# new wooden hill stream tank (constr jrnl)



## wimvanvelzen

hi all,

In this hill stream paludarium thread I mentioned that I find the concept good, but the execution can be taken further (especially larger!), to create more different pieces of stream, enabling the keeping of more ´normal´ fish species like tetras. I also want to create walls that are less vertical and more like a slope (at least at some places).

At the same time my wife and I discussed the fact that we could do with some more space in the living room, where this paludarium is situated. And as another room in the house became available (due to change of work), the decision was made to replace the two existing tanks with a large one in a dedicated room.

Here is a Sketchup picture of the room with the new viv.









Dimensions of the viv will be 215cm at the left end, 280cm at the other side and an inner height of 135cm. The depth is 95cm at the left side and 70cm at the 

right side. The two ´legs´ are positioned at a bit more than a 100 degrees towards each other.


To get a better idea what I wanted I did a lot of sketching, like this one:








In the final design the room under the tank is used and covered by some sheets of plywood.


Artist´s impression of the tank; I use the back window to create some depth (the window faces North, so the light will be rather diffuse)










Beneath the actual tank there is room for making RO water (to be mixed with a bit of tap water), automatic water refreshing and a large (160x50x50cm) tank in which four large pond pumps will be placed, that are essential for making a hill stream tank. 











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September last year I started the constructional work (which I plan to end at about June this year). The material used is a good 18mm plywood, which will be 

covered with epoxy and glassfiber mats.

The best start of course is to have an empty room... 










(Before this I painted the wall with some moisture resistant coating.)

I glue the plywood pieces with Poly-urethane glue (don´t know the English equivalent) - even if I wanted, there would have been no space to work with screws.











Part of the automatic refreshing system: a small pump, pumping water to the drain regularely, which will be replaced by a 3:1 RO - tap water mix from the 

reservoirs.










The tank through which the water will flow back to the large pumps. There is a biological filter inside, like used for large fish tanks.










Where the water will flow back to the pumps:










Packed in foam, to avoid loss of warmth (by the way, the pumps will act as heaters):









The right part is higher as part of the ´hill´ and to enable access to the pumps in the tank:









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The walls behind the tank are covered with styropar sheets for insulation:









The standing plywood back:









Dividing the part for the lights and ventilators (the holes are 40mm in diameter and will be covered with wire mesh)











A lot of holes for the pipes (here the ones that will bring the water back from the pumps into the tank):










I sawed the pieces of plywood behind which the glass windows will be placed (45cm high and then sliding ones on top).









Inside, below the lights (the boxes at the end are to place some ventilators for circulation inside the tank):










Between the pumps and the tank I place some taps to regulate the amount of water flowing through each pipe. In the picture they stand above the floor, but once glued they will hang under the tank. Pipes are 40mm in diameter. The total pump capacity is 19000 liters an hour (5000 US gallons), although some is lost because of the height to which the water is pumped.









At these points in the rear end of the tank, the water will flow back to the reservoir under the tank:










In the left side there is another pump under the tank for a waterfall at that side:













I hope the pictures help you to understand what I am doing - I feel my technical English is lacking a bit... 

Questions, suggestions and criticism is very much appreciated. Some way this is quite an adventure as there are so few examples of this type of tank building (I fortunate enough to get the help of the man behind this tank, Hans Pietersma). 
Any input is welcome!


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## frogparty

wow, thats going to be excellent.


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## eos

I'm salivating already..... This is gonna be a good one


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## Reefer420

your work is very impressive..this is gonna be amazing.


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## Eric Walker

what a project


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## akraemer2

I can't wait to see the finished project!


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## calvinyhob

i hope you understand i mean this in the nicest way possible... i hate you. Im really just joking this is such a very cool project and am very jealous of both the room you have for such an amazing tank and for your amazing artistic skills shown already in previous post. I have subscribed to this thread adn will be following this till the end!


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## wimvanvelzen

Guys (and girls), thanks for your support!  



akraemer2 said:


> I can't wait to see the finished project!


Neither can I. It really feels like adventure with lots of surprises (undoubtedly nice ones and a few nasty ones  )


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## wimvanvelzen

calvinyhob said:


> i hope you understand i mean this in the nicest way possible... i hate you. Im really just joking this is such a very cool project and am very jealous of both the room you have for such an amazing tank and for your amazing artistic skills shown already in previous post. I have subscribed to this thread adn will be following this till the end!


I love being hated this way  
The room I have is a real blessing, OTOH this one will replace the two existing ones. 

There is still a lot of work to do, so enough stuff to follow if you allow me some time


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## calvinyhob

wimvanvelzen said:


> I love being hated this way
> The room I have is a real blessing, OTOH this one will replace the two existing ones.
> 
> There is still a lot of work to do, so enough stuff to follow if you allow me some time


I shall give you some time  How does a week sound? Again i appreciate your threads, the detail, time and artistic skills spent on your projects shows. When you are finished i have a spare tank that needs to get finished its not as big as your room but its (if my formula is correct its been a while converting inchs to centimeters) 182cm long by 61cm wide and 76cm tall. i hope i did that right... anyone any better at math then me? 1inch = about 2.5cm? Now i feel dumb


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## AlexRible

What are you doing online? Get back to working on this already! I can't wait to see it finished. So do you have any ideas for inhabitants yet?


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## calvinyhob

AlexRible said:


> What are you doing online? Get back to working on this already! I can't wait to see it finished. So do you have any ideas for inhabitants yet?


on here fist pumping again!!!!! lol


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## wimvanvelzen

Thank you for the week, I am afraid I need just a little bit more 

An inch is 2.54cm (at least in the UK). So your tank would be 72" x 24" x 30"?


As for the inhabitants, I just think about moving the frogs, gekkos and fishes from my exisiting tanks and see how they do. Probably some more fishes and some new generations of Mannophryne would be nice...


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## Fishman

I am very, very impressed with this build!!! You detail is amazing and don't worry about your technical english, you are doing great.


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## Leidig

That is one of the most impressive undertakings I have seen. I am completely impressed by what you have acomplished. Great job. I, like others, can't wait to see the finish results.


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## calvinyhob

wimvanvelzen said:


> Thank you for the week, I am afraid I need just a little bit more
> 
> An inch is 2.54cm (at least in the UK). So your tank would be 72" x 24" x 30"?
> 
> 
> As for the inhabitants, I just think about moving the frogs, gekkos and fishes from my exisiting tanks and see how they do. Probably some more fishes and some new generations of Mannophryne would be nice...


Ok Ok a week and a half will work for me  

Perfect on with the size, but i have it started and after looking at your builds im ready to rip out everything ive done! Wish i could figure out what to put in there. 

Again beautiful and cant wait for the updates!!!!


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## Energy

Amazing start and thanks for the pictures. Where are you located?


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## wimvanvelzen

Thanks! I live in the Netherlands, Veenendaal to be precise (that is right in the middle of the country).


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## NickBoudin

This is insane. I love it. Please do continue and not hold me (all of us) in suspence any longer!


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## wimvanvelzen

I plan to get the epoxy stuff this week, so I could do only a few minor things.

First I installed the tubes for the water that flows back to the reservoir. I haven´t glued them yet, as I first want to do the epoxy.









I placed the acryl glass window; of course the frame will be hidden in the background once made.









Cleaned the tank a bit:









A proud family in their new home...









Or better this way?









I also played around with the division of land and water. Just some pieces of foam to get a rough idea.

























As seen from the entrance door of the room:









Please feel free to comment, ask for explanation or whatever!


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## fleshfrombone

THIS IS SPARTA! Hahaha, just kidding, that's how excited this build made me. It looks insane. I really can't wait until it's done. I hate finding cool threads like this before they are done. I have no patience.


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## alluringeli

Cant wait to see the finishing touches. Looks like its going to be a good one. keep us posted....


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## Energy

Coming along nicely and thanks again for documenting all of this!


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## calvinyhob

i like it alot


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## pearldrums2

WOW looking awesome.... definately can't wait to see it finished!!! would love to have something that size someday!! love the look and the design


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## NickBoudin

You never really realise the size of the cage or say to your self this is huge, until you can fit inside it. 












Lovin' the work so far, maybe some more pictures of how the plumbing looks underneath? How deep is the water going to be? Will there be a drip wall of some type? What's going to light this beast?


Keep it up!


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## wimvanvelzen

hi Nick,

I haven´t really more photos than I already showed. Basically the plumbing is like this:

there is a tap at left side with a RO attached. Then there is small tank with an RO water reservoir (about 20 gallons) and a rest water reservoir (about 8 gallons). 
At the right hand side under the tank is a 64x20x20inch tank used as a biological filter; the 4 pumps will be placed in there delivering a 5000 gallons an hour (well, less because of the height of about 3 feet to the points where the water flows into the actual vivarium).

I have 4 points where the water flows into the viv, 2 right above the right hand side of the tank, one about 1.5 feet higher and one with a horizontal arm attached to create a broad dripping wall (well, a bit more than just dripping - make that small waterfalls).

At the left hand side I also have a pump as used for central heating systems to create a 3 ft high waterfall there.


The water refreshing system is simple. Each week I plan to run a little pump in the large reservoir for a couple of minuts, to get about 10 gallons of water to the sewer. Then I run another small pump in the RO water reservoir to add 7 gallons of RO water and then again another small pump to pump 3 gallons of rest water into the reservoir. That way I can get water hardness (is that the technical frase?) I like.

Then there is a lot of water evaporating from the tank. I just can pump RO water to get things back to the level I want.


The water level inside the vivarium will be mainly 30cm / 12inch, apart from the right hand side where I try to get water levels of 10cm and 40cm higher respectively (a bit like rapids in a small burn).

Between the pumps and the actual viv I made a connecting pipe and 4 taps (cocks?) enabling a precise regulation of the amount of water flowing at the different points into the viv.


Again, I hope I make myself clear - just ask in case I am not


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## wimvanvelzen

About lights: I have in the present hill stream tank 4 80W T5 lights (everything is 220V here). Then I have got some small lights (12W) for a slow start of the morning and a slow end of the day (poor man´s dimming system ). Apart from that a couple of hours a 40W heating lamp and a UV emitting light for the lizards.

I my other viv there are 2 80W T5 lights and a couple of 36W PL lights.


I plan to use all of these as well as two 70W spotlights to add some atmosphere in the evenings (with the 80W lights out).


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## bratyboy2

this is insane!!!


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## Carinya

keep up the good work!


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## chinoanoah

Please don't forget to post! I love the natural light coming in, that is gangster.


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## wimvanvelzen

I won't forget  Just nothing new to show. I did buy a lot of epoxy and glasfiber this week as well as a dripping/rain system. I will work on it tomorrow and post some pics if there anything I could be proud of


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## jeeperrs

This build is amazing


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## winyfrog

WOW! this is going to turn out amazing I'm excited to see its progress.


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## jake.adelman

I don't want to bug you but an update would be awesome! This project is amazing!


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## Julio

great project, how will you have access to clean the glass?


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## Haroldo

This is quite the undertaking! Makes me feel comfortable about doing a large display in a reno house. Please keep your progress updated on here.

If you didn't live in the Netherlands, I'd have no problem giving you this:








I'd imagine shipping would be quite high. Good luck!


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## wimvanvelzen

Awesome piece of wood, Harold! Thanks for the offer, but it would get costly indeed.

I hope to have something to show within a few days. I am working hard on the epoxy layers inside the wood and on the dripping/raining system. I'll be back!


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## wimvanvelzen

Well, nothing sexy to show but I did some important things. Here are the pictures!

I put multiple layers of epoxy and glassfiber (for the waterpart, the landpart just one layer) in the tank. As you can see I am not a tidy working craftsman 




























I think that everything is watertight - I´ll test that this week for the lowest few inches. After the front windows are glued in, I can check the entire system.
I also added 25 points for a dripping system near the backwalls and 60 in the lid. The last ones are to mimick the after-rain effect in a forest where large drips just fall at irregular intervals. For real rain, there is much more needed of course!
The system is called Micro Drip, by German based Gardena. I expect to run in 15 - 30 minuts each day, according to need.
I will make the orange parts black, btw. Looks rather ugly now!

When standing in front of the tank, you cannot see the lid and dripping sytem. When seated, you can. Well, that is trade off I am prepared to take!



















You can see 2 of 4 ventilators, meant to provide internal circulation (wind). Of course I´ll put some maze in front of it as well as in front of the round ventilation holes.


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## jpstod

When you get done you can come build us all one.

The Drip system is just a garden drip system or is it designed for us in Vivariums?


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## wimvanvelzen

I would love to! I am afraid I won´t have any time left - enjoying my own tank every day 

The dripping system is meant for gardens, greenhouses etc. It has been used for vivariums as well, esp for Chameleons, but not very often (as far as I know). Most froggers here prefer high pressure misting systems in stead of mimicking rain.


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## frogfannumero1

This a pretty impressive undertaking! I look forward to seeing your progress and picking up some ideas.


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## NickBoudin

That rain system is awesome. How much pressure is the pump that will be running that? Will you use some type of ball valve to controll the water flow to the dripping heads. Also will the water that's dripping come from the sump, or a seperate resivor?


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## wimvanvelzen

hi Nick, 

it is just a regular 1300 US gallons / hour pond pump. The system is made to work with the regular watertap pressure, but works on these kinds of pumps as well. The distance between the pump and the actual dripping points is about 6´ height, so I needed quite a strong pump.

As it is designed for tap water, this system works aquarium water equally well - no need for RO water like in the high pressure and fogging systems.
I will place the pump in a filtering mat to avoid particles getting in the system.

The pump is placed in the sump beneath the tank.


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## AlexRible

wimvanvelzen said:


> As it is designed for tap water, this system works aquarium water equally well - no need for RO water like in the high pressure and fogging systems.
> I will place the pump in a filtering mat to avoid particles getting in the system.
> 
> The pump is placed in the sump beneath the tank.


Are you worried about ammonia levels in the water burning the plants/herps?


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## wimvanvelzen

I am not really worried, but some additional filtering (the entire hill stream system works as a filter) won´t do any harm I suppose.

Would I not have been able to pick up a used biological filter with pump for little money, I would have done without (my present hill stream tank has no additional filtering and seems to have no problems).


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## RPN

WOW, this build has got my full attention. Nice work, looking forward to following your progress.


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## switchblade5984

very nice concept cant wait to see how it turns out.


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## Deli

O.O
There is no smiley/emote in exsistance that can show my jealousy/anticipation to see this finished.

I'd Love to make a viv like this someday.... *sigh*


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## DRep

I assume you would have posted pictures if you had new ones, but any type of update on this? It looks amazing so far.


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## wimvanvelzen

I have been doing a few not so visible things last weeks (like glueing PVC) - I will post some pictures tomorrow of the most recent devellopments! Stay tuned...


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## jpstod

Oh we are all "tuned" and ready for updates


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## HX

Indeed we are.


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## wimvanvelzen

As promised, some pictures of what is going on (not that much actually...)

First of all I glued the PVC beneath the tank and put epoxy on the floor of the RO department and the department to be used for breeding the frog food. 

I also hang the fans (they are hanging to avoid vibrations) and made some mesh wire frames.





















Mesh wire glued on top of the ventilation holes and painted the sides white for better light reflection:











The first pieces of glass are glued in with silicone (I accidently changed the orientation of the pieces in the corner ... I had to cut them loose and fix it again this morning):





















While testing the new fans I felt that they do move a lot of are, but not really in one direction - not really a windlike effect. This fan would:










But, well, not really suitable for use inside the tank. It will have to work behind the tank's back!










Made a hole on the right side. I can choose to put a mesh wire frame and the fan there or a piece of matt glass to let daylight in.



The front glass pieces are ready to get glued, but first a few pieces of epoxy will have to dry. To be continued later this week...


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## akraemer2

It looks great! I know I sound a little greedy here, but I'm ready for more! ;-)


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## wimvanvelzen

Just glued in some most pieces of glass:






































Total results (well, there is some more work to do ). Looks better in daylight or with the final lights installed!


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## Herpetology101

Wow that is awsomne! the journal is well kept to thank you for such through explanations.


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## Nicholas

Update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Chris155hp

Nicholas said:


> Update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


+1 Amazing


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## wimvanvelzen

Ok, ok - here goes! 

Some more work done: the first water is there! No leaks discovered!











I added some pieces of wood to give some impression - of course all will be built on top of a rocky river bed (well, sort of).




















So, the first 4 inches of water are there.










No more water untill next day!




I made some extra tubes to be placed in the PVC sinks, enabling me to decide on water level. The 50mm tube is connected to the standard 40mm by a rubber ring that can be adjusted for fine tuning.










As soon as the one pump worked, I discoverd that the blue filter mat stops to much water. I will replace it with something more open (but still with a fine enough mesh to avoid small fishes going down the tube...)












The pump in the left hand corner gives quite some water - that will make for a nice extra waterfall.











I have now only one pump at the right hand side (will add three from my present tank). That is really some water coming out!












A total shot:










Click here for a larger version!




So, now I have got time to work on my roofmate foam - grout - epoxy experiments...


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## calvinyhob

its coming together and it really looks great.


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## winyfrog

Looking good.


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## wimvanvelzen

A small update about the construction as well as some pictures of a few pieces of wood I bought.


A redirection of the waterfall in the left hand side of the tank:











Pieces of foam to create some land parts:











My attempt of creating fake rock. Tile grout, some colouring and once finished a thin layer of epoxy (the last part not done yet). Technically it isn´t that difficult, getting believable results is!















































Nice try, but the rock in the front corner is too large... (the straight character of the pieces behind will be visually broken by some real rocks and pieces of wood)










I am working on something fitting in better.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In Deventer at Green Nature (a Dutch vendor) I bought some awesome pieces of wood, among those this tree (unfortunatley to large to use in one piece):











Once put in the tank (of course just to get some ideas):










(click here 
for a larger version)


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## frogparty

oh, HELL YES! those trees look awesome in there! I am really liking the way this is turning out.


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## Energy

Incredible! I bet your having a ton of fun creating all that. Is the waterway connected or broken by land sections?

If connected it would allow larger species for the aquatic area, if broken it would allow seperation of animals that may live in the same conditions but may not be compatible.


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## wimvanvelzen

Lots of fun indeed!

The waterways will all be connected, so I will keep some shoals of fish as well as some more territory guys. Size will all be rather small - that makes the tank look even larger


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## ghettopieninja

This is starting to look incredible. I wish we have availability to tree and liana wood like that here in the US! care to share more about the seller?


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## wimvanvelzen

No problem, that is Patrick Temminck from Green Nature in Deventer, the Netherlands. Green-Nature (Nederlands). His shop only started a few months ago and the website is by no means complete - but knows how to design viv interiors!


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## azure89

Looks awesome man, keep up the great work! Love those rocks!


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## DRep

I like that the trees will not all be against the back of the enclosure. It adds a lot of depth, and obviously gives hides.


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## nathan

one word - FANTASTIC !


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## calvinyhob

amazing this is starting to come together great i always love seeing this thread updated!


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## jpstod

In a way I hate seeing these European Builds done.

It rubs the fact in our faces that great pieces of Wood and Accessories like Frankenstein Vine, Sumba Vine, and Lianna Vine are so readily available in Europe, while most of us in the states are stuck with cheesy fake crap.

Yea I know We can search around on the Internet and find a few selections but I want to walk into the store and select my stuff personally.

The Manager at the PetSmart was surprised to find that they started selling their WACKYVINE Bird Perches suddenly.. The Reptile Girl explained that I found them in the Bird Section and not in the Reptile Section and I buy them. Before me the Store was open 6 months and not one had sold. They moved them from the Bird section into the reptile section and now they can't keep them stocked. I kind of wish they would move them back so only I know where they are at and get first choice.


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## wimvanvelzen

I have to say that is not hard to get some nice wood here in the Netherlands, but this tree is quite exceptional. Most pet shops here have only very small pieces of wood to fit into small fish tanks. Don´t know about the rest of Europe, but I suppose that is harder to get good stuff outside the main urban centres.

As for my tank - I have been working on it again (once you get in a flow...) So here just some pictures of the rocks and my first attempts to create the rockwork for the waterfall in the left hand side.


The new pieces of rock to fit in the corner (with some other pieces of the ´river bank´):











Some pieces of foam to create the waterfall:










Too close to the tree, have to make it less deep:











Some more surroundings










What do you think? I know it is hard to see and interpretate from a picture, but I hope it makes some sense.




As seen from the nearest seat:











The ´rocks´ put in place:


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## Nicholas

Nice... I am jealous


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## McBobs

Alrighty... I'm subscribed. 

Looking great!

-Matt


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## vivbulider

All I can only say wow


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## wimvanvelzen

Just an update in pictures - or ´how to learn to hate rocks´...















































Yours truly




























The first layers of colour - more to come!


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## ashb

it's coming to life!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!


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## wimvanvelzen

Uh, no, that is just me in the picture


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## azure89

This may be the best home vivarium in the world! its awesom man! keep up the good work


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## wimvanvelzen

Thanks, that is a very nice comment!

Nevertheless:
I have been working on my rocks for quite a few days now, I to be honest I feel not quite sure if the result will be believeable and natural looking. The kind of rock I want to mimick is a kind of layers rock, simply because that is what I can make relatively easily with the sheets of foam I use (3 and 6 cm thick) and because this kind of rock can be easily planted.
I make the parts in the water a bit rounder that the ones above to give an idea of the forces of the water. Once finished I will add some real stones, boulders and gravel.











I put some epoxy on a few pieces to get an idea of how dark the grout will color. To avoid a shiny surface I threw in a very fine sand.





























The waterfall part at the left hand side. I will add some real thick layers of tile grout to get rid of some bricklike parts.




















And working further on the more rounded parts:





























Feedback welcome!


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## chinoanoah

Wow. Keep posting pics, we absolutely love it!


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## Energy

wimvanvelzen said:


> Thanks, that is a very nice comment!
> 
> Nevertheless:
> I have been working on my rocks for quite a few days now, I to be honest I feel not quite sure if the result will be believeable and natural looking. The kind of rock I want to mimick is a kind of layers rock, simply because that is what I can make relatively easily with the sheets of foam I use (3 and 6 cm thick) and because this kind of rock can be easily planted.
> I make the parts in the water a bit rounder that the ones above to give an idea of the forces of the water. Once finished I will add some real stones, boulders and gravel.
> 
> 
> Feedback welcome!



Well- as the artist you will always look at your work with a critical eye and never be quite happy with it. From an outside perspective it looks good. the sand in the grout makes it believable and gives it texture.

I went down the same road-trying to make rocks and trees for my viv. I eventually threw most of mine out and used the real thing. It ended up being cheaper than making rocks!

I went to a landscape supply company, handpicked all my rocks, then placed them how I wanted them and used great stuff pond styrofoam to secure them in place.


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## vivbulider

i can't wh8 what are you puting in this monster


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## azure89

I wouldn't worry about the results being believable, because when you're done with this thing nobody will be able to tell if the rocks are fake or not! Ok maybe people could tell a little, but once its established and grown in it will look awesome anyway. It already looks better than any of the vivs I've ever mad that's for sure.


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## wimvanvelzen

Another update again - I hope you don´t mind 

I worked on the rockwork in the right hand side where the four pumps will expel the water. There are four points where the water comes from: two just above the floor level, one in the corner behind (50cm higher than the other two) and a large one that will feed a long kind of pond, which overflows over the rockwork. When everything works, photos will make this more clear.














































In this part a lot of real rocks and boulders will be added (coming out of my present tank).


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## nathan

Wow alot of dedication and hard work is going into this project ! Cant wait to see the finished viv . . .


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## frogface

> Another update again - I hope you don´t mind


We don't mind. In fact, we insist!


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## wimvanvelzen

So I made most of the remaining rockwork and put the pieces of wood in there to get some ideas. And that is where I need you! Likes, dislikes; brilliant ideas and severe criticism - all welcome!
Please, don´t mind the colors. I made these pictures at night with partial flash light and bulbs. The parts where you can still see the foam will be covered by tree fern panels. The open space under the window in the back will be filled by some peat bricks.









# 1: not that much wood









# 2: the same, to the right









# 3: the same, but the tree in the background is now placed in the water









# 4: the same, but the tree removed all together

---------------------------------------------









# 5: added some new items









# 6: the same, view to the smaller waterfall on the left hand side









# 7: the same, other view









# 8: the right hand side where the waterfall will be









# 9: the same as #7, but the tree laid differently in the water



I think less is more here, so I probably will take some pieces out or make them smaller. Just curious what you think of it!


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## the_deeb

Looks fantastic! It's really starting to come together now. I personally like your final layout the best, so I'm not sure I agree with your suggestion that less is more in this case. I think more wood gives the layout more depth and would offer more planting area and shelter for the inhabitants.


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## wimvanvelzen

After receiving feedback at different forums I worked on some more options. First this piece of wood:










# 11









# 12









# 13









# 14









# 15









# 16
Which way would you prefer?

--------------------------------------------









# 17: I changed the two large trees and their ´feet´. Better than:









# 6 ? Which set up would you prefer?










# 18: seen from below 









# 19: overview


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## jpstod

Go with your feelings on the placement.

The View will totally change when plants are in and growing out.

I know myself when I see a piece of wood in person i "see" it in place in my mind. 

Plants will take away the sharp and straight cuts on the trees and branches


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## frogface

I like the addition of the viny type wood pieces. That was the only thing I was going to suggest, more of those. Looks great!


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## VenomR00

I have my background in landscape architecture and to me it seems too busy. I see it with plants within it and its going to be really, really, really busy that you may be distracting yourself to view the animals. All I think you'll be able to notice whether you have frogs, lizards, fish, or snakes is the plant and jungle life. To me it seems that it shouldn't be so busy. I realize that I may be sounding harsh but the simple fact is that balance with complexity there should also be simplicity. It may be that I prefer my geckos (though I do wish I had a bigger home to have a massive PDF tank) over other reptiles and they dont need complexity. The fact is if you are trying to add animals other then fish to the tank will you be able to see them ever or will all you be able to do is see the plant life. Just an example for me is that I have a 55gal tank and I am going to make it as self sustaining as possible with my intervention when the bug life starts to deterorate then I will have to add more and same with water. I love the amount of time you spent on it but remember if its too busy then wont that be distracting. Other then that I love the overall end so far and would love to see more.

I do have a question though. How did you design the rocks cause I have been trying to come up with a few ideas but all mine seem more complacated then it needs to be.


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## DRep

I think it looks great and will look amazing when planted and grown in. In response to Venom, from viewing his inspiration and such, it seems like he wants it to be dense and jungle like with a large focus on the plants, just like many other frog enclosures (which I prefer). It will be hard to see frogs, sure, but you can have the same issue in smaller grown in tanks.


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## jpstod

I like my Tanks as Natural as possible...

If I wanted to easily find the Geckos and Frogs I would place them in a Empty Tank.

Look at Zoos..Look how they have evolved over the years. Thank goodness.

A More Naturalistic Tank I believe leads to healthy animals
Myself I love to play "Find Waldo"


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## zBrinks

The more 'cluttered' a vivaria is, the more visible the inhabitants, IME.

Looks great!


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## frogface

> The more 'cluttered' a vivaria is, the more visible the inhabitants, IME.


Yes, and the more comfortable the inhabitants.


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## hpglow

For me, the comfort of my pets always comes first. They have already given up their home in the expansive forest so I try and do my best to make their habitat the best I possibly can.

Generally I see most of my frogs daily though, some run and hide from me, and that is ok I'm sure that my giant head looks like something comming to eat them.


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## wimvanvelzen

Thank you all for the food for thought!

My aim is to make it a small landscape, which looks natural, where the plants and animals will have a good life which we can enjoy looking at them.

As for the latter - my present tanks are almost overgrown with plants, I have to look for my animals and I love it when I see them. 
The other points are more difficult. When does a tank look natural? Probably not when it were just a slice of the natural environment of our frogs or lizards. Even apart from the fact that in nature there are never such cubicles with perpendicalar walls etc, the small size of a tank (and yes, my tank still counts as small compared to the forests of the world ) makes a small branch look like a large one, a pebble look like a boulder.

So what I am after is some sort of 1:5 scale mini landscape, with a small hill stream in mind. Such environments do have trees, but are not densely wooded. Therefor the question: is less more here? And actually I tend to think that I put just a little bit too much in there. 
I am quite sure the type of tree like my two large trees wouldn´t grow so near to the banks of such a stream, but I accept that as part of the overall look I want to achieve. So much for consistency 

As for my inspiration: my own country lacks this kind of streams. We happen to live near the Utrecht hills, with a daunting height of 200 feet...
As you can see on my photography website I have a deep love for the Scottish landscape, its hills and waters.
Very useful too and an important inspiration were the many photographs from Borneo in Michael Lo´s site Heaven on Earth.


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## wimvanvelzen

Again some changes. First of all I put back to taller tree to the front and smaller to the back, which gives more depth.
Then I decided on the placing of the rounded liana to the right. I think I will remove some parts of it, but I am not sure yet.
In the end I worked on the point where tree and rock meet each other, adding some roots. That is not really easy to do and will have to do more work to get something natural looking (I guess the tree is too straight to have the kind of roots I made, but I don´t see an alternative at the moment)










# 20









# 21









# 22









# 23









# 24









# 25: wide shot
What do you think?


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## Enlightened Rogue

Gee, I don`t know..looks a little small to me.

That was a joke of coarse.
It`s beautiful.

John


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## wimvanvelzen

Enlightened Rogue said:


> Gee, I don`t know..looks a little small to me.


You know that and I know that - but who is going to tell my wife? 


As for the trees and rootform, on a Dutch forum someone posted some pictures of buttress trees near a river bank. Trying to sketch some imitation I came up with these:



















What do you all think?


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## vivbulider

Very nice this will make your old tank look like crap and that tank was one of the best I've seen also I would get some type of anole


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## wimvanvelzen

Thanks! I will put the group of Lygodactylus picturatus in here that I have now in my present hill stream tank.


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## vivbulider

i would put more in then what was in your last tank


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## wimvanvelzen

I started with a couple of L. picturatus - now I have a complete family. Will probably exchange a few member and bring some fresh blood in.

I´d rather not put different species of lizards in there, partly because the suitable areas within in the tank are only about 20% of the entire set up (the drier / warmer parts), partly because lizards are not the kind of animals I know a lot about.

Three species of frogs (_Mannophryne trinitatis _mainly in the stream part, _Hyloxalus azureiventris _in the forest floor parts and _Hyperolius fusciventris burtoni_ in the leaf and branch department) are sufficient. Wouldn´t mind some more home bred youngster though 


When the tank is running for some months I´ll probably decide upon the species in the water. Untill then I´ll just put the present fishes in the new tank.


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## jausi

HOde to the genius!!!!!

It's a baeutyful setup, I hope we can see some pic when tha tank is mature

congrats!!!!!
this is one of the best setups and journal I've see


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## alfredjourgen

Simply amazing! can't wait to see it planted and mature


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## DRep

I think the foam buttress will look better than your first attempt.


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## wimvanvelzen

Thanks!

Trying to get a more natural look, I imitate some kind of buttress roots to the trees. Well, I can tell you - that is not easy... Then I gave it colour, working with blobs of different colour in the end. I did the same on some pieces of rock. Remember that the colour of the rock will be quite a bit darker once the epoxy is applied, making the combination of colours more believeable.

I also sawed the large circle formed liana to get something that fits better (at least I hope).









# 26









# 27









# 28









# 29









# 30: wide shot


What do you think?


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## zBrinks

Looks awesome! Once some plants and moss grows in, those buttresses will look 100% organic.


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## JoshH

Your rockwork is top notch, everything looks really really good!


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## vivbulider

Can we have pics of your last tank and how it's doing


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## SamsonsFrogs

Wow....I cant wait to see this all planted. How long of a project has this been?


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## Topete

WOW! looking good.

Only wish i had a bigger house!!


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## wimvanvelzen

thanks again! 

I have been working on this viv since September 2009 (sketching and planning since February actually). 
It is situated in some sort of garage, which I had been using for work but due to changes there the room could get another use. We don´t have such a big house actually, so in order to build this one, I give my two existing tanks.

I will put some update pictures of my present tanks this weekend. They both look a bit wild now, as I spend way too few time on these two - often working on the other


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## azure89

Looking good man! Can't wait to see it planted!


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## wimvanvelzen

It seems I cannot stop right now 

I took the strange vertical rockwork in the corner away and replaced it with a nice piece of wood. I thank this works way better.
I also decided upon the placing of the two main spotlights (to be combined by T5 lights).

Next stage will be to apply epoxy on the grout!










# 31; the light is mainly directed at the waterfall area, leaving a large part of the tree in the shadow - I hope this will add to the feeling of depth.









# 32









# 33









# 34: wide shot (just daylight, no lights on)

as always, comments and questions welcome!


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## Geckoguy

Looking good cant wait till you get plants in there. I think the spot lights will do the trick for giving it depth like you want too.


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## Biology

Totally amazed! wow!


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## Energy

The rock work is coming along nicely.


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## wimvanvelzen

Well, I put the epoxy on most of the rock work. First I had to remove all the wood:










The tile grout is coloured darker because of the epoxy layer (which I knew); the stuff still shines a bit even after throwing lots of sand on it. This will become less in due time.











I sawed some pieces of a flat liana and put epoxy on them to create some small pools where frogs can bring there young (I hope they do!)











Added some scape elements - colour will be worked on!











Then I replanted the trees and did some work to the roots:



















-----------------

And then two photos of my present tanks, which show that I tend to neglect them in favour of the new project... These tanks will have to go once the new is ready, so if anyone would like to collect them, just send a message...










the tank in the living room (160x65x90)









present hill stream tank (150x75x160/120)


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## edwing206

Amazing work! Definitely one of the best builds I've seen. Keep up the great work!


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## azure89

Indeed keep up the good work, and nice job on the tree buttresses they look good. Still can't wait to see it planted.


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## tclipse

And here I thought I was making something special with my 125G build  

Subscribed, can't wait to see this finished (I'm sure you can't wait either )


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## wimvanvelzen

I can´t indeed! 

Finally - all epoxy layers are dry and the water can get in (to be refreshed a couple of times the next week to get all the bad chemical rests out of it). 

Quite an exciting moment as things are coming together now.

The first bits:










After while I activated the pump on the right side, pumping the water out of the reservoir to the actual tank (I can only add the other three pumps when my 

present hillstream tank will be taken apart):




















Than another big moment once the water level was high enough: running the waterfall on the left side. Quite a splashing experience that will become a bit more controlled once the plants and algae grow in.










Highest level:











The splashing makes me decide to cover the trees in epoxy all over - they will get quite wet!


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## Julio

great water feature, any plans as to what frogs you are placing in there?


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## frogface

This is really exciting to watch.


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## wimvanvelzen

Thanks! 
The frogs are the ones that live in my present hillstream tank:
3.3 Mannophryne trinitatis
2.2 H. azureiventris
5.5 (?) Hyperolius fusciventris burtoni


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## Geckoguy

That last waterfall is awsome looks very realistic great job.


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## azure89

In these pics your trees look sooo real! You can't really tell that they're fake. Great job, good luck and happy frogging


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## Meltos

What an outstanding project. I genuinly can't wait for it to be planted.

Kind Regards,
Scott


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## vivbulider

The one thing I hate about this tank is how long it's taking


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## wimvanvelzen

azure89 said:


> In these pics your trees look sooo real! You can't really tell that they're fake. Great job, good luck and happy frogging


The trees are real (Surinam probably), it is just the buttress roots that are made by me. But thanks anyway!


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## rcteem

this is sick!!! I cant believe I never saw this til now...what did you do to make the rocks have that artifical color of green and yellow??? Cant wait to see more.


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## boricorso

Looking great.....then again all your enclosures do.

Keep up witht e great work!


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## Lunar Gecko

Oh my gosh! That is awesome you sure have some talent for this. Makes me wish I owned my home so I could _attempt_ something like that. Cant wait to see it planted.


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## azure89

wimvanvelzen said:


> The trees are real (Surinam probably), it is just the buttress roots that are made by me. But thanks anyway!


I figured that the trunks were real but the roots look really good, you made them look like part of the real tree is what I meant


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## wimvanvelzen

OK, I just didn't want more praise than deserved 



> this is sick!!! I cant believe I never saw this til now...what did you do to make the rocks have that artifical color of green and yellow??? Cant wait to see more.


On top of the foam I used tile grout with pigments in different colours and combinations. After the layer of epoxy I did the same, but then mixing bit of epoxy with pigments.
At the moment the whites look a bit overdone, but once the tank grows in there will be far more greens and browns and I wanted to make sure some of the white would stay visible.


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## wimvanvelzen

I did some more testing with a single pump and the several output points. The water coming out of the higher points was a bit too much, so in order to be able to run relatively more water out on the lower level I added an output point: 






















A view of the waterpumping system area...:












This is how it looks with everything closed but the output point in the corner:










And here with only the output point along the cliff:











With a sensible amount of water, divided over the two high points:











I almost cannot wait how it will look like with all four pumps operational in the side of the tank!


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## Morgan Freeman

Top job!

The rocks look very realistic, looking forward to seeing this finished.


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## Meltos

Are you planning on housing each species on each 'island' as you like?

Scott


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## wimvanvelzen

Now, they will be free range frogs 

There is no danger for hybridization with these species and they live quite happily together in their present hillstream tank.

I won´t add more frogs or gekkos though, to give them some more space. I do hope there will be some (more) offspring!

The islands will be connected by the walls and some trees, accurately ´fallen´ pieces of liana and some added boulders above water level.


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## Energy

Wow- Looking good!


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## boabab95

Very nice!!!!!


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## culvern

Wow, this is such a neat idea to have a stream. God speed and lots of luck with the project. I will look forward to the finished product.

-Nick!


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## wimvanvelzen

Have been working the last week. First I painted and placed the panels for the front.










I am not sure though about the split panel on the left side. It is kind of easier to get to the place where I will breed the food animals. OTOH it looks kind of ugly.


To make sure that the rain system won't be hurt by any particles, I put some small filters in the tubes.











Time for some more interior items: I glued fern panels to the back, put leca on the land parts with thin slices of peat on top. I will add leaf and small branches this week.
I also added two more exit tubes.




























(flattering huh  )

Added RainForest Background in the nooks and crannies, esp. on top of the waterfall on the left hand side.





















Result so far (will add water when the RFB is thoroughly dried):










(click here for larger version).


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## jausi

omg!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im speeachless!!!!

What a beautyful setuppppppppppp!!!!!

Congratulations


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## vivbulider

What ate you doing with the old tanks i would sell them if I where you


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## tclipse

that's epic...


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## wimvanvelzen

Thank you all!

Yes, I will try to sell my two present tanks. Cost of shipping to the States is on the buyer


----------



## Lunar Gecko

Today...

Me- "Hun, come take a look at this!"

Hubby -...

Me- looks at hubby with big sweet eyes...

Hubby -...

Me - "do you think...?"

Hubby - "No."

 But I want one!


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## vivbulider

I would buy that tank in a heartbeat if I had the $


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## MeiKVR6

Absolutely fantastic job! Can't wait to see it planted.


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## wimvanvelzen

Nothing spectacular, just some more steps.

I bought 87 kilos of Grauwarde stone, which matches wonderfully well the look of my fake rocks and can be combined with the pebbles and stones I already have. Then some packs of smaller gravel. I will add small sand next week.




















I then added small slate split and some stones I collected in the Ardennes (Belgium) - no rocks or stones here in the Netherlands...

This is the place for the Cryptocorynes:









Filling the tank with some more prepared water (part RO part tap):

















Half way the level I want - hope to reach that in a few days (RO water making costs some time):









Added another piece of wood, which had been in my tank in our former house.










Preparing for the sliding glass panels (with ventilation underneath):


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## Meltos

It's coming on superbly. I really look forward to seeing the greenery going in!

Scott


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## vivbulider

Wow it looks like something you would find in a zoo


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## chinoanoah

We need a video tour whenever you get a chance!


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## NickBoudin

As always this build just inspires me! Great work, please as you are keep us updated!


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## winyfrog

Wow! your build is coming along nicely.


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## stevenhman

I know it really hasn't been that long, but I look every day to see if there are any updates! This is going to look awesome planted!


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## wimvanvelzen

Here you go!


Some new small steps made and the time that plants can be added is approaching! For now there are no normal T5 tubes, just some Bright Sun spots - spectacular light, 

but hard to photograph.

Within the days the sliding windows will be placed. The vents, one pump at the right and the one at the left side do their work. I put the sand in; as soon as I empty 

my present hillstream tank, I will add some more rocks and pebbles here.


I also made to maze cages for the Bright Sun lamps, to prevent the blocking of all UV light. The small cages are out of sight, but the lights make up for some more 

reflection this way. I'll have to put strategically some wood or plants in the vicinity of the lamps to solve that.











The sand looks great. Once the plants and pebbles are all there and all pumps are running, I will work on the final scaping.




















Some random pics of the waterfall on the left hand side:


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## azure89

Looking good, keep up the great work can't wait to see this planted


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## Julio

looks great, what kind of lighting are you planning on using on it?


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## wimvanvelzen

I will use 6 80W (220V) T5 lights. I suppose I won´t use all the lights at the same time though.


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## eos

amazing work. nice job posting the progress shots!


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## Julio

any reason why you woudl not use all the lights at once?


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## wimvanvelzen

I don't want to use more energy than necessary for the kind of plants I have. Then there is the issue of too much warmth too. But possibly in winter when Ill have to add warmth anyway and there is little light from outside, I will (have to) use all.


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## boabab95

any updates???


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## wimvanvelzen

I could try within 2 days - I am picking up the sliding windows today. I have been transferring some plant from my vivs to this new one, as well as one of the 2x80W lights.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

For all the update hungry here some pictures of the first round of planting. Mostly cuttings from the two present tanks, some new small plants. Nothing in its final place I suppose, because I will add many more from the present tanks when I empty them.

Picture quality is rather low, as I will have to clean the room first - no place to put a tripod now 


First of all an overview (still not all lights installed, hence the darker extreme sides):











Some underwater pictures. Water quality seems to be quite good. pH 7.8 (a bit high as expected - most CO2 is driven out by the water movement) and a KH of 3.5 (I am not sure whether this is an English measure). Temperature is now about 22C, which will rise as soon as more pumps are added.





























Some random pics of the waterfall on the right hand side, with some _Cryptocoryne wendtii_ and _Bolbitis heudelotii_:











I will probably add this branch - what do you think?





























Some more random pics:


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## Vermfly

Wow. Once those plants start to fill in a bit that is going to look amazing.


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## edwing206

Looking good! I can't wait for the next set of pictures when everything is in the final place.


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## tclipse

wimvanvelzen said:


> I will probably add this branch - what do you think?


I think you should go with your gut, because it's serving you pretty darn well so far


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## frogface

I like the branch, but, I agree that you should follow your own instincts. Looking great!


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## vivbulider

Wow I love the vine going up the tree


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## 1fishkeeper

I just spent the last couple of hours reading this and all I can say is WOW. This looks like a great place to be if I was a frog.


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## Julio

amazing job with the viv, looks like a zoo exhibit in your own home!


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## desaza

huh....don't know what to say....
great work...


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## stevenhman

Fantastic!

Hurry up and tear down those other tanks! 

Have you finalized what animals you want to go in there?


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## vivbulider

stevenhman said:


> Fantastic!
> 
> Hurry up and tear down those other tanks!
> 
> Have you finalized what animals you want to go in there?


only what was in his last two tanks Mantella expectata, Mantella crocea, Mannophryne trinitatis, H. azureiventris, Hyperolius fusciventris, Lygodactylus picturatus


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## stacyah

Stunning! Can't wait to see it completed/plants grown in and see some froggy pics!


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## froghobbiest

Man I dont know what to say..this is absolutely brillant great job so far I wish I could build somethin like that for my Fire-Bellied Toads


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## gilliusis

Hi,
I just found this post by chance, and I'm on the ass! Fantastic work that will make us all jealous! Congratulations and wonderful work! Now just wait, impatiently, the final result .......


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## wimvanvelzen

Not quite the _final_ result, but then again - there never is  Plants always keep growing!

For now: the tank in the living room is empty, two Mantellas are moved to their new home, as well as the fishes and shrimps. Lots of plants are transferred as well.
Here just some pictures. Will post an overall view as soon as the plants from the other tank are moved as well (have to clean the windows when I am done!)






























Some details: the grips on the sliding windows and a small line of glue to prevent animals escaping between the window (second picture)



















------------

By the way: this evening it was 31 centidegrees in the shadow, 27 in the room where the tank is (the north side of the house) and inside the tank only 24. It is well 

cooled by the large ventilator and evaporation!


------------


And saying goodbye to the old one... A Belgian enthousiast will pick it up next week and give it a new live!


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## tclipse

gaaaaaahhhh awesome. more pics!!!!! 


in before "FTS" from Julio


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## froghobbiest

that is so awesome. and yes we need more pictures lol


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## train crash

this is such an awsome tank youve made for you and your family.


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## boabab95

looking good!!! any updates?


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## wimvanvelzen

After a few weeks (family vacation!) another update. What is going on here?





















----------------------------------------- 


Getting everything out of the former hillstream tank proved to be a hard job. Gekkos and frogs didn't believe the marketing blurb I told and showed them about their new home and choose to run for me instead... After a few days work everything was transferred though. To avoid loss of time, I made just a few pictures. 

In total I found more than 11x2 Gekko eggs! 



















As I have no incubator, I just put them in the new tank - but I fear the removal did them no good.












I also found several small Mannophryne trinitatis. Boy, these are difficult to catch! The H. azureiventris were easily cought though.
The last froglet I found was after our holidays, three weeks after his siblings. I left some water in the tank on purpose. Very tiny - the white balls are styrofoam particles of a few mm.










Probably its mother in her new home:











The azureiventris are more showy than ever - great animals!





























Unfortunately I found only a couple of Hyperolius. I was quite sure there were more, but alas. I think that the circumstances in the viv were not right after all :-(. 
The survivors do fine though.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

The fish in the mean time do fine. The tetras avoid the more fast flowing parts, but against my expectations the Killi fish just love it (I already spotted some youngsters). This male even made the 10 cm jump to the highest level: 











The japonica shrimps enjoy the flow as well:



















(The water is still a bit cloudy because of the additions of some extra sand).

------------------------

Most plants are adapting, some cuttings died. Here some pictures:









Anubias blooming









Anubias barteri nana









Fresh Anubias leaf









Cryptocoryne wendtii on wood in the spray zone 









Don't know the name, but it is Monstera like. The new air roots cling to the tree.









Bolbitis heudelotii is forming new emerse leaves.

-------------------------

Some random interior pics:









































































---------------------

Two total shots, one as seen from the room's door and one swinging panorama:










Click here for a larger version.










Click here for a larger version.


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## Adamrl018

wow very nice!


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## boabab95

Do you find the schlumbergera (9th pic in first set of pics) does well in the palu/viv???

LOOKS AWESOME!!!!!!


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## wimvanvelzen

boabab95 said:


> Do you find the schlumbergera (9th pic in first set of pics) does well in the palu/viv???
> 
> LOOKS AWESOME!!!!!!


Thank you both!

I wouldn't recommend the schlumbergera - it survives now for about 5 years, but it never bloomed again. 
I will transfer it to elsewhere in the tank, as it is now way to wet (spray zone).


----------



## boabab95

> I wouldn't recommend the schlumbergera - it survives now for about 5 years, but it never bloomed again.
> I will transfer it to elsewhere in the tank, as it is now way to wet (spray zone).


Ok...... yeah, i would move it to a drier area. then it' bloom like there's no tomorrow... hopefully lol


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## fleshfrombone

Jesus Christ this build is amazing. I think you should mount some aechmeas on those tree trunks and plant like 300 orchids!


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## jpstod

Instead of Building a house I wanna build a Huge Vivarium and live in it Now.

Outstanding work and Dedication to your animals


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## Adamrl018

jpstod said:


> Instead of Building a house I wanna build a Huge Vivarium and live in it Now.


lol that would be kickass!


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## froghobbiest

I want to cry..its just so beautiful..I cant wait to move into a house where I can build somethin like that for my frogs and geckos


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## frogface

Absolutely am amazing! Your family must love it. The animals as well.


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## wimvanvelzen

Thank you all!

To be honest, I am quite satisfied myself  Even though I see a lot of small things I'll have to do, or even fix because it doesn't work as planned.

Found a clutch of eggs stuck to one of the windows this morning - I suspect the azureiventris to be the parents. It really moves me to see the animals do well.


As for building a viv to put my house in. Great idea, will discuss it with the board


----------



## tclipse

This is honestly one of the most beautiful home vivs I have ever seen, I'm sure when the plants grow in it will be even better. You sir, are a master of your craft.


----------



## rcteem

So when are you coming to build me one??? But seriously beautiful viv!!!


----------



## eos

Outstanding! Do you charge a fee when people come over?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Just for free!
Might ask for a worthy conservation cause though...


----------



## stevenhman

wimvanvelzen said:


> Might ask for a worthy conservation cause though...


Your electric bill? 

Kudos again on the amazing setup! Hopefully the H. azureiventris do well in there. I have a 75 gallon with their name on it for later!


----------



## SA_Ka_20

Schlumbergera usually needs a cold and dry period to bloom.
at least I make mine bloom whenever I want indoing so ! ^^


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Last weeks I have been busy with mostly small things inside the tank, as well as some building in the room. Add some interesting new plants, nice frog pics and there 

is enough to justify an update - mostly in pictures!


The electric stuff is now placed here - not finished yet! Books and mags add to the vivarium atmosphere... (as you can see, I added room ventilation as well)











Talking about atmosphere: last light before the night:











Waterflow is nice now. Because of the temperature of the water I just use 3 out of 4 pumps. Temp is now 25C, otherwise it would have been 28c. In a month time I can 

probably add the last pump, certainly in winter.

Right: 




























Down the stream 










The exit pipes are now covered by this stone:










----------

Habitants are doing fine; I will add some fishes and shrimps this week.

Japonica shrimp









Gastromyzon punctulatus


















Small snail










Aphyosemion australe










Hemigrammus erythrozonus










Atyopsis moluccensis (fan shrimp)










-----------

The geckos love all the hiding places high up - I almost never get to see them :-(


----------



## wimvanvelzen

And now some (new) plants!

Well, starting with some funghi











Tillandsia






































































Orchid species from Vietnam (cb!)






























Detail - mountainering frog!


----------



## wimvanvelzen

And at last some frog pictures!

Another climber - Hyloxalus azureiventris:










at a more relaxed place (in flowing water!)




















Hyperolius fusciventris




















Egg clutches, unfortunately not fertilized by a male :-(





















Mantella expectata































Mannophryne trinitatis























Male, turning black while calling:




















A last glimp through a wet window:


----------



## frogface

Wonderful! I can't wait to see it as the plants go crazy in there


----------



## wimvanvelzen

In fact, some of them are gone crazy. I have some cuttings that grew from 4 to 10 cm within a week. Well, will update soon again


----------



## moore40

amazing really amazing!


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Thanks!

I hope you all enjoy my first ever video: streaming images - hillstream vivarium on Vimeo!


----------



## fleshfrombone

Sweet! I was just gonna ask if you could make a vid of this.


----------



## Mitch

Awesome... but how come there are no broms in there? I think they would look really cool if you put some large ones in.


----------



## frogface

Thanks for the video!


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Mitch said:


> Awesome... but how come there are no broms in there? I think they would look really cool if you put some large ones in.


hi Mitch, I have decided no to for a couple of reasons:
- Bromelias are less likely to grow so near to a river
- I have no frog species that need broms
- Most people have them and I am vain enough to think I am different 

I have a small one though and some nice Tillandsias!


----------



## RarePlantBroker

I must say, I've watched this thread with anticipation since the beginning. This is the most incredible vivarium I've ever seen. I hope you will continue to post updates as the plants continue to fill in. 
Your tanks is almost too much of an inspiration. Now, I have to convince my wife to let me build something this size!
Thank you for sharing your passion and hard work with the rest of us.


----------



## jpstod

Been watching from the beginning also. Makes me want to just go out and buy a house.


----------



## fallenangelfyre

firstly i want to say amazing palu- so much design, work, and money put in, i'm sure, and it turned out stunning!
secondly, apologies if this has been asked already, but what fauna species do you have in there? 
can any of the more experienced out there tell me if you had a palu this size, what gecko/lizard species would work together with what frog species? i.e. i'm sure crested geckos would thrive in there as would chinese water dragons, but could they be housed together in something this large? i am well aware that you could never do something like that with a more average size enclosure, but something _this big_ just might give enough room for both species to co-exist peacefully-
anyway, just daydreaming about the day i can do something like this myself and what sort of fauna i would put in.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Thanks for the compliments!

Land: Mannyphryne trinitatis, Hyloxalus azureiventris, Hyperolius fusciventris burtoni (which do unfortunately not very well) and some very shy Lygodactylus picturatus.

Water: Atyopsis mollucensis (fan shrimps), Japonica shrimps, Gastromyzon spp., Eutropellius debauwi, Rhinogobius duospilus, Ladigesia roloffi, Aphyosemion australe, Hemigrammus erythrozonus.

And lots of fruit flies, springtails etc 

-----------

As for the possible combinations: yes, this kind of larger tank gives you more opportunities, but in hindsight I should have been more restrictive in the number of land species. The Mannyphryne and Hyloxalus really do well, but the Hyperolius never did very well and their number declined in the previous tank. The lizards did very well in the former tank, I think they still do - but I seldom see them.

I agree though that a setup as this would be wonderful for some specific reptiles like the water dragons. But they deserve a tank setup for the purpose, to be combined with fish from the region.


----------



## botanyboy03

I just found this thread and I must say I am very impressed with what you have done with this. Stunning. It makes me envious, and it makes me have all sorts of wild plans for tanks in the future, even though right now, all I have is one 10 gallon tank with a couple of Campana auratus in it ( for the moment).

Zac


----------



## VPardoel

Wow Wim very nice !


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Thanks! I hope you enjoy the sequel too: panta rei - a second hillstream movie on Vimeo


----------



## Mitch

WOW! I can only dream of setting something like this up one day... Your tank is truly amazing.


----------



## winstonamc

oh. my. god.


----------



## frogface

wimvanvelzen said:


> Thanks! I hope you enjoy the sequel too: panta rei - a second hillstream movie on Vimeo


Thank you!!


----------



## wimvanvelzen

After a couple of movies it is time for some stills! A mixture of all kinds of snaps in September:

Mannophryne trinitatis:





























Mantella expectata:











Hyperolius fusciventris burtoni











Eggs, unfortunately not fertilized:
































Plants and funghi


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Some waterlife!


Ladigesia roloffi (sorry for the picture quality):











Eutropellius debauwi (still very shy):











Atyopsis moluccensis:











Rhinogobius sp. (just introduced here and still very pale) and Gastromyzon spp.


----------



## stevenhman

This just keeps getting better! Still very, very nice. I always like the pictures and videos you post. Thanks!


----------



## Nate Mcfin

Wow....words cannot begin to decribe how amazing this is. Unbelievable. 
Subscribed and bookmarking to finish reading the rest of the thread...
Did I say..WOW...???


----------



## butterslug

Congrats, this has turned out amazing. Great photos and step-by-step. One of my favorite shots is from the outside of your house, so funny. Awesome job.


----------



## vivbulider

wow i just saw the vid and not only can you build amazing tanks but you are a great Videographer


----------



## eos

Very nice! Lots of growth all around!


----------



## botanyboy03

Very nice yet again. I just got some froglets of H azureiventris. I'm already pleased with them.

Zac


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Nothing special to tell, apart from the arrival of a beautiful new inhabitant! 

Since a couple of weeks I have 3.3 Nomoramphus liemi, a half beak fish from the 

fast waters of Sulawesi.











Males are evidently smaller and like to swim just behind and below the females:


















This species loves to 'hang' in the flow, near cover and just below the water 

surface:




















More waterlife:





































Pogomeston helferi, emers:











More emers grow:










Begonia schultzei hanging:



















Two weeks later:


















Mannophryne trinitatis










The area around the waterfall on the left handside grows nicely:


----------



## Okapi

Absolutely beautiful display


----------



## tclipse

This thread is really reviving my plans for a hillstream loach tank... love those guys. Could we see an updated full tank shot? (or one of each wall since that's pretty hard with that size tank).


----------



## BR5

Truly remarkable!


----------



## Garuf

I joined especially because of this thread, it's a breath taking set up. Please update! Please!
Gareth.


----------



## gio

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww just made me aaaaaammmmmmmmaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddddddddd really nice work


----------



## viv4life

you...... are my hero.


----------



## LRobb88

Wow, the Europeans on DB do things BIG! I'm consistently amazed by threads coming from Europe (and USA, but they've got some incredible vivs over there). Good luck, looks awesome!


----------



## aliciaface

this. is. amazing.

im speechless.


----------



## dendrothusiast

.......update?


----------



## smk46

absolutly amazing just came across this post


----------



## fleshfrombone

Just watched the second video. This thing is outrageous.


----------



## Tex22seg

wow... crazy


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. Thanks for the nice comments!


Since last November I have been on a kind of forum leave. Probably posted to much and needed some rehab ;-) Nevertheless, apologies and all that and an update!
The tank is doing fine. Technically all works as planned, although I had some moisture problems in the room in the cold months. Have better ventilation installed now. 

The idea of getting some rain drops with the Gardena system didn't work out. No problem though, as I mist by hand. 

The Mannophrynes are thriving, as do the Hyloxalus azureiventris. Unfortunately the group of Hyperolius withered completely. I have no plans for other tree- or reed 

frogs.
The Nomorhamphus liemi are grown up now. I have to suspect the ladies though of taking the smaller fish for a costly snack... Not much of the smaller fish are left. 

Therefor I introduced a larger group fish: twelve Rasbora kalochroma, now about 5 cm (2" for the metrically impaired) and growing to about 10 cm / 4"max. They love the 

fast flowing stream!
A few young Rhinogobius sp. crawl over the floor - apparently there are enough hiding places to grow up.


Today I removed a lot of leafs and litter and cleaned the windows. Making photographs wasn't particularly easy with all the reflections, but I hope the pictures give 

you an idea how things do at the moment!


Some wide shots of the entire tank:






















































Some images of the interior:


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Some inhabitants:


The newly introduced Rasbora kalochroma - very fast and there for hard to capture:



























Een jonge Rhinogobius:



























In case you missed the frogs: they have some sort of automatic 'camera detection system'. The only one I could get in front of the lens is this young trinitatis male, 

making lots of noise. And when they sing, they turn all black. Kind of Johnny Cash...


----------



## Azurel

No matter how many times I see your set-up my jaw drops to the floor. Absolutely amazing.


----------



## RarePlantBroker

It's wonderful to see how this vivarium has "grown-in". This is truly a beautiful piece of living art.


----------



## dendrothusiast

...whooaaaaaa


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Thanks for the nice comments!

Some additional photographs of all kinds of plant life:


----------



## Okapi

Absolutely beautiful display


----------



## sports_doc

Wim, 

That is the finest 'home grown' DIY palidarium I have ever seen.

Thanks for taking all the extra time to share with us here.

Shawn


----------



## Enavas

Wow! If I were a woman I would marry you so you can build me one.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Enavas said:


> Wow! If I were a woman I would marry you so you can build me one.


haha, that is what my wife did...


----------



## Teckdragon

This has to be the best design I've ever seen!


----------



## tclipse

Once again....... Unbelievable work.


----------



## charlesbrooks

Seeing your pics you posted, was one of my highlights of my day... Always be part of my memory now, Thanks


----------



## wimvanvelzen

thanks again for all the nice comments!

I took some more froggie pics last week. They tend to hide in dark places, so I had to use flash a couple of times. Nevertheless a nice addition to the larger update, I hope.


----------



## Scott Richardson

I would definately consider this a very successful mixed species tank


----------



## frogface

Scott Richardson said:


> I would definately consider this a very successful mixed species tank


Yes but it's as big as a house!


----------



## Scott Richardson

Yes, and sometimes they need to be! But if done right it is possible, and a work of art.


----------



## InHoc1855

I check this thread ALL the time. There is always an amazing photo of some nook/cranny/critter that just inspires me.

Thank you, and keep posting pics!


----------



## Ann_A

Came across this thread today, and well, I think I would have to use a thesaurus to describe how amazed I am!!! Although, that probably wouldn't be enough. If I can get to the Netherlands, could I move into this tank? Lol. The only problem with this vivarium is that I'm not sure it really is a vivarium, but more like a piece of heaven on earth! Keep up the amazing photos and updates.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Thanks again for all the nice words! I am afraid there is no room to stay within the tank, but always welcome to sit in front of it for a while 

As for updates - last week I visited an aquatic plant dealer and bought some plants. Most of it seems to do nicely. I am especially happy with the Lagenandra thwaitesii (green) and L. meeboldii (red).<br/ >
Here some pics of the new ones, of course with what was already there:


----------



## azure89

Those look really great, nice job picking them out and placing them


----------



## Mitch

Wow! One of my favorite tanks on here...


----------



## ClPat

This paludarium is absolutely gorgeous,and both your hillstream tanks are inspirations for any terrarium, palu and aquarium keeper!


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Another series of photos, mainly of frogs.
I also am doing some experiments with a Boneco, a little fog machine.










The last of my Hyperolius males (as far as I know)


















Foggy effects









Mannophryne taking a shower...




































Flowering Anubias barteri nana

Some Hyloxalus azureiventris pics:


----------



## jckee1

Wow, so cool. What is the plant the azureiventris is on?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

A Java Fern, Microsorium pteropus, commonly used in aquariums.


----------



## johnyrocks

Wow! My eyes just had about 25 eyegasms, just amazing! Very natural looking and I bet the frogs love all that space. I really think this thing looks so much more natural then any tanbk i've ever seen in my life. You've inspired me to make a huge 1000 gallon tank  (Of course, that won't be for a few years


----------



## mellowvision

I had been watching this project and then came back to it finished... wow! nice exhibit.


----------



## fieldnstream

I have literally spent hours and hours reading and re-reading this thread...every time it pops back up I have to start at the beginning again...it's just that awesome. 
@wimvanvelzen this is a truly amazing tank, every time I check it out I dream of attempting something similar one day. Thank you for sharing your process with us...and for providing plenty of eye candy until I can try my hand at a giant viv. Please keep us updated!


----------



## hypostatic

wow. I just found this thread. I am at a loss for words. Awe-inspiring.


----------



## ConFuCiuZ

One word:inspirational


----------



## DragonSpirit1185

Wim, 

Idk if you're still around but I'm curious if you can do a good video tour but post it on YouTube.
That site you used doesn't support mobile use.
I have no computer....only a phone.

I'd greatly appreciate it


----------



## BethInAK

wimvanvelzen said:


> (flattering huh  )


Anybody would look HOT in that environment!! 
that is amazing!! Cannot wait to find a house big enough to do this in!!


----------



## Neontra

What a nice vivarium.


----------



## Shinosuke

Thank you VERY much for taking the time and effort to share this with all of us! 
Would you mind explaining what you do to feed everything in there? It all seems too grand to be able to just dump a bucket of dusted fruit flies in the middle and hope everything gets a bite...


----------



## FrogFever

I stumbled upon this thread today, just now. And read the entire thing straight through. I am in awe, shock, speechless, amazed, you name it! This is absolutely spectacular. Best build I've ever seen anywhere, by far. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that this is in fact one of the best in the entire world. And here you are having showed us the beginning of this build from its original conception. Incredible. Unbelievable. You are blessed with a talent and have shared your joy and your passion for all to see. If I ever in my entire life make something even a hundredth as good as yours then I will forever be satisfied.
Thank you so much for inspiring us all.


----------



## dendrothusiast

...sooo any updates?  How are the inhabitants and plants doing with the growth and all?


----------



## drutt

nice........this viv give me a lot of insperation..


----------



## wimvanvelzen

hi all,

I have been quite busy the last few months, so I couldn't get much time for making new pics or writing new posts. 
Things are more quiet now. I hope to post an update soon. All is well, I just need to cut back a lot of plants 

The frogs and fishes still thrive. Feeding by the way is done the same way as in smaller tanks. I suppose though that the frogs will find more small creatures around (because they have more space).

And thanks again for all the nice words! 
BTW, I am working on an article for the English version of the Dendrobatidae Nederlands (DN) magazine.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

After way too long another update! No animal pics this time, but mainly the planted scenery. I used the camera I normally use for landscape photography, giving 

a shallow depth of field in the tank.


For starters an overview of the tank as it is now (and yes, I have to do some gardening...)










Overview of the left side:










Overview of the corner:










Idem:











Overview of the right side:











some details:


Underneath the waterfall at the left hand side:










idem, right:





















Ficus panama, back in the corner:










Pogostemon helferi, in the waterfall high on the right side:










idem, closer:





















Fern on the large branch on the right side:










the same, close up










the same, even closer up











Begonia schultzei, close up










near the back window











Tillandsia sp.










the same within its surroundings


----------



## Julio

that idem plant is gorgeous


----------



## Loui1203

Oh wow... That's just awe inspiring..


----------



## Sticky Fingers

Thanks for the update! Your tank is looking amazing with all of the plant growth.


----------



## motydesign

good to see this viv is still doing so well.
by any chance do you still see its inhabitants running around in there?


----------



## Mitch

Absolutely amazing...


----------



## Neontra

Oh...My....lord..... AWESOME


----------



## hydrophyte

This is amazing.


----------



## skanderson

glad to see it is growing in so well. im starting to feel inadequate with the "trees" that i am making after looking at yours. please continue to keep us updated.


----------



## Arpeggio

Wow!!! Um that's 10x better than 99.9% of all museum displays. Wow!!

Where do you get your plants from?


----------



## FIT BMX

It is so beautiful it makes me want to cry!

If I may ask, how much did that cost in building materials?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

thank you all for the heads up (if that is the saying)




motydesign said:


> good to see this viv is still doing so well.
> by any chance do you still see its inhabitants running around in there?


I do see them, though a bit less now in Winter. Even when the temperature is still at a comfortable level, they seem to kind of hibernate.

The fishes of course can be seen much better than the frogs! 


As for the cost of the entire tank. It is somewhere in the thread, but I no longer want to know . Well to be honest, it was about 5 to 6K in US dollars, but that is including the technical stuff I already had for the two tanks I had before.
And lots and lots of happy hours!


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Arpeggio said:


> Where do you get your plants from?


Fellow Dutch and Belgian frog keepers, some good fish and viv shops in the Netherlands (there are quite a lot of them within 100km/60mile range).


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Last week I portraited the landscape, this week I tried to get some animal portraits. I used the same landscape camera and a studio flash. Bit of weird toolbox for making images of a viv, but the results are quite interesting.
Dirt, wet windows and reflections are all very well visible. The details the macro lens uncover are fascinating.


On land: de Mannophryne trinitatis:




















crop from same image:




























In het water:

Just behind the glass an Atyopsis molluccensis; in close up the fan hands are very easy to see:


















Nomorhamphus liemi, male:









same species, female:









same picture, crop:










hunting just under the surface:










Rasbora kalochroma:<br />











Rhinogobius portraits - they are so cute!




































Finally some Gastromyzon:
In the first there is also an Aphyosemion australe:


----------



## gardennub

Wow this is just amazing. Truly inspiring. Thanks for the log and awesome pictures! One day I am going to do something that big haha.


----------



## FIT BMX

WOW! Great looking fish, and frogs!!


----------



## Popliteal

An absolutely beautiful tank.

Thank you for sharing.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Welcome!

After long negotions the Hyloxalus azureiventris agreed to have their pictures taken...
I also made a picture of the Hoya nummularioides; the crop shows the fine hairy details.


----------



## calvinyhob

Well now I am glad I jumped on the forums today! My friend beautiful I love the growth since the last update and your setup is truly stunning, congrats to you and your family for such an amazing piece. I hope all is well and as always look forward to your updates on this build.


----------



## Neon Gliding Lizard

This tank is absolutely amazing. How are your geckos doing? Do you only have Lygodactylus picturatus or do you have others? I really like your chose of fish and darts. Very nice! Are you planing on doing any other reptiles?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

thanks for all the kind words!

Unfortunately the Geckos haven't been doing well. They thrived in the experimental tank I had first (I started with a couple and had about 10 within a year), but in this larger new tank they just withered away.

I am thinking about a new experiment, but will do so only after I finished some additional ideas I want to implement in the tank.


----------



## Neon Gliding Lizard

Interesting, thank you for the reply. Do you happen to know why they aren't fairing well in such a large tank?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

I am afraid I have no clue. That is exactly why I don't want to introduce new ones now.


----------



## Neon Gliding Lizard

Thank you for your reply. I'm glad you tried with them though. It seems a lot of people aren't willing to test these guys out to see what they can handle. Thank you for your report. 

Neon Gliding Lizard


----------



## drutt

Fantastic... How did you attached the frontglass to the plywood? Did you just use silicon or something else? The thickness of the frontglass is it 8mm?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

hi Drutt,

The glass is 10mm for the water part, 8mm for the two pieces at the extreme left and right and 4mm for the sliding windows.

Before glueing the glass with silicone to the plywood I covered the wood with the epoxy. Epoxy and silicone go very well together.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Just some floral pictures this time. The _Hygrophila corymbosa_ is blooming with beautiful small flowers, purple with some whites, less than a centimeter long. The images are a mix of uncropped and cropped images. 























































Some more details from the tank:


----------



## jacobi

wimvanvelzen said:


> thanks for all the kind words!
> 
> Unfortunately the Geckos haven't been doing well. They thrived in the experimental tank I had first (I started with a couple and had about 10 within a year), but in this larger new tank they just withered away.
> 
> I am thinking about a new experiment, but will do so only after I finished some additional ideas I want to implement in the tank.


What are you feeding them and what kind of lighting are they getting?


----------



## wimvanvelzen

hi Jacobi,

I fed them mainly fruitflies, sometimes small crickets, bean beattles or house flies (that can't fly - don't know the English name right now). Apart from T5 lighting I also have two spots with UV, as used for herp keeping (jungle variety, not desert). 

The last few days I spend working on the technical side of the viv, among which the task to fill every possible way out of the tank.


----------



## kenji226

wimvanvelzen said:


> hi Jacobi,
> 
> I fed them mainly fruitflies, sometimes small crickets, bean beattles or house flies (that can't fly - don't know the English name right now).


I usually call them crawls.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

In recent weeks I did some technical stuff:


The ventilation holes beneath the sliding windows were filled with pieces of filtering foam - or totally open...









I replaced these with a piece of curtain hemming (if that is the English word):









I also did a check on all possible holes and gaps, kitting them in order to get the tank Gecko proof (I thought I did this when I built it, but made things extra sure now)


I removed the Gardena drips, that were no success in my tank, and placed new lids. Quite a job to do as my arms are nowhere near as long as needed...

































Above the left hand side:

















A few months ago I purchased a Boneco humidifier as a fog machine. I now placed a 50mm tube and 6 outlets. The tube is not visible, as it is hung just beneath the lids. I painted it white for light reflection. I love the fog effect!


























Moving a tree and a liana a bit, to make place:

















Working now!

































I also worked on the lights and the time clocks, to save some energy without loosing strong light for healthy plant growth.


And the view while sitting on my lazy chair, including fog and panorama distortion:


----------



## FIT BMX

COOL!!!


----------



## eos

That puts the AWE in AWESOME! Thanks for the update!


----------



## JB_orchidguy

Finominal!! A true inspiration. I love it!! Ever thought about adding some nepenthes? I love the fog effects. Fantastic!!


----------



## J Teezy

you need to make a youtube video of this thing in action


----------



## Grrrit

J Teezy said:


> you need to make a youtube video of this thing in action


Yes yes indeed! please please please!


----------



## ilovejaden

oh my god.


----------



## GloriaRae

This thread is fabulous. Thank you for taking the time to do all of the updates.

Gloria


----------



## Judon

I joined to say that this build is awesome and I appreciate you posting so many pics of your progress!! This Vivarium goes into a list of "greatest home vivarium of all time".... at least my list it does. 

Thanks


----------



## Noort

I have had the pleasure of visiting this gorgeous tank, and I can vouch it looks even better 'face to face'. Even with Wim's impressive skills as a photographer.
Plze Wim, post more pictures?


----------



## MrMonterrubio

Your viv is the best viv ever in history of viv making.


----------



## FrogNub

This is epic. You have your own personal zoo exhibit. Awesome.


----------



## dendrothusiast

painting the top white with the use of the humidifier makes it look like a cloudy storm. 

another great mimic of the rainforest. 

also wim whatever happened to hans' paludarium he had for his leucs? It's been quite some time since he updated anything


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## ivers

How is the humidity in the house after a couple of months? any things you would have changed in the making of?


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## tclipse

I'm usually not a jealous person, but every time I look at this thread, I seethe with envy. Any updates?


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## Epikmuffin

Wanted to build a wooden tank and found this thread randomly today. 
oh my this is breath taking! Inspire me to build something like this one day : )


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## corbosman

What an amazing build. Im from nl myself, where did you get all your awesome plants?


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## dendrothusiast

Hey wim not sure if you come on here anymore but how about an update?


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## gregadc

Wim don't do it to us!!!
Please post some more photos!!!
g


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## moore40

i have reread this entire thead, again! I love this layout and the ability you have shown us in designing and implementing your vision. I hope you have not given up on this forum and can return to update this beast of a design.


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## stevenhman

I was just thinking about this tank the other day, I hope it's doing well.


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## marylanddartfrog

Any update pics?


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## stickingtotincs

Truly an amazing piece! Very good pictures of the build. Thank you for sharing... looking forward to updated pictures as well.


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## rigel10

It's nice that someone open again thread like this!


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## wimvanvelzen

Dear all

It has been an awefull long time ago that I posted on these boards. 

Spring 2012 I was offered a very nice pair of small Cuban lizards, from someone who bred these at home. After transfering these to my tank I only saw them once – they just disappeared. They cannot have escaped and I felt rather guilty… and my enthousiasm for keeping vivs was rather low.
Over a year ago a rather tiresome time of health problems and the death of my father kept me from paying much attention, apart from the day to day maintenance.

Last few days I really took some time to clean the room, clean the tank; made some pictures as well.
-	Apart from the lizards all inmates are doing rather well. I don’t get to see the frogs as often as I’d like, but they are doing well. In Summer they are more showy.
-	Plants grow in abundance.
-	Technically there are no real problems – everything is going well. The only point is the moisture in the room. In winter I have to heat the room even if the tank and water is warm enough, just to prevent condensation in cold corners of the room. 

So, now time for a small update – after all I owe you that, as the encouragement and advice of this forum has been very important! 









A quick panoramic of the tank this afternoon.

The enjoyable mess of plant life









Lenses should get some time to adjust to the warmth first…













































And a crop from the same image


















And a crop from the same image




























Anyone an idea of the ID of this plant? It grew out of a branch a biologist took with him from Ecuador.


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## wimvanvelzen

dendrothusiast said:


> painting the top white with the use of the humidifier makes it look like a cloudy storm.
> 
> another great mimic of the rainforest.
> 
> also wim whatever happened to hans' paludarium he had for his leucs? It's been quite some time since he updated anything


hi, Hans had to end his large tank due to family issues. As far as I know he now has a smaller one in his living room.


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## skanderson

thanks for the update. this tank is a continuing inspiration.


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## Manuran

wimvanvelzen said:


> Anyone an idea of the ID of this plant? It grew out of a branch a biologist took with him from Ecuador.


Possibly Miconia calvescens

Beautiful tank btw


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## KRich Frogger

This viv is simply breathtaking, you have a amazing talent


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## Toxic

Honestly... words cannot describe how amazing this build is. When i grow up, i wanna build a viv just like this one


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## hamz77

one of the best vivs ive ever seen!! GOOD JOB


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## dendrothusiast

wimvanvelzen said:


> hi, Hans had to end his large tank due to family issues. As far as I know he now has a smaller one in his living room.


Thanks so much for coming back with the updates - I think the terrarium looks better than ever but I am sorry to hear about what you guys have gone through.. You two have a great biologist friend to bring back goodies ha ha. 

Thanks again!


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## wimvanvelzen

Manuran said:


> Possibly Miconia calvescens
> 
> Beautiful tank btw


Thank you very much - a quick google images tour does it make rather probable.

I read the can be a pest like in Hawaii - that might explain why they grow so easily in my tank...


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## epiphytes etc.

Thanks for the update, I think of this build often.


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## moore40

**********bump for everyone******


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## McBobs

Absolutely beautiful setup!! I would kill to have something like this in my house! Really inspires dreams for the future. I could set a recliner in there and just relax and watch for hours!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2


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## jose cubero

There is some video of this tank?


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## JasonE

How have I not seen this before? Simply amazing set up. I agree with McBobs. I'd never leave the house.


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## Lpst

I haven't introduced myself yet as im just doing as much research as possible before starting my first viv but I had to say something about your build. Its AMAZING! I wont have anything like this by any means but it did give me a lot of inspiration, thank you for taking the time to post all of this for the rest of the world to see.

-William


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## CTM75

ok where did you go? updates?


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## fasolbemol

Hi !

It's so sad these terrific pictures are no longer visible...

Please, Mr. Wimvanvelzen, could you fix this ?

Thanks A LOT


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## fasolbemol

Thanks a lot !


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## ruairidh_

It's as if a slice of the rainforest has been picked up and placed in a room, what an amazing and inspiring vivarium. 

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## JenniBee

CTM75 said:


> ok where did you go? updates?



Agreed! Updates?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Lokirathehunter

JenniBee said:


> Agreed! Updates?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The tank is gone now


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## Judy S

what happened????


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## oldlady25715

It sounded like the setup was taking over his room, with condensation in the corners of the room😕

Quite an impactful thread tho, with over 250k views!


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## Keeferd

I just read this entire thread and this picture stood out to me. It looks like a frog riding an ostrich. I may be just weird...


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## wimvanvelzen

Original poster here!

Due to circumstances I wasn't able to make updates the last few years. Nothing bad, just new responsibilities and other distractions...

A few weeks ago I had to put an end to the tank - not because it was no longer sustainable (it was), but because we moved houses. 
As a testimony to the strength of the built - my 18 year son and me spent some 30 man hours to get the plants and animals out, to strip it from the useful technical stuff and to saw it to pieces to get it out of the house.

It was a very large tank, but our former house wasn't. In our new house there will be space for new tanks, but I will probably make other choises!


During the job of bringing it down I had enough time for some reflections. I share them here for what they are: personal evaluations about this specific tank.

First of all about* the land part:*
- the frogs didn't thrive as much as they did in the far smaller test set-up. I honestly don't know why. There are just two Mannophryne left, as wel as one azureiventris and still the old Mantella expectata (one the adult group I bought in 1998!).
- the tank never worked for (small) lizards either. 
It might have been a feeding question; there were many different niches for the animals, differing in moist, light etc. 


*As a fish tank:*
The hillstream set up was very fine for the fish and shrimps, as long as the species can live together size was of course. The only real constraint could be the temperature (ranging from 20C to 27C), but that is just a matter of buying the right species.


*Tech stuff and set up*
Most technical stuff worked fine, especially the pumps, vents and lights. 

The real problem was in keeping the room in shape. Too little insulation meant some real moulding in the corners. The tank had no problems, but it was a bit messy.

The idea of having a show tank in a separate room didn't work out that well too. It is great having a spare room for breeding, experimenting etc. But a show tank works for me the best in the living room. 

*Conclusion:*
All in all: I am really happy I gave the idea of a hill stream paludarium a try. As a landscape it worked well, it was technically more than sound.
Such a large tank though seems less appropriate for frogs. Too little control? Or some factor I didn't discover?

I will problably start a new built in a few months time. I hope to make a little journal again. No hill stream this time. A visit to Costa Rica last year gave me some other ideas though...


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