# 70g Vivarium Build



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

Hi everyone! This is my first post here after lurking around for a couple months. I'm now ready to start building a vivarium out of a "retired" 70g tank. I had some questions about building this that I was hoping to get some help with.

Well as of tonight this is what the tank looks like (it's only on end because I was having to do some cleaning on it. It will be oriented normally once it's complete.










I was just browsing different pictures last night and I came across this picture which I fell in love with:










Now my goal is to try to replicate that hardscape. I decided to swing by one of the local pet stores on the way home from work and I found this awesome log which will be perfect for the centerpiece of the scape! I am not planning on having a water feature in this tank which i'm hoping will make this design more feasible. 


















Now my only conundrum is figuring out how to build the roots that come over the log and the tree trunks that are growing out of it. Would a "Great Stuff" design be best for this? Any and all help is very welcome! Thank you in advance


----------



## GBR (Jun 7, 2013)

You can always use the rope technique. Cover it with silicone and then peat moss or something over that. Then hot glue it to ur logs?


----------



## roktman (Apr 10, 2013)

Riptide said:


> Hi everyone!
> Now my only conundrum is figuring out how to build the roots that come over the log and the tree trunks that are growing out of it. Would a "Great Stuff" design be best for this? Any and all help is very welcome! Thank you in advance


An alternative, if you have woods or forest nearby, or even neighbors cutting back on their trees and shrubs is to take *smooth* bark and hot glue it onto your rope or pipe... IMHO many times the transition from the rough (cork) bark tree section to peat or coconut fiber "roots" is just to obvious. Just my 2¢...


----------



## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

I think that would make a nice vert!!!


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

How does this layout look?


----------



## eyadinuae (Apr 9, 2013)

Very Impressive , Any updates ...


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I will have an update later this afternoon 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


----------



## snake54320 (Dec 16, 2011)

For making the trees, I would use PVC pipes and ropes, exactly like what raf did.
Awesome root structure pic, thanks for sharing


----------



## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

This is going to be nice, I can tell already. That cork piece you got will be great for what you are trying to mimic. 

I too think this would make a great vert. Either way it's gonna be sweet ! 

Sent from my kindle fire using tapatalk


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I gor everything foamed in and have started putting the Tightbond/coconut fiber mix on the background. I'm going to have to go over it a few time to get all the small areas but I think that the multiple layers will give it more of a textured look and will actually look better in the long run then just one smooth layer.

Before the foam got trimmed and the TB3 mix started going on.









So far this is how it's coming out.









Opinions/suggestions so far?


----------



## Wings (Apr 1, 2012)

Man that cork round is a great piece!

I am not much of a GS or synthetic user, but it looks pretty good IMO! A friend of mine bought some hygrolon and incorporated that into his build, it took a while to grow in but it looks really good in transition spots if that is what you are needing.
Are you going to try and life-size scale it or do some micro touches to it?

Also, are you going to be using co2?


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

not sure why my pictures broke but here is the tank as of right now.


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

Wings said:


> Man that cork round is a great piece!
> 
> I am not much of a GS or synthetic user, but it looks pretty good IMO! A friend of mine bought some hygrolon and incorporated that into his build, it took a while to grow in but it looks really good in transition spots if that is what you are needing.
> Are you going to try and life-size scale it or do some micro touches to it?
> ...


I have no idea how to go about using the CO2 in this type of setup. I am very used to using it in aquariums though (I'm coming over to frogs from reefs and planted tanks). Any info is greatly appreciated.

I'll probably just stick with micro touches and just take my over all inspiration from the picture I posted.


----------



## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

This is looking good. I too have thought about co2, but only have used it in fw planted tanks. I wonder if you can use that same diy co2 that is used in aquariums with any noticeable benefit. Perhaps I should use the search function and explore this

Sent from my kindle fire using tapatalk


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

Well the background is now 100% done (the picture shows the very top still not sealed but it has since been taken care of)! I'll give it a few days to completely cure then I'll add the substrate and start looking into plants. I know I will already be getting quite a bit on moss to go in there but other than a couple broms I'm not sure what else to put in here.


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I got the rest of the background sealed and the substrate in. I have a bunch of moss and leaf litter on its way from Josh's Frogs which should be here in a few days.

What do you all think?










Sent from my GS3 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

not sure by the looks of things, but did you make a false bottom?? lol hard to tell and the substrate looks shallow. maybe my eyes just hate me.


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

There is 2.5" of the clay balls on the very bottom, a layer of window screen, then about 3" of coconut fiber/peat on top of that

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

Here is the tank as of a couple days ago. I have since moved some of the plants around to meet their needs a little better. I have a couple more plants and some Springtails on order right now which should be here Friday. I'll post and updated photo once everything is in its final spot. 

When the time comes to get the frogs I was thinking about going with Auratus. How many do you all think I could comfortably fit into this tank (dimensions are 36Lx18Wx24H)?


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

Anyone have thoughts on how many Auratus I could do in here?

I got a couple more plants and rearranged a little.










Sent from my GS3 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


----------



## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

Looks good!

Hopefully someone with more experience than myself will confirm or correct, but I'd say a group of 5 Auratus would do great in there. 6 or 7 if you wanted to push it a little, but I think 5 would be a good, safe number.

Will these be your first frogs? As much as I love Auratus (I have 5 morphs), they tend to be very shy in comparison to other larger species. Some have luck with bold auratus, but I think it's more of the exception than the norm. If you're wanting a frog that's more visible and active, then you may want to consider a group of Leucs, a trio of Tincs, or some Terribilis(I have no experience with).

-Chris


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

kitcolebay said:


> Looks good!
> 
> Hopefully someone with more experience than myself will confirm or correct, but I'd say a group of 5 Auratus would do great in there. 6 or 7 if you wanted to push it a little, but I think 5 would be a good, safe number.
> 
> ...


Thank you 

These are my first frogs, I think that the Leucs or Terribilis are very viable options as well. I am really interested in the Terribilis but I am running into issues with being able to keep the tank cool enough (according to the reading on the Terribilis I've done) as the room it's in stays pretty warm.


----------



## Buddysfrogs (Mar 29, 2012)

I would also say 5 and also confirm Auratus can be very shy. I would recommend a nice group of antonyi for your tank. Specifically the highland morph if you could get your hands on them. Very bold and very beautiful. A great beginner frog too because they breed like rabbits.
Buddy


----------



## jrudd013 (Jul 8, 2013)

Beautiful, hope i can achieve that level of awsome on my build.


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I do need a little help, I'm having a horrific time getting the tank down below 83-85 degrees (keep in mind that I'm still waiting for the fans and speed controller which should be here by the end of the week hopefully). The heat is starting to kill off some of my plants so I need to try to keep it down before I lose everything. I've noticed that misting it more often is helping to keep the temp down a little but I don't think I can do that long term. 

I'd rather not get a bunch of frogs in there that I'll never see so Leucomelas or possibly the Antonyi might be a better way to go. I'll have to research them more before I make a decision.

Something that might make this decision easier is that I was able to score a 150g tank tonight that I'm planning on turning into another viv  Addicted already and I don't even have the frogs yet....this will be an expensive hobby! lol


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I came home to find my tank sitting at a nice 70 degrees today and then I found this little flower inside one of the Broms. 

Anyone happen to know what kind of brom this is by any chance? 










Sent from my GS3 using Tapatalk 4


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

so I've settled on a group of Leucs for this tank. Now the question is how many and should I add them to the main tank one at a time or all at once (they'll all be going through QT)


----------



## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

Riptide said:


> so I've settled on a group of Leucs for this tank. Now the question is how many and should I add them to the main tank one at a time or all at once (they'll all be going through QT)


Congrats! I'm sure you won't regret getting Leucs!

Once again, I'd say a group of 5 or 6 would be great, maybe even 7. Give them plenty of areas that they can call their own with some visual barriers.

As long as they are about the same size/age, then I'd imagine adding them at the same time would be good. If they're different in size/age, then you'd want to keep a close eye on them to ensure they're all eating well and no one is getting bullied out at feeding time. A feeding station(banana slice) or two would probably be good.

Looking forward to seeing your new babies!

-Chris


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I figured I started the thread so it's about time I updated it. Everythign with the tank seems to have stabilized quite nicely. I'll put my average parameters below. You can see that the plants are starting to fill in nicely as well, some of the ones I thought were dead are actually starting to show new growth! 

Average Temp: 72-78* 
Average Humidity: 75-90%

I ended up not getting the Leucs after all. I decided that I would go with the Tincs instead. I just got her yesterday and she is a fearless little girl. She's come right up to the glass a few times when I walk up to look at her. I only have the one for now but I plan on getting 4 more probably next month. Let me know what you guys think 

FTS










Here she is!



















How she greets me


----------



## KDuraiswamy (Dec 2, 2012)

Be careful with putting five tincs in one tank. While leucs, auratus, or anthonyi are all good group frogs and would do well in a group of five, tincs tend to be more aggressive in groups. I don't own any tincs, so I'll let someone with more experience suggest a good number for your tank.


----------



## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

You have a beautiful frog there. I would reconsider putting that many things in there, they aren't the best group frog. Also, now that you have a single female, it's going g to be harder to introduce more animals, as she will consider the entire tank her territory, and will defend it.

EDIT: Well, now that I've taken a minute to look at your pics, she looks like a he, which is good news as it will make it easier to add another frog or two. Try going for a 2.1


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

No problem, I can cut the number down (saves me $$ too lol). Thanks for the heads up, I'm sure it has saved me trouble and frustration down the road. The overall consensus is probably 3 total for the tank? 

2:1 ratio of M:F or F:M?


----------



## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

M.F



Ten characters


----------



## kenstyles (Sep 11, 2013)

you need some lichen covered branches


----------



## Riptide (May 15, 2013)

I've never been a fan of lichen. Just never liked the look of it. I would definitely be open to a branch or two covered in moss, I just don't know what kind of moss would be best suited for an environment like my tank. Suggestions?


----------

