# 20H vertical thumbnail tank



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

this hobby should be listed as an infectious disease... So now that the 56gal terribilis tank is set up and rolling (http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/264042-36x18x20-56g-build.html), I figured I'd take advantage of the $1/gal sale at petco. I have no plans to add new frogs for several months, but the hope is to add a more arboreal species after a few months of growth. I already have a climist system, so I can plumb in this tank as well. No water features or anything fancy with this build; will be doing some glass drilling for a drain and the misting system, but whether or not to add a fogger is still TBD


The initial steps were to silicone the wood and PVC piping into place, ill be adding the expanding foam tomorrow and will work in the fake vines this weekend

The PVC will act as drainage for the plants, with the roots/bases of the epiphytes extending into the PVC and draining at the bottom under the plenum




























Ill have to do some foam sculpting at the base of the wood, but the shape of it should allow for some cool draping vines and plant-scapes. Ill be making fake vines out of tubing covered in brown silicone and substrate, and will also try to work some cork into the foam background as well.

still have to do some thinking about the species I want to add. Some of the ventrimaculata species are amazing looking 



















I also like some of the imitators and the R. benedicta




























unsure for now, opinions welcome, but I also like the look of some of the pumilios, so who knows


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## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Subscribed  looks cool


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

so i stuffed the PVC drain tubes w/ paper towels to prevent them from getting too clogged w/ expanding foam










and after the foam had a while to set and expand removed it with no problems. There will still be a bit of expansion and ill have to do some carving, but so far it looks like it will work nicely



















Silicone vine construction this weekend with a bit of luck, and then getting the foam covered in sphagnum and substrate

The repticon meeting is in late feb in Ft. Lauderdale, a good 30-40min away. It'd be nice to have everything set up and growing out well before then


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## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

I like it a lot, I really like haw the wood sticks out so even though it's a vertical tank you have some more horizontal space on it


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

got the tubes for the fake vines in place, waiting for the silicone to dry before trimming them and bending them into position; Ill be coating them in more silicone and substrate (probably coco fiber or ABG) after


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## Mantella71 (Oct 7, 2013)

Nice start. Any thumbs would thrive in your new tank.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Got the bottom of the tank drilled for a drain bulkhead, and siliconed the background substrate. The vines will obviously need some trimming and touchup, and then some molding, but so far Im happy w/ how its looking


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## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

It's looking great!


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

I can see a few bare spots n those hoses. We usually use rope. Silicone doesn't like to stick to vinyl tubing very well.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> I can see a few bare spots n those hoses. We usually use rope. Silicone doesn't like to stick to vinyl tubing very well.


yeah I thought if I roughed it up a bit with sandpaper it would help but there were still bare spots, even after attempted touch ups... on top of that its rather difficult to shape. I will likely replace them with some rope sometime this week


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## xIslanderx (Dec 8, 2012)

What kind of wood is that? Not 100% sure but it appears to be grape wood which doesn't hold up too long in a viv. Just an FYI before you keep going.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

xIslanderx said:


> What kind of wood is that? Not 100% sure but it appears to be grape wood which doesn't hold up too long in a viv. Just an FYI before you keep going.


I thought as much too, but it may actually be mopani, it was in a pile of mopani at petco. I had it left over from the 56g build so I figured I might as well use it; worse to worst and it starts to turn into mulch in a year or two I guess Ill have to upgrade to a bigger tank


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

chefboyardee said:


> I thought as much too, but it may actually be mopani, it was in a pile of mopani at petco. I had it left over from the 56g build so I figured I might as well use it; worse to worst and it starts to turn into mulch in a year or two I guess Ill have to upgrade to a bigger tank


Was it heavy?


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> Was it heavy?


yeah, it had some serious weight to it, took forever to cut through the base to make it fit too... seemed too dense to be grapewood but Im not sure


also, I yanked out the tubing today and will be heading to home depot tomorrow to grab some rope for a re-attempt at the vines


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

chefboyardee said:


> yeah, it had some serious weight to it, took forever to cut through the base to make it fit too... seemed too dense to be grapewood but Im not sure
> 
> 
> also, I yanked out the tubing today and will be heading to home depot tomorrow to grab some rope for a re-attempt at the vines


I made a video on how I do my vines. It's really simple. I used clothes line rope that is cotton with a nylon center. I made sure it was nice and sealed.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

got to making some new vines this weekend. They'll need some trimming and placement, but it looks better

was going for a similar look to this strangler fig




























I have another nozzle coming in from Climist, as well as a large order of springtails, isopods and a small circulation fan. In addition, Im waiting for the following from JF's 

Peperomia prostrata	
Alocasia 'Tiny Dancers'	
Nematanthus 'Christmas Holly' - Goldfish Plant	
Anthurium 'Secret'
Ficus pumila Variegata 'Creeping Fig'
Nephrolepis cordifolia 'Lemon Button Fern'	
Begonia 'Plum Paisley'
Selaginella uncinata 'Peacock Spikemoss'

lighting will be a 30W floodlight (6000k) from LEDwholesalers (UL Dimmable PAR38 LED Spot Light Bulb with Interchangeable Wide Angle Flood Lens for Track or Recessed Lighting, 26W)


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

mini update

first two portions of the front glass are in place. Im still not sold on where Ill put the hinges, either top (so I dont need any real latch or clip) or on the bottom (so its out of the way). Im going to have a mistking nozzle and circ fan hanging from the top, so dont worry about obscuring views, the tank is going to be placed so the sides are emphasized instead of the front anyway.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

so got everything assembled and the substrate down, the plants from JF's come in tomorrow and the extra climist nozzles and LED floodlight come in at the end of the week. Looking forward to getting the plants in place and stuff growing


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

leaf litter added, and got the climist system linked in and the LED floodlight hooked up

the plants from Josh's are held up in transit unfortunately, hopefully they make the trip


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## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Looks great!


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I hate waiting for stuff in the mail! 

The tank looks great! Really good implementation on the vines. 

One thing I wasn't seeing in the design is some ventilation. Am I missing it somewhere? Maybe I didn't read the thread thoroughly enough. I have done that once or twice before  You have done such a good job with sealing the front of the tank that I suspect you will have trouble keeping humidity below 100% if you don't have some other ventilation somewhere. Recirculation is different than external air exchange and you will probably need the latter to control humidity.

Good job!

Mark


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Encyclia said:


> I hate waiting for stuff in the mail!
> 
> The tank looks great! Really good implementation on the vines.
> 
> ...


yeah im still undecided on that aspect. I have circulation fans, but no real external source of airflow. I could drill in a small (.5") hole and cover it w/ mesh by the fan to pull in some air, but I live in (very) air-conditioned southern florida so im actually more worried about the humidity dropping too low. The Terribilis tank has an all glass lid and generally hovers around 80%. Ill get a humidity meter and see what adjustments need to be made from there

thanks!


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

That's interesting. I guess you can control how often you are misting, too. I think if it was me, I would drill big holes (2 inch?) in the top, cover them with screen, then cover them with plastic wrap or something similar. If you need less ventilation, you can always cover them up. If you need more ventilation and you already have frogs in the tank, it is a pretty big deal to add the ventilation down the line. My house hovers in the 20% or lower humidity zone for the majority of the year and I find that the tanks I have converted from aquariums are all very difficult to vent lower than 80%. They have screen for the back 1.5" of the lid all the way across the back. Of course, I am not using recirculating fans in any of them so I am only relying on passive humidity transfer. 

One other option is to undo one of the front glass panels, cut off 2 inches or so of the glass and replace it with a little screen. They are pretty easy to make.

Anyway, best of luck! I will keep checking this thread 

Mark


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Encyclia said:


> That's interesting. I guess you can control how often you are misting, too. I think if it was me, I would drill big holes (2 inch?) in the top, cover them with screen, then cover them with plastic wrap or something similar. If you need less ventilation, you can always cover them up. If you need more ventilation and you already have frogs in the tank, it is a pretty big deal to add the ventilation down the line.


yeah, the circulation fan seems to dry things out and might pull in some extra air from whatever cracks there are or when I go to feed. That said, drilling another hole or two as backup doesnt seem like a bad idea... Ill grab a humidity meter later today and do the drilling this weekend if need be. thanks!


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## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

I really like the way you hid some (all) of your tubing in full view but hidden as roots/vines. Neat idea, seems like it'll make accessing them easy later on if need be.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

USPS does what USPS is good at 





























looks like someone took their anger out on the box before delivering it, on top of it being 3 days late. Ive planted it all the same, in the hopes that they'll recover, but im not too hopeful. All the plants had broken stems, the begonia had EVERY stem broken 

Im also hopeful Josh's frogs will help me out on this one, they've been super helpful in the past

Ive gone ahead and planted what I could, hopefully some TLC will bring back a few of them


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## sldfrg5 (Sep 29, 2014)

Tough decision. Can't wait to have a bigger place to add to my collection


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

shifted plants and grabbed some broms from a local nursery. Still peeved about USPS being so bad, but the added plants help


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## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

That sucks about the plants  but it still looks great 


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

Looks goo but the way you did the door that's gonna be a pain. Having to hold it up while you mess around with things lol. Gravity is gonna be your enemy there. Seems to be gaps between the glass as well. I'd get that filled in using silicone strips or something of you're gonna have fruit flies coming out all the time.


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## dendrokay (Nov 29, 2015)

Look great! Great work!

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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Thanks all! gonna let it grow out a bit and let the microfauna establish themselves, but Im excited to get some frogs into this one

JF's contacted me today and offered some credit for the dead plants, so thats great




DragonSpirit1185 said:


> Looks goo but the way you did the door that's gonna be a pain. Having to hold it up while you mess around with things lol. Gravity is gonna be your enemy there. Seems to be gaps between the glass as well. I'd get that filled in using silicone strips or something of you're gonna have fruit flies coming out all the time.


nah, I have a handy piece of wire that holds it up 










also, this way I dont need a latch to keep the door shut 

the previous pictures might be a bit misleading, i took some photos with the door closed and some with the door open, so the gap between the glass panels looks like its huge when the door is open. As it stands I dont think any flies can escape, but they always seem to find a way


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## Mohlerbear (Feb 20, 2014)

Tank looks good. That door seems like it's going to be a pain in your ass 😝. I used magnets to hold my doors on mine. No latch needed. It opens out/down. Good luck and keep us updated on the tank!


Loading bowls and building vivs! Braaap!
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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Mohlerbear said:


> Tank looks good. That door seems like it's going to be a pain in your ass 😝. I used magnets to hold my doors on mine. No latch needed. It opens out/down. Good luck and keep us updated on the tank!
> 
> 
> Loading bowls and building vivs! Braaap!
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Magnets! Good idea, I'll look into that


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

I really love the orientation you chose for your wood. Even though it casts a bit of a shadow beneath it, placing roots there makes for nice hiding places, in addition to giving a realistic feel and filling a spot where plants may not do as well. This is one of my favorite builds.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

updated growth pics:


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## Damon Ryan (Nov 13, 2015)

I like. I'm imagining Simba from the lion king on that ledge. It looks good! 


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Damon Ryan said:


> I like. I'm imagining Simba from the lion king on that ledge. It looks good!



Im hoping the pumilios will try to recreate some of those scenes. Another couple weeks before theyre due to come in


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## JenniBee (Jun 22, 2015)

LUCKY! I love pums! Can't wait to see pics 😉


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

keep a close eye on the variegated ficus vine. it will try, and succeed if you don't stop it, to overgrow and strangle out every other plant in there. nice design on the whole thing.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

unforeseen complications have delayed the frogs, so Im stuck taking pictures of an empty tank. The mosses are coming in nicely though!


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## Gibbs.JP (Feb 16, 2016)

Really great looking setup, thanks for sharing it! I really like the centerpiece of wood and all the vines you did... very inspirational. Plus, the plants look really great. Can't wait to see it with the frogs in!


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## ArizonaFrogger (Nov 26, 2013)

chefboyardee said:


> unforeseen complications have delayed the frogs, so Im stuck taking pictures of an empty tank. The mosses are coming in nicely though!


What is that plant in the first two and last pictures? It's really cool looking!


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

ArizonaFrogger said:


> What is that plant in the first two and last pictures? It's really cool looking!


peacock spikemoss, Selaginella uncinata, it gets a really nice blue iridescence


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## Mike5401 (Nov 21, 2015)

chefboyardee said:


> peacock spikemoss, Selaginella uncinata, it gets a really nice blue iridescence


Beautiful tank! Nice job.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Rio Branco's came in this morning! Two big thumbs up to Shawn (the frog whisperer) for this trio

Ill have to take better pics later, but they've already posted up on some of the broms near the top and the male is chirping every once in a while

























































also, the bottom most brom has sent out a rather large new bud


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)




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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

sorry for the dump! these guys are finally exploring and Ive been trying to take as many pics as I can w/ my crappy phone


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

some updated pics of the frogs settling in


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## RRRavelo (Nov 21, 2007)

I like your setup a lot but I'm bit confused with all the plumbing at the very start. What was all that PVC doing? Was the tank tapped for drainage? 

Again, nice job on it? ....


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

RRRavelo said:


> What was all that PVC doing? Was the tank tapped for drainage?


yup, drilled the bottom of the tank and used a ball valve for easy draining. 

The pvc was just a way of providing planting spots instead of using net pots and sinking them into the foam background; a bit unnecessary in retrospect but whatever, it was something fun to experiment with. The tubing was just an abandoned attempt to make some fake vines w/ leftover supplies I had lying around, I replaced them w/ the rope vines later in the build


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## Manzanitadude (Jan 7, 2016)

Good looking frogs, any idea on their age?


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Manzanitadude said:


> Good looking frogs, any idea on their age?


Im not entirely sure, I believe about a year. Got them from Shawn Herrington and they were listed as SR'15 May imports on his site, so Im assuming between 6-12mo


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

some updates:

still no eggs, but they're happily eating and I can hear the male calling most days


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Tank looks great! What enclosure do you have the light in, I am finishing up two 20 tall verts and am trying to decide on lighting.


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Nath514 said:


> Tank looks great! What enclosure do you have the light in, I am finishing up two 20 tall verts and am trying to decide on lighting.


used something similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Outdoor-Waterproof-90-240v-Degree/dp/B00U7UVZKC/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1459784977&sr=1-1&keywords=20w+warm+white+LED+flood+plug+and+play

make sure its plug and play or you'll have to do the wiring yourself, otherwise it works great


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks for the reply, does that mean you didn't end up using:

UL Dimmable PAR38 LED Spot Light Bulb with Interchangeable Wide Angle Flood Lens for Track or Recessed Lighting, 26W


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## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Nath514 said:


> Thanks for the reply, does that mean you didn't end up using:
> 
> UL Dimmable PAR38 LED Spot Light Bulb with Interchangeable Wide Angle Flood Lens for Track or Recessed Lighting, 26W



right, although it'd be the same difference. You could use the par38 in any clamp light fixture, they go for dirt cheap at home depot


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