# Updates on my 135 gallon viv



## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

Hi all,

It has been a long while since I posted anything, so I thought I would show some update shots of 135 gallon vivarium. I have had this tank for several years now, but about a year and a half ago it was gutted and re-worked on the inside due to the substrate and background having decomposed so much. It is a D. auratus mixed morph tank (for show) with six morphs represented. I just recently started integrating it with my RO system; automating the top-off for my sump and fogging system, and getting an automated misting system running again. Plus, I added a coiled hose and sprayer for those times that a little hand watering or cleaning needs to be done. 

Here is the obligatory full tank shot:









Here is the far right end. The mass of Streptocarpus is concealing my drip wall. And the smoky look is because the fogger came on while I was taking pics. 









Here is me with the tank (for scale, I am 6ft tall):









Some equipment shots:
The sump in all its glory:









I have been using the Syngonium, Philodendron and Zebrina for some additional biological filtration, as there are few plants rooted in the water feature in the tank. They are planted in strait-up gravel in a gutted hang-on-tank filter hanging from one of the sump baffles (between the settling chamber for the peat that spills over from the peat bog in the main tank and the main portion of the sump). I don't know if they actually help, but since I have started using them I have seen the nasty green algae that started plaguing my sump disappear. And if nothing else they look cool.

Here is my fogging system and my new hose for spot watering the tank:










Here are a few bromeliads that were looking very nice today when I was taking pics. I wish I new the names, but the ones shown below were bought unlabeled.

























And last but not least, some of my D. auratus who felt like posing for some pics: This is my pair of teal and bronze spotted auratus, with one of my male Panamanian green and black auratus. It is the female teal and bronze in the center. She was trying to court the male of the same morph, when the other male decided he wanted to get in on the action. 










In case you are wanting to flame me at this point, DON’T as I don’t breed these frogs (at least not in the main enclosure and certainly not between morphs).

And finally here is one of my new blue and black auratus hiding out in a Bulbophyllum root mass. In case you’re reading this: Thanks Chad, the frogs are doing great. I put them through a short QT and gave them the standard round of meds for new arrivals, and they were doing so well they went in the main tank on Sunday. Within a few hours they were courting with the rest of the group. I am still up in the air if it is actually a pair, but at least one is a male.









As for other morphs there is a single female of each: Ancon hill, blue and black camo, and Kalua and cream. All there of which run for cover anytime I have the camera out.

Questions or comments, do post. Thanks for looking,

Jay


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## mbrutger (May 23, 2004)

Wow, it just keeps getting better and better! I absolutly love it!


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2005)

Not flaming, but have you had any cases of interbreeding? Im just curious to see if the frogs are more selective towards their own morphs.


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Sweet tank!
Jordan


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## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

They breed like crazy, and I have not noticed any morph dependent mate selection. I don't have a male of each morph and more than half the group is female, which may influce that observation. It seems to me that the females are the agressors when it comes to courtship, and by not having a male of each morph the females may not be as chosey as they would be under natural conditions. Plus, there is a ton of reproductive competeion in the group for the males. So mating is drawn out as there are lots of attempts by the females to steal males when they are being courted by other females (rarely is it the other way around). I think a lot of that is more "lets keep the other frog from mating" than "I want to mate with you."

Jay


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2005)

I was just wondering recently how this tank was progressing--it just keeps getting better and better with time!


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## bradadams (Jun 3, 2004)

Not meant to be a flame but you say you don't breed them in the main inclosure and then you say they breed like crazy and they don't seem to have morph dependent mate selection.


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## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

I guess that could be a little unclear. Laying sites are a rarity in the tank, due to the size of bromeliads I stocked it with. This inturn makes it easy for me to find and destroy any eggs produced. And, presumably due to the high level of reproductive competetion, I find few clutches that actualy get fertilized for one reason or another. So while they breed like crazy, no offspring are produced.

Jay


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Looking good Jay! BTW- That was a reference to the tank. I am envious of your technology. Is the vivarium used as a room divider or is it just the only place you could put it? I have been toying with the idea of using a terrarium as a faux wall to separate my (future) living room and dining room.

Best,

Justin


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## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

Justin,

It does divide the living room and the dining room. We tried the tank in several different locations and wound up likeing it where it is now the most. Our down stairs is long and narrow, and the tank works well to break up the space. Plus with everything set the way it is my reef tank sets at right angle to the viv and the dining room table sets in the middle. This provides for excellent veiwing of both set ups.

Jay


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## wishIwereAnExpert (Jul 18, 2005)

I'm not sure I quite understand the geometry of this room, but in any case, from one part of the room, aren't you staring at the back of your tank (i.e. some ugly yellow foam, or blank cork slate or whatever)? I ask this because I am setting up a tank that needs two opposite viewing sides, and was wondering if you have any ideas to contribute to this.

-Solly


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## dmatychuk (Apr 20, 2005)

Jay,
Very nice and an impressive piece of work. I love your green and bronze and your broms are very sweet, have they held their color? Again very nice overall set up.


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## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

Solly,

The back of my tank is blacked out with silicone ($$$), and all of the electrical and plumbing are very neatly organized. While it is not as pretty as the front, it is not a eye sore. How wide is the tank you want to view from both sides? If it is wide enough you could go with a pile of logs down the middle as opposed to a back ground. And plant your epiphytes all over the logs, on both sides. Just a thought though.

David,

The individual vases I posted are all new growth in the tank. So, yes stuff holds color quite well.

Jay


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

If there's any tank as "real as it gets," its got to be yours Jason...

What sort of lighting do you have on your tank?


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## wishIwereAnExpert (Jul 18, 2005)

Jay, the tank I am setting up is a similar size to yours, but very different dimensions. Essentially, it is a 3 foot cube, with a third of it shaven off. In other words, 36 X 24 of ground space, with 36 inch height. I'm probably going to rip some studs out of the wall between my son's and my wall, so that a third of the tank will be in my room, a third in the wall, and a third in his room. I'm thinking two opposite "background" sides, and just a few ghost wood accents in the middle. I'm going for your super dense, super natural look; lots of heavy growers, lots of broms, lots of light. Anyway, I have plenty of time to scheme, as it will take a while to raise the funds to do this... :roll: 

-Solly


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## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

Thanks Doug. The lighting is just 6 40 watt T-12s.

Solly,

The way my tank is set up, and where of a lot of the dense look comes from, there are branches and logs piled on top of each other at odd angles down the length of the tank. The majority of the plants are mounted to these structures, as opposed to being in the substrate or on the back-ground. There are plants covering the top portion of the back-ground though, and on three branches that jut out from the back-ground into the "pile". I was going for an early tree-fall-gap-effect with the tank. So, there is a lot of structural diversity generated from the "debris", and because these debris just "fell from the canopy" they are covered with epiphytes. The back-ground is greatstuff and wood, and I was going for a tree-trunk effect with it (in a horizontal position of course). And to that end one large rather flat section of cypress drift wood covers almost the entire back of the tank.

Have you considered what kind of frog(s) you will be housing in this tank? As that could help direct your thinking as too how to set up the tank. I think for something like D. pumillio a neat way to go would be to base the tank design on a stilt palm root mass. You could build an artifical root system to look like the root ball of something like Socratea and a portion of the trunk. Two of these set off center at the ends, with the stilt roots over-lapping in the middle would make for a nice screen between the rooms and the trunk portion would provide a nice place for a bromeliad planting.

If you haven't already got the tank you may also want to consider swaping some vertical space for more ground area. My tank is 18" in width, and I would fear that even with the additional 6" you will have, that it will be difficult to sreen the two viewing aspects from each other and still have the tank open enogh to allow light to penetrate the lower levels of the tank. With the tanking being shorter and wider, you would be able to better build up what ever structure/planting you went with in the middle and not have problems trying to light the whole tank. But don't let that discourage you, as I am sure what you want to do can be done nicely with a tank the demesions you quoted.

Hope that is helpful,

Jay


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## bradadams (Jun 3, 2004)

Thanks for the clarification. 

Brad


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Jason, how do you open your tank, with six NO T12s?

What color temp?

and, is this the same tank with the epoxy background? You need to post pics of your reef tanks as well. I can just barely see it in the corner, lol, but looks nice. Got a photo of your treefrog, and at night with the moonglow bulb on?


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## wishIwereAnExpert (Jul 18, 2005)

Sorry it took me so long to put up another reply. Anyway, those demensions are pretty finalized, so oh well. As for frogs, I've narrowed it down to three species: retics, amazonicus, and quinq's. These frogs have different needs; the retics are terrestrialish, the amy's arboreal, and the quinq's somewhere in between. You're right, it should play into my setup. I'm really interested in some of your technical details--where the sump water gets pumped to, how you made your fogging system, how those damn tillisandias can survive without rotting etc.

-Solly


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## jhupp (Feb 27, 2004)

Doug,

I can't get a good reef shot right now as the tank is having an algae problem. So that will just have to wait until things can be gotten under control. As for a night shot, I tryed my best and this is what resulted. Its a little blurry from the long exposure time and because the glass is always foggy at night.










The night lighting consist of two 15 watt black phosphorus coated flood lights. These are connected to a thermostat to provide a little warming on cool nights, and to that end they have proven to be highly effective.

The T-12s are GE F40SP65. I have played around with several bulbs and that is what I have liked best as far as looks and growth.

Solly,

The sump water is pumped up to the drip wall portion of the background (the far right 18" or so of the background), where it seeps down the background into a peat bog (again filled with piled logs), and over flows back into the sump. Flow is regulated through a twelve outlet drip irrigation distributor/regulator and a ball-valve in line between the pump and regulator. The bottom of the tank is also drilled under the portion with the false bottom, and this drains directly into the sump.

The fogging system is based on an ultrasonic fogger with a float. The fogger sits in the float, inside a sealed acrylic water reservoir. When the system comes on the resivor is pressurized from the top by a 12" bathroom vent fan and the fog/air mix is forced through a 2.5" diameter hose up into the hood. It is split into two hoses there and enters the tank through two outlets about 24" in from each end. The density/rate of the fog is controled via a fan speed control switch wired to the fan. The system runs four times a day for 15 to 25 minutes each time.

I am in the middle of doing some up grades which will fully intergrate my tank and RO system. When its done top-off of both the sump and fogger resivour will be controled via float switches and irrigation solenoids. The misting system is up and running already, and is also controled via a solenoid.

As for the Tillandsia, they just need to dry out to survive. lol. This is done via a ventilation system that runs for 15 to 45 minutes several times a day. Underneath the hood there are sliding glass tops (pic below) that cover all but the middle 6" of the top of the tank, which is screened. The lights sit above this and another 12" vent fan sits above the lights (large hole above lights in pic). When the fan kicks on it draws hot air out from around the lights and pulls air out from inside the tank. A 2" diameter PVC duct runs through the background in each cornner of the tank and opens into the tank at the bottom just above the substrate. This allows new air from the room to flow into the tank as the vent fan pulls out the old air from inside the tank.










Jay


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

i tried your idea with a fogger from Mainland Mart, but I couldn't ever get it thick enough. I tried the idea with the bathroom vent fan, but I never figured out how to hook it up (plumb it). I have found the cheapest and easiest way is buy an ultrasonic humidifier and a bathtub rubber plug. Drill a hole in the center, and snug fit a piece of PVC through it to prevent fog from escaping. It works very well.


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