# 24x18x36 display build



## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Welcome everyone to my first build in many many years. This will take some time and be picture heavy as it will be on display in my living room and want everything to be perfect. Feedback is welcome!

Here is the first picture of my mock up. Thoughts? I need to make some cuts to the main tree trunk to fit. I’ll have those done tonight and going to start working on the back ground tomorrow.

if you see any critical mistake I’m about to make yell at me now!


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Looks real nice. To save me some searching, what species is going into it?


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I like it. What kind/species of wood is that?


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## k5MOW (Jun 19, 2015)

Looks awesome

Roger


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Socratic Monologue said:


> I like it. What kind/species of wood is that?


Manzanita drift wood. I liked the colors and wanted to try and build around a tree trunk/roots. Typically it’s used in fresh water aquariums so shouldn’t have any trouble holding up to humidity.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Looks real nice. To save me some searching, what species is going into it?


I believe I’ve landed on a pair of Dendrobates leucomelas.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Sharbit said:


> Manzanita drift wood. I liked the colors and wanted to try and build around a tree trunk/roots. Typically it’s used in fresh water aquariums so shouldn’t have any trouble holding up to humidity.


I love Manzanita! It's my favorite non-cork bark wood for my frog tanks.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I didn't realize Manzanita stumps were as available as a little web searching shows they are. Pretty cool.

I use a lot of ghostwood (which is the name for the Manzanita branches, I guess) and it holds up pretty well. I just took down a four year old viv that ran way too wet (yeah, water "feature") and the ghostwood in it is completely salvageable for another build (after thorough bleaching and drying, of course).


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Socratic Monologue said:


> I didn't realize Manzanita stumps were as available as a little web searching shows they are. Pretty cool.
> 
> I use a lot of ghostwood (which is the name for the Manzanita branches, I guess) and it holds up pretty well. I just took down a four year old viv that ran way too wet (yeah, water "feature") and the ghostwood in it is completely salvageable for another build (after thorough bleaching and drying, of course).


I wondered if ghost wood was the same. Looked very similar. I knew from past aquarium experience that manzanita would hold up to being fully submerged so I stuck With places that used the term manzanita so I knew what I was getting. Glad to know it’s the same though for the future. There were several places cheaper than what I paid thst sold “ghost wood”


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

So the next steps start today. The plan is to silicone the filter mat in place. So that’s my first question. Is one layer enough as shown in the picture?

After that I was going to tack the wood pieces in place using silicone. Will this be enough to hold them still while I put the tank on its back and ultimately it’s sides to apply great stuff? I’m thinking at the very least I should pull the trunk out and add it at the end because of its size snd weight?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Sharbit said:


> So the next steps start today. The plan is to silicone the filter mat in place. So that’s my first question. Is one layer enough as shown in the picture?
> 
> After that I was going to tack the wood pieces in place using silicone. Will this be enough to hold them still while I put the tank on its back and ultimately it’s sides to apply great stuff? I’m thinking at the very least I should pull the trunk out and add it at the end because of its size snd weight?


I'm not super familiar with the insitu tanks, but given there's the drainage channel at the front one layer of filter foam should be sufficient.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

I wouldn’t silicon the filter mat. If it’s not fully snug, then maybe do 4 small dots on each corner just so it can easily be removed later on. To foam the wood, the tape you have on is good for now. Spray a bit of foam on each piece, then let that dry and carve it. Then, you can take off all the tape once every piece is foamed because they will be secured to the back. Then you can foam the entire background. It’s important that you carve the initial bits of foam because if you dont, the main layer will not stick to it.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

asteroids said:


> I wouldn’t silicon the filter mat. If it’s not fully snug, then maybe do 4 small dots on each corner just so it can easily be removed later on. To foam the wood, the tape you have on is good for now. Spray a bit of foam on each piece, then let that dry and carve it. Then, you can take off all the tape once every piece is foamed because they will be secured to the back. Then you can foam the entire background. It’s important that you carve the initial bits of foam because if you dont, the main layer will not stick to it.


I was worried the foam might not cure with gravity pulling everything down. I’ve hit all the contact points with silicone. When that’s ready if they are not held in place I’ll hit them with great foam next. Thanks for the advice.


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## niputidea (11 mo ago)

That looks like it’s going to turn out great! Can’t wait to see how it progresses.


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## sderenne (Jun 27, 2021)

Looks great to me. I have 5 Luecs , yours should love it. One thing I noticed is all the wood branches are leaning to the right. I think it might look a little more dynamic by having some limbs going to the left.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

needs some advice. I sat the tank on its back and applied a layer of GS foam. I let that set for roughly 20 hours. Then Sunday morning I turned it on its side, layer a layer on the side and let it sit for 24 hours. The back has held up great. The side shrunk and didn’t adhere to the glass very well. I cleaned the glass in both cases with alcohol wipes prior to spraying.

So what’s done is done. What’s the best method to fix this? Carve out the edges thst didn’t stick and re foam? Add silicone behind the parts that are peeling away? Not in a hurry but want to make sure this gets done right.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

It looks like it’s peeling away pretty far back, and getting all that silicon in there would be a hassle.

I would cut away all the parts that are not secured to the glass, and in there place put down some sections of egg crate. Silicon the egg crate to the glass, and once dried it should be very secure. With this added surface area, you can then re foam over the egg crate.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Interesting. I had read where the GS doesn’t stick to the egg crate well….but it doesn’t stick to the glass either lol. I’ll give it a shot

as for the silicone. I don’t think I’d havethat much trouble getting it back there. If I could would that work?


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

You could try the silicon, but you’d have to use a g clamp or something similar because the foam will want to pull away from the glass.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

asteroids said:


> You could try the silicon, but you’d have to use a g clamp or something similar because the foam will want to pull away from the glass.


Thinking I would set something heavy on top and keep it laying flat. I might try that first and see


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

So I cut away the big parts that pulled away. Shot silicone down into what was left and sat heavy things on top to pin it down. Then reapplied the foam to the areas I cut away. Hopefully it holds to the glass this time. The back and other side held great, not sure exactly what happened on this one side.


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## NorCal Frogger (Nov 5, 2014)

Socratic Monologue said:


> I didn't realize Manzanita stumps were as available as a little web searching shows they are. Pretty cool.
> 
> I use a lot of ghostwood (which is the name for the Manzanita branches, I guess) and it holds up pretty well. I just took down a four year old viv that ran way too wet (yeah, water "feature") and the ghostwood in it is completely salvageable for another build (after thorough bleaching and drying, of course).


My memory is that long ago "ghostwood" was a name for any species of reasonably dense, sun-bleached (the white/grey color inspiring it's name) driftwood. Manzanita and its relative madrone are not uncommon species to end up as drift wood in my region. Today what we call ghostwood seems to be mostly sandblasted antelope bitterbrush, but also sometimes manzanita imo, and possibly even sycamore according to a member of the planted tank forum.

Wood features in the vivarium

Ghostwood

I guess my take is the original ghostwood was sun-bleached driftwood and today's "real" ghostwood is Purshia tridentata.


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## NorCal Frogger (Nov 5, 2014)

Make sure you let the alcohol dry completely before apply GS. I would use Lexel to readhere cured GS to glass.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

I finally got the foam sprayed in and holding. Took some silicone under the foam to finally hold. I’m not quite finished adding things to the background but the main pieces are in.









I took the day to work on the stand so when I get to adding the larger pieces I can have the tank set in place. Still need to finish sanding and a couple coats of paint tomorrow and I should be good to go


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

I’m getting close to substrate time. I’m thinking of using an ABG mix over the filter media with leaf litter on top. Is this still considered a viable method?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Sharbit said:


> I’m getting close to substrate time. I’m thinking of using an ABG mix over the filter media with leaf litter on top. Is this still considered a viable method?


Yep.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Yep.


1-2 inches sufficient for the abg mix? And are ground plants directly placed in the soil ok?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Sharbit said:


> 1-2 inches sufficient for the abg mix? And are ground plants directly placed in the soil ok?


Yes and yes, IMO


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Lesson of the day: Nothing sticks to anything like it does on YouTube! 

I’ve got the background nearly complete. Just need to touch up a few spots and clean up some areas around the wood. I’ll definitely be better equipped the next time I do this. Learned a lot of lessons the hard way.

I have a couple of plants on the way but I’d love to hear any suggestions anyone has on their favorites. Especially any cool climbing/vines


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

philodendron melanochrysum has awesome leaves


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

asteroids said:


> philodendron melanochrysum has awesome leaves


Thst looks like it would get huge!


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

It takes many years for the leaves to get big


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Sharbit said:


> I have a couple of plants on the way but I’d love to hear any suggestions anyone has on their favorites. Especially any cool climbing/vines


Best to get all the hardscape and substrate in there and then think about how the frogs are going to be using the space, and what structural help they'll need in using it to its full potential. Leucs are avid climbers, but only half competently, and so little viney stuff might trip them up more than anything and large leaves need to be moderately strong to bear their weight. 

When I kept leucs, I emphasized the hardscape above all else since leucs climb best on it, and the don't need moisture holding capacity in the viv to the extent that all other dart species do.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Socratic Monologue said:


> Best to get all the hardscape and substrate in there and then think about how the frogs are going to be using the space, and what structural help they'll need in using it to its full potential. Leucs are avid climbers, but only half competently, and so little viney stuff might trip them up more than anything and large leaves need to be moderately strong to bear their weight.
> 
> When I kept leucs, I emphasized the hardscape above all else since leucs climb best on it, and the don't need moisture holding capacity in the viv to the extent that all other dart species do.


Interesting. I was actually thinking the vines would help with the climbing. Give the structure more texture I thought. Once all the lower levels are in the whole Viv is a big circle for climbing. At least that’s how I designed it. I just can’t add the stump and roots back in until I’m done touching up the background.

Are there any large leaf plants you would recommend I look into?


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

you still have a lot of space on your background, use that to your advantage and foam in some more hardscape.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

asteroids said:


> you still have a lot of space on your background, use that to your advantage and foam in some more hardscape.












this is still the basic layout (few minor tweaks) I just can’t install the rest until the back ground is done and I can install the foam/substrate on the bottom. All the space will be utilized


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Sharbit said:


> Are there any large leaf plants you would recommend I look into?


I don't have any recommendations, sorry. I don't build backgrounds, and so don't have experience making them work. I'm better for general advice that is hard to understand until the recipient has worked through things far enough that they don't need the advice anymore anyway.


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Waiting on the leaf litter and another bag of substrate. The leaves I picked originally are WAY to big for this setup. My plan is to use a few sturdier plants to help with the transitions between levels. Any suggestions any one sees for improvement?


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## Sharbit (7 mo ago)

Starting to get some plants in. This is where I’m learning as I go and with so many different species I’ll take any and all advice.

do you see any placement issues?


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