# My 60 Gallon Bow Front Build Journal



## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

started yesterday. Ive already made the false bottom (3 1/2 Inch)








silicone'd the back of the tank and a portion of the sides









stuck on what to do....
now I need some ideas. this is going to house leucs. im thinking of a water feature but cant quite figure out how i wanna do it. sugguestions welcome.

thanks for looking


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

bump........


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## ExoticPocket (Dec 23, 2010)

You could cut a section out of the eggcrate. Like a 6x6 section.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

ExoticPocket said:


> You could cut a section out of the eggcrate. Like a 6x6 section.


like to make a pond? I hadnt thought of that.... thanks... what else?


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Alegre323 said:


> im thinking of a water feature but cant quite figure out how i wanna do it.


Lol!!!!

Ok now for suggestions. Go buy some black silicone, Blue can GS, Malaysian driftwood, corkbark, about 30 plants. I see you prepared the back using.... grout? Smart!?
Spray the foam onto the back. Right after spraying foam, place in woods and maybe some net pots. I'd recommend cork rounds and make a water feature with them. It'd be cool. Add any hosing, etc while foam is wet. Let expand. After a day, silicone your mix of what ever. I like peat moss mixed with entire coco fibers or tree fern fibre, looks nice and retains moisture. Then, let silicone cure for a minimum of 3 days outside, a week inside, 2 days with fan blowing in it.
After than, vacuum excess mixure off and touch up. Now for the next step. Add substrate (ABD or clay; 1 part charcoal, 1 part peat moss, 1 part sphagnum, 2 parts orchid bark, 2 parts tree fern fibre)
After you're pleased with the look, add plants. Then, add leave litter and mosses. Now mist it down and turn on pumps, lights, etc. Good luck!


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Neontra said:


> Lol!!!!
> 
> Ok now for suggestions. Go buy some black silicone, Blue can GS, Malaysian driftwood, corkbark, about 30 plants. I see you prepared the back using.... grout? Smart!?
> Spray the foam onto the back. Right after spraying foam, place in woods and maybe some net pots. I'd recommend cork rounds and make a water feature with them. It'd be cool. Add any hosing, etc while foam is wet. Let expand. After a day, silicone your mix of what ever. I like peat moss mixed with entire coco fibers or tree fern fibre, looks nice and retains moisture. Then, let silicone cure for a minimum of 3 days outside, a week inside, 2 days with fan blowing in it.
> ...


the back is covered in white silicone (aquarium safe)
I have the blue GS cans aready (about 5 lol)
I also have a big ass sack of spaghnum pear moss, and a sack of eco dirt (not sure if ill use eco dirt)
I kind of got an idea how im gonna do my water feature, but I'll Def. do some of the things you mentioned.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

you could do something like Dave's tank, using the concave front of the tank as a pool:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...62074-firefly-lights-installed-hex-video.html

...and if you havent started on it yet, you can check your local lowes for the firefly lights and include them in your build too!


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Okapi said:


> you could do something like Dave's tank, using the concave front of the tank as a pool:
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...62074-firefly-lights-installed-hex-video.html
> 
> ...and if you havent started on it yet, you can check your local lowes for the firefly lights and include them in your build too!


hmm... those firefly lights are pretty cool.


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## Zoomie (Jul 3, 2011)

Silicone on the back and sides of the tank serves two purposes. While it does help to an extent with adhesion for the GS, most use black silicone to hide the GS background as it is a hideous baby diaper yellow. You can run what you have, scrape the clear and re-do in black, paint, or tape a fish tank background to the outside if you are concerned with aestetics. 

While it has been done here many times, you may want to hold off on a water feature until you get multiple builds under your belt. Water features are tricky and require significant testing to ensure that they work as you envisioned. I would like to have a 1.00 for every tank built by a frogger that was forced to disconnnect his water feature due to a design issue.

To be clear, I love water builds. I will create and install one during some future build. I am also really glad that I listened to the vets here and avoided them during my inititial builds. I had enough problems to cuss about due to my lack of experience. A water feature would have surely pushed me off the deep end.

If you must have a water feature, I would stop your build right now and read every water feature thread that you possibly can. I would even go further and just flat steal someone elses tank design to mimic it.

Once I decided on the water design, I would fit, test and re-test it. That means that your false bottom/Hytroton/Leca bottom would have to be in, along with all of the dry goods required to build the water's path. Wicking is your enemy unless you're building a bog or swamp tank.

I am not trying to discourage you. This is a really cool tank and if you take your time and do some more pre-design work, you'll end up with an environment in which your frogs thrive, in addition being able to pull up a chair and stare at it for hours. 

So...

A) You are building the tank for Leucs. This size tank will hold more than a pair. You'll need to think about designing in multiple hides.

B) While Leucs are considered terrestrial frogs, mine climb all of the time. Had I known this, I would have done a better job of creating multiple levels and easy climb routes in my own tank. I still may redecorate but don't want to interupt breeding. 

C) Leucs are miniture four wheel drives. They will climb over and stomp on anything. You'll need hardy plants unless you can plant them in a manner where the Leucs don't constantly blow through the plant like a bunch of liquored up hillbillies in a four wheel drive mowing through a corn field.

D) For what it's worth, my Leucs both sleep in one of the tank broms every night.

E) You're going with a GS background. Make your life easier and start thinking about adding plant cups. You'll have to do some additional research to identify what type of plants you want on your background. They have to have enough space to grow out, high enough to get the light they need, but no so high that your lighting burns them up. 

You'll also need to think about how you want them to drain. Some attach a piece of hose to the plant cup prior to spraying GS. I just drilled multiple holes as I wanted the water to drain on to the background to help keep it moist.

F) In order to figure out plants, you'll need to finalize your wood design. While cork bark can be imbedded directly in to the foam as you spray, heavier woods, especially anything that is going to stick out or act as an outcrop needs to be siliconed/secured to the glass prior to spraying GS to avoid it potentially falling and squishing one the tank inhabitants.

Lots to think about. Finalize rough design ideas, create and test fit false bottom. Add ground wood to verify height clearnace. Tape in plant cups to get them where you want them. Prop up wood pieces where you want them. Find a way to mark all of the locations. I used blue painters tape and then removed as I sprayed with GS.

All this is said to help you avoid some of my scars. There are a few people here that can designn on the fly as they build but they are both rare and gifted. We want you to have a great tank that you are proud of. Design and test fitting will help avoid so many problems.

I hope that this helps.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

My brother is pretty crafty when it comes to building things. Hes actually helping me build the tank as i look lol.heres a quick picture if the gs on and pots as well.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

We still have to carve and sculpt but im happy with the result. We tested the water feature and it looks awesome.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk


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## Zoomie (Jul 3, 2011)

Alegre323 said:


> We still have to carve and sculpt but im happy with the result. We tested the water feature and it looks awesome.
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk


Sounds great. 

Sorry about dragging you through all that. Based on your lack of commentary I thought you were going to design and build at the same time. I was sweating bullets for you !


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## nschmitz06 (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm still a noob and I tried various ways to work with a water feature... failing at all. So then I thought.... maybe if my pump technology isn't inside the tank it will be easier to manage?? BAM GREAT IDEA. Go buy an external canister filter (eheim is nice) and run from that. Have one tube go straight thru the GS to the bottom of the tank and then the output you can set up for a dripwall or fountain  or waterfall area. Best thing is that since your working with a 60 gallon tank and 3- 1/2" false bottom. That is a lot of water which makes it easier for the pump. The filter will also help with cleaning the water and making your froggers happy. And then if something goes wrong you can easily detach the filter and parts with minimal deconstruction to your terrarium. 

Here is my build. You check out pages 3 and 5 for my external canister filter hookup

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/64671-exo-terra-24x18x18-redux-pic-heavy-3.html

I should really update that thread too as I am done and super happy with how it turned out. (yet to get frogs as I am still adding plants and managing my isopod populations--

Also try to keep your waterfall contained. If it is splashing too much your ABG mix get slushy and way to wet for critters-- Leaf Litter helps


Hope this helps


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

UPDATE:
carved and added more pots to the tank. great stuff cured and I threw on the spagnhum moss tonight.
gonna let that dry overnight and give it some touchups on any places that I missed tomorrow.










































how's it looking so far?


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

quick update
testing my water feature,and semi-planted the tank(still waiting on my order from blackjungle)
I still need to add my mist system and the substrate(dont know which to use.... i was thinking dirt covered by orchid bark covered by spagnum moss with leaf litter as a finale lol)

what do you guys think?


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## ktwilliams_28 (Aug 1, 2007)

Looks great. throw some substrate in and your done


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

just recieved my plants from blackjungle, will be planting the tank today. will post updated pics.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

quick pic of the substrate added


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

I might remove the top layer and just do magnolia leaves. should i?


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

planted the tank, a couple of quick running late before work shots lol


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

I guess no one likes the tank lol


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## TheUnseenHand (Mar 8, 2011)

Looks pretty good, though I don't know about the waterfall. Somehow doesn't quite fit the look of the rest of the viv. Could probably use a couple more plants too, but it will certainly look better as the plants that are in there now start to fill in.

Well done none-the-less, I love the fogger.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Thanks. I wanted the waterfall dead center cuz i have some plants that will take it over completely. It will cover all of it,making it look almost natural.i still need to work on it as i dont lile how the water comes out,so thats tonights job haha

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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Thinking of tearing down my tank and starting from scratch. Im gonna redesign it and will post some plans tomorrow. No more symmetry and will try to have a natural look. Maybe a drip wall or something along those lines. Vines and tree roots aswell

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## dfrmav (Feb 22, 2011)

Alegre323 said:


> Thinking of tearing down my tank and starting from scratch. Im gonna redesign it and will post some plans tomorrow. No more symmetry and will try to have a natural look. Maybe a drip wall or something along those lines. Vines and tree roots aswell
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk


don't do the water feature. go slow with this. it's a big build


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Its what i was thinking,but i really like the water feature lol. I still need to plan how to do this......

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## dfrmav (Feb 22, 2011)

Alegre323 said:


> Its what i was thinking,but i really like the water feature lol. I still need to plan how to do this......
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk


To quote Pumilo (generally): The water feature is for you; the frogs want more land. 

Plus, think about this: do you really want to have to deal with the hassle of a water feature? What if a pump breaks or gets clogged, or you need to do a water change? Everyone new to the hobby, myself included, starts out thinking "OMG I WANT A WATER FEATURE!" but after a while, you start to see more (and better) builds without them. Granted, some manage to pull it off well, but they're usually really experienced.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

My current pump just died yesterday lmao. So i understand you completely. I need to do some serious planning before i start. Ill post some diagrams when i get to work. Then we can pick lets say 2 and we can vote on it 

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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Yes def do some planning! I spent several weeks planning my latest viv. There will still be some things you will have to figure out on the fly especially if you do a water feature. Spend some time looking at multiple build threads to get some inspiration. And if you do end up doing a water feature or dripwall create a way to easily access your pump in case it fail. Good luck!


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

I decided to keep my current tank, im just going to replant it and change the soil. the water feature is fixed as what hapenned was the powerhead got disconnected lol


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

fixed the waterfall


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Alegre323 said:


> I decided to keep my current tank, im just going to replant it and change the soil. the water feature is fixed as what hapenned was the powerhead got disconnected lol


I'm glad to hear you are keeping it. I really like your tank.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

I really like it too  lol


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

these are some quick shots I took right after planting it 
I posted them on the other thread aswell


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

im also uploading a crappy video of my new light setups. 3 colors.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

my new lights


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Ooooh neat!


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

thanks. it has the moonlight LED's, blue "dusk" lights, and daylight CFL's


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