# First 45 gal vivarium! [+ idea and questions]



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

I just get my 175 liters(near 46 gallons) tank(100x35x50cm) from my uncle's house. Already cleaned the tank and tested the lamp.



* Pics:*
 









__________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'll be working on the materials list this week.

Already have a pump(510 L/h) and some bottom filter panels(don't know what's the english name for this) that gonna be my false bottom.

I'm thinking on a cork bark background, but don't know if i gonna found in my country. If so, i gonna try a foam background with fern root.



*Ideas:*
 



and this is my favorite layout:





__________________________________________________________________________________________________


* Questions:*
 


 Someone have examples of fern root background to post, plz?



 The tank came with a 30W AquaGlo lamp, should i put more light or only the AquaGlo is enough?


Thanks for reading.


----------



## ian (Dec 25, 2006)

Looks like you planned this out so far. With lighting, alot of people go the power compact route (I have a 110w power compact for my 40g) while others do shop lights.

Do you have any idea on what you are putting in there?


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

ian said:


> Looks like you planned this out so far. With lighting, alot of people go the power compact route (I have a 110w power compact for my 40g) while others do shop lights.
> 
> Do you have any idea on what you are putting in there?


Dude, I don't understand anything from electrical. What i need to install those lamps? 

I'm thinking on compacts, but the price is a bit higher than the normals.



I will put 3 Phyllomedusa distincta in the tank.


----------



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

I would put a lot more braches in there if I were you. Would look pretty cool as like an upper canopy type of deal. Maybe some alocasia, larged leafed philos, etc.

I laughed at your microsoft paint edit there.... lol me


----------



## dwdragon (Aug 14, 2008)

I have tree fern panel on the back of my viv currently. I'm going to be tearing the viv apart and redoing it but if you wanted an idea of what it looks like here:










EDIT: Don't mind the glass in the upper left corner... LOL I had a water plant that wasn't doing so well in the water. Decided to move it closer to the light and it's starting to get some green back. For awhile there was just a nasty slimy brown clump.....


----------



## ian (Dec 25, 2006)

I do not know that one 30w Aquaglow will be enough light for your plants. Hopefully someone will chime in with exactly what you will need and the specifications. I just know that for my 40g setup that I am running a little more light to get enough to the bottom of the tank.

I might go with 2 30watt fixtures to get the plants to thrive. That's just me though.

Goodluck,

Ian


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

ian said:


> I do not know that one 30w Aquaglow will be enough light for your plants. Hopefully someone will chime in with exactly what you will need and the specifications. I just know that for my 40g setup that I am running a little more light to get enough to the bottom of the tank.
> 
> I might go with 2 30watt fixtures to get the plants to thrive. That's just me though.
> 
> ...


Hmmm... Yeah, i should put more light. I'm thinking on compact light, how i said, but don't know yet how much gonna be my budget.




dwdragon said:


> I have tree fern panel on the back of my viv currently. I'm going to be tearing the viv apart and redoing it but if you wanted an idea of what it looks like here:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cool viv. Why you gonna redo? :O

You think I can crumble the panel of fern and paste it into foam, before it cure?
The panels have a flat appearence, I want a more 3D effect.



Derek Benson said:


> I would put a lot more braches in there if I were you. Would look pretty cool as like an upper canopy type of deal. Maybe some alocasia, larged leafed philos, etc.
> 
> I laughed at your microsoft paint edit there.... lol me


Hehe, I want that looks like a dense forest. With several trunks with many indentations.

These drawings are just sketches of what will be, I don't have any trunk yet and only a few plants at home that would be good, then I can't plan anything yet with great accuracy.
The design is just to get a general idea of positioning the cascade, and so on.

Not used microsoft paint, I used photoshop. 


Thx for the comments, and sorry for my poor english. :S


----------



## AlexRible (Oct 16, 2007)

Vinicam said:


> The panels have a flat appearence, I want a more 3D effect.:S


Personally, I had fern panels in my viv and removed them for that reason. They where flat and boring. I think the best way to design a truly stunning vivarium. Is to start out by finding a few interesting pieces of driftwood that will become the focal point of the background. Then designing the rest of the viv around them. Its the easiest place to start and gives you great platform to build off. 45 gallons is a pretty good sized viv and if you like the look of the fern panels you could incorporate them into your background as well. I think background that large might not look that great if it was all fern panels and would take alot of plants to cover it.
Again this is just my opinion.


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

AlexRible said:


> Personally, I had fern panels in my viv and removed them for that reason. They where flat and boring. I think the best way to design a truly stunning vivarium. Is to start out by finding a few interesting pieces of driftwood that will become the focal point of the background. Then designing the rest of the viv around them. Its the easiest place to start and gives you great platform to build off. 45 gallons is a pretty good sized viv and if you like the look of the fern panels you could incorporate them into your background as well. I think background that large might not look that great if it was all fern panels and would take alot of plants to cover it.
> Again this is just my opinion.


Yeah, I think the same way.

This is why I asking if is possible to undo the panels and use it like coco fiber.


----------



## dwdragon (Aug 14, 2008)

I will be re-constructing my vivarium because it does not meet the needs of the PDF I want to house in it.

However that said..... It was only planted a month or 2 ago and very sparsely as that is when I found out I needed to re-construct it so I stopped planting and actually even pulled a few plants.

The Pothos has gone nuts though. IF you want to use tree fern panel I have seen people use them and also just coco fiber panel. When you first plant it you will see the paneling but tanks I have seen that have grown in for a year or more you can't even see the background on most that have any thing a plant can root to.


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

Some SolidWorks sketches:


----------



## Obliv79 (Oct 31, 2007)

If you go with a compact lighting be ready for a kick in the teeth as far as money goes they range in the 100's to 1000's of dollars. You're typical shop lights can handle most plants you want. Compacts are made typically for corals in salt water aquarium hobby. This being you'r first worry about your setup first and then when all is said and done if you feel you want to invest that type of money then do it. I used plant bulbs from petsmart without a single issue.


----------



## AlexRible (Oct 16, 2007)

I don't know how long your tank is ,but you could use either one or two of these exo terra light hoods, they don't seem to be that much money and should light your tank properly 


Terrarium Lighting for Reptiles: Exo Terra Compact Top at Drs. Foster and Smith


----------



## kwazarr (Oct 4, 2007)

This setup looks like it's gonna be awesome so far! I had one question for you about your water feature, tho. Have you put any thought into whether or not you want to make your pump easily accessible if you're going to have it under the false bottom of your viv? I made one a while back in my own viv and I'm real paranoid about electrical components breaking down over time, so making my pump accessible was something I had to work into my design.

Ross.


----------



## orchid_man (Sep 21, 2008)

That is going to look great! I hope I can work something that size one day!


----------



## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

vinicam- whenever i see your name i always read it vicadin. no idea why.


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

AlexRible said:


> I don't know how long your tank is ,but you could use either one or two of these exo terra light hoods, they don't seem to be that much money and should light your tank properly
> 
> 
> Terrarium Lighting for Reptiles: Exo Terra Compact Top at Drs. Foster and Smith


I found an old reactor for two 30W lamps in my dad's house and I thinking on using that with my AquaGlo. Three 30W lamps should be okay. 



kwazarr said:


> This setup looks like it's gonna be awesome so far! I had one question for you about your water feature, tho. Have you put any thought into whether or not you want to make your pump easily accessible if you're going to have it under the false bottom of your viv? I made one a while back in my own viv and I'm real paranoid about electrical components breaking down over time, so making my pump accessible was something I had to work into my design.
> 
> Ross.


I've thought about it, hehe! As yet I don't know how my background will be done, I couldn't plan anything yet with clarity.
But I'm thinking of doing a small piece of false background, as seen in some viv's, with just the space to fit the pump.

Here is the panel that I gonna use for the fake bottom and the pump:




And that is how it will look like when done:




Sketch:





Sorry for the Paint draw. Tomorrow, at work, I do a better sketch with SolidWorks.




orchid_man said:


> That is going to look great! I hope I can work something that size one day!


And I hope to be working in the minors next time ... Only the work that is giving me to plan this vivarium, and the expense of materials. I'll make me crazy! 



otis07 said:


> vinicam- whenever i see your name i always read it vicadin. no idea why.


lol

People often confuse my nick with something to do with webcam... 
But is my name and my last name together.

*Vini*cius + *Cam*olesi


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

Ok, now with the fixes:


----------



## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

great plans man!
I bet its going to come out great.

I would recommend tree fern simply because I liked the way it worked for me.
Its great for growing moss, ferns and other plants. 
I haven't tried any other type of background so I cant say that its better, but Its easier to install, I do know that much..
heres a pic of my nine month old background-


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

weta said:


> great plans man!
> I bet its going to come out great.
> 
> I would recommend tree fern simply because I liked the way it worked for me.
> ...


How you used the tree fern? Panels?


And... Wow! 
I really thought this is a forest picture before I read!


----------



## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

w0w *drool*


----------



## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

wow weta, that is a sick tank! what is the little creeping fern in there? and where did you get it? if you don't mine me asking.


----------



## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

otis07 said:


> wow weta, that is a sick tank! what is the little creeping fern in there? and where did you get it? if you don't mine me asking.


thanks, The plants are mostly natives that I got from outside so I can't ID them sorry.
and I cut the tree fern into shapes that locked together in a more 3D form.

Another way to use tree fern would be to cut it into irregular shapes and combine it with the foam/silicon/coco method. 
There are some amazing reef tanks that use chunks of liverock combined with foam, to make great looking backgrounds. 
I really like this one-Reef Central Online Community - My DIY Foam Reef...Thanks to Kannin
I imagine that tree fern and foam could be equally as impressive. 
Especially if you do as good a job with the build as you have done with the planning.


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

weta said:


> thanks, The plants are mostly natives that I got from outside so I can't ID them sorry.
> and I cut the tree fern into shapes that locked together in a more 3D form.
> 
> Another way to use tree fern would be to cut it into irregular shapes and combine it with the foam/silicon/coco method.
> ...


Really impressive tecnique this guy used!
But rocks aren't flats like fern panels and don't know if I can have the same results.
When the plants grown the visual gonna be good, but in the middle time before this...

Well, my Grandpa has a little farm and I'm thinking on going friday, try to find some driftwoods, and them I can say how the layout gonna be. Without trunk is hard to plan what I gonna do.

Also I have to search for tree fern fiber and the panels to see what I can do with them.


Thx for the replies.


----------



## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

how thick is the tree fern fiber you can get?
The stuff I used was about 150mm thick and I cut it with a hacksaw to a more natural shape.
Or you could use that epiweb stuff instead? It has the advantage of never decomposing.


----------



## Vinicam (Sep 13, 2008)

Dunno... Gonna look what I can get when I have some free time.

Great... Now I don't know what type of background to do, thanks to this topic.


----------

