# Peruvian Cylindrical Vivarium - Construction



## Bunsincunsin

I thought I would share some construction photos of my next project: another cylindrical vivarium. This vivarium will have the same basic construction as my Ecuadorian cylinder with the exception of a vented glass top featuring a removable center for frog-safe access. My Ecuadorian cylinder features a non-removable top, which, in order to access the inside of the display, requires one to remove the entire cylinder from the base – something that does not allow for the safe keeping of any inhabitants. Last month I sent some drawings in to a local glass shop to have the new top made; I think this will work well for both access into the enclosure and ventilation to keep the cylinder mostly-free of condensation.


Some quick specifications on the display:


*Overall Height*: 28” (~71cm)

*Height of Usable Space*: 26” (~66cm)

*Overall Diameter*: 18” (~46cm)

*Diameter of Removable Vented Center*: 10" (~25cm)

*Height of Substrate Barrier*: 4” (~10cm)


So far, I have finished the construction of the cylinder, circulation fan and the tabs for the removable top. I have most of the material for the hardwood base – birch plywood and walnut lumber – but I am still waiting on the walnut veneer for laminating the plywood. I received the remainder of my LEDs and bought the aluminum for making the heatsink ring, but I still need to get parts for making the driver.

I’m not quite sure what I want to do for the hardscape, but I’m thinking a tree trunk or two and a few rocks. I will probably head over to the hardware store today and pick up some foam sheet for sculpting. I will be covering the foam with Polygem Zoopoxy and then patches of Hygrolon - or similar material - for plant attachment, once it has cured and been painted.

Anyways, here are a couple of quick photos of the progress thus far:


Cylinder:




Vented top (still needs stainless mesh):




Support tabs for the removable top:




Circulation fan (still needs stainless mesh):


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## epiphytes etc.

Cool! I'm following.


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## Dendro Dave

Duh duh... ditto


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## wesly2007

How did you form this cylinder?


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## Mohlerbear

Following!


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## NorCal Frogger

After seeing the quality of craftsmanship of the cylinder itself and seeing your other cylinder vivarium, def following!


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## pa.walt

wesly2007 said:


> How did you form this cylinder?


pretty sure he mentions what he built the cylinder out of in his other build that he has a link to.


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## FroggyKnight

Subscribed! This is going to be another great build!

John


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## Bunsincunsin

Thanks, guys. Hopefully I won't disappoint… I started on the hardscape last night; I will try to get some more photos up soon!



wesly2007 said:


> How did you form this cylinder?


The cylinder itself is constructed from 1/32" (~0.8mm) polycarbonate sheet that is simply bolted together at the ends.


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## Dendrobait

Is this planned for housing frogs? I seriously considered making one as well(how much did the glass shop charge to do something that complex?)

However I am worried about the bisphenol leaching of polycarbonate.


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## pa.walt

have you ever heard of smooth-on. Smooth-On, Inc. - Mold Making & Casting Materials Rubber, Plastic, Lifecasting, and More they have stuff that they sell to make stuff for aquarium set ups plus they also have tutorial from start to finish on how they do it. I know my explanation isn't the best.


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## hydrophyte

This is excellent work!

How did you make the vented glass top? 

That fan looks like it's nested a ring of PVC pipe(?).


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## planted-tnk-guy

Bunsincunsin said:


> I thought I would share some construction photos of my next project: another cylindrical vivarium. This vivarium will have the same basic construction as my Ecuadorian cylinder with the exception of a vented glass top featuring a removable center for frog-safe access. My Ecuadorian cylinder features a non-removable top, which, in order to access the inside of the display, requires one to remove the entire cylinder from the base – something that does not allow for the safe keeping of any inhabitants. Last month I sent some drawings in to a local glass shop to have the new top made; I think this will work well for both access into the enclosure and ventilation to keep the cylinder mostly-free of condensation.
> 
> 
> Some quick specifications on the display:
> 
> 
> *Overall Height*: 28” (~71cm)
> 
> *Height of Usable Space*: 26” (~66cm)
> 
> *Overall Diameter*: 18” (~46cm)
> 
> *Diameter of Removable Vented Center*: 10" (~25cm)
> 
> *Height of Substrate Barrier*: 4” (~10cm)
> 
> 
> So far, I have finished the construction of the cylinder, circulation fan and the tabs for the removable top. I have most of the material for the hardwood base – birch plywood and walnut lumber – but I am still waiting on the walnut veneer for laminating the plywood. I received the remainder of my LEDs and bought the aluminum for making the heatsink ring, but I still need to get parts for making the driver.
> 
> I’m not quite sure what I want to do for the hardscape, but I’m thinking a tree trunk or two and a few rocks. I will probably head over to the hardware store today and pick up some foam sheet for sculpting. I will be covering the foam with Polygem Zoopoxy and then patches of Hygrolon - or similar material - for plant attachment, once it has cured and been painted.
> 
> Anyways, here are a couple of quick photos of the progress thus far:
> 
> 
> Cylinder:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Vented top (still needs stainless mesh):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Support tabs for the removable top:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Circulation fan (still needs stainless mesh):





Bunsincunsin said:


> Thanks, guys. Hopefully I won't disappoint… I started on the hardscape last night; I will try to get some more photos up soon!
> 
> 
> 
> The cylinder itself is constructed from 1/32" (~0.8mm) polycarbonate sheet that is simply bolted together at the ends.


Disappoint it's already amazing I want 4


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## pa.walt

are the nuts/bolts that you bolted the cylinder together anything special. I guess they are stainless steel.


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## Bunsincunsin

pa.walt said:


> have you ever heard of smooth-on. Smooth-On, Inc. - Mold Making & Casting Materials Rubber, Plastic, Lifecasting, and More they have stuff that they sell to make stuff for aquarium set ups plus they also have tutorial from start to finish on how they do it. I know my explanation isn't the best.


No, I haven't; I'll have to take a look at it - thanks for the link!




hydrophyte said:


> This is excellent work!
> 
> How did you make the vented glass top?
> 
> That fan looks like it's nested a ring of PVC pipe(?).


Thanks, Devin.

I didn't make the glass top; I sent a .pdf drawing to a local glass company who has a water-jet.

Yeah, the fan is inside a ring of ABS pipe.





pa.walt said:


> are the nuts/bolts that you bolted the cylinder together anything special. I guess they are stainless steel.


No, nothing special; just stainless hardware with nylon lock-nuts.


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## Bunsincunsin

I made the heatsink for the LEDs and got them bolted on. I just need to finish the driver and wire them up. 




I got the veneer and it is currently being glued up to the plywood base. I also started on the hardscape, but I still have a ways to go on that. I will get some photos of that up soon.


Here is a knob I turned on the lathe out of some walnut; this will go on the vented top:


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## BrainBug

Nice knob dude 

I've been thinking about doing some out of glass as well.


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## Bunsincunsin

BrainBug said:


> Nice knob dude
> 
> I've been thinking about doing some out of glass as well.


Thanks, Devin.

Glass knobs would be cool - I'm sure they'd be a hit. It was great to see your work at the expo; those glass pods you make are very nice! I might need you to make me a couple of those for this tank!


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## BrainBug

Thanks Shaun. It was nice meeting you, I wish we could have chatted some. Perhaps an Oregon frog meet is in order when it gets a bit warmer.

Let me know what you need in glass and you got it. I'd be happy to arrange some sort of trade for plants or wood or anything really.

Do you mind if I ask about how much $ it takes to make one of the cylindrical enclosures? Those are super sweet.


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## mitcholito

Shaun - I love the way you have taken my nano vivarium concept a step further and the details to it is absolutely top notch.

Big thumbs up!


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## Bunsincunsin

BrainBug said:


> Thanks Shaun. It was nice meeting you, I wish we could have chatted some. Perhaps an Oregon frog meet is in order when it gets a bit warmer.
> 
> Let me know what you need in glass and you got it. I'd be happy to arrange some sort of trade for plants or wood or anything really.
> 
> Do you mind if I ask about how much $ it takes to make one of the cylindrical enclosures? Those are super sweet.


Yeah, I would've liked to talk a bit as well. A meet would be nice! Maybe later in the spring or early summer?

For a "bare bones" cylinder (no lights, hardscape or hardwood base) the size of my Ecuadorian display (14" x 20") I think the cost of materials was around $80.



mitcholito said:


> Shaun - I love the way you have taken my nano vivarium concept a step further and the details to it is absolutely top notch.
> 
> Big thumbs up!


Thank you, Mikael! Your vivaria are truly inspirational; quite often I find myself browsing your Flickr, admiring your creations and plants.

I hope this configuration will work the way I have planned. The good thing about the construction of this type of vivarium is that the setup can be easily changed to accommodate for new things - nothing is really permanent.


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## Bunsincunsin

I got the vented top assembled - oiled and mounted the knob and added the stainless mesh to the vents.







I also got the lights all wired up!


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## in2Diy

I would love one of these but maybe 24-30" wide. I love the lid you made very high quality construction


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## Bunsincunsin

The hardwood base is almost complete, I just need to finish a few little things on it. I got the screen mesh put on the fan, but still need to get a power supply for it. Now that most of the construction of the tank itself is complete I can focus on the hardscape - I will probably be ordering the Zoopoxy shortly.

I received an order from Folius a few weeks back; I got several sheets of Spyra and some of their silicone strips. I'm using the silicone strips to reduce a gap around the vented lid. It sealed the gap up quite well and even helped to reduce the noise when putting the top on (no more glass-to-glass contact).


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## Bunsincunsin

I finished up the walnut base last night, so at this point the construction of the display itself is complete. Now, all I have left is the hardscape. I called up Polygem the other day to inquire about the #307 Lite Zoopoxy and its ability to bond to polycarbonate; I was informed that it will bond quite well to acrylic and polycarbonate plastics. They are very nice guys over there - don't hesitate to give them a call if you are thinking about using one of their Zoopoxy products - quite helpful and informative. I ordered one of their two-gallon kits - it should get here next week some time!

Here is a quick photo of where I'm at with the hardscape (you can see the freshly-finished base - I will try to get some nice shots of that at some point). I'll be adding several vertically-oriented branches - one smaller-diameter branch towards the top and a second medium-sized diameter branch about half-way up. The very top of the main trunk will be cut up to appear as if it has been broken off; I'll drill it out out a bit, as well, to create a nice sized tree-well that will hold water. This should allow for a small reservoir to wick water from that will keep the upper sections of Spyra moist. I will probably also try to create a small cavity near the base. As it stands, it is roughly 25" (63.5cm) tall.


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## Bunsincunsin

A little more progress - still more detail work to do, though…


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## Mohlerbear

Dude this is going to be sooooo rad!!


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## Bunsincunsin

A quick mock-up with the cylinder and lights on:


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## tongo

awesome!!!


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## nelcadiz

Good job!!


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## Krisztian Nemeth

1/32" X 48" X 48" Clear Polycarbonate Is this similar to the makrolon sheet you used? Do you know how safe polycarbonate is in humid environments? Will it leach chemicals? 
Thanks


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## Dart girl

How did you make the base that the walls sit into? Is it sealed and water proof?


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## Bunsincunsin

Krisztian Nemeth said:


> 1/32" X 48" X 48" Clear Polycarbonate Is this similar to the makrolon sheet you used? Do you know how safe polycarbonate is in humid environments? Will it leach chemicals?
> Thanks


Yes, I believe that is the same material (you can see the partial "Makrolon" script in the photo from that link).

I think most people - at least in this community - are of the opinion that animals should not be housed in polycarbonate enclosures due to safety concerns regarding the leaching of BPA. I briefly used a polycarbonate top on one of my vivariums but switched it out for a glass top for these same concerns. I'm still on the fence about housing frogs in this enclosure; the plants and hardscape by themselves are cool enough, though, so it will be a fun enclosure regardless.

See this quote from Ed, posted in this thread:



Ed said:


> Ya'll might want to review http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241572/pdf/ehp0111-001180.pdf since release can increase over time....


And, this link: http://www.consbio.umn.edu/download/Flint_et_al_2012_BPA.pdf




Dart girl said:


> How did you make the base that the walls sit into? Is it sealed and water proof?


The base is made by adhering a 4" strip of polycarbonate to a 1/4" thick polycarbonate sheet. The 4" strip is formed into a circle that has a slightly smaller diameter than that of the inner diameter of the main cylinder; the main cylinder actually fits over the base, in this case. It is completely sealed.


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## folius

Truly inspirational work, Shaun!


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## Bunsincunsin

folius said:


> Truly inspirational work, Shaun!


Thank you, Dev.


The first round of zoopoxy application is done; I still have about half of the trunk to cover, though. It is certainly interesting stuff!


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## Dawna

Bunsincunsin said:


> Thank you, Dev.
> 
> 
> The first round of zoopoxy application is done; I still have about half of the trunk to cover, though. It is certainly interesting stuff!


Awesome! Subscribed! Can't wait to see where this is going!


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## spiralinglotus21

What's your setup for the LEDs? I've been looking for a way to light up my cylindrical tank properly. 


https://www.facebook.com/
groups/Floridadendros/


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## kentpiper

that is going to be a great tank. can't wait to see the finished product!


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## Bunsincunsin

Rocks!


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## Bunsincunsin

spiralinglotus21 said:


> What's your setup for the LEDs? I've been looking for a way to light up my cylindrical tank properly.


I'm running six CREE XM-L2 LEDs - three are "cool white" at 6500K and three are "neutral white" at 5000K - with a homemade driver powered by a 5A/12V power supply. I'm using this same setup on my Ecuadorian cylinder and so far every thing has been doing well.


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## Bunsincunsin

I finally got some paint on this thing; still a little more to do, though. I can't wait to plant it!


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## Bunsincunsin

A little more detail paint on the trunk; it should be just about complete. All that's left is to seal it.

I started painting the rocks late last night - I'm going with a sandstone type of color on those - they should be done by the end of today.


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## mitcholito

This will be gorgeous when planted. Very nice work with the lichen imitations. To many people forget that when trying to make branches and trunks.


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## Viridovipera

That has to be one of the best fake branches I have ever seen, cant wait to see the finished tank! Keep up the good work


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## Hobbes1911

I love how life-like the branch looks! Great paint work.


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## dendrothusiast

Wow Shaun your work is inspiring. I need to grab some of that product and play around with it on some of my smaller builds. The final result I'm sure will be even more jaw dropping.


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## amartin916

Waiting to see the next update...this is looking amazing already...the log looks so real as you go...wow.....


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## Bunsincunsin

Thanks for the comments, guys - I really appreciate them!



mitcholito said:


> This will be gorgeous when planted. Very nice work with the lichen imitations. To many people forget that when trying to make branches and trunks.


Thank you, Mikael, for the compliments! The lichens and other detail paint certainly helps to add a realistic touch - though, it is somewhat difficult to imitate well. Nature does it better.




dendrothusiast said:


> Wow Shaun your work is inspiring. I need to grab some of that product and play around with it on some of my smaller builds. The final result I'm sure will be even more jaw dropping.


Thanks, Arman, that's nice to hear! It's a fun product that can be used in so many ways; you should definitely give it a try.


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## Bunsincunsin

I got the substrate and rocks in, this past Friday. For the substrate, I used a mixture of coco fiber, tree fern, sphagnum, fluorite gravel, crushed leaf litter and woody debris (mostly sticks from apple and pear trees).


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## Bunsincunsin

I received my moss on Saturday and ended up planting the tank on Sunday morning. I may end up adding a few more sections of the Spyra, but for now I think it looks okay. The small tree holes/wells I made work quite well as water reservoirs for wicking - especially the one at the very top, which creates a drip-wall effect. I'm still not sure about some of the plant placements, so some may get moved around as they grow in.

The top access of the tank works quite well - it is especially convenient for cleaning the inside of the cylinder and misting; it's nice not to have to lift the cylinder off every time I need to do maintenance.

Here is the plant list as it stands (some are not pictured below) - it doesn't look like much at the moment but it should look nice once things begin to fill in. I still have two miniature _Philodendron_ spp. that I will most likely be adding; I would also like to add a _Marcgravia_ sp. and possibly a medium-sized aroid if I can find one.


Plant List:

Gesneriad sp. ‘Sira Mountains, Peru’
Melastome sp. ‘Peru’
_Microgramma_ aff. _lycopodioides_
_Octoblepharon _ sp.
_Pilea_ sp. ‘Peru’
_Plagiochila_ sp. ‘Peru’
_ Philodendron_ (sect. _Pteromischium _) sp. ‘Sira Mountains, Peru'
_Rhodospatha_ sp. ‘Light Pink/Peru’
_Selaginella_ sp. 'White/Peru'
_Trichomanes_ aff. _ankersii_
Low-Growing Moss


The leaf litter is mostly laurel oak, with some magnolia and live oak mixed in.









Gesneriad sp. ‘Sira Mountains, Peru’






Melastome sp. ‘Peru’




Pilea sp. ‘Peru’




Philodendron (sect. Pteromischium ) sp. ‘Sira Mountains, Peru'




Microgramma aff. lycopodioides




_Rhodospatha_ sp. ‘Light Pink/Peru’ - if you look closely you can see the pink iridescence


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## epiphytes etc.

That Pilea and Microgramma are both so effin sweet! I really like your overall planting too, it's nice you had a light hand.


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## Mohlerbear

That looks incredible!! This is going to look a thousand times cooler in a few months. 


Loading bowls and building vivs! Braaap!
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## Hobbes1911

This looks fantastic! Can't wait for it to grow in.


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## Bunsincunsin

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Here's a quick side-by-side comparison shot of my two cylindrical tanks; for reference, the Ecuadorian cylinder is 14" x 20" (~36cm x 51cm) and the Peruvian cylinder is 18" x 28" (~46cm x 71cm).


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## Y0urbestfriend

They look absolutely gorgeous together


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## hydrophyte

This is amazing work.

I have wondered about trying to recreate the characteristic smooth bark of rainforest trees with splotchy lichen growth. You really did it right.


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## dmartin72

Spectacular...so finely detailed.


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## raimeiken

Wow! amazing work! I love your attention to detail and very clean look too! Reminds me of the ADA products and work from the Planted aquarium hobby.


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## ChrisAZ

Beautiful! Very nice job! Can I ask where you got your Microgramma aff. lycopodioides? I bought one sold under that name that is very similar but has small oval leaves. I like your variety a lot.


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## chillplants

That is amazing detail work on the branch. If I did not read this thread, I would assume it was something you found in the woods. Fantastic work on this build.


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## k5MOW

Very cool will definitely follow. 

Roger


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## Hobbes1911

This really looks great! Are there any updates on the tank?


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## Naked

Yes,an update would be great.
And that tree looks amazing...

Would you have some tips and maybe some details on how you 
made it. I would appreciate that.

I was planing on making a fake tree myself, eventually, and yours 
is quite exceptional.

-Naked


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## inka4040

Gobsmacked! This thing is absurdly nice. Incredible attention to detail, and such a polished finish. I haven't had this sort of tank envy since Grimm... 

Really jealous of your construction skills, man.


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## skoram

really beautiful design. subscribed!


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## dutch

Amazing design and even better execution 
they will be looking so good when the plants are all filled in


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## Bunsincunsin

Thank you very much for the comments, everyone - I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to update on; not long after planting I was gone for a week and things got a little too dry. I ended up losing quite a few of the cuttings I put in, though I still have a couple of extras in the grow-out tank. I will add these and a few new species soon; I've already added an _Anthurium_ (which will probably out-grow the tank), a _Begonia_, a gesneriad and a _Peperomia_, so I will see how those do…

The _Philodendron_ (sect. _Pteromischium_) sp. ‘Sira Mountains, Peru' has been doing very well and is steadily putting out a leaf every three weeks or so.

I also took the screen off of the fan and now I'm getting some very nice air flow, which has been helping I think.


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## Dendro Dave

If I didn't already say it, I'd love to see something like that on a slow electric rotating base.


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## tongo

Hey Shaun what did you use to make those rocks?


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## Bunsincunsin

tongo said:


> Hey Shaun what did you use to make those rocks?


Hi Thong,

I used Polygem Zoopoxy #307-Lite to coat foam that I carved into rock shapes. Before the Zoopoxy dried, I pressed play-sand onto the surface to create a textured appearance.


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## braydens

update pics?


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## urbanjungle

Bunsincunsin said:


> A quick mock-up with the cylinder and lights on:




What did you use to make the trunk?


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## ruairidh_

It looks like layered foam, but let's wait for the man himself to say

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## Lokirathehunter

No drainage layer? Or are the sides just too dark for me to see it?


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## Bunsincunsin

urbanjungle said:


> What did you use to make the trunk?


Insulation foam from Home Depot.



Lokirathehunter said:


> No drainage layer? Or are the sides just too dark for me to see it?


Yes, there is one. I like to hide mine, though; no sense in distracting from the aesthetics of the display.


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## Lokirathehunter

Bunsincunsin said:


> Insulation foam from Home Depot.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, there is one. I like to hide mine, though; no sense in distracting from the aesthetics of the display.


I love it! That's what I'm trying to achieve in my little ten gallon build.


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## Bunsincunsin

Here are a few updated full tank shots, at a little over one year old.

As I mentioned previously, I had a little trouble getting the right growing conditions for this tank and so I have lost a few plants here and there (thankfully I've mostly been taking cuttings from established grow-out tank plants, so they aren't lost for good!) and so there isn't much growth to show. I actually kind of like the sparse planting that has resulted - especially the lone _Philodendron_ growing up the trunk. I ran into a bit of a nutrient deficiency problem with that one (which you can see in the older leaves) but it has since been corrected by using MSU fertilizer from First Rays. A while back I added some leaves and nut pods from Tannin Aquatics which have added a nice "forest floor" appearance to the display. And, just recently I switched out the neutral-white LED chips for cool-white chips.


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## Spaff

Shaun, what's the smaller aroid with what looks like a reddish underside?


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## Bunsincunsin

Spaff said:


> Shaun, what's the smaller aroid with what looks like a reddish underside?


_Rhodospatha_ sp. 'Narrow' - the new leaves are kind of a rusty-red color.


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## baskis

I wholeheartedly agree about the sparseness. Let that beautiful trunk shine. So so impressive


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## calebrez

What kind of LED chips are you using?


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## dentex

calebrez said:


> What kind of LED chips are you using?





Bunsincunsin said:


> I'm running six CREE XM-L2 LEDs - three are "cool white" at 6500K and three are "neutral white" at 5000K - with a homemade driver powered by a 5A/12V power supply. I'm using this same setup on my Ecuadorian cylinder and so far every thing has been doing well.




Really a beautiful tank. 

So you mist manually, right? (Since you talked about things drying out because of your absence). If I may ask, why did you not use a misting system? You could have put the reservoir inside the fake trunk with tubing exiting from the top of it and then to the top lid of the tank. Just a thought. Probably you had your good reasons.


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## calebrez

Would you be able to show a pic or a description of how you wired the less? I am very interested in the process. absolutely stunning tank!


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## emallard25

Bunsincunsin said:


> Here are a few updated full tank shots, at a little over one year old.
> 
> As I mentioned previously, I had a little trouble getting the right growing conditions for this tank and so I have lost a few plants here and there (thankfully I've mostly been taking cuttings from established grow-out tank plants, so they aren't lost for good!) and so there isn't much growth to show. I actually kind of like the sparse planting that has resulted - especially the lone _Philodendron_ growing up the trunk. I ran into a bit of a nutrient deficiency problem with that one (which you can see in the older leaves) but it has since been corrected by using MSU fertilizer from First Rays. A while back I added some leaves and nut pods from Tannin Aquatics which have added a nice "forest floor" appearance to the display. And, just recently I switched out the neutral-white LED chips for cool-white chips.


Incredible work, I love the 29 you made as well. Some of my favorites for sure.


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## ChrisAZ

Can I ask why you changed out the neutral white LED chips for cool whites?


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## Bunsincunsin

dentex said:


> Really a beautiful tank.
> 
> So you mist manually, right? (Since you talked about things drying out because of your absence). If I may ask, why did you not use a misting system? You could have put the reservoir inside the fake trunk with tubing exiting from the top of it and then to the top lid of the tank. Just a thought. Probably you had your good reasons.


Yes, but it's more of a spot watering, once a week, with a spray bottle. I don't really care for automation - it's excessive and tends to create a disconnection between the keeper and the plants/animals, in my opinion. In this situation, the problem wasn't misting - it was the combination of too much ventilation and air circulation.




emallard25 said:


> Incredible work, I love the 29 you made as well. Some of my favorites for sure.


Thank you for the kind words, Elliot!




ChrisAZ said:


> Can I ask why you changed out the neutral white LED chips for cool whites?


No real reason - I actually like the look better with the mix of neutral and cool white diodes, but the cool white diodes seemed to promote better plant growth by themselves (before I made the custom lights, I was using only cool white LED spotlights on my Ecuadorian tank and I liked the growth that resulted).


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## mpods20

This really inspired me for my build. Beautiful Job!


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## Worthless_J

That thing is really amazing. Hopefully you can post some pics once it's filled in a bit for comparison!


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## LGro

Bunsincunsin said:


> Thank you, Dev.
> 
> 
> The first round of zoopoxy application is done; I still have about half of the trunk to cover, though. It is certainly interesting stuff!


The tree is very inspiring. Did you carve the zoopoxy or use a cast/stamp to create the bark texture? If you carved it, are there any guides/videos you find particularly interesting to pick up the skill? Thanks


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## Bunsincunsin

LGro said:


> Did you carve the zoopoxy or use a cast/stamp to create the bark texture? If you carved it, are there any guides/videos you find particularly interesting to pick up the skill?


With Zoopoxy, you can add impressions while it is still workable to create texture - it is like working with clay. I didn't use any resources - I simply experimented with different tools and techniques as I was making it. If I remember correctly, I used a flat, wooden stick and a scrap piece of EpiWeb to create the majority of the texture (if you look closely, you can actually see both in the photo above).


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## bigrobot

What type of glue did you use to stick the foam pieces together before carving?

What type of paint did you use?


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## Bunsincunsin

bigrobot said:


> What type of glue did you use to stick the foam pieces together before carving?
> 
> What type of paint did you use?


Gorilla glue (original) and acrylic paint.


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## bigrobot

Bunsincunsin said:


> Gorilla glue (original) and acrylic paint.


Thanks, what did you use as a final layer to seal the acrylic paint?


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