# My First 30 gallon Vivarium



## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

I started to build my first Vivarium the other day. I bought most of the stuff years ago, but started a reef tank instead.

I spent the last few weeks doing some research on how to set up the tank.

I decided I would start with a 30 gallon oceanic cube tank and a fulval canister filter. I had both laying around. I drilled the tank and installed the bulkhead. I have a 4" piece of trim that will be going around the bottom so I put a false bottom at 4".

























I created the False Bottom and put a False back in the corner to access the bulkhead if it clogs.



















I knew I wanted a water feature (water fall and a shallow pond), but I didn't know where to put it. Sitting next to the tank was a small plastic bowl and the light went on. If I sink it in the false bottom and drill holes in it when the false bottom fills up it will fill the bowl.


























I hope the frogs don't get hungry looking at the vegies on that bowl :lol: 

If you look at the last picture you can see I built a egg crate box around the bottom of the bowl to help support it.

I plan to use GS on the back and put a piece of wood as the waterfall into the bowl. I also have a piece of cork bark that I will use GS to put on that background also.

I plan on using live rock from one of my many reef tanks around the pond. It's in a bucket with a power head circulating fresh water threw it to clean it out. I also backed it in the oven for a few hours.

I'm trying to decide if I should silicone some fine sand to the bottom of the pond or just use gravel. I'm leaning towards gravel since I can pile it up to make the water shallower. Either way should cover up the design.

I'll post more updates as I continue to work on the tank.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

nice start, can't wait to see how it turns out, love cube tanks!!


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

It was a busy day and I got a lot done.

I Foamed the background and the bowl in place.









I put in the wood for the waterfall and the live rock around the pond.


























Here are 2 really bad ppictures after I used silicone on the bakground and attached the coco fiber and Bark.





















I tried fine sand in the bottom of the pond and I didn't like it so I used gravel. I used silicone on the GS around the edge of the pond and in between the rocks. Then I stuck the small gravel in the silicone. I like the gravel better because I can raise and lower the depth of the pond just by dropping in some more gravel.


















I'm going to work on the plumbing for the water feature next.


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## topherlove (Jul 14, 2006)

looks nice really like the pond and wood placement


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

Creative with the salsa bowl! I think the gravel/ sand idea is great, plus its softer so that the frogs wont get scraped up around it.


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## Rodney (Feb 18, 2008)

So are you going to have your water pump on the outside of the tank in a sump?


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

Rodney said:


> So are you going to have your water pump on the outside of the tank in a sump?



Rodney,

No its going to be a fluval 303 canister filter. I have it all plumbed and running I just need to take pictures.


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

§lipperhead said:


> Creative with the salsa bowl! I think the gravel/ sand idea is great, plus its softer so that the frogs wont get scraped up around it.



That bowl has been kicked around my basement for I don't know how long. If you look at one of the first pictures I post its actually behind the tank. Thats not on purpose it was on the work bench along with a pile of other junk. While I was tryingto lay out the design in my head I saw the bowl and the light bulb went on.


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

Well I think the construction of the inside of the tank is done(except for planting). I still have the molding and the canopy to build.

I got the canister filter installed and the plumbing for the waterfall done.

The inlet side of the filter is a 3/4 hose and its attached to the back of the tanks bulkhead.









The outlet side is 1/2. I created a manifold w/ 4 connections. 3 are 1/4 for the waterfall and the 4th is 3/8 that go's to the bottom of the tank. All 4 connects have independent valves to control the flow.

The manifold will be placed on the back of the tank.











The glass cover for the tank was too small so I had a piece of glass cut today.
They also cut the corner off for the hoses to enter the tank. I thought the tank was a true cube (same size all the way around). Well when I put the cover on I realized I was wrong and had built the tank so it was viewed from the side. The only way you can tell is the way the cover fits. No big deal.











I added the substrate to the tank along with some moss and a tropical pitcher. I also added a wort and don't remember what one it is.

This is the best shot I could get of the tank. I'll try again tonight after my light shut off on the saltwater tanks in the basement.



















Here is why I get so much reflection in the pictures.










Tomorrow's goals are to stain the molding thats going on the bottom and sides of the tank. I also have to design a canopy to fit the single 65w Power compact light and a fan or 2.


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

I forgot I did a video.

Its not that big. I thought I removed the sound, but on my laptop I hear the sound. When I play it online I don't get the sound. Could someone let me know if you hear the sound. Its just the music I was listening to and I think the cloths dryer was also on.
http://www.wmiaquatics.com/images/frogs/30frogvivmovie.avi


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## tzen (Nov 22, 2007)

Yes, there is sound and music, apropos for viv viewing.

Will this viv stay in the laundry room?


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

tzen said:


> Yes, there is sound and music, apropos for viv viewing.
> 
> Will this viv stay in the laundry room?


Heavens no. The work bench its on and the floor in front of it was really the only space I had to work. But not a bad idea. I spend allot of time down in the basement working. I have over 30 saltwater tanks in the basement with breeding clownfish and coral frags.

Once its ready for frogs I hope to keep it in the livingroom. I have the perfect spot for it, just don't know if thats going to work because I have a 300 gallon and 2 60 gallon saltwater reef tanks in there now. I've had to remove 2 other tanks from the living roomin the last. They were 150 and 200 gallons. After they were moved I was told no more tanks in the livingroom. Lucky for me I have a wonderful wife and I'm sure if I ask nicely it will go where I want it.

Here is a old picture of the 3 tanks in the living room now.


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

I finished the Canopy this week-end. I need to fill holes on the molding and stain it. Here are a few pictures.

I created a piece of molding to hide the false bottom. This go's around the right, front, and left sides. I can simply pull it off to see into the false bottom.


















The canopy is made of Ash and pine molding. I'm still trying to decide if I want to put the molding along the vertical edge of the tank.
With out molding








With molding









This is the canopy open ( I need to add the light 70w 6400k Metal Halide)









Here is the glass cover.


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## carola1155 (Sep 10, 2007)

looking good

Do you have the MH fixture yet? if not... have you thought about any methods of keeping it cool? I would think that a MH bulb would heat that top box area quite a bit if it stays closed off like that.


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

carola1155 said:


> looking good
> 
> Do you have the MH fixture yet? if not... have you thought about any methods of keeping it cool? I would think that a MH bulb would heat that top box area quite a bit if it stays closed off like that.



Yes I have the ballast and the reflector. I have to order the bulb yet. 

I plan on putting 2 fans in the canopy.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

great cabinet work!


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## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

Great Job! Love the wood work!


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

I've done some more planting.

Here is a updated picture.








\
Since this picture I've also added a few other plants.


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## dart_king (Mar 2, 2008)

hey i have thatame pitcher plant i baught from a garden place, i still never planted it in the viv but do you think it will do good, hows yours?


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

lil_man said:


> hey i have thatame pitcher plant i baught from a garden place, i still never planted it in the viv but do you think it will do good, hows yours?



I got mine from Lowes.

Its doing great. I've gotten a few new pitchers. The pitcher grow quickly. Make sure its the tropical pitcher plant. I think the springtails are being eaten by it.


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Good job on the tank! Watch that pitcher plant, they rot easily if they stay wet. From Lowes is likely Nepenthes gracilis, ventricosa, or some hybrid, all tissue-cultured of course 8)


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

JoshH said:


> Good job on the tank! Watch that pitcher plant, they rot easily if they stay wet. From Lowes is likely Nepenthes gracilis, ventricosa, or some hybrid, all tissue-cultured of course 8)


Its pretty wet right now I plan on moving it up on the back wall into a pot.

How long should a individual leaf with a pitcher on it last? My plant has grow well in the last 2 or 3 weeks that I've had it. I've gotten nice leaf growth and 2 new pitchers. I've had 2 pitchers die off, but the leafs stay alive is this normal?


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

Here is a picture after the new plants and moving the pitcher plant.

I think I'll move a Heart fern for my 120 to the corner to replace the pitcher plant.


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

I got 5 of these today for the 30 gallon tank

They are D. amazonicus

They are in Quarantine until I'm sure they are healthy


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

Here are a few new pictures.

I've added the frogs and a few more plants.


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## imitator83 (Jan 5, 2006)

I like a lot of the elements you have going on here but I have some thoughts. If you are going to keep amazonicus in there, I would plant some more vertically oriented plants in the tank. Personally, I like Alocasia reginula 'Black Velvet', it gets big, is easy to grow, and looks awesome, as well as creates more vertical space. Right now you have arboreal frogs in a tank more so set up for something more terrestrial. The good news is you have the space to expand vertically. Also, the cocohut really won't be used long term by these guys. They may use it now as a hiding area, but typically people put film canisters in these tanks, the frogs seem to like them more and breed more readily in them. Overall, I like a lot of what is going on here, especially the pond. The aquatic plants make the pond look really nice. Hope this helps,
Scott


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

imitator83 said:


> I like a lot of the elements you have going on here but I have some thoughts. If you are going to keep amazonicus in there, I would plant some more vertically oriented plants in the tank. Personally, I like Alocasia reginula 'Black Velvet', it gets big, is easy to grow, and looks awesome, as well as creates more vertical space. Right now you have arboreal frogs in a tank more so set up for something more terrestrial. The good news is you have the space to expand vertically. Also, the cocohut really won't be used long term by these guys. They may use it now as a hiding area, but typically people put film canisters in these tanks, the frogs seem to like them more and breed more readily in them. Overall, I like a lot of what is going on here, especially the pond. The aquatic plants make the pond look really nice. Hope this helps,
> Scott


Scott,

Here is a picture of 2 of the 5 Alocasia I have. The Black Velvet needs to find a home. I was going to put it in this tank but I thought the size would overwhelm the tank. Also they really like the leaves of the heart fern that in that tank. I just have to keep the leaves dry.

I also understand about the film canisters. At the time of building the tank I didn't know what was going in the tank. I have both black and white canisters and suction cups to stick them to the glass. They are a was away from breeding and I'm trying to figure out where to put them so I don't have this nice natural tank with film canister hanging on the sides. All the 12 10 gallon verts I just finished have canisters built into the back walls.

The hut is coming out soon , just waiting for a plant to fill in that spot. I may place the fern that in the first picture (bottom right). I think its called a blue fern I'd have to look at my list. Like the black velvet I was told it gets large and I wanted to see how quickly it grows.










This has a single leave that about 4" across. Its sending up another one as I type.


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Shawn,
how long did you quarantine the frogs before putting them in the tank?


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## bob21115 (Feb 23, 2008)

Just about 2 weeks


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