# New build. First time foam background.



## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Well I was going to go all out on this vivarium, inbuilt air circulation, misting system etc, but because I don't have much time or money and im sick of staring at an empty glass box i'll just set it up with the stuff I have available and save money for something fancy later. 

So far the false floor has been made with space left for a pool like my other vivarium. This was my first attempt at a foam/coco fiber background as I wanted something different from the Epiweb walls in my other setup. I haven't added any branches or features to it yet as I want the driftwood piece to be the stand out feature so im gunna keep the background subtle. Possibly just a few climbers.

Just need to get a glass top cut and make a vent. Buy some small broms for the driftwood piece. Find some rocks I like to help structure the pool. Get some fluval stratum or some black gravel to hide the false floor and fill the pool. Buy a new light unit for my other tank as im gunna steal it's LED's for this setup as it's deeper. Then everything else I have already, substrate, leaf litter, plants, springtails, iso's, etc.

I just need to hurry and get some money rolling in, move out of this house and get started on my dream vivarium which will hopefully start next year! The dimensions will most likely be 4'x4'x3'(LxWxH), and I already have 2 huge driftwood pieces lined up for it muhahahahahahahaha


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Just a filler post. Managed to cut a perspex top for the tank today. It's over 6mm and i'll be running LED's so should be ok for the mean time until I get a glass top and vent made (the glass supplier hasn't responded to my emails yet). 

Should hopefully be setting up a family members new aquarium some time soon, so im going to try claim the fluval stratum I used in her old set up for the perimeter of the false bottom and pool area.

I really want some Neoregelia Lilliputiana for this build and over here that's like trying to find rocking horse crap. Want atleast half a dozen of the smallest broms I can find. May resort to using a German supplier for them.

Also while driftwood collecting today I came across this beauty! I'll try get some better pics tomorrow after i've cleaned it up a little. As soon as I saw it I immediately thought 24x18x24 Exo Terra paludarium build. Future build right there lol


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Made a bit of progress on this build. 

The perimeter of the false floor and pool area have been filled with Fluval Stratum. 

Mounted some Sphagnum Moss, Peperomia Rotundfolia and Peperomia Pereskiifolia to the background which will hopefully get good coverage. 

Removed Nephrolepis Marisa from my other tank and stuffed it into the driftwood piece along with Sphagnum Moss. Im prepared for die off but hopefully should take hold and fill the body of the driftwood.

Was going to use broms from my other tank for this build but when I removed the Nephrolepis I decided to just order some new broms for this tank so the other one doesn't look as empty.

Hopefully should have both tanks sorted by next week


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

I think you've done a good job! Hardscape is stunning! Any ideas about frogs?


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> I think you've done a good job! Hardscape is stunning! Any ideas about frogs?


Thanks man, hopefully it will fill in well and look better when the broms arrive. 

Im not too sure yet. Once it's done I know there's someone local selling half a dozen amazon milk frog babies quite cheap that I could house for a while and sell on when they get a bit bigger. That's an option, but if they've gone before this is ready i'll just have to see what is available later on.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

I am not big fan of milk frogs. In my opinion, a pair of pumilio is good for this viv.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> I am not big fan of milk frogs. In my opinion, a pair of pumilio is good for this viv.


I don't have pumilio money atm lol. Those 6 milk frogs would cost less than most single pumilio. Plus they would have only been temporary residents to add some life to the tank and then passed on, hopefully some profit to purchase something more permanent or this


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

Don't rush it let a lot of the plants grow in frogs get wild and slow up the growing process depending how big they are...


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

B-NICE said:


> Don't rush it let a lot of the plants grow in frogs get wild and slow up the growing process depending how big they are...


Thanks for the advice man


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## JeroenH (Aug 20, 2014)

Looks great!
Love the idea of the "free" standing piece of wood!


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

JeroenH said:


> Looks great!
> Love the idea of the "free" standing piece of wood!


Thanks man  Believe it or not I got the idea from a reef tank I saw online for this centrepiece. Once it's done i'll post the pic of that too


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Broms have arrived! Which placement do people prefer? Atm I have settled on the 3rd pic, as I think it will grow in better and give space for future planting. Just a heads up this isn't the finished vivarium, still have a few things I want to add to this


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## H40T (Oct 18, 2014)

I agree with you the third one looked the best.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Gunna play around a bit more with this tomorrow I think, maybe put some finishing touches to it before I let it all grow in. 

Need to find somewhere to store the rest of the broms I ordered now. Bought a large Fireball clump for £20 (including delivery), there's 5 in this tank, 10 spare, 3 decent pups and a few pups shooting out lol


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Wow! This your tank is very very beautiful. 
And I repeat, it is ideal for pumilio, but - if pums are too expensive - then some cheap ranitomeya, vents or lamasi panguana.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> Wow! This your tank is very very beautiful.
> And I repeat, it is ideal for pumilio, but - if pums are too expensive - then some cheap ranitomeya, vents or lamasi panguana.


Thanks man, hoping the broms start blushing soon  

My other tank looks quite strange without the big bunch of marisa lol. Mounted some brom pups on it instead and im trying to grow the selaginella over it. There's a really good amount of open floor space and elevated perches in there now.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

What plants are those at the bottom right and left, mounted in the background?
Any pics of the other tank?


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> What plants are those at the bottom right and left, mounted in the background?
> Any pics of the other tank?


Peperomia Pereskiifolia at the bottom (had it sitting in my plant trays for ages so thought i'd give it a try) and Peperomia Rotundifolia at the top (just cuttings from the other tank). Hopefully they take off and the contrast of greens and leaf size work well together.

Not atm, it still has a few things lying around in there. I'll try tidy it up a little later and update its thread. Or should I make a new thread containing both tanks?


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Thanks, they look nice plants. About threads, it is better to keep them separate, updating them occasionally.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> Thanks, they look nice plants. About threads, it is better to keep them separate, updating them occasionally.


Updating that thread now bud


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Well here is how the viv is now looking. The broms are in, the leaf litter is in. Tried to keep it simple and let the plants do their job and grow in to fill any gaps or empty space. 








Plant list:
x5 Neoregelia Fireball
X3 Neoregelia Fireball pups around the base for the time being
x2 Cryptathus Bivittatus pups between the rocks
Peperomia Pereskiifolia lower half of the background
Peperomia Rotundifolia higher half of the background
Sagittaria Subulata in the pool (just to see if it will spread ok)

The aim of this build was to put together a simple set up with what I had lying around. The only spendings have been the viv itself, the driftwood piece, and the bromeliads. The only other thing left to buy for this will be a glass top to replace the perspex top.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Very nice! Watch out for neos below, around the stump, because of the light: fireball, IME, want a lot of light.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> Very nice! Watch out for neos below, around the stump, because of the light: fireball, IME, want a lot of light.


Thanks man 

Yeah I just put them in there for the time being as they weren't attached to mother plants but their stalks had a root structure. Thought i'd let them get a bit bigger before attaching them to the cork round that has the rest of the unused broms haha.


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## amgini (Jun 10, 2011)

I like the background. Is it just coco fiber siliconed to GS?


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

amgini said:


> I like the background. Is it just coco fiber siliconed to GS?


Thanks. Yeah, nice and simple


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Just a few updated pics of this tank. 

The top broms are coloring up nicely and all sending out pups. Added one more brom to the front. Removed the crypts from the rocks and planted some young Chamaedorea Elegans. Will try get some better pics when I can.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Just a few more quick pics.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

This tank is a masterpiece! I can't wait to see some nice frog in it!


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## ecichlid (Dec 26, 2012)

Tremendous design!


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Wow thanks for the comments guys  

This tank is nowhere near what I had in my head of how I wanted it to look due to lack of money and therefore not getting the plants I wanted to stock it with but im happy with how it's turning out since it was made with whatever I had lying around 

As for frogs I have been asking around if anyone would want to trade some for my other vivarium as I need the space to start another project but no luck yet 

Steven.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Took a quick birds eye view pic. Would definitely be tempted to try move this into a 60x45x90 tall Exo Terra in the future to get an even broader bromeliad canopy


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Got my first Neoregelia flower


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## Bigsease30 (Jul 11, 2014)

I think you did a great job. Looks good.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Thanks man


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

If I removed the bottom fireballs and replaced them with Lilliputianas do you think they would be ok with the amount of light they'd get? Thinking of replacing them soon and doing a little work on the tank.


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## tongo (Jul 29, 2007)

awesome build! what rocks are those at your pond area?


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

tongo said:


> awesome build! what rocks are those at your pond area?


Thanks  

I collected them from my local beach, not sure what kind but they passed the vinegar test and were given a good clean before used. Need to pop down and get some more for future builds


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Strange the things you don't notice, even in your own home. We have two plastic hanging baskets outside our front door that have been overrun with what looks likes a tiny species of moss in one and the other looks a little like a species of spikemoss. Brought them inside to see how they adapt to the warmer temperatures. Fingers crossed they do well


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Think the moss in the first two pics could either be Amblystegium serpens or Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans as these are common UK mosses. Not sure of the other.


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## VPardoel (Apr 2, 2010)

Tank is lookin good! good job!


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

VPardoel said:


> Tank is lookin good! good job!


Thanks man  

Ready to post any updates on your tank yet?


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Added some moss around the base of the driftwood and around the pool area. Quite happy with how it looks. Also added a small fern to the base of the driftwood 

Seeing plenty of new growth from the Peperomia Pereskiifolia so that should hopefully bush out and fill in the lower half of the background.

The Nethrolepis Marisa is sending out new growth so hopefully by summer if will have erupted from every gap in the driftwood.

And when I thought all the broms at the top were just sending out one pup it turns out they're all shooting out a second!


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Out of curiosity would there be enough floor/usuable space for 2 young Azureus in this set up? Just tempted as I may be able to get my hands on some at a good price and keep them for another setup when they get bigger.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Guess who has just got himself a 60x45x90 LxWxH Exo Terra for a new project


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Just a few updated pics. It's becoming brom city in here atm haha.


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## frogpecker (Mar 20, 2013)

Beautiful build. I hope you set up another build log for your new and bigger tank. Keep the pictures coming. 

Big cheers!


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

frogpecker said:


> Beautiful build. I hope you set up another build log for your new and bigger tank. Keep the pictures coming.
> 
> Big cheers!


Thank you 

Yeah I will do. The silicone has come, the foam should be coming today and the egg crate in the next few days, so will be making a start this weekend hopefully


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Spent the last few nights knocking up a 30x30x45cm Exo Terra as a present for my girlfriend. Turned out ok since it was made with whatever was as hand.

Background is a cork round torn to pieces, expanding foam and silicone coated with coco fiber, peat and sphagnum moss. Egg crate false floor. ABG style substrate covered with leaf litter. The plants were just what I had lying around.

Gunna order a Jungle Dawn LED for the canopy and get some smaller bromeliads and better plants and let her play god with it


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

Looking good

The wood you're using, is it _Alnus sp._? If so it decomposes very quickly


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Sammie said:


> Looking good
> 
> The wood you're using, is it _Alnus sp._? If so it decomposes very quickly


In the main vivarium in this thread or the one in todays post? If todays im not sure, was beach sourced driftwood so hopefully should help keep it better for longer.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Couple of updated pics of my girlfriends little Exo I made for her.
A baby Crestie called Bernie now calls this home till he outgrows it and I have to set up a new tank for her


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

So here is a little update of my vivarium. Added a few things like Pilea Glauca to the floor and Ficus Pumila to the driftwood, and removed all broms from the bottom to keep this looking top heavy like a tree. Need to remove a few of the pups and put them in the greenhouse soon though. Also added some duckweed to the pool from my aquarium, thought it added a little extra colour to the tank


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

A sneaky peek at how my 60x45x90 Exo Terra is coming along




Will try get some better pics on the girlfriends phone as mine is pants.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

A few more shots.


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## amartin916 (Feb 17, 2015)

Got to say the tanks look great!!!....the new one looks like it will be another great tank...it appears you tank a ton of time planning and creating.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

amartin916 said:


> Got to say the tanks look great!!!....the new one looks like it will be another great tank...it appears you tank a ton of time planning and creating.


Thanks 

Yeah as strange as it might sound when I find an interesting piece of driftwood I can usually get an image of what I could do with it and build the vivarium around it.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Just created a separate thread over in Members Frogs and Vivariums titled "My Tall Tale" if anyone wants to follow its progress so that I don't confuse anyone reading this thread seeing lots of different tanks


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## skoomd (Dec 24, 2013)

Hey dude! All of those tanks look epic right now! I am especially loving the last one! I am going to start building an epic terrarium for 6 or 7 thumbnail dart frogs. It just so happens I was gonna use the same size as your last tank, 24x18x36". Gonna be pretty sick, gonna have a nice pond at the bottom with java moss and all sorts of ferns and green vines 

My question to you is - where did you get the driftwood in the last tank? It looks incredible! I can't find any good online places to get pieces with pictures of each piece that I liked.


also - What lighting are you using? I was thinking 2 13w LED and and 4 22w LED lights in 2 exo terra fixtures?


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

skoomd said:


> Hey dude! All of those tanks look epic right now! I am especially loving the last one! I am going to start building an epic terrarium for 6 or 7 thumbnail dart frogs. It just so happens I was gonna use the same size as your last tank, 24x18x36". Gonna be pretty sick, gonna have a nice pond at the bottom with java moss and all sorts of ferns and green vines
> 
> My question to you is - where did you get the driftwood in the last tank? It looks incredible! I can't find any good online places to get pieces with pictures of each piece that I liked.
> 
> ...


Thanks man.

Luckily I live close to the beach and have sourced quite a bit of driftwood from it.

The lighting is Beamswork plant LED canopies. x2 18" on the tank for this thread and x2 24" on this new build.

I used a 9W jungle dawn in my girlfriends little exo and the plants are thriving with it, the broms are blushing.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Well it's been a while, haven't had much time or money for the hobby but today i've gotten my first frogs. Someone local had some young netted leucs going for a good price so decided to snap them up. There are 4 in total, 3 went straight into hiding but this bold little fella has been hunting nonstop. Can't wait till the others follow suit 







Will try and get some better pics in the days to come


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Great choice of frogs! I'm happy for you!


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## k5MOW (Jun 19, 2015)

Wow you did a great job it looks great. 

Roger


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Thanks guys 

My big Exo Terra project has been on hold for a while, will hopefully get it back up and running in the next few month as I may be moving.

Steven.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Just before lights out one becomes a daredevil


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## Mavpa (Jan 5, 2015)

That first picture is one of the best I've seen. Looks great.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Mavpa said:


> That first picture is one of the best I've seen. Looks great.


It does look like he's getting a bit frisky with the brom haha


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

A couple more shots of the bold little bugger I have nicknamed "the Predator" as he's always hunting


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## CaseyWagner (Aug 3, 2015)

Is your awesome piece of driftwood from a freshwater body of water or salt?

I'm going to look for driftwood at the beach, and I live on the Atlantic, so I was wondering if I'm going to need to soak the wood in fresh or distilled water before using it in a tank (to remove any possible salt infused in the wood).


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

CaseyWagner said:


> Is your awesome piece of driftwood from a freshwater body of water or salt?
> 
> I'm going to look for driftwood at the beach, and I live on the Atlantic, so I was wondering if I'm going to need to soak the wood in fresh or distilled water before using it in a tank (to remove any possible salt infused in the wood).


The driftwood in this tank is store bought bogwood. If you mean in the big project it's beach found driftwood, it did go through a good clean and soak when i brought it home.


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Neglected my threads lately, laptop is on it's last legs and have no idea how to upload things from phone to here lol. 

Not much has changed in here. The frogs have settled in well. Hopefully it won't be long till I hear some calling =)

Here's a few terrible pics =)


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## papa_mcknight (Feb 3, 2013)

Well this thread has been neglected for quite a while hasn't it. Not much has changed lookswise, could do with a trim in certain places and a few climbers added in other areas. But the main change is the inhabitants, i've finally moved my leucs over to my 3ft tall exo. Pics of them enjoying their new home can be seen in its thread "My Tall Tale" over in the members vivariums section.

This vivarium is now home to a trio of phyllobates aurotaenia as of yesterday, and seem to feel comfortable enough to be out and about and also start calling after about an hour or two. If only I was able to get decent close up shots as in the flesh these are stunning little frogs.


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