# New Paru Tank build (2).



## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

I'm building up a couple tanks for my Parus. I figured I'd post it here for reference and just to share my process and get feedback.

The tanks 22x23x28H v-scapes.

First pic is of the vivs sitting on my rack. Second pic is of the plumbing method I plan on using. Third shows my matala mat and fourth the way I had Wes screen the top. The two screens should allow for a 30% reduction or so of UVB (possibly more) through the mid screen (however I am using a 12% Arcadia bulb). The other screen towards the front is more to remove condensation from the doors.

More posts to come later (going to be slow I have to make a lot of calcium clay) =/

-Nish


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## Frog pool13 (Oct 30, 2013)

Should be a fun build! How many Parus do you have?


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## ngeno626 (Nov 14, 2013)

looks like it will be a nice set up!
where do you get the matala mat at?
that's a great alternative to a false bottom


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

I'm never used matala before, but I think you should wrap it in window screen or landscape fabric to keep the substrate out of it.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Ya got it from fosters and smith. Order three half sheets (the biggest size they have) and it's free shipping. They are very oversize at 24"x36" so the free shipping is nice. They are a tad over 1.5" so two sheets (or for one of my vivs one sheet cut into two and stacked) is 3"

It is very rigid and yes I plan on wrapping it with fiberglass screen. That will be a very easy thing to do with this stuff.

I have 3 Parus atm. Only one calling and hopefully the female UE sent me actually turns out to be one hehe. I plan on putting the a male+female in one and a male in the other. Will see how things turn out from there. I may try to get another female, wait for a female offspring or sell the other male if I decide I want something different in that other tank.

I plan on tree ferning all sides with cork her and there. Some wood pieces (have some nice big ghost wood from a long time ago waiting) and a few small cork tubes as branches. I'm no artist but hopefully it turns out well.

Will see I guess,

-Nish


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## Frog pool13 (Oct 30, 2013)

Let me know how it goes and put me on your list for Parus!


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Misters, screened the matala, finished plumbing (mostly just need to finish the end drain bucket) and added some turface for now.

-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Full of turface and DIY light stand on the top for the lights. Going to be a while now as I'm waiting on the tree fern slabs which will be a week or two -_-. I also have to make about 4-5 batches of clay as I plan to line the bottom with a thin but decent layer and use some on the sides and around edges of things.

Have 1 Arcadia 12% desert bulb, two daylight bulbs and one Spectralux red. I'm using 12% as it has to go through the stainless screen and down 30+ inches. It will probably lose about half of it's effectiveness (maybe a bit more based on some charts I've seen). I'll have to see how the tank looks with these colors.

-Nish


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

nish07 said:


> Full of turface and DIY light stand on the top for the lights. Going to be a while now as I'm waiting on the tree fern slabs which will be a week or two -_-. I also have to make about 4-5 batches of clay as I plan to line the bottom with a thin but decent layer and use some on the sides and around edges of things.
> 
> Have 1 Arcadia 12% desert bulb, two daylight bulbs and one Spectralux red. I'm using 12% as it has to go through the stainless screen and down 30+ inches. It will probably lose about half of it's effectiveness (maybe a bit more based on some charts I've seen). I'll have to see how the tank looks with these colors.
> 
> -Nish


I really like the direction you are going with these enclosures. Purpose-built for a somewhat difficult species from the ground up.


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Slight update. Working on Golfito tank first. Going to use some recycled planting mat for the back also will use clay to mud in areas later. Have the clay layer already to go as soon as the rest is done.

Anyone have any suggestions for vining plants or something to plant in the cork tubes that dosn't grow too big?

-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Background almost done.

-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Slowly getting there. Under the leaf in the front is the compost heap (purple, white isos and two types of springs plus banana peel, morning wood, rotting paper that the springs were all over etc.) I also threw in the calcium clay on the bottom, pasted some moss mix all over the place and threw in a few broms.

Still looking for advice for nice vining plants D=

-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Now I'm looking for something to cover background.

Also may add a bigger orchid to the front.










-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

This one seems happy. Hope they like it.



















-Nish


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Stunning! I also think that they are happy frogs! Congrats... (But to me they looks Baru, not Paru).


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## waynowon (Jun 2, 2007)

Frog pool13 said:


> Let me know how it goes and put me on your list for Parus!


Oh Bleep yeah, my name belongs on the list too


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

I have two tanks was going to make two Paru tanks now just one. Here's a pic of one of my Parus.










-Nish


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

I haven't seen many with the defined white spots like that. Great looking frog!


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

BTW all of that brown stuff you see is calcium clay used as mud to fill in gaps (not silicone). It's pretty good for that I also used sphagnum. Should be fine when the plants take hold and cover it up a bit but the clay doesn't look bad in person.

-Nish


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## DarkAGEdefect (Dec 18, 2013)

Damn good looking tank!


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Here's a bad pic of my female.

-Nish


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Sorry for the misunderstanding! Great frogs! Congrats


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## ckays (Jul 26, 2011)

nish07 said:


> Ya got it from fosters and smith. Order three half sheets (the biggest size they have) and it's free shipping. They are very oversize at 24"x36" so the free shipping is nice. They are a tad over 1.5" so two sheets (or for one of my vivs one sheet cut into two and stacked) is 3"
> 
> It is very rigid and yes I plan on wrapping it with fiberglass screen. That will be a very easy thing to do with this stuff.
> 
> ...


Alright so I really like this false bottom method. 

Have you utilized this for any length of time? Thought on longevity?

Did you order the low density stuff? I assume that would suffice for our purpose. 

Well done.


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

It should last forever. You could pull it out clean it and reuse it. it will last longer than the screen that you cover it with.

-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

BTW I went arcadia 12% because of going through solacryl and screen but after my readings with a solarmeter the 6% was plenty. I'll stick with that. Oddly, the UVB is only in a narrow range under the screen, however on another tank with a solacryl top, I tried to block some UVB with a sheet of glass and it went through the glass at half intensity per the Solarmeter 6.2 so I'm not sure what's up with that glass. It was just cheap 1/8" glass. The Solarmeter reads in a broad range but highly in a certain range I think that the glass is blocking a lot of the higher frequency UVB and picking up stuff closer to visible light (if it's borafloat type glass) which ramps up it's ability to transmit UVB closer to the visible spectrum and is half as intense halfway between the start of the UVB spectrum and at the end of it.

-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Thought I'd share one more golfito pic. My parus have a clutch of 12 eggs. I don't know how many they'll care for but hoping more than 4 =P










-Nish


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

So I finally got around to finishing the Paru viv. I'm waiting on the bugs to take hold and the female to take care of some tadpoles before moving them in. I also want the plants to establish a bit.










Here they are. Golfito and Paru v-scape vivs (finally) done. I will probably add more plants to the golfito viv.










-Nish


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

They are gorgeous!


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

-Nish


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## Tuckinrim8 (Jul 26, 2007)

Looks great Nish! Have they laid since adding them? Any luck on that first round?


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## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Waiting. Their first and second clutches dried. The third one had viable eggs but most did not survive to tadpole. Only one lived but I'm not sure if she's taking care of it. I'm sure they'll lay again soon.

-Nish


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## L8apex (May 2, 2014)

I can't stop looking at this thread! I'm hopefully getting four Paru with my UE order next month, I hope they are as stunning as yours


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