# how to build a viv MOTYDesign



## motydesign

this was for another forum contest, but seems the site is probably going to be gone, so i thought id share

One of the most responsible things you can do before starting a vivarium is to know what you are going to have 
inhabiting it, this will allow the build to be designed around the animal not the other way around.
I planned on having**P. Terribilis (mint morph), being these are terestrial frogs for the most part, i went 
with a horizontal build. 
Also in planning a viv its important to know what access you are going to have and where your lighting is going to be 
mounted. Being i was limited on space with this build going on a night stand**i went with a zoo med 18x18x24 (i 
dont like the added seam in the middle of the exo terra that obstucts view and increases fly escape).**
These side door enclosures tend to leak flies like no other no matter which brand. 
So ill add a few pictures of how i managed to slow this hemarage of insects.

Lets get started!!!
a quick 5% belach and water wipe down of the empty tank








**

a false bottom is very important to have as this will allow you an air barrier between the substrate and the water 
that has leached through from misting.
there are different options to creating this false bottom (FB) but we will use a material called egg crate panels.
we cut the panel top to the size we wanted in the viv.
PLASKOLITE LIGHTING PANEL - LIGHTING PANELS









we built it up to a height that worked with the vents in the viv and would give enough water storage in bottom 
with out saturating my sub.











next was to plan the substrate topography. im not a fan of flat subs. and adding hills and elevation changes helps 
increase square inch of terrestrial frog habitat as well as give needed visual barriers.
using egg crate we built fillers









installed them and covered with standard fiberglass screen
Shop New York Wire 36" x 84" Charcoal Fiberglass Screen Wire at Lowes.com
productId=3087649&Ntt=fiberglass+screen&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dfiberglass%2Bscreen&facet
Info=









did some checking to see what itll look like



















in order to drain the false bottom you will need an access point. there are once again many ways to create and 
access point, but in this build we will use a bulk head.
this is were a glass drill bit will be required.
start off at about a 45 degree angle and slowly start drilling. slow speeds are the most effective. reduce pressure to 
almost nothing when cutting glass.

here is fairly good info on drilling, their drill bits i found to be really good quality as well
How To Drill Glass
also see below vid of drilling a hole. 










after the hole was drilled a bulk head from mistking was installed
MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd









as you can see the next pic is completely out of sequince but it was an important lesson learned on testing water 
proofing* WAY* eariler in the build than i did! this was murphy's law at its best, all other vivs ive built were 
tested. this was the first one i didnt try.

















So i will suggest that you fill the viv with a high water level and let sit for 24 hours and see if adjustments are 
needed?


next i hate light showing through my back ground so i add contact paper to what ever side i am going to put a back 
ground on. some will make the BG really thick so they dont see through,
but that takes away valuable space for the frogs so i try to keep the back ground as thin as possible. 
Shop Duck Black 15' x 20" Shelf Liner at Lowes.com









now that this is complete i wanted to work on some back ground accents. A lot of people are looking for a natural 
vine to fill the viv. Well here is a close second that with proper watering and planting will look great!
basic ingredients are brown silicone (avoid silicone that has the anti mildew formula), Xylene, rope, and what ever 
you want the rope texture to be(i used peat moss).










now it is important to wear protection and read ALL safety warnings! wear a resperator and do this work in a well 
ventalated area. this work should not be tempted by a minor, read the label of the Xylene! 
We mixed a 50/50 of silicone and xylene









added the rope and mixed to evenly cover the surface. Allow a min for the rope to absorb the mixture.









the nice brown silicone will cover all white of the rope, now drop in to your covering material and cover all wet areas. 
try to handle this the least amount as possible to allow the covering material to adhere to the mixture. then lay it 
out to dry

















While that is drying, now is a good time to start laying the back ground out. there are MANY back ground types 
available in the hobby that can be installed, but we will
be using the tried and true great stuff (GS) and caulk back ground (BG). there are tons of GS types and even two 
colors out there, go with the cheapest 
started off with the tank on its side and started applying the GS.
some people feel that you should put a coat of silicone on the glass before applying the GS, i have never experenced a 
GS adhesion fail.*however*it can and does happen so this is your choice.
Shop Dow 12 Oz. Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks Insulating Foam Sealant at Lowes.com
catalogId=10051&productId=3012216&UserSearch=great+stuff&Ntt=great+stuff&N=0&langId=-
1&storeId=10151&rpp=48


i like to apply the GS slowly with small streams and keep the patern minimal. when working with GS no matter how 
short it is going to be, be sure and wear clothes that you are willing to mess up.
with out a doubt, GS will *ALWAYS* find its way onto your clothes. i also strongly reccommend wearing latex 
gloves. as the only thing the back of the can says for removal is "wear gloves".



















while still fresh we want to add a little more texture to the BG so we used cork pieces. these were soaked in a 5% 
bleach solution and then baked at 250 until dry. also please do me a favor and make the grain of the coark go 
vertical or there abouts (maybe this is just my pet peeve but i hate to 
see the grain just pointing in all different direcitions, it just looks unnatural)
while your cork is set, you may want to shoot a little gs into the voids to prevent the frogs from finding hiding spots 
behind the cork. this is up to you.










after allowing the GS to cure for two days heavly sand the GS as it is very smooth, then apply the same silicone and 
Xylene mixture to the sanded GS.








while still fresh throw on extra heavy amounts of your BG material on the wet cork. With more than is need on 
there, lightly push the 
material down to insure proper adhesion to the BG.


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## motydesign

next we affixed the vines and did touch up (we left a gap in the corner to run temp and RH sensor that now needs 
to be covered). affixing items in a viv can be done with gorilla glue being it is the same poly foam GS is.
Shop GORILLA GLUE 2 Oz. Adhesive at Lowes.com

















As i stated earlier this viv tends to have a LOT of escapees so the first thing i changed was the bottom vent 
(these are huge gaps and we just need a little air flow)
there are three tabs at the bottom that need to be pushed torwards the glass then the vent can slide up
















this is not as easy as it sounds, but no matter how hard it is, it is greatly worth the task!
i broke it !!! OH NO!!!

well guess what? its not that big of a deal, *you* can fix it.








use a soildering iron and melt it back together. its pretty easy really.

















next install NO-SEE-UM mesh on the inside of the vent (dont skimp here, fiber glass screen does NOT stop a fruit 
fly!)
mesh fabrics








then reinstall the vent by pushing it back down into the viv.


Being the top of the Zoo Med is screen, which is un usable if you want to keep humidity high enough for poison dart 
frogs (PDFs), we need to create a glass top.
i suggest something that is thick enough to withstand heat, pressure, and drilling so i got 1/4" this is a 
cheap material and cost like $12. look on line for local glass shops cutting and drilling isnt a hard task. it seems to be 
scary at first but really it isnt tough. when you go buy this sheet of glass ask if they have a scrap piece and practice 
on this a bit to work out any nerves.

we laid out and made the cuts 




and now have this nice viv top! dont forget to enjoy the beverage of your choice and remember this is FUN! not 
something to be worried about or get worked up over.









with the top cut, now it needs to be drilled for misting and for venting.





installing the mist heads you will be using is a snap.








plumb them to each other, this may take a few tries, but see what you are measuring and itll make sense.









i wanted to viv to have lots of air flow so i picked a nice quite 40mm PC fan








with the data on the lable i selected a power supply that proved NO LESS (this is important) than 10% more mAh 
than the fan required.











it is obvious i skipped a head here a bit so ignore the plants and lights for a bit  . its for your own good.

to seal this up properly smear a film of caulk around the fan hole, lay a large patch of no see umm and useing a razor 
blade, lightly push it into the caulk and create a tight sraight cover overthe hole.
put a dab of caulk on the four corners of the fan and then push on to the fresh laid mesh.
allow to dry over night, then using a razor cut and scrape the access mesh that is not needed.












I started installing the mesh over the vents thinking after it dried i could razor blade a square around the hole that 
would look clean.









well i was wrong it looked horrible... so i bought some washers and ended up painting the plastic washers with a 
1/2" inside diameter black and then pressing them over the screen simalar to the fan.









this is your painting and there are no mistakes, you can always change it if you are not happy.


Now you can install the substrate
i used a washed gravel at the FB then went to a turface material at the sub.
i washed gravel**with a 5% bleach








i used this gravel around the perimeter

















next was the turface proleague infield conditioner
call around some of the local landscape suppliers
Calcined Clay Infield Conditioners | Turface Athletics

















i moved the viv to the night stand and did some measuring and wanted to mount the light off the tank enough that 
the lamps would be far enough away that heat wouldnt be built into the tank.
i bought a T5HO. Some people hate this brand. i have had nothing but great success with them and their 
reflectors are awesome not to mention the fixture itself is clean looking.
Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting

remember that building vis is all about customzing and you should never be afaid of altering a product to fit your 
needs. However being this is an electrical device, have a good idea of what you are doing.
i drilled and screwed a 90degree bracket**


















with that installed and the viv in final resting place its time to add the plants and leaf litter. leaf litter is very important 
for the frogs and microfauna. so dont skimp, its better to have more than less.

there are a lot of plants that work in vivs and a little planning will go a long way. plants are probably the item i spend 
the most on in the build. here are some that i think work well in a viv and dont overwhelm the tank in a short 
period of time. I am ok with waiting for the viv to grow in, its less work down the road in comparison to a plant like 
wondering fig (ficus repens) that is fast enough growing to be the only plant in the tank in a mere few months.
okay so here is the list:
-aroids look for minatures
-most Begonia but they can be fast growers (read up on the sp.)
-neo. bromeliads a very important part to every single on of my builds, i bet i have 30+ sp. they are a great plant for 
EVERY viv!
-cissus
-cryptanthus
-fern this is a giant family so use some common sense
-gesneriad
-hoya
-java moss
-marcgrevia
-orchids as many as you can afford!
-peperomia
-pilea
-rhaphidophora 
-selaginella some do well but kraussiana seems to *ALWAYS* die! i tried it for the 4th or 5th time in this viv 
and..... it died**ERRRR

anyway this is just a starting point and the list is days long of what loves high humidity daily watering and mid 70F so 
be creative.

i like the orchids from andy, his customer service is second to none and plant quality is amazing!
Andy's Orchids - Orchid Species - Orchids - Species Specialist - Orchids on a stick
know what your buying before you buy! research the plant and understand what it likes. if you buy cryptanthus 
(earth star), plant it on the floor... its not an epiphytic (air dwelling) plant(just another pet peeve). 
every plant i put in a viv i wash to the bare root then give a 5% bleach spray and let sit for 10-15 min. even the 
orchids, even java moss!










as you can see i was not happy with one misting heads so i changed it out. if something doesnt work, change it 
now. its better to change your mind now than it is to do it while there are frogs in the tank.









add more plants









add more plants... you get the idea 









next install the misting pump and timer and fan timer under the stand.
MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd
set to your desired misting schedule. i like 20-30 secs in the morning and the fan on 5-6 times for 5-10 min through 
out the day. each viv is different and should be treated as so (in my opinion).

the next thing you want to do is seed the viv with micro fauna. if you are going to pick only two things to seed with 
i would use white tropical isopods and pink springtails.
depending on the frog you choose the more attention needs to be put into micro fauna. if you buy a culture, put 
half in the tank and set up a larger growing culture (this is pretty important as a frog like**adelphobates galactonotus 
will wipe out anything that moves with in a month) and re seeding will be important.

Pinks cultures are just kept on a decaying leaf litter fed on only active bakers yeast.









tropical springs are also super easy to culture, crushed hardwood charcoal**fed on only active bakers yeast.








i have also been playing with a 100% turface culture that is doing VERY well so far









also be ready with your fly cultures (CX).
i like to use super fly, i CX melan., Hydei, and buzzati on it with great success.
while there also pick up some calcium + your frogs will thank you 
Repashy Ventures - Distributor Center
if you need some CX cups hit up josh's!!! great place for other misc. viv materials. Which reminds me i need more 
cups!
Insect Culturing Cups and Lids Collection | Josh's Frogs


Now this viv is really 95% percent done. let the viv grow in and set up for a month or more.










Then order your frogs and quarinte them. then add them to the viv and enjoy!
here is a little over 1 month of grow in on the viv

















a few little helpful tips for your build and after you have it up and running:
-dry silicone will not cure to previously cured silicone. so try to make all caulk to caulk assemblies while it is fresh.
-being flies WILL escape at some point, get a shot glass and fill it with apple cyder vinigar and 2-3 drop of dish soap 
(hide it some where close to the viv). clean this out once a month or as it evaporates. youll be amazed at how many 
flies this will catch.
-there is a reason everything that went into the tank had a 5% wash of bleach. a clean viv to start off with will save 
a lot of head aches later down the road.
-start cultures and figure it out how to be successful before getting any frogs 

Welcome to the addiction of building Vivariums!

And finally there are meetings on the boards when you become addicted!


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## punctata

Thank you for this thread. It is very helpfull. Great detail. It is going to help me with my build that I am working on.


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## Froggyboy

Thread of the year !!


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## motydesign

i very well doubt that hahaha.


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## erik s

That thread was waaaayyyy to cool!!! Great work!!!


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## Mitch

Great viv, looks very natural. I'll be using that rope-vine technique on my upcoming peninsula build!


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## kate801

This is great! That viv turned out really nice. I love the vines.


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## jessejames801

this post is so helpful!!! it has given me so many new ideas!


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## GRIMM

Wow you got sticky status. Didnt think that was possible here lol. Nice job on the writeup for sure, well deserved!

Edit: Whats the plant in the bottom with the red vienes? I like!


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## motydesign

Thank you all for the compliment and the sticky is an honor. I'm glad this is helpful to you guys!

Grimm are you asking about the pilea next to the coco hut?


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## laylow

Awesome thread! Where are you getting your drill bits from?


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## tclipse

nice write-up... only suggestion is that I personally wouldn't use products with Miracle-Gro or other ferts with frogs.


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## motydesign

laylow said:


> Awesome thread! Where are you getting your drill bits from?


i have gotten them from the link in the thread as well as Lowes


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## mordoria

Seriously awesome write up. Im using this from now on to show people how to make vivs. Such great pics and discriptions. Love that all the links for other tutorials are included.

+1 on the NO MIRACLEGROW


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## motydesign

Ok lets address the miracle-gro 
contents are:
0.02% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
0.03% Nitrate Nitrogen

0.02% Phosphate (P2O5) 
0.04% Soluble potash (K2O)

with a total of less than a handful used in the build and a full month of watering and plant grow out on the material. i dont see a large enough concern. im sure there is probably an article on the nitrogen that would stir the opposition, (im just using a little reason here, and it may be wrong) but its peat moss and i feel most of the fear on ferts is in adding it straight to the viv to increase plant growth and used continually. this is just applied once then is used by plants and washed away in the grow out period.


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## mordoria

I was told once by Woodsman that he uses Miracle Grow Moisture Control. Its then covered in 2" of leaf litter. The frogs supposedly never touch it. I dunno, to each, their own. I try and avoid chemicals altogether. In my food, and my frogs. 

I do have to say again. This is an amazing thread. Thanks MOTY


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## tclipse

motydesign said:


> Ok lets address the miracle-gro
> contents are:
> 0.02% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
> 0.03% Nitrate Nitrogen
> 
> 0.02% Phosphate (P2O5)
> 0.04% Soluble potash (K2O)
> 
> with a total of less than a handful used in the build and a full month of watering and plant grow out on the material. i dont see a large enough concern. im sure there is probably an article on the nitrogen that would stir the opposition, (im just using a little reason here, and it may be wrong) but its peat moss and i feel most of the fear on ferts is in adding it straight to the viv to increase plant growth and used continually. this is just applied once then is used by plants and washed away in the grow out period.


I didn't want to derail your thread, because it's a great look for new people who are just getting into viv building... which is why I said that I'm personally not comfortable using it (or recommending it to newbies when there are alternatives we know for a fact are 100% safe) instead of "DON'T USE THAT STUFF". I wasn't really referring to your viv, but was thinking more that it could cause someone new to assume miracle gro potting soil as 100% of their substrate would be fine, for example. 

I've also read that their peat moss contains a "wetting agent," on top of the nutrients, not sure exactly what that is chemically though... seems like it could possibly have the potential to mess with a frog's osmotic balance? 

Also read a few anecdotes regarding npk levels going haywire, and a few (possibly circumstantial) witness accounts- this one makes a good point at the beginning as well:


WVFROGGER23 said:


> I would stay away from anything that says Miracle Grow. Just because the chemicals aren't used doesn't mean the product wasn't processed in the same plant with all the lovely chemical fertilizers.
> 
> I had a major issue with this when I first started keeping darts. Lost 3 out of 5 froglets in 2-3 days. Not to mention the soil smells really bad when wet! I have used eco-earth ever since. No problems, no weird smells.


Apologies for the derail & hope it works out in yours, just wanted to throw up a 'proceed with caution' flag for any new froggers who might come along. Great job with the thread and the viv.


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## motydesign

tclipse,
no apologies needed, this is the information right behind the build that people will read and be able to make their own choices on their build. in hind sight yes i would have used straight peat moss (and to be truthful i thought i grabbed straight peat moss)... but im not going to be too concerned about it at this point.


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## laylow

Possible video w/ the frogs and misters running?


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## motydesign

yeah i think i can get you that tonight.


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## motydesign

laylow said:


> Possible video w/ the frogs and misters running?


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## hydrophyte

This really is a great writeup. Nice work!


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## laylow

Thanks for the video! How many misters do you have total?

Shaw


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## motydesign

Three in this tank


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## John1451

This is absolutely PERFECT!


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## frankrom

GRIMM said:


> Wow you got sticky status. Didnt think that was possible here lol. Nice job on the writeup for sure, well deserved!
> 
> Edit: Whats the plant in the bottom with the red vienes? I like!



I am new here and I am a silent type guy but actively reading posts. I read your thread a well btw and nice tank.

It is clear why this got sticky status! This was the most informative post I've read. I've read so many that I almost talked myself out of this... this really simplifies it and breaks it down into bite size chucks.

WELL DONE


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## frankrom

motydesign said:


> Thank you all for the compliment and the sticky is an honor. I'm glad this is helpful to you guys!


Hi Moty - as I said above fantastic write up man... this is what I will follow when building mine.

FYI can you go into a little bit about substrate, what you would recommend, use, what about a thin layer of hydroton above your false bottom?


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## motydesign

hydroton is a replacement of a FB, so there wouldnt be any need to do that since i went with the egg create FB. The turface is a clay based material that i use over AGB mix. plants seem to grow well in it as well as an orchid i have planted in there. this also has the idea that frogs can uptake small amounts of calcium when they are in contact with it. so it was the best choice for substrate IMO.


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## frankrom

motydesign said:


> hydroton is a replacement of a FB, so there wouldnt be any need to do that since i went with the egg create FB. The turface is a clay based material that i use over AGB mix. plants seem to grow well in it as well as an orchid i have planted in there. this also has the idea that frogs can uptake small amounts of calcium when they are in contact with it. so it was the best choice for substrate IMO.


so overtop of your FB you lay the ABG and then the turface clay. Followed by some leaf litter i guess?

FR


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## motydesign

look at the pics on page one. the turface is the ONLY thing i use, then plant directly into the turface, then throw leaf litter over the top.


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## ckays

> as you can see i was not happy with one misting heads so i changed it out. if something doesnt work, change it
> now. its better to change your mind now than it is to do it while there are frogs in the tank.


Was this decision based on coverage of the mist? I'm working on a design for a 24" cube and was hoping to get away with one nozzle, looks like I'm going to want two. 

Thoughts on this?

Thanks.


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## motydesign

yes this was based on the coverage. with two down pointing heads i was only able to get the floor and 1/3 of the the wall. with the current set up i hit all of the viv pretty evenly


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## ckays

Ahh. 

I didn't catch that you left one downward nozzle in the back there when you modified the other. 

Appreciate the post and insight. Nice build.


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## froggzilla36

wow! great write-up, it's very informative. I think i'm going to have to give making my own glass top a try, it sure beats saran wrap.


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## blogfrog

wow great job! this is definitely going to help me when I build my viv


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## cosyis77

super detailed


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## joekolko43

I have a lot of trouble culturing springtails


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## motydesign

read these two and thank me later 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/78285-pink-springs.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/66991-how-culture-isopods-woodlice-springtails-40.html


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## cobraden

great info!


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## FrogBoyMike

Very nice detail step by step! Thank you for posting this. 
Also I had no idea you could use turface as your only substrate. I've yet to work with that stuff. guessing it holds moisture very well?


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## crazydaz

Way cool thread, bro! Especially to a noob like me...it's great to have a thread that shows how to set up a nice system in a step-wise manner! Thank you for doing this!


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## Atte

Great how to. Awsome


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## Evil_Demos

Love the thread. Great for a newbie like me. Awesome insight on the way to texture your background as well as the plants to use. Great advise on the culturing of microfauna. Will take all this into consideration as I am building my viv.

-Evil


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## motydesign

im glad this is such a liked build. i never thought that it would have been so helpful to so many. PLEASE if any one has questions/comments let me have them. ive implemented more tech like UV into some of my newer vivs and am trying to track the effects of it on the inhabitants. so far all data is useless and subjective... but i had to start somewhere.


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## GINT

Thanks a lot for your time posting and sharing how to built viv.Everything very simple to follow.Now I have new ideas how to built next one.


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## rackodac

Cool viv, it gives me many new ideas, thanks


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## GP dynamite

Great thread. I love the rope vine idea just like so many others. Mixing the silicone and brushing it on looks so much easier then trying to rub it around in its purist form. What a pain that is! I got some great ideas and the courage to attempt drilling glass. 

Thanks a bunch


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## GINT

motydesign said:


> this was for another forum contest, but seems the site is probably going to be gone, so i thought id share
> 
> One of the most responsible things you can do before starting a vivarium is to know what you are going to have
> inhabiting it, this will allow the build to be designed around the animal not the other way around.
> I planned on having**P. Terribilis (mint morph), being these are terestrial frogs for the most part, i went
> with a horizontal build.
> Also in planning a viv its important to know what access you are going to have and where your lighting is going to be
> mounted. Being i was limited on space with this build going on a night stand**i went with a zoo med 18x18x24 (i
> dont like the added seam in the middle of the exo terra that obstucts view and increases fly escape).**
> These side door enclosures tend to leak flies like no other no matter which brand.
> So ill add a few pictures of how i managed to slow this hemarage of insects.
> 
> Lets get started!!!
> a quick 5% belach and water wipe down of the empty tank
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> **
> 
> a false bottom is very important to have as this will allow you an air barrier between the substrate and the water
> that has leached through from misting.
> there are different options to creating this false bottom (FB) but we will use a material called egg crate panels.
> we cut the panel top to the size we wanted in the viv.
> PLASKOLITE LIGHTING PANEL - LIGHTING PANELS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> we built it up to a height that worked with the vents in the viv and would give enough water storage in bottom
> with out saturating my sub.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> next was to plan the substrate topography. im not a fan of flat subs. and adding hills and elevation changes helps
> increase square inch of terrestrial frog habitat as well as give needed visual barriers.
> using egg crate we built fillers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> installed them and covered with standard fiberglass screen
> Shop New York Wire 36" x 84" Charcoal Fiberglass Screen Wire at Lowes.com
> productId=3087649&Ntt=fiberglass+screen&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dfiberglass%2Bscreen&facet
> Info=
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> did some checking to see what itll look like
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> in order to drain the false bottom you will need an access point. there are once again many ways to create and
> access point, but in this build we will use a bulk head.
> this is were a glass drill bit will be required.
> start off at about a 45 degree angle and slowly start drilling. slow speeds are the most effective. reduce pressure to
> almost nothing when cutting glass.
> 
> here is fairly good info on drilling, their drill bits i found to be really good quality as well
> How To Drill Glass
> also see below vid of drilling a hole.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> after the hole was drilled a bulk head from mistking was installed
> MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> as you can see the next pic is completely out of sequince but it was an important lesson learned on testing water
> proofing* WAY* eariler in the build than i did! this was murphy's law at its best, all other vivs ive built were
> tested. this was the first one i didnt try.
> 
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> So i will suggest that you fill the viv with a high water level and let sit for 24 hours and see if adjustments are
> needed?
> 
> 
> next i hate light showing through my back ground so i add contact paper to what ever side i am going to put a back
> ground on. some will make the BG really thick so they dont see through,
> but that takes away valuable space for the frogs so i try to keep the back ground as thin as possible.
> Shop Duck Black 15' x 20" Shelf Liner at Lowes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> now that this is complete i wanted to work on some back ground accents. A lot of people are looking for a natural
> vine to fill the viv. Well here is a close second that with proper watering and planting will look great!
> basic ingredients are brown silicone (avoid silicone that has the anti mildew formula), Xylene, rope, and what ever
> you want the rope texture to be(i used peat moss).
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> now it is important to wear protection and read ALL safety warnings! wear a resperator and do this work in a well
> ventalated area. this work should not be tempted by a minor, read the label of the Xylene!
> We mixed a 50/50 of silicone and xylene
> 
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> 
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> 
> added the rope and mixed to evenly cover the surface. Allow a min for the rope to absorb the mixture.
> 
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> 
> the nice brown silicone will cover all white of the rope, now drop in to your covering material and cover all wet areas.
> try to handle this the least amount as possible to allow the covering material to adhere to the mixture. then lay it
> out to dry
> 
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> 
> While that is drying, now is a good time to start laying the back ground out. there are MANY back ground types
> available in the hobby that can be installed, but we will
> be using the tried and true great stuff (GS) and caulk back ground (BG). there are tons of GS types and even two
> colors out there, go with the cheapest
> started off with the tank on its side and started applying the GS.
> some people feel that you should put a coat of silicone on the glass before applying the GS, i have never experenced a
> GS adhesion fail.*however*it can and does happen so this is your choice.
> Shop Dow 12 Oz. Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks Insulating Foam Sealant at Lowes.com
> catalogId=10051&productId=3012216&UserSearch=great+stuff&Ntt=great+stuff&N=0&langId=-
> 1&storeId=10151&rpp=48
> 
> 
> i like to apply the GS slowly with small streams and keep the patern minimal. when working with GS no matter how
> short it is going to be, be sure and wear clothes that you are willing to mess up.
> with out a doubt, GS will *ALWAYS* find its way onto your clothes. i also strongly reccommend wearing latex
> gloves. as the only thing the back of the can says for removal is "wear gloves".
> 
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> while still fresh we want to add a little more texture to the BG so we used cork pieces. these were soaked in a 5%
> bleach solution and then baked at 250 until dry. also please do me a favor and make the grain of the coark go
> vertical or there abouts (maybe this is just my pet peeve but i hate to
> see the grain just pointing in all different direcitions, it just looks unnatural)
> while your cork is set, you may want to shoot a little gs into the voids to prevent the frogs from finding hiding spots
> behind the cork. this is up to you.
> 
> 
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> after allowing the GS to cure for two days heavly sand the GS as it is very smooth, then apply the same silicone and
> Xylene mixture to the sanded GS.
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> while still fresh throw on extra heavy amounts of your BG material on the wet cork. With more than is need on
> there, lightly push the
> material down to insure proper adhesion to the BG.


For the 1/4 bulkhead what size of the drill bit did you use?


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## motydesign

GINT said:


> For the 1/4 bulkhead what size of the drill bit did you use?


Depends on which bulk head you bought


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## LordHollis

This looks amazing!!! i can only hope my first one will look as good


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## cwade

Do you have a problem with the smell of the BG using the xylene and silicone. I built a BG on my new viv using your write up a couple weeks ago. And it still has a smell to it. Didn't know if its ok or not. Haven't put frogs in it yet. I was just worried about it.


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## lebron713

Thank you very much for the highly informative thread. This is going to help me tremendously. Kudos to you


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## Lukasem

Great thread! Just got home with ropes, GS, silicone bleach. I'll start on my second viv.

What kind of leaf litter is in this viv.(before oak) it looks very nice?


Luka


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## Kadjec

This viv looks great. Had never thought about creating vines. I would like to know how the turface and vines hold up over time?


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## ag-au

Stunning end product! Thanks for sharing, one thought, could drying outside invite unwanted pests? Or am I over reacting?


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