# 48x18x18 Vert Build Log



## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

48"x18"x18" display case I got off craigslist for $50. sits on a 22" base. It didn't have the top glass or the glass for the shelves.










Added some clear silicone around the glass.










Covered the bottom with black silicone, added a 6" glass front and placed one of the shelf edges around it.










Still working on the top, but added a 6" piece of glass which I'll attach the vent. However I wanted this on top so the GS could adhere to something










Went a little too crazy with the GS. I had this idea that I could make a root structure and carve it out after it hardens. Maybe I still will. No idea. Either way I wanted to keep the sides open to viewing in the tank. Foliage will mainly be brooms for my imitators. Any suggestions appreciated.

Justin


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## rcteem (Mar 24, 2009)

Very cool...how do you plan to light it?


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

I guess lighting shouldn't be an issue. If you think about it, In the amazon the jungle floor does not really receive that much light. I'm assuming the canopy is blocking the sunlight I would it would look more realistic if you just have a florescent light on the top.  Btw good find on the display case. cant wait on the final product


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## rcteem (Mar 24, 2009)

ConFuCiuZ said:


> I guess lighting shouldn't be an issue. If you think about it, In the amazon the jungle floor does not really receive that much light. I'm assuming the canopy is blocking the sunlight I would it would look more realistic if you just have a florescent light on the top.  Btw good find on the display case. cant wait on the final product


Lighting will be a huge issue...wont be able to keep plants alive on the bottom...Our florescent light would not be stong enough for plant growth except near the top...Im not even sure HOT5's will be


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

Heres a thread on making a buttress of a tree.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/57563-pics-my-new-constructed-vivarium.html


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## dendrorani (Jan 30, 2009)

At this height, you would want a directionnal lighting system for ground level. HO t5s will do half the height. CREE LED systems will get your light all the way to the bottom.

I am currently constructing a 48 inch high tank and will be needing both light systems to grow plants properly.

Maybe someone else has had success with other systems. Maybe they could shed a light on this.

Rani

PS: Raf has a stunning vivarium. I am building one right now and it sure got me inspired... (parts&construction)


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

rcteem said:


> Lighting will be a huge issue...wont be able to keep plants alive on the bottom...Our florescent light would not be stong enough for plant growth except near the top...Im not even sure HOT5's will be


I guess he cant keep plants on the bottom then. It would be a difficult aspect for him to keep his plants live on the bottom viv. Hes going for a more tree look, so im guessing hes gonna have plants that grow on the tree. Its really something to think about. But he knows what hes doing and he make it look amazing


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

I am looking into doing something similar. Would a 36x12x19 vert run into this lighing issue?


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## dendrorani (Jan 30, 2009)

It always depends on what type of plants you will be putting.

In my opinion, more than 30 inches will already be too much for broms under T5s. Some will rot and some will grow extremely slow and uneven (leaves longer than others always seeking light)

Other plants will live, such as pothos...

Rani


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## mrfrogdude (Jun 26, 2011)

I will be watching this build! Ever since you asked if you should buy it I was waiting for this build thread.

Mark


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Well tomorrow I'll silicone everything and cover it with coco fiber. Roots or not, they will be covered with broms and vines when it's all over. 

As for lighting, I'm a videographer and am considering using work lights for 3-point setups. Mainly the backlight. I was going to test out a softbox filled with 4x 45watt lights all 5600k.
ePhoto Photography Studio Video Continuous CFL lighting Hair Light background softbox Kit by ePhotoInc SB45B4 | EphotoINC

I have one of these over at my office. I'll let you all know the results.


















Justin


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## DARTGUY41 (Aug 13, 2011)

This viv is gonna look great! Keep up the good work!


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## MATT2504 (Apr 27, 2011)

Like the look of this one! hope you don't mind if i steal a few ideas do ya?


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Go for it. When I was spraying way to much GS to make this:










I was envisioning something like this for the roots:










To start making this happen do I start cutting up the GS or can I melt it with acetone to shape it?


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

That picture that u have put in your last post is from a movie right?


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

No. That's Angkor Wat over in Cambodia. Nice place to visit if you have the time. Here's the whole tree.


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## Hoodsquirrel (Jul 28, 2011)

Darn I cant wait to see how this one turns out ^_^


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

konton said:


> To start making this happen do I start cutting up the GS or can I melt it with acetone to shape it?


Better get to carving! lol.... that's a nice start man.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

I realized that I plan on covering everything with broms. So there was no way I could epoxy a root system since I needed to push in stems. Thus everything became simplified. It will all be hidden by plants anyway. 

I just cut the roots out of the GS like I envisioned. Then I covered them with black silicone and laid coco fiber over it. I have to say silicons lays much easier if the foam cell structure is open.









Even though plants will cover most of the tank, I wanted the background to be visually different from the roots. So I decided to use coco husk rather than coco fiber. Coco husk is a pain compared to coco fiber, and I wasn't able to cut open the cell structure on this one.









Not totally happy with the end result, but well see how it looks once I add plants. Until I have time to deal with lighting I dropped my aerogarden lights on the top. That's 3x 26w CFL's. I'll switch to 4x 48w CFL once I'm able to do more testing.

Justin


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

I dropped in a few broms to see how it would look. I also tested out some of the side lighting to decide if it was worth it.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

OMG. So many broms I actually thought you photoshopped them in there haha. Looks pretty cool with the side lighing.


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## ExoticPocket (Dec 23, 2010)

konton said:


> I dropped in a few broms to see how it would look. I also tested out some of the side lighting to decide if it was worth it.


A few broms??? Damn! That looks sooo good! I think I missed it but what are you putting in there?


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Looks like a pum paradise! I'd be a little worried about heat with the side lighting, though. I'm sure there's a way to add some fans or something if you decide to go with them.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks guys. This is a Varadero tank or maybe breakout tank for imitators of all kinds. Right now only my Tarapoto are breeding. 

I took the side lights and electrocuted myself twice. Then I unplugged them and mounted them to a 1" diameter by 24" long PVC pipe. In the future I may want to adjust the holes, but it works as is for the 40w coming from each side. I've also lowered it down to 26w from the top. That's 106w total coming from all sides, and makes it possible to grow just about anywhere.


















I have two misting nozzles running inside, giving that rainforest feel. And I need to finish the top off with my 80x80 stainless steel mesh covering a 18"x8" space. Is that enough venting? I can still add a big fan above it to suck out air.










I finally cleaned and tested the bottom for water proofing. Then I added my hyroton, a layer of mud, and then the coco fiber and husks with make up the substrate for planting. I still need to add the leaves, but I'm holding off until I know what else to plant. What comes from Peru that would look good? I really like how the roots coming out of the ground look. I'm still trying to decide where to add a vine. Everyone likes vines, right?










You can still see well from the sides of the tank, but the way things are now it's really made for front viewing.










Now I need to finish mounting and sealing the top and the door while I look for better plans to add into the mix.

Justin


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

Lookss amazing...


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

konton said:


> I dropped in a few broms to see how it would look. I also tested out some of the side lighting to decide if it was worth it.


You dropped in a "few"?????? That's like 30! Mind giving me some?


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Too many broms? Yeah, maybe I went overboard. But next door they only sell broms in pots for $25. Thus I can't pick and choose. Not as good of quality, but they seem to work okay for me.









Anyway I finished off my tank with a few more plants, leaves, and rabbits foot fern. I still need to fruit fly proof the front door, but I'm pretty much done. I really like the fact that with the stand it's taller than me. Since I've already shown pictures I'll just show a video with the misting system on.






I'm going to try and force myself to give it a month before adding the Varaderos.


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## YoungFrogs412 (Aug 8, 2011)

nice ! I have some 24x24x48 chameleon screen cage and was thinking about converting it to something like that! I have a 100 gallon plexi aquarium and I dont think I would want to stand that.
What type of silicon did you use?


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

GE Silicone II. Not sure if a conversion would be best. Since you're in San Francisco I'd go over the builder's recycling place over around Indian Basin and see if they have any cheap glass from old showers and such. They usually will sell you them cheap!

Justin


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## YoungFrogs412 (Aug 8, 2011)

I need to practice cutting glass. I bought several 10x12 and tried to make it 10x11 ... I failed twice! Have to keep it straight and sometimes I do it too hard and too weak. 

P.S. I bought those 13 dollar glass cutter from homedepot.. Comes with a cutter, oil, and pen..


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

An inch on a long piece is really hard to cut, depending on the size. You should go down to Ken's Glass and Mirrors in San Jose. He has free 20x20x1/8" glass you can take day or night.


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

Does the lights on the side not make the glass hot or the temps in the tank high?


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

I haven't had a problem with the 2x 40w lights. They are far enough from the glass that I don't think it's an issue. The 3x 26w were causing some heat at the top of the tank, so I reduced it to one 26w which seems to work better. But remember I also have a 8x18 vent at the top, so the air flow is pretty unrestricted.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

So I ended up adding the Varadero last week. Previously they were in different tanks as pairs or as an individual. So far I have seen no fighting between males or females. I also moved the eggs from their other tanks. One of the tads was taken today from the yolk and hidden from me. So I guess they won't be breeding any time soon. I have a few more tads that will morph out and be added to this tank in the near future.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

how in the world can you do any "housekeeping"...it is an amazing viv and your frogs look quite pleased...can you give any more information about the top--you had it made? How do you keep the FF in?? Do you have a substrate that you can drain if needed?? I have a couple of Wardians so this might be a really nice use of them. One has a beautiful curved top and seeing your idea of silicone coating for the bottom would work...or Drylock....what a good idea. Had anyone ever considered LEDs embedded into a background with whatever wiring needed be run through a flexible tube?? Wouldn't that sort of directional lighting work for such situations that you have??? Elsewhere people have embedded pvc pipe sections to enable removing the film canisters used for tads...why not a pvc pipe as a "holder" for LEDs..just trying to come up with an attractive lighting that seems, in thinking, that it would be somewhat uncomplicated to install....


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

There is a front door. I just open and close it to toss in FF and check on things. 

For the top I cut 2 5"x18" pieces of 1/8" glass and placed a 8"x18" mesh screen in the middle. I also drilled two holes in the glass for misting. I added silicone around all the glass to make sure the fruit flies did not get out. 

There is a 1" PCV pipe in the corner to drain with as I would an aquarium, but I do have LECA at the bottom as a substrate with clay in the middle below the coco fiber and moss.

I decided for this tank I didn't want electronics inside if I could help it. But I agree that LEDs might work nice. They still need to well from at least 15". Something to think about.

Those Wardians sounds interesting. I look forward to seeing what you make!





Judy S said:


> how in the world can you do any "housekeeping"...it is an amazing viv and your frogs look quite pleased...can you give any more information about the top--you had it made? How do you keep the FF in?? Do you have a substrate that you can drain if needed?? I have a couple of Wardians so this might be a really nice use of them. One has a beautiful curved top and seeing your idea of silicone coating for the bottom would work...or Drylock....what a good idea. Had anyone ever considered LEDs embedded into a background with whatever wiring needed be run through a flexible tube?? Wouldn't that sort of directional lighting work for such situations that you have??? Elsewhere people have embedded pvc pipe sections to enable removing the film canisters used for tads...why not a pvc pipe as a "holder" for LEDs..just trying to come up with an attractive lighting that seems, in thinking, that it would be somewhat uncomplicated to install....


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## BOOSHIFIED (Jun 23, 2009)

Varadero?

I thought this was gonna be a mint terribilis tank?


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