PVC cut to 18" tall w/ cap. 
5/8" clear tubing 
Reptiflow 200 pump
Threaded 90deg. 5/8" fitting.

First I cut notches in the bottom to allow water into the pump. Just like you would with false bottom spacers. Next I estimated where I wanted the slate to sit and where I wanted the water line to come through the pipe. I just did a little eyeballing and marked the pipe with a sharpie. Next I cut into the side of the pipe with a hack saw. I started with a small slit and gradually widened it until the slate fit in nice and snug. After all the slits were cut I drilled three 1/4" holes between the slate slits, with a spade bit, for the fog to come out. I then drilled a 5/8" hole where i wanted the water to come out from the pump. I also drilled one near the top of the pipe for the fog input to come in. 

So now all of the prep work was done. next I Put the 90deg. Fitting into the end of the tubing that connects to the pump. I slid this into the pipe and made sure the pump was sitting where I wanted it to at the bottom of the pipe. I silicones that connection and let it cure. I then placed each piece of slate in its respective slot and silicones it in place. Patience really pays off here as the slate can move around if you don't let it cure a bit. I did each piece with an hour wait time between each. 

I then siliconed the base of the pipe and the two contact points at the top and set it in the back corner. I just wrapped about three rubber bands around the cap and tethered them to the rim of the tank to hold it in place. I let that dry for a day before doing any foaming. 

Once I foamed it in it was nice and secure.

To answer the soil question, I used a drainage layer in this setup (biodrain) and built in a spot by the water feature that is supposed to mimick bog conditions. 
So on the left there is a 4" drainage layer separated by the second log in my first photo. On the right of that log the drainage layer drops to 2" to allow water to wick up into the soil. The drainage layer is still separated by a mesh barrier to keep everything from washing away. I just used fiberglass window screen. I'll try to mock up a quick sketch of how everything fits together after work. But I hope I helped clear things up a bit. Let me know if you have any other questions.


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## thermo (Feb 26, 2013)

Got it, I think. I'm going to plan and try to follow these directions and see what I can do. Thank you so much for the explanation. Please keep posting updates. I'd like to see it as it grows.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

would you be able to pull the pump out if you had to? The fogger would be a great effect ... where is it? And what kind did you use?? The hole in the side of the 3 inch pipe is for the electric cord? I'm a little slow...but I loved the whole idea...and will have to read again, and again...about the way you have your substrate...or may have to post another question....love the tank.


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

Judy S said:


> would you be able to pull the pump out if you had to? The fogger would be a great effect ... where is it? And what kind did you use?? The hole in the side of the 3 inch pipe is for the electric cord? I'm a little slow...but I loved the whole idea...and will have to read again, and again...about the way you have your substrate...or may have to post another question....love the tank.


The cap is removable. I would have to cut some foam out, but I could definitely access the pump in necessary. The fog is from a Walgreens ultrasonic humidifier rigged up to run into the tank. I labeled everything on this diagram so I hope it helps clear things up. For the electric cord, I cut a slit down from the top of the pipe to just below the point where the cap came down. I then positioned the cord where I wanted it and siliconed the slit back shut and used some temporary holds to mold the silicone back to the width of the pipe wall. Anyway, take a look at this and I'm sure it will help clear things up.


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## radiata (Jul 24, 2010)

I share the concerns of *Judy S* about pump replacement. Is the cap on the 3" PVC pipe removable if/when your pump stops/dies? I also have some (possibly unfounded) concerns about the fogger - will it run on the water cycling through your waterfall? I thought (possibly mistakenly) that one should only use distilled or RO or RO/DI water with a fogger. The larger hole on the upper side of your PVC tube also bothers me - any chance a frog can find his/her way into the pipe through it?

Above concerns aside, NICE BUILD!


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## radiata (Jul 24, 2010)

radiata said:


> I share the concerns of *Judy S* about pump replacement. Is the cap on the 3" PVC pipe removable if/when your pump stops/dies? I also have some (possibly unfounded) concerns about the fogger - will it run on the water cycling through your waterfall? I thought (possibly mistakenly) that one should only use distilled or RO or RO/DI water with a fogger. The larger hole on the upper side of your PVC tube also bothers me - any chance a frog can find his/her way into the pipe through it?
> 
> Above concerns aside, NICE BUILD!


Whoops - almost simultaneous posts... Your latest reply (with the drawing) covered the first two of my above concerns.


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

Yeah, that initial pic was before it was finished. There's a piece of 5/8 inch tubing running in that hole now. No frogs can get in. The only think I would have changed is maybe gone up to 4" pipe because the pump is pretty snug down in there. I have no doubt it would be a pain in the rear to replace it. But the fact is that it can be done  Also, I probably should have put some no-see-um mesh on the holes where the fog comes out. Just too keep the little feeder bugs out.


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## Rx-Darts (Mar 15, 2013)

Tank looks good man!


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

The drawing is terrific and self-explanatory..... But now we have to get more infor about your substrate....love the tank... Is the fogger on a timer?? I am in the middle of a build and am going to make a tree trunk with vines, etc.--and it will have the pump, etc. within the trunk...and your build has solved one of my issues...thanks!


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

Judy S said:


> The drawing is terrific and self-explanatory..... But now we have to get more infor about your substrate....love the tank... Is the fogger on a timer?? I am in the middle of a build and am going to make a tree trunk with vines, etc.--and it will have the pump, etc. within the trunk...and your build has solved one of my issues...thanks!


Yeah, the fogger, lights and mister are all on timers. I run the fog for 15 min every 3 hours. And mist for 10 seconds right before the fog starts. I know this might be too frequent, but I'm just trying to keep the moss nice and humid so it will take off. I'll draw you up a diagram of the substrate layers here in a minute.


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

Here's a better idea of what the drainage layer and substrate layer looks like. I used Biodrain for the drainage layer with some window screen on top of that to keep the substrate from filtering down into the drainage layer. The substrate is a variation of the ABG mix found here: New England Herpetoculture LLC - Substrate - Vivarium.










I have an increase in grade toward the back of the lower section to fill in the gap behind the pvc pipe. Any other loose spots or open areas were packed with sphagnum to seal them up.


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## JayMillz (Jun 27, 2012)

Your viv looks very well built. You knocked that build out of the park!


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## YCKansas (Mar 10, 2013)

Awesome viv. I have been planning something similar with the pipe and the slate and have been searching this forum forever trying to find someone who did it. That's a great idea cutting the slate right into the pipe. I am deciding between a false bottom with egg crate and something similar to yours. Is the whole bottom layer still filled with water in this set up? What pump are you using? I picked up a 40 gallon breeder at Petco today and am excited to get it started. Great job


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

YCKansas said:


> Awesome viv. I have been planning something similar with the pipe and the slate and have been searching this forum forever trying to find someone who did it. That's a great idea cutting the slate right into the pipe. I am deciding between a false bottom with egg crate and something similar to yours. Is the whole bottom layer still filled with water in this set up? What pump are you using? I picked up a 40 gallon breeder at Petco today and am excited to get it started. Great job


Yeah, the whole bottom has water in it. I read somewhere that using a drainage layer, rather than false bottom, can help stimulate micro fauna growth. I can already see springtails all over on the biodrain, about a quarter inch above the water line. They are breeding like crazy! For the pump, I used a repti flo 200. It has a pretty high rate of flow so be aware of that. If I could do it again I would have put a shut off valve on the line somewhere to adjust the flow.


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## YCKansas (Mar 10, 2013)

Defica said:


> Yeah, the whole bottom has water in it. I read somewhere that using a drainage layer, rather than false bottom, can help stimulate micro fauna growth. I can already see springtails all over on the biodrain, about a quarter inch above the water line. They are breeding like crazy! For the pump, I used a repti flo 200. It has a pretty high rate of flow so be aware of that. If I could do it again I would have put a shut off valve on the line somewhere to adjust the flow.


Cool thanks I will look into that pump. I'm still deciding on what kind of false bottom to use. Were you having problems with springs population without the biodrain or just decided to optimize them any way you could.


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## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

Sorry I missed this thread until now. I love the look of your waterfall! Very nice. 

I have slate pieces I used in my build for overhangs. You have me really wishing that I put them to the same use as you. More and more, I tempted to overhaul my 150 with concepts such as yours and others. 

Thanks for sharing!

-Chris


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

That's what I love about DB. Everyone is able to share ideas and tweak their own designs. It makes for a great source of inspiration! This was my first serious vivarium build and I made quite a few mistakes along the way, but with help from the community I was able to make it work in the end. It's amazing how fast you can pick something up when people are willing to work toward common interests. Anyway, thats my rant. It means a lot to me that you guys like and want to build on some of the concepts I used. 

I will try to update with more photos as it grows in.


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## Dart_Man (Mar 23, 2013)

Defica said:


> That's what I love about DB. Everyone is able to share ideas and tweak their own designs. It makes for a great source of inspiration! This was my first serious vivarium build and I made quite a few mistakes along the way, but with help from the community I was able to make it work in the end. It's amazing how fast you can pick something up when people are willing to work toward common interests. Anyway, thats my rant. It means a lot to me that you guys like and want to build on some of the concepts I used.
> 
> I will try to update with more photos as it grows in.


Well, if it makes you feel even better, I referenced you build quite extensively for my 26 bowfront build. Especially your PVC/Waterfall idea, I nearly replicated. I love your tank, everything looks great. Make sure you add some more photos as it grows in please! And check out my Thread "My First Viv!!" to see where your inspiration went! Again, great work Defica!! Let me know what you think of my build too please! Keep up the good work


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## Defica (Mar 5, 2013)

Update Time!!! It's been about 7 months or so since I first planted. I've added a few plants and taken others out. Also, finally got some little guys who can call this place home.


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## SuperFastSlug (Jul 17, 2013)

Defica said:


> Update Time!!! It's been about 7 months or so since I first planted. I've added a few plants and taken others out. Also, finally got some little guys who can call this place home.


Wow, that looks AWESOME! That frog is probably pretty happy in there.


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