# Intro & Vivarium construction



## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Hi all, been getting ideas from the forums over the last month and after 1 week of searching fro eggcrate, have finally made a start.

Thought I would share the steps I've taken so far with my viv, The tank is 600 x 600 x 600mm, dont know what that is in gallons. I received it on Monday and started constructing the false bottom today.

I cut the PVC pipe 10 cm in length









I cut a small groove into the PVC so stagnant water does not build up








Then cut the eggcrate to size and cut an opening in the back for the pump, filter, fogger and heater etc. 









Then siliconed the PVC once happy with the placement and then cut out the pond area of the eggcrate









Then added more eggcrate to the sides of the pond








The next step is to silicone mosquito mesh over the eggcrate so debri from the soil mix stays out of the resevoir area.

GS is not available in SA but I've found something from Den Braven Sealants called PU-FOAM 500. Its Polyurethane based but not sure if it could still be harmful

Will post more pics as it progresses


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## sammycai (Oct 13, 2006)

Good begining.


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## spydrmn12285 (Oct 24, 2006)

I don't how eggcrate works, but was it pretty easy to cut it to fit your dimensions perfectly? I like your idea with cutting up the pvc piping...is that relatively easy as well?


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## A_O (Dec 23, 2006)

I've used eggcrate for my fish tanks to keep fish from digging out underneath the rocks... it's pretty easy to use.


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## forestexotics (Nov 14, 2006)

Eggcrate is very easy to cut because its just plastic. You can take those small hand hald hedge trimmers and cut to your exact dimensions. PVC is also easy to cut with a hacksaw. Although my boyfriend cuts it for me with his circular saw and each peice comes out the exact same size. Its a bit harder with a hacksaw but its not that tough to do. Keep the pics coming gaboon, Im curious to see the turnout!....Sara


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

Hey that's coming along nicely. Do you plan on making a background? And if so, is it easier to start with the false bottom like you, or would it be easier to make the background first?


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## Android1313 (Dec 15, 2006)

snyderveight said:


> Eggcrate is very easy to cut because its just plastic. You can take those small hand held hedge trimmers and cut to your exact dimensions. PVC is also easy to cut with a hacksaw. Although my boyfriend cuts it for me with his circular saw and each piece comes out the exact same size. Its a bit harder with a hacksaw but its not that tough to do. Keep the pics coming gaboon, Im curious to see the turnout!....Sara


Egg crate is very easily cut with a butter knife. Just find the row you want to cut and swing the knife down on it. keep doing this until you've made it thru the whole piece! It`s a little tricky at first but after a few times you'll be doing it like an old pro!


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

I'm going to do the background once the false bottom is stuck in place, seems the logical order to do this.

This is the foam I will be using for the background. Any thoughts if this would be toxic for the inhabitants?










I've been soaking the drift wood for the last 2 days, so if anyone doesn't think the foam will be toxic I should start the background this afternoon


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## Raymond (Aug 26, 2006)

I really can not offer advice regarding the foam, as I have no experience with that kind and don't want to give you bad advice. 

However, just to be safe with the driftwood, it is a good idea to bake it in te oven. I usually do 200 degrees F for 20 minutes, then move it up to 300 ish for 5-10 min. I've had great success with this so far. 

Good luck and keep us posted.


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks, I'll do that.


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

OK, I've glued 4 pieces of drift wood together for the waterfall. Think it will work quite well, still have to chisel and spray foam to fine tune the path, also going to use a waterproofing sealant to make sure the wood doesn't rot. 



















I was going to make the waterfall removable by using the card board as the mold but have scrapped that idea.









If anyone has any recommendations or can forsee a problem, please let me know. Also does someone know how to work out how many gallons this tank is? It measures 600 x 600 x 600mm.

Thanks


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

600mm is 60cm is 23.6"
23.6*23.6*23.6=13181 cubed inches = 57 gallons (approx.)
I think I did that right...

Nice work!


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Started the foaming tonight, didn't quite realise how much it expands so ran out of the stuff quite quickly. Anyway, back to the hardware store tomorrow. Only managed to find 2 film cannisters and a small deodorant lid for the plants but not too concerned about that. 



















Its looking a bit messy at the moment but have got a good picture in my head how its gonna turn out. The foam has doubled in size since I took these pics so got lots of carving to do tomorrow. Once finished with the foaming will apply the silicone over it and press in the eco earth. Haven't decided on what to use for the drainage layer as I want to keep it as light as possible.


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## Fishinfl321 (Aug 10, 2006)

Looks good so far.....keep us posted.


Troy


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

I've got a problem, the only marine-safe silicone available dries to an opaque colour. I'm worried about it showing through once I press the eco earth into it for the background. Any suggestions?


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Just make sure that the cocobedding is bone dry when you press it into the silicone - its should be fine. There will probably be a few spots, but you can go back with more silicone and coco and patch them up.


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## jzorn (Dec 19, 2006)

press the dirt into it and then kindof sprinkle it on top so whatever shows the dirt will stick to. just gently pat it so it stays


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## Dartfrogfreak (Jun 22, 2005)

Very nice start, Ill back up Zach , it should be fine as long as you take yur time,,,, dont put all the silicone on at once tho,,, do small sections



Todd


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks for the feedback


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## OneTwentySix (Nov 11, 2004)

What are you putting into the tank?


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Trying to source some PDF's but they are illegal here as well as any other exotic frog. The people that do have keep very quiet about it. If no luck I'll get a one of the tropical tree vipers


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Started applying the coco bedding with silicone, You guys weren't joking when you said its a messy job. As you can see I've got a quite a few spots open that I need to cover but ran out of silicone.


















This is a top view of where the waterfall starts. I'm having major problems in waterproofing the lower half but should get it right eventually. I thought the spray foam would waterproof anything underneath I had missed but was wrong. Going onto my third tube of silicone and still have to stick the slate on the sides of the pond area. 

A few questions...

Would the coco eventually start falling off and expose the foam?
How thick should the layer of coco be on the foam?
Would "pouring" pond sealant into the catchment area before the water 
reaches the pond crack over time? The pond sealant will probably have a depth of about 1.5 cm.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

One more thing, Could I use the pond sealant over the foam background and then press the peat mix into it? I can imagine it would be alot easier to apply to the foam than silicone


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Ok, finished the peat background. I didn't get any response to my previous post regarding the use of pond sealant to apply the peat mix on the background so I went ahead and tried it. Seems to have worked pretty well and its alot easier to spread than silicone. 










I'm not entirely happy with the look at the moment as it looks a little 1 dimensional. Might add another piece of wood but at the same time, once planted, might be all that it needs.

I now see why people do the background before the false bottom, have to now use the vacuum cleaner to get all the dirt from under the eggcrate.


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## jailguard811 (Oct 14, 2006)

2 things: the wood you have for your waterfaal is called African Root wood or some places call it Malysian drift wood, it's really not drift wood, because it will not float. It's a beautiful wood and lasts forever. Now about cuting egg crate I use a pair of wire snips (*****) and cut each piece individualy. I would love to kow how anyone is cutting this stuf with a saw without geting "chip out".


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## axolotl (Dec 31, 2006)

looks good, yeah they usually look kinda' boring till you plant it. I am interested in seeing how the pond sealer holds up. Keep us posted.


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Ok ,finally made some progress but now have a problem. My ultrasonic fogger hidden in the back of the pond area is working well, but when I place my finger directly in the water above it I can feel an electrical charge. 










if there was something faulty with it I'm sure it would trip my power. Is that normal and would it be harmful to either the frogs or fish that will be going in? I know its a stupid question but I am technically challenged and on top of that have had a few beers.

I also only realised for the first time once switched on, it has these repugnant LED lights which change colour every few seconds... feels like I'm staring at a disco ball. Gonna have to try cover them up.

The pond sealer worked really well in the drift wood area just above the pond, the only downside is that it takes 7 days to fully cure, hence the slow progress.


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## phrakt (Jan 5, 2007)

I use black silicone, and it doesn't show through. I'd say opaque is what you want, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

As far as toxicity for your PU-FOAM thing goes, I'm really not sure Great Stuff is non-toxic anyways. I just assume it is and make sure that no GS gets in direct contact with anything. Either it's covered with silicone and cocoa or I apply several layers of epoxy on it once it is sculpted and painted.

Better safe than sorry.


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## RGB (Jan 15, 2006)

I've read that the ultrasonic humidifiers should not be used in water features. It has something to do with the vibration possibly causing harm to the inhabitants. I think that's what you're feeling when you stick your finger in it. Most people use the big ones made for home use and pipe the fog in the tank via hoses.


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## StevenBonheim (Feb 22, 2004)

You can use the ultrasonic fogger you have now to create an out-of-tank humidifier. The fogger shouldn't be used in the tank because of the 'electric charge' feeling, and the fact that they require clean soft water to function properly (in the vivarium water, they wont last more than a few months). You can place the humidifier in a small container with a tight fitting lid. Cut a hole in the lid and place a small computer fan over the hole so air is pushed into the container. Connect the 'humidifier container' to the vivarium with some tubing. The computer fan will force the mist generated by the fogger out of the container, through the tubing, and into your vivarium. You can rig the fogger onto a small float so it stays at the right level under the water in your container. This way, you're ultrasonic fogger is easily accessible, and you can be sure the water in the container stays clean. Sorta tricky to explain with words- :shock: When is the internet going to allow us to directly connect our brains!??


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Its been a while since an update on my viv so here the new pics...

 










Still have to tidy up the wiring at the back









Full tank shot, sorry for the blurry photo









Close up of the waterfall/stream that leads into the pond. I'm going to put a couple Neon Tetras in later. Finishing off the pond and filling it tomorrow.



























Frogs should be ready to go in about a month or so, going to add Ficus Pumila and a few other things. Cant find any small bromeliads but happy with the tillandsias.


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

Oops, could the mods please delete that last post, photobucket previewed the wrong picks. :? 

Lets try that again

Still have to tidy up the wiring at the back 


















Full tank shot, sorry for the blurry photo 










Close up of the waterfall/stream that leads into the pond. I'm going to put a couple Neon Tetras in later. Finishing off the pond and filling it tomorrow. 




























Frogs should be ready to go in about a month or so, going to add Ficus Pumila and a few other things. Cant find any small bromeliads but happy with the tillandsias. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

I've added the distilled water to the false bottom. Everything is up and running including the Super Rain mist system. Heres a pic of it in action. The pump makes a bit of a noise but it works perfectly. Money well spent!


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## mad4frogs (Aug 5, 2006)

hi, i love what you've done with the viv. If you can try to source some small broms as just a word of warning about the tillandsias... They are air plants and are only supposed to be sprayed occassionally so the constant wetness & humidity in the viv will over time rot them. Just letting you know.


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## nitsuj (Jan 21, 2007)

Yeah, the air plants will rot... Mine did  and can you post a full tank shot so I can see your pond and what you did to cover up the egg crate?


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## gaboon (Dec 22, 2006)

There are 2 computer fans in the hood which is giving good air circulation without dropping the humidity too much. Its trial and error right now, I can't find small broms anywhere... nurseries here only sell fully grown ones, so they can justify there ridiculous prices. I did buy too that I'm hoping will give me pups. Ill get a close up of the pond area tonight. I covered the eggcrate by stacking slate, I sanded down the slate at the top so they dont butcher my frogs.


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