# 125 gallon in-wall paludarium



## frankpayne32

After a fairly lengthy break from the dart frog hobby I've decided to get back in. I've been heavily focused into reefs the past five years while still maintaining a small group of lizards. This year I decided I needed a break from reefs and broke down my 125 gallon in wall reef tank. Here are some pics of that tank in it's prime:



















The tank has been empty and depressing for over six months and now it's time to get something going again. I've decided to make it into an Amazonian-esque paludarium. The tank is 24" tall and the water level will cover most of the bottom of the tank and be 8" high. I was originally planning on using Styrofoam for the background as I have made backgrounds and rocks before using that material but now that I am aware of the endocrine disrupting potential I'm not going to take the risk. So I'm going to go old school and use the tried and true great stuff with real rocks, roots, and branches embedded in. The great stuff will be tinted brown and mixed with peat moss to emulate a mud bank appearance. There will also be at least one waterfall, probably two. I will make lots of areas in the great stuff where plants can be rooted. I also plan for lots of epiphytes on the branches. The tank is drilled and will drain into a sump for filtering. For lighting I will likely use T5HO. Humidity, cleaning, and plant watering will be accomplished via MistKing. 

For those that are interested here is a series that shows how I built the 6' x 8' room the tank is in and it's stand. Thanks in advance to all the follow along and offer insight/advice!


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## GRIMM

Awesome. Looking forward to seing it come together. Pretty sweet to have a small frog room with an outward facing display tank!


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## FIT BMX

I am going to keep an eye on this, it is going to be a great build!


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## frankpayne32

Thanks for the quick positive reinforcement! I'm an old hand at keeping the standard dendrobatids but am basically a beginner when it comes to the Ranitomeya. I had some intermedius and vents six or seven years ago but that's it. I recently got a young pair of R. amazonica 'iquitos' which I love. They seem to be a good species for keeping and breeding in a larger group. What I hope to do is have a group of this species dominate the "canopy" section of the tank and a terrestrial dendrobatid (tinc, galac) for the bottom. Anyway, back to the point, for all the people out there with Ranitomeya experience in large enclosures...what size colony do you think would work out well in this size tank? It is 72" L x 24" H x 18" D. As far as the frogs are concerned it's only 16" high which I know isn't ideal for arboreal species but I think the length will help offset this. Thanks!


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## cschub13

This is a really cool idea you have going on here, very impressive. In my opinion however, I would stick with either a group of thumbs OR a group of tincs/galacs. There really isn't a lot of vertical space to work with and after you add substrate/plants/decor it will limit that vertical space even more. Your certainly entitled to do what you please and I am sure it could work if done properly, I am just saying it won't be easy. Either way this is going to be a cool project that I look forward to watching.


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## kitcolebay

GRIMM said:


> Awesome. Looking forward to seing it come together. Pretty sweet to have a small frog room with an outward facing display tank!


Agreed! Subscribed!


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## frankpayne32

cschub13 said:


> This is a really cool idea you have going on here, very impressive. In my opinion however, I would stick with either a group of thumbs OR a group of tincs/galacs. There really isn't a lot of vertical space to work with and after you add substrate/plants/decor it will limit that vertical space even more. Your certainly entitled to do what you please and I am sure it could work if done properly, I am just saying it won't be easy. Either way this is going to be a cool project that I look forward to watching.


Thanks! I definitely agree to an extent. This size tank made for a great fish tank but is less than ideal for a vivarium. But...since I see a lot of people keeping ranitomeya in ten gallons I think I should be all right in terms of height. Believe me it will have TONS of branches and epiphytes across all six feet.


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## JPccusa

WOW, good to see you posting here Frank. I used to follow some of your threads at Reef Central. I too took a break from marine aquariums. Definitely following this thread.


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## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> WOW, good to see you posting here Frank. I used to follow some of your threads at Reef Central. I too took a break from marine aquariums. Definitely following this thread.


Thanks! It's been awhile since I posted on here or reefcentral. Do you have any build/frog threads on here?


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## frankpayne32

I didn't get anything done on the big tank today. I've been busy the past couple of days getting a new vivarium ready for my 1.2 group of Abronia graminea. I love these guys!



















I hope to start spraying great stuff tomorrow.


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## JPccusa

frankpayne32 said:


> Thanks! It's been awhile since I posted on here or reefcentral. Do you have any build/frog threads on here?


Here is my build thread... putting together this vivarium has been a very slow process for me.


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## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> Here is my build thread... putting together this vivarium has been a very slow process for me.


I actually saw this after I posted. It looks good! Looks like we are going for a similar thing. Energy's tank is definitely an inspiration for me as well.


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## frankpayne32

Tonight I build the dam that will separate the interior land portion from the outside water.



















Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to work on the back.


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## frankpayne32

Sprayed the back of the tank tonight. This is the tank laying on it's back. The enclosed central area will be the planted land area.










Future waterfall site.










Embedded several small pots in the background for plants that prefer to be rooted.


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## Samuraisid

looking good so far. Subscribed


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## snakemansnakes

Cannot wait to see more pics of this build!


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## frankpayne32

Samuraisid said:


> looking good so far. Subscribed





snakemansnakes said:


> Cannot wait to see more pics of this build!


Thanks for the kind words. I'll try not to disappoint. I'm going to have to bribe a friend over before I can move on. I need to set the tank on it's sides to spray the left and right side. No way I'm doing that by myself!


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## easternversant

This looks like it will be awesome! Subscribed.


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## Giga

Lol this is what I did I had reefs and I broke them down for vivariums


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## FIT BMX

looking great!


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## frankpayne32

easternversant said:


> This looks like it will be awesome! Subscribed.


Thanks!



Giga said:


> Lol this is what I did I had reefs and I broke them down for vivariums


It was a cycle for me lol. I've always had vivs or reptiles. Took a break, got heavy into reefs, now back to vivs. I'm sure in five years I'll get the reef bug again.



FIT BMX said:


> looking great!


Thanks!


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## frankpayne32

I've got both sides and the back completely sprayed with great stuff at this point. I am now in the process of experimenting with the one side in terms of coverage. I plan on using a tinted drylok and peat covering. I'll post some pics of the side tomorrow when I see how the first attempt comes out.


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## frankpayne32

Some updates, both good and bad. First the good; after two coats of Drylok and peat I am getting the look I want.










Now the bad; the drylok seems to be causing the great stuff to greatly contract.  You can see that in this pic.










While I did wait 24 hours before applying drylok to GS the GS was probably not fully cured and this is the result. I've coated GS in concrete and silicone and coco fiber and have never experienced this. Basically I'm going to let it sit a few days and cure before attempting to rectify it. Patience is probably the greatest attribute when building one of these things and it is the thing I am lacking in the most lol. Oh well, it never goes as simply as you want it to. On the positive side, this allows the GS on the other three sides of the tank to fully cure before I get to them.

For those of you still following this poor excuse for a build thread here are some pics from this morning of my 40 gallon hex tank that I built two years ago.


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## Shinosuke

I wouldn't call this a sorry excuse for a build! I love reading about people running into adversity and how they overcome it - that way I can hopefully avoid the same mistake, but if I can't then I know how to fix it! Keep your chin up, the build's coming along nicely 

I really like your old build, especially that tree with the roots that've fanned out! What do you keep in there?

Oh, and nice old-school phone-case


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## frankpayne32

Shinosuke said:


> I wouldn't call this a sorry excuse for a build! I love reading about people running into adversity and how they overcome it - that way I can hopefully avoid the same mistake, but if I can't then I know how to fix it! Keep your chin up, the build's coming along nicely
> 
> I really like your old build, especially that tree with the roots that've fanned out! What do you keep in there?
> 
> Oh, and nice old-school phone-case


Thanks on the compliments. Actually, all I have in there right now is one old green anole lol. I'll either put one or more of my abronia in there or some darts. We'll see, no rush.

Haha I was wondering who would be cool enough to catch and recognize the phone case. You win the prize!


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## onemeanmar

Haha I was wondering who would be cool enough to catch and recognize the phone case. You win the prize! .......


that wold be one of those nice old school nintendo phone case. nice tank btw.


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## pet-teez

Haha, I was super confused for a second... "how are they taking a picture with an NES controller?"

(I still wish my mom wouldn't have given away the NES my dad got me when she helped me buy an SNES... ohwell, that was sooo long ago)

I like the hex tank! They are cool tanks to do a backgroundless setup


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## frankpayne32

pet-teez said:


> Haha, I was super confused for a second... "how are they taking a picture with an NES controller?"
> 
> (I still wish my mom wouldn't have given away the NES my dad got me when she helped me buy an SNES... ohwell, that was sooo long ago)
> 
> I like the hex tank! They are cool tanks to do a backgroundless setup


Yeah I'm not embarressed to say that I still play my NES and SNES from time to time.


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## onemeanmar

hell how can u not...one of the best games was battletoads....


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## frankpayne32

onemeanmar said:


> hell how can u not...one of the best games was battletoads....


Haha yeah it was! I forgot about that one. Super Mario 3 and teenage mutant ninja turtles are my favorites to this day.

Oh, and the tank, lol. No updates other than I resiliconed the layer that shrunk from the glass and added a bit more GS to fill in the missing gaps. It will sit like that over the weekend to ensure curing before touching up with drylok again.


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## frankpayne32

Ok, finally have the one side completely done .




























I'm really happy with the look of the Drylok and peat covering. I'm getting excited to see the finished result... Now that the GS is fully dry and I know how to apply the Drylok and peat I should be able to bang out a side every two or three days.


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## JPccusa

It is looking nice Frank! 
So all you are doing is painting the cured GS with drylok and covering it with peat while it is still wet?


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## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> It is looking nice Frank!
> So all you are doing is painting the cured GS with drylok and covering it with peat while it is still wet?


Thanks! Exactly. I used brown concrete tint to color the drylok.


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## kitcolebay

Looking good!


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## frankpayne32

Did the first coat of drylok on the other side.










Still makes me nervous moving the big tank around and setting it on it's side a few days at a time... It's a pretty new tank and well braced so there shouldn't be a problem but still...










Here you can see my "tool kit". I use just cheap disposable brushes to apply the drylok, the smaller paint brush works for the fine detail.










One lesson I learned is that the first coat should just be drylok, no peat moss. Pretty obvious in hindsight...but my initial thought was to make the background as organic as possible. Now I know for the drylok to really get a hold of the GS it needs to work alone first. I now wait to add the peat until the second or third layer. I've seen a few drylok builds here and on other forums but not that many. I'm really surprised it's not more popular. It's very cheap, a $20 can could do two tanks my size making it MUCH cheaper than the silicone + coir method, it doesn't require a very extensive cure time like grout, and is completely water proof.


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## JPccusa

Good tip about the Drylok + peat being cheap and waterproof. I am attempting a similar alternative to silicone - Titebond III + peat. We'll see how that goes.


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## JoshsDragonz

I used drylok on my build and like it. I used it and added sand to make it more of a rock look... Then I covered areas with Titebond III + coir/sphagnum mix. I'm really pleased how it came out and the drylok appears to adhere to GS well.

-Josh


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## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> Good tip about the Drylok + peat being cheap and waterproof. I am attempting a similar alternative to silicone - Titebond III + peat. We'll see how that goes.


I've heard good things about Titebond III but have never used it myself. I hope it works out well for you!



JoshsDragonz said:


> I used drylok on my build and like it. I used it and added sand to make it more of a rock look... Then I covered areas with Titebond III + coir/sphagnum mix. I'm really pleased how it came out and the drylok appears to adhere to GS well.
> 
> -Josh


That's a good idea with the sand and Drylok. The only major problem I have with Drylok is that it's pretty hard to achieve fine detail. I suppose with some work and patience detail for rocks could be achieved, I just know I don't have the time for either . So I just added real rock into the GS matrix when making my water feature.


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## frankpayne32

Both sides now completely done. Tonight I put the first coat on the back of the tank. Starting to see daylight!


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## JoshsDragonz

It's coming along good. So do you plan on doing multiple coats of the drylok? I did on mine and tinted it different each time which resulted in shadowing and highlights, which came out looking real good. I used the same concrete tint that you used and just used charcoal tint to make it darker. Can't wait to see what you have planned for branch work and plants. Glad to see someone else with a big tank build  

-Josh


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## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> It's coming along good. So do you plan on doing multiple coats of the drylok? I did on mine and tinted it different each time which resulted in shadowing and highlights, which came out looking real good. I used the same concrete tint that you used and just used charcoal tint to make it darker. Can't wait to see what you have planned for branch work and plants. Glad to see someone else with a big tank build
> 
> -Josh


Yes, on all the sides I did two full coats plus I plan to do final touch up coat on all the sides. Yep, I mixed up separate small batches of the drylok so the coloring turns out a little different each time, hopefully making it look more natural and less uniform. That's exactly what I did with the tint! The brown plus a little charcoal I mean. I'm very happy with the roots that I found to make it look like an eroded stream back. I'm excited to finally get to start putting the hardscaping in to play around with a good placement. I plan to do primarily ferns in the pots (only one or two species) and have one or two branch areas that are heavy with epiphytes. Big tanks are the best for doing something like this. Nothing wrong with smaller breeder set-ups but you can't beat the wow factor and relaxation a large display provides. Thanks for the support!


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## frankpayne32

Pretty much done with the drylok painting. I am going to put one more coat on the dam that separates the soil area from the water area. Apologies for the crappy pics.


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## kitcolebay

Looking good! Love the stair casing rocks on the right side.


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## frankpayne32

kitcolebay said:


> Looking good! Love the stair casing rocks on the right side.


Thank you! I hope I will be able to adjust the flow of water coming from the top bulkhead so it slowly cascades down several of the rocks.


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## frankpayne32

Started playing around with the wood placement. I know some people like to make their wood permanently in place but I prefer the freedom of keeping it only anchored in place. This makes maintenance much easier. 




























The pictures will unfortunately continue to be crappy quality until I get the lights bought and hung over the tank.


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## thercman

That is looking amazing! Is that Drylok safe to use? It isn't going to leach chemicals into the tank is it?


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## frankpayne32

thercman said:


> That is looking amazing! Is that Drylok safe to use? It isn't going to leach chemicals into the tank is it?


Thank you! I'm no chemistry expert but the consensus seems to be that it is safe. Many other people have used Drylok to build backgrounds and waterproof the inside of tanks with no reported problems that I am aware of.


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## Capnbluering

Lookin' good!!! I'm jealous that you are a couple steps ahead of me!!


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## frankpayne32

Capnbluering said:


> Lookin' good!!! I'm jealous that you are a couple steps ahead of me!!


Haha, thanks. I'm actually in a sit and wait stage right now as I let the Drylok fully cure. It's driving me nuts! I hope to build my light rack this weekend.


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## frankpayne32

Made some solid progress on the tank this weekend. Got my light rack built and over the tank, just need to order yo-yo hangers. I can finally get some decent pics with lights on it now. I know the front glass is messy, it's driving me nuts, but I just plain ran out of gas tonight. Scraping will have to wait.



















Just to be safe I decided to pour another layer of Drylok on the "dam" to really try to make the land area separate from the water area. So, that means I'm letting it dry a few more days as I really poured it on thick this time. 

Last, I cleaned out an old 20 high from my basement to serve as my sump. Have the Mag-7 pump ready to go as well. Drain bulkheads and hoses also installed. I need to go to the hardware store tomorrow for the fittings to hook up my pump. 










That's all for now, next time I update will be for the water test. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one... Thanks for following!


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## JoshsDragonz

Looking good man! It's starting to come together nicely. I can't wait to see it planted. 

-Josh


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## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> Looking good man! It's starting to come together nicely. I can't wait to see it planted.
> 
> -Josh


Thanks! Me too, I have a really good greenhouse about 45 minutes from me that I plan to visit on the 27th to get the ferns for the planters in the background. I will place an order for the epiphytes later on when I have the money. Right now all my extra money is spoken for on some frogs I have reserved to pick up at the Hamburg reptile show next weekend.


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## Dendrokeller

incredible and amazing! this is one of the hottest tanks I've ever seen. I must admit that I'm highly jealous.  I will say only: RESPECT, RESPECT, RESPECT!


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## frankpayne32

Dendrokeller said:


> incredible and amazing! this is one of the hottest tanks I've ever seen. I must admit that I'm highly jealous.  I will say only: RESPECT, RESPECT, RESPECT!


I definitely don't deserve that much praise but I appreciate it. Thanks!


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## frankpayne32

Plumbing done, check.










Water test...failed lol. The dam leaks. Oh well, I actually kind of assumed it would. Too many nooks and crannies in the great stuff. So plan B is to fill the land area with gravel and have a very shallow moss/leaf litter land area. I won't be able to have the living soil I wanted but that's life. I am even considering forgoing water altogether and using the dam to just make ground level stratification. I am going to run it for awhile with water and make a decision on that later. I don't plan to add frogs for awhile anyway. I must say it looks pretty cool though. The stepping stone waterfall works just like I'd hoped.  It's still very dirty from the loose peat but you'll get the idea.




























I'd appreciate input and suggestions. Thanks!


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## JPccusa

Looking good Frank! My only input would be for you to try to make the waterfall more natural. Maybe use great stuff + drylok in the gaps to shape it a little less "stacky."


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## frankpayne32

Added the branches and roots this morning.


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## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> Looking good Frank! My only input would be for you to try to make the waterfall more natural. Maybe use great stuff + drylok in the gaps to shape it a little less "stacky."


I see what you're saying but honestly I went for the "stacky" look to get the water to drip from level to level. I'm afraid if I fill it in it will lose that effect. I do appreciate the suggestion though.


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## Nath514

frankpayne32 said:


> I see what you're saying but honestly I went for the "stacky" look to get the water to drip from level to level. I'm afraid if I fill it in it will lose that effect. I do appreciate the suggestion though.


I think with some moss growth on the water fall it won't look stacky and will become more natural looking over time! Awesome tank!


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## frankpayne32

Nath514 said:


> I think with some moss growth on the water fall it won't look stacky and will become more natural looking over time! Awesome tank!


I hope so, thank you!


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## Shinosuke

You don't need the dam to be watertight, in fact it'd be better if the water flowed freely through there to prevent it from getting stagnant. Build you land up on a false bottom (I prefer egg crate over hydroton) so it doesn't get wet and you'll be good to go. There's no benefit in separating the two sections.


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## kitcolebay

De-ja-vu. I did that with what I hoped to be a pond. Just let it flow freely through some carefully placed holes. It lets all the water circulate and gives you a bigger reservoir of water to work with. Just build your land over the water potion with a false bottom or if you're not worried about weight, then you can just fill it in with rocks, gravel, or hydroton. Put screen/weed-block over it and then your substrate.

-Chris


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## frankpayne32

Shinosuke said:


> You don't need the dam to be watertight, in fact it'd be better if the water flowed freely through there to prevent it from getting stagnant. Build you land up on a false bottom (I prefer egg crate over hydroton) so it doesn't get wet and you'll be good to go. There's no benefit in separating the two sections.


That's one way of doing it but not what I was hoping to do. Without it being water tight I won't be able to have a thick layer of living soil to grow plants and microorganisms. Now it will just be a false bottom with some leaves, rocks, and moss on it. Which will work, but won't be as good for a fuller ecosystem.


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## frankpayne32

kitcolebay said:


> De-ja-vu. I did that with what I hoped to be a pond. Just let it flow freely through some carefully placed holes. It lets all the water circulate and gives you a bigger reservoir of water to work with. Just build your land over the water potion with a false bottom or if you're not worried about weight, then you can just fill it in with rocks, gravel, or hydroton. Put screen/weed-block over it and then your substrate.
> 
> -Chris


Yeah, that is what I will have to do. The problem is I won't have a very thick substrate now, which isn't the end of the world but not what I was hoping for.


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## kitcolebay

It looks like your dam/wall has some good height to it. How many inches of water are you wanting in there? I'd think that you could lower the water level an inch or two and then build your false bottom or filler near you desired water line. You'd then have enough your for several inches of substrate. Also, you could mound up the substrate a little towards the back to give it some terrain and further depth. 

I still think it's going to look damn good when you're done with it. It does suck when things don't go according to plans. You have it all pictured in your head how you want...then, plans change! Damnit!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

-Chris


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## Shinosuke

^^ What he said. Took the words right outta my mouth.


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## frankpayne32

kitcolebay said:


> It looks like your dam/wall has some good height to it. How many inches of water are you wanting in there? I'd think that you could lower the water level an inch or two and then build your false bottom or filler near you desired water line. You'd then have enough your for several inches of substrate. Also, you could mound up the substrate a little towards the back to give it some terrain and further depth.
> 
> I still think it's going to look damn good when you're done with it. It does suck when things don't go according to plans. You have it all pictured in your head how you want...then, plans change! Damnit!
> 
> Good luck with whatever you decide!
> 
> -Chris





Shinosuke said:


> ^^ What he said. Took the words right outta my mouth.


I appreciate the input and it's a good idea. Unfortunately I can't really lower the water level because the tank is drilled to drain at 7" so making the water level lower than that would be pretty much impossible without adding unsightly and space-consuming plumbing u-bends inside the tank.

Yeah building a display, especially a six foot long display, is a PITA sometimes but the end result is worth it. Besides, like you both said I can just make a false bottom inside the land area and go from there. It'll still look the same on the outside, just no big populations of isopods and springtails for the frogs to munch on in between feedings.

Thanks again for the constructive ideas and support!


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## JPccusa

frankpayne32 said:


> Yeah building a display, especially a six foot long display, is a PITA sometimes but the end result is worth it.


Tell me about it! My 5 ft long is taking way too much time and effort. I hope it pays off in the end.



frankpayne32 said:


> Besides, like you both said I can just make a false bottom inside the land area and go from there. It'll still look the same on the outside, just no big populations of isopods and springtails for the frogs to munch on in between feedings.


Is there a drain on the bottom of the land part as well? Over time, water will accumulate there and rot if there isn't one.


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## kitcolebay

JPccusa said:


> Tell me about it! My 5 ft long is taking way too much time and effort. I hope it pays off in the end.


My 150/6 ft. took some time, work, and a lot of changes. I ended up doing away with my pond entirely. Filled it in and planted over it! I'm glad I did now. I wanted some fish in there too, but I think it's better for the frogs to have much more land to play on. But, it too was because I had troubles keeping the water controlled between the sections.

YES, it's very much worth all the trouble! I love it!


[/QUOTE]Is there a drain on the bottom of the land part as well? Over time, water will accumulate there and rot if there isn't one.[/QUOTE]

To my understanding, the whole issue is that the water is flowing between where the land and water is too be. So that water will be "connected" to the rest of the water for filtration. 
With the false bottom, then his substrate will be separated from the water and will not rot. 

I hope I'm not speaking out of line or incorrect.

-Chris


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## frankpayne32

kitcolebay said:


> My 150/6 ft. took some time, work, and a lot of changes. I ended up doing away with my pond entirely. Filled it in and planted over it! I'm glad I did now. I wanted some fish in there too, but I think it's better for the frogs to have much more land to play on. But, it too was because I had troubles keeping the water controlled between the sections.
> 
> YES, it's very much worth all the trouble! I love it!


Is there a drain on the bottom of the land part as well? Over time, water will accumulate there and rot if there isn't one.[/QUOTE]

To my understanding, the whole issue is that the water is flowing between where the land and water is too be. So that water will be "connected" to the rest of the water for filtration. 
With the false bottom, then his substrate will be separated from the water and will not rot. Because water can move in and out of the dam and because of the permanent drains the water level will never rise in the tank and the substrate above water will remain that way.

I hope I'm not speaking out of line or incorrect.

-Chris[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I may go that route as well. I'm going to try it as a paludarium for a few months. If it's worth the extra work to me I will keep it. If not, I will drain it and plant the whole thing. And more land area = more frogs 

That is correct. With the false bottom the substrate won't rot. I just won't be able to have as much of it.


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## frankpayne32

Big update tonight. I went to the Hamburg reptile show yesterday and pick up the frogs for this tank plus most of plants as well. 

Here are the plants before being placed into the tank. 2x red club moss (ruby selaginella), 1x Oak-leaf fig (Ficus quercilfolia), 4x Rasp fern (Doodia media), and 4x Dragontailed fern (Asplenium ebenoides). All were purchased from Aquamac. They are great plants that I got for a great price.










Now the frogs. I got 1.1 Powderblue D. tinctorious from Greg (mydumname). Here they are fresh in their quarantine tank.










I also go 0.0.5 R. amazonica "iquitos" (Todd Kelley line) from Jim Kee (jckee1). Beautiful little frogs. Jim said he heard calling from the tank so I have at least one male in there. They are mostly full grown. Here they are about to go into their quarantine tank and then last inside the tank.






































Next post will be on the progress of the tank itself.


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## frankpayne32

First, I got all the new plants planted inside their pots. Here are some shots of them when first placed inside the tank.





































I also added the sand bottom to the aquatic part of the tank and added two 50lb bags of pea gravel to fill in the land area. Still wasn't enough! I need to get another 50lb bag to finish the land area. I forget how big the area is, it just seems small because of how big the rest of the tank is. I also played around a little with the branch placement and am happier with it. The water area is still cloudy as the sand needs to settle but this is what it looks like right now.










That's it for now. Thanks for looking!


----------



## JoshsDragonz

Looking good Frank! I like the ferns. 

-Josh


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> Looking good Frank! I like the ferns.
> 
> -Josh


Thanks Josh. I got a GREAT deal on those plants, I couldn't pass them up. I'm very happy with how they look in the tank. I still plan on adding lots of epiphytes to the wood as well as a bunch of aquatic plants. Right now the next major step is to make the three screen lids for the top of the tank.


----------



## snake54320

Of some Moss grows on the roots, and you put a few mini orchids on them, the tank will look really sweet. 
Good job!


----------



## frankpayne32

snake54320 said:


> Of some Moss grows on the roots, and you put a few mini orchids on them, the tank will look really sweet.
> Good job!


That's the plan! Thanks.


----------



## Capnbluering

Looking good!! It came as a surprise that you have water flowing into your terrestrial portion though. Is there a reason you did not completely close it off? And once again you are a couple steps ahead. . . sigh.


----------



## SLiK JiM

If I missed this anywhere I apologise as I saw your land part leaking and sort of rushed ahead to the end to help, but it looks like it may be too late now! 

Why not build a wall behind the dam using glass and silicone to isolate the part that you want to put the substrate in? The gap between this island area and the dam could be filled with the sand to stop anything getting stuck/drowning etc.

It was just a thought! Everything still looks great regardless! Often you need a little misfortune to open another door!

Very shortly starting my build so will keep watching!

Good luck!


----------



## frankpayne32

Capnbluering said:


> Looking good!! It came as a surprise that you have water flowing into your terrestrial portion though. Is there a reason you did not completely close it off? And once again you are a couple steps ahead. . . sigh.


Well I tried to close it off lol. The drylok did not hold out the water as planned unfortunately. So I just said screw it and filled it in with gravel tonight.


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> If I missed this anywhere I apologise as I saw your land part leaking and sort of rushed ahead to the end to help, but it looks like it may be too late now!
> 
> Why not build a wall behind the dam using glass and silicone to isolate the part that you want to put the substrate in? The gap between this island area and the dam could be filled with the sand to stop anything getting stuck/drowning etc.
> 
> It was just a thought! Everything still looks great regardless! Often you need a little misfortune to open another door!
> 
> Very shortly starting my build so will keep watching!
> 
> Good luck!


That's a good idea and I did consider it towards the beginning of my build but honestly I didn't want to mess with the glass, especially considering the land area is not very uniform. Thanks for the input and the compliment!


----------



## frankpayne32

Got the rest of the gravel placed in the land area tonight. I will eventually completely cover it with a thick layer of magnolia leaves.


----------



## SLiK JiM

frankpayne32 said:


> That's a good idea and I did consider it towards the beginning of my build but honestly I didn't want to mess with the glass, especially considering the land area is not very uniform. Thanks for the input and the compliment!


No worries! Your tank is looking pretty epic anyway so its not a huge loss! I'm looking forward to seeing the happy inhabitants! Well definitely be taking some inspiration from your build!


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> No worries! Your tank is looking pretty epic anyway so its not a huge loss! I'm looking forward to seeing the happy inhabitants! Well definitely be taking some inspiration from your build!


Thanks! I see your pic is a panther chameleon. I have a breeding pair of those myself. Been keeping them for 15 years. Amazing animals.


----------



## SLiK JiM

Yeah, he's my youngest panther chameleon (Diego Suarez if you're interested).

Chameleons have always fascinated me due to their look, colour changing ability, method of eating and just general cool factor 

My only issue with chameleons is I give them a good amount of space so I can't keep that many at a time (my enclosure sizes are 3' x 4' x 8').

I came to a cross roads lately which was one more chameleon or something else due to space constraints. I've always felt like keeping frogs took a bit of work (and money) so put it off but now feel like I'm in the right sort of place to give it a go after stalking this forum for years for ideas/advice related to chameleons anyway.

I always like to start ambitious, so I'm looking to build my viv to be 100cm x 60cm x 80cm. Should be good fun! Hoping to get it built this weekend (well, the enclosure itself at least; the decor will take weeks to finish and months to be ready for frogs!) but I love a good challenge.


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> Yeah, he's my youngest panther chameleon (Diego Suarez if you're interested).
> 
> Chameleons have always fascinated me due to their look, colour changing ability, method of eating and just general cool factor
> 
> My only issue with chameleons is I give them a good amount of space so I can't keep that many at a time (my enclosure sizes are 3' x 4' x 8').
> 
> I came to a cross roads lately which was one more chameleon or something else due to space constraints. I've always felt like keeping frogs took a bit of work (and money) so put it off but now feel like I'm in the right sort of place to give it a go after stalking this forum for years for ideas/advice related to chameleons anyway.
> 
> I always like to start ambitious, so I'm looking to build my viv to be 100cm x 60cm x 80cm. Should be good fun! Hoping to get it built this weekend (well, the enclosure itself at least; the decor will take weeks to finish and months to be ready for frogs!) but I love a good challenge.


Wow that is a good amount of space for your chameleons! Mine would be jealous. They have always been my favorite group of lizards.

I'm glad your getting into frogs, and took your time with it. In my opinion nothing can beat a dart frog display for visual appeal.

Good luck with the build. I'd be happy to help with questions if I can.


----------



## frankpayne32

Just a few more current pics.




























Still on the to do list:

-Add a heater and filter to the sump below the tank.
-Order a MistKing
-Order leaf litter and epiphytic plants
-Have lids made for the three openings
-Make the water feature inaccessible to frogs


----------



## eos

Looks great. Must be nice walking into the room and seeing that beautiful display... and you get to sit there and enjoy it while you eat too!


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## frankpayne32

Yes indeed. That is actually the view you get as soon as you walk through the front door. I do a lot of paper grading on that table. When it was a reef tank it made the process much more enjoyable. I'm excited it's getting full of life again. Thanks for the compliment!


----------



## LizardLicker

I may have missed it, but where did you get your branches? I have ordered from several places with minimal success with what I'm looking for.

Great looking tank.


----------



## frankpayne32

LizardLicker said:


> I may have missed it, but where did you get your branches? I have ordered from several places with minimal success with what I'm looking for.
> 
> Great looking tank.


I actually went out and collected them myself. I refuse to spend my hard earned money on something that can be easily collected with minimal environmental impact. Just wash (hot water) and scrub them really well then let the branches completely dry out and they will be fine to use.

Thanks for the compliment!


----------



## Capnbluering

frankpayne32 said:


> Well I tried to close it off lol. The drylok did not hold out the water as planned unfortunately. So I just said screw it and filled it in with gravel tonight.


Well we should find out if the barrier method works this weekend. I should be water testing on Friday night or Saturday morning. I used 1/4" plexi and bent it to form, then siliconed the hell out of the entire outside surface then built up the GS around is. Could you tell where your leak was coming through?


----------



## frankpayne32

Capnbluering said:


> Well we should find out if the barrier method works this weekend. I should be water testing on Friday night or Saturday morning. I used 1/4" plexi and bent it to form, then siliconed the hell out of the entire outside surface then built up the GS around is. Could you tell where your leak was coming through?


Good luck to ya. You should be fine since you used plexi as a barrier as well. I actually didn't see any bare spots where the leaks were coming in (though they must be there) hidden in the folds of the GS.


----------



## Capnbluering

So you are assuming the water is coming through gaps in the GS, not through the GS itself? The top about 1.5" of mine is above the plexi, and there are some small gaps in the silicone.


----------



## frankpayne32

Capnbluering said:


> So you are assuming the water is coming through gaps in the GS, not through the GS itself? The top about 1.5" of mine is above the plexi, and there are some small gaps in the silicone.


I'm really not sure. The GS appears to be completely covered in Drylok, but apparently not...


----------



## jacobi

I can't tell from the pics, but your leak might be through a tiny gap where the great stuff did not adhere to the silicone strip that holds the side and bottom panes of glass together.


----------



## frankpayne32

jacobi said:


> I can't tell from the pics, but your leak might be through a tiny gap where the great stuff did not adhere to the silicone strip that holds the side and bottom panes of glass together.


Possibly, although I didn't see it come in from there. I did see it come through the great stuff itself though. Oh well, moot point at this juncture.


----------



## frankpayne32

Big update today. First, got the DIY screen lids made and in place. Here is the first one.










Also got the misting nozzles and system set up. Ended up with six nozzles. Here you can see the nozzles and screens in place.










Got the filtration and heater set up. The sump is filled with two filter baskets and tons of bioballs.










Got three new large bromeliads for a great price. Here's two of them.










And last here are two full tank shots with the mister running.


----------



## frankpayne32

Frogs are in! 1.0.4 R. amazonica "iquitos" and 1.1 D. tinctorious "Powder blue". The iquitos are VERY active and bold so far. I'm thrilled. I was worried they would disappear. Here comes lots of pics...


----------



## frankpayne32




----------



## JPccusa

Very nice Frank! It looks really cool. You even got mushrooms in the wood. 
Are you officially done?


----------



## SLiK JiM

Frank, you mind taking a picture/doing a diagram to show how your sump works? I'm considering one myself but I don't know whether i should or shouldn't.

I might finally start my build tomorrow/Wednesday!


----------



## Capnbluering

Frank, with a totally open top are you able to maintain your humidity?


----------



## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> Very nice Frank! It looks really cool. You even got mushrooms in the wood.
> Are you officially done?


Thanks! I got some lucky with some great finds for the wood.

Nope, lots more to do.  I plan on adding more bromeliads, orchids, and other epiphytes. I also just added some aquatic plants from my planted tank at work. I plan to add more as well. There will also be fish. The aquatic section is about 30 gallons worth. I plan to have a shoal of about 15-20 neon tetras and some ram cichlids.

Here's some new pics with the aquatic plants in place. I added java moss to the waterfall so it will spread.









































SLiK JiM said:


> Frank, you mind taking a picture/doing a diagram to show how your sump works? I'm considering one myself but I don't know whether i should or shouldn't.
> 
> I might finally start my build tomorrow/Wednesday!


The sump is just a small 20 gallon aquarium. There are two drain hoses of flexible hose that are connected to the two bulkheads drilled in the back of the tank. These hose empty onto the filter pads and bioballs in the sump. 










The pump is a Mag7 that is hard plumbed into another bulkhead at the top of the tank which is the waterfall. There is an adjustable valve on this plumbing to control the rate of water flow.










Hope that helps!


----------



## SLiK JiM

Okay, so is the sump set to just 'skim' the top layer of water off? So, the water level is such that it will never overfill?


----------



## frankpayne32

Capnbluering said:


> Frank, with a totally open top are you able to maintain your humidity?


Believe it or not screen does hold humidity in a bit. But I also believe that people keep the humidity too high in their tanks. The animals should have an ability to choose their appropriate humidity level. With the standing water, water feature, and daily misting the humidity in the tank oscillates and I think this is more natural and appropriate. There are also different niches in the tank with different humidity levels. The amazonica are very active and out in the open.


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> Okay, so is the sump set to just 'skim' the top layer of water off? So, the water level is such that it will never overfill?


I think I know what you mean... The water level in the tank will never change, only the level in the sump as evaporation occurs. But, because of the drilled drains skimming water from the tank, the tank water level will never change even if overfilled.


----------



## SLiK JiM

frankpayne32 said:


> I think I know what you mean... The water level in the tank will never change, only the level in the sump as evaporation occurs. But, because of the drilled drains skimming water from the tank, the tank water level will never change even if overfilled.


Yeah, that makes sense for the viv, but what about the sump overfilling?

What I want to do is have a sump before it goes through an external aquarium filter so I can heat the water slightly as I don't want to have a heater in the viv itself (and can't put it in the filter). My only concern is that if I start with a volume of water 2 things can happen:

Too much water evaporates, the water level drops and the external filter burns itself out
Too little water evaporates and when I add more through misting, the sump overfills

Am I just being stupid here?


----------



## JoshsDragonz

I have a similar setup to Frank. If you keep an eye on the sump either of those senerios should never happen. 

You shouldn't have enough evaporation quick enough to cause enough water loss to harm to your filter. Nor should misting cause a quick overflow (unless you are misting an insane amount of water). If you are worried about evaporation you can make a lid for the sump. Just mark an ideal water level you want in the sump when the system is off (the tank needs to be at desired level). Make sure to leave some wiggle room in the sump. This will ensure you won't overflow in a power failure. Just watch the sump while doing regular maintenance/feeding. See how it does and get a feel of how much evaporation you have and you can make a schedule for adding/draining water. I do weekly water changes on my system, which helps keep my levels in check. I hope this helps. 

-Josh





SLiK JiM said:


> Yeah, that makes sense for the viv, but what about the sump overfilling?
> 
> What I want to do is have a sump before it goes through an external aquarium filter so I can heat the water slightly as I don't want to have a heater in the viv itself (and can't put it in the filter). My only concern is that if I start with a volume of water 2 things can happen:
> 
> Too much water evaporates, the water level drops and the external filter burns itself out
> Too little water evaporates and when I add more through misting, the sump overfills
> 
> Am I just being stupid here?


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> Yeah, that makes sense for the viv, but what about the sump overfilling?
> 
> What I want to do is have a sump before it goes through an external aquarium filter so I can heat the water slightly as I don't want to have a heater in the viv itself (and can't put it in the filter). My only concern is that if I start with a volume of water 2 things can happen:
> 
> Too much water evaporates, the water level drops and the external filter burns itself out
> Too little water evaporates and when I add more through misting, the sump overfills
> 
> Am I just being stupid here?


You're not being stupid! Just worrying too much . My sump is only kept about 1/3 full. In order for it to overflow I would have to add about 10-15 gallons of water. That would be weeks and weeks of over-misting/watering. Also, for the pump to run dry that would take at least 10 gallons worth of evaporation which would take at least two weeks. It's just a matter of checking your water level every few days/every week to make sure it stays within the proper level. Just something that has to be checked on every few days.


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> I have a similar setup to Frank. If you keep an eye on the sump either of those senerios should never happen.
> 
> You shouldn't have enough evaporation quick enough to cause enough water loss to harm to your filter. Nor should misting cause a quick overflow (unless you are misting an insane amount of water). If you are worried about evaporation you can make a lid for the sump. Just mark an ideal water level you want in the sump when the system is off (the tank needs to be at desired level). Make sure to leave some wiggle room in the sump. This will ensure you won't overflow in a power failure. Just watch the sump while doing regular maintenance/feeding. See how it does and get a feel of how much evaporation you have and you can make a schedule for adding/draining water. I do weekly water changes on my system, which helps keep my levels in check. I hope this helps.
> 
> -Josh


Just saw your answer as soon as I posted mine! Pretty much the same thing.


----------



## Capnbluering

frankpayne32 said:


> Believe it or not screen does hold humidity in a bit. But I also believe that people keep the humidity too high in their tanks. The animals should have an ability to choose their appropriate humidity level. With the standing water, water feature, and daily misting the humidity in the tank oscillates and I think this is more natural and appropriate. There are also different niches in the tank with different humidity levels. The amazonica are very active and out in the open.


Good. Cause I just did the same thing. WAY easier than I thought it would be!!!


----------



## Capnbluering

SLiK JiM said:


> Yeah, that makes sense for the viv, but what about the sump overfilling?
> 
> What I want to do is have a sump before it goes through an external aquarium filter so I can heat the water slightly as I don't want to have a heater in the viv itself (and can't put it in the filter). My only concern is that if I start with a volume of water 2 things can happen:
> 
> Too much water evaporates, the water level drops and the external filter burns itself out
> Too little water evaporates and when I add more through misting, the sump overfills
> 
> Am I just being stupid here?


That's the beauty of having a sump. You can put your heater, down where no one can see it!!


----------



## frankpayne32

Capnbluering said:


> Good. Cause I just did the same thing. WAY easier than I thought it would be!!!


Definitely easier and works just fine. I always chuckle when I see people seal up their viv's good and tight and then add complicated internal fan mechanisms to combat air stagnation lol. Just throw on a screen top and chuck the fans and you're good to go. In my experience fans are only necessary when dealing with very tall enclosures (4' or more).



Capnbluering said:


> That's the beauty of having a sump. You can put your heater, down where no one can see it!!


Yep, hide all the important water quality stuff where no one can see it.


----------



## SLiK JiM

Right, well that settles that then! Sump it is! 

Now, I have an old fish tank lying around somewhere, so I better go buy myself some more glass to make it into a sump!  The joys of an expensive hobby! 

I came close yesterday to giving up on the idea of building my viv out of polycarbonate and just buying one custom made out of glass. But, as I have the raw materials anyway, I may as well see if it works! If it does fail (bearing in mind no frogs till January so no real damage!) I will just transfer the internal bits/landscape out into a glass viv then! So, it's about time I got myself in gear and stopped umming and rrring about the whole thing! I've now planned too much I think... If that's possible!

Anyway, hogging the thread now so post some more pics to drown out my ramblings!


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> Right, well that settles that then! Sump it is!
> 
> Now, I have an old fish tank lying around somewhere, so I better go buy myself some more glass to make it into a sump!  The joys of an expensive hobby!
> 
> I came close yesterday to giving up on the idea of building my viv out of polycarbonate and just buying one custom made out of glass. But, as I have the raw materials anyway, I may as well see if it works! If it does fail (bearing in mind no frogs till January so no real damage!) I will just transfer the internal bits/landscape out into a glass viv then! So, it's about time I got myself in gear and stopped umming and rrring about the whole thing! I've now planned too much I think... If that's possible!
> 
> Anyway, hogging the thread now so post some more pics to drown out my ramblings!



You don't need to add glass to the aquarium to make it a sump. Just leave it as is, it's just unnecessary. 

Good luck with the build, you're not hogging the thread. I'm happy to help.

I'll get on the pics this week!


----------



## djone2

Excuse my ignorance on the topic, but would a canister filter serve the same purpose as a sump/pump? I can get one for cheap, I am in the midst of a 135g build and dont want a pump inside the tank. Thanks in advance!

-D


----------



## Rasmus

Very impressive build. I particularly like the choice of sand as substrate in the water section.


----------



## frankpayne32

djone2 said:


> Excuse my ignorance on the topic, but would a canister filter serve the same purpose as a sump/pump? I can get one for cheap, I am in the midst of a 135g build and dont want a pump inside the tank. Thanks in advance!
> 
> -D


It would do a good job of keeping the water clean and moving around. However, they are generally a pain to maintain in my experience. Also, the water level in your tank will vary due to evaporation and misting if you use a canister filter. If you use a sump the tank water level will always be constant. A sump also allows you a convenient place to put a heater and allows for more flexible filter media placement. Hope that helps.


----------



## frankpayne32

Rasmus said:


> Very impressive build. I particularly like the choice of sand as substrate in the water section.


Thanks a lot! I'm happy with how the substrate turned out too.


----------



## SLiK JiM

frankpayne32 said:


> You don't need to add glass to the aquarium to make it a sump. Just leave it as is, it's just unnecessary.
> 
> Good luck with the build, you're not hogging the thread. I'm happy to help.
> 
> I'll get on the pics this week!


Oh, I thought you needed a few bits of glass in it to adjust flow/remove bubbles and stuff? I guess it's not essential! 

On a similar point to the other comment from someone else, I'm probably going to use a canister filter from my sump back into the vivarium! It will be well filtered water!


----------



## michaelT89

Amazing paladarium


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> Oh, I thought you needed a few bits of glass in it to adjust flow/remove bubbles and stuff? I guess it's not essential!
> 
> On a similar point to the other comment from someone else, I'm probably going to use a canister filter from my sump back into the vivarium! It will be well filtered water!


People do that but I haven't found it to be necessary or provide any real benefit.

Sounds good!


----------



## frankpayne32

michaelT89 said:


> Amazing paladarium


Thanks for the compliment!


----------



## frankpayne32

Got my first fish last night. Two sunset platies and two neon tetras. I plan to get quite a few more tetras as well. A friend of mine breeds different species of ornamental freshwater shrimp that I plan to add as well. Here's a few pics of the newest inhabitants.


----------



## Robert.hallam

This is a really amazing and beautiful set-up, im going to use many of the ideas from it when creating my 125 gal over the next few months. I'm curious though, even though this subject has been beaten to death already throughout this thread...are you surprised that the water test failed and leaked? DO you think it would have possibly held if you had done a layer of silicone over the great stuff before adding a dry-lock layer? Im only asking this because my tank is not drilled or drillable and so it would be a lot easier for me to filter the water if i could keep the water section in my tank separate and so i was seeing if there is anything you would have done differently now to possibly have gotten a better water tight seal


----------



## frankpayne32

Robert.hallam said:


> This is a really amazing and beautiful set-up, im going to use many of the ideas from it when creating my 125 gal over the next few months. I'm curious though, even though this subject has been beaten to death already throughout this thread...are you surprised that the water test failed and leaked? DO you think it would have possibly held if you had done a layer of silicone over the great stuff before adding a dry-lock layer? Im only asking this because my tank is not drilled or drillable and so it would be a lot easier for me to filter the water if i could keep the water section in my tank separate and so i was seeing if there is anything you would have done differently now to possibly have gotten a better water tight seal


I really don't think just the silicone over the great stuff would be viable long term. I think the only sure way to do it would be to have glass cut to fit the land area, silicone that to the tank, then do great stuff/drylok over that. In your case that would probably be the best way to keep land and water separate. Thanks for the compliment and good luck!


----------



## Robert.hallam

frankpayne32 said:


> I really don't think just the silicone over the great stuff would be viable long term. I think the only sure way to do it would be to have glass cut to fit the land area, silicone that to the tank, then do great stuff/drylok over that. In your case that would probably be the best way to keep land and water separate. Thanks for the compliment and good luck!


Thats exactly what i was thinking after i made that post, except i was thinking of
Using acryllic instead of glass just to insure it doesnt crack once the GS is over it. Thanks so much for the tip, im most likely going to be asking a few more questions once i get this thing going but its only because i want it to come out as good as your masterpiece!! Thanks again


----------



## frankpayne32

Robert.hallam said:


> Thats exactly what i was thinking after i made that post, except i was thinking of
> Using acryllic instead of glass just to insure it doesnt crack once the GS is over it. Thanks so much for the tip, im most likely going to be asking a few more questions once i get this thing going but its only because i want it to come out as good as your masterpiece!! Thanks again


That could work, I've experienced warping with acrylic though where the seal of silicone was eventually compromised. I would recommend thicker glass personally but it may not matter, just a thought. Hope I can help, and welcome to the board!


----------



## frankpayne32

Received an order yesterday from NEHerp.  I got a 5.0 UVB bulb, a bag of leaf litter, a springtail culture (to seed the substrate), different types of seed pods, film canisters for egg deposition sites for the amazonica, coco hut for the tincs, and floral ties to better mount epiphytes. I will definitely order from them again.  Now for the pics!

Full tank shot as soon as you walk in the front door.









A few more closer full tank shots.


















Couple of pics showing off the land area with the added leaves and seed pods, and of course the frogs!




































Managed to snap a pic of all four fish at once.


----------



## frankpayne32

A few showing the water area.



























I love this ruby red selaginella. Wish I could get a decent pic of it.









One of several black film canisters tucked away on the background for the amazonica to breed in. I have already seen at least one male calling.









A few more pics of the "forest floor".



























Last one for now, showing both species on the hunt!


----------



## JoshsDragonz

Hey Frank, Man it's looking awesome!


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> Hey Frank, Man it's looking awesome!


Thanks Josh! I appreciate it. I'm really happy seeing it come together. I plan to place an order with Tropical Plantz for three or four show quality broms to fill things out.


----------



## MrBiggs

frankpayne32 said:


> Thanks Josh! I appreciate it. I'm really happy seeing it come together. I plan to place an order with Tropical Plantz for three or four show quality broms to fill things out.


Sorry man, I just snagged all the best ones...


----------



## frankpayne32

MrBiggs said:


> Sorry man, I just snagged all the best ones...


Haha, I'm sure I'll be able to find something good. It'll be a little while until I do that anyway.


----------



## JoshsDragonz

I have got a nice one coming from them right now


----------



## frankpayne32

Just placed my order this afternoon! If you haven't seen they are having a big bromeliad blowout sale right now. I got five plus about that many tilliandsias.


----------



## Bokfan1

Looks awesome!! What kind of wood were you using?


----------



## frankpayne32

Bokfan1 said:


> Looks awesome!! What kind of wood were you using?


Thanks . All the wood I used was collected locally. All of the wood was from exposed roots of trees. The roots hold up better in humid conditions than branches.


----------



## frankpayne32

Got some new pics of the amazonica last night. They are so active! I see them more than the tincs. The one male is calling away and has staked out one of the film canisters. Hopefully the females will be interested and I'll see eggs soon. The tinc pair has also taken up residence in their coconut hut. 






































Also, a bit of an update on the plants. The rasp ferns (Doodia media) did not do well in the tank while the dragontail ferns are doing great. I've removed all but one of the rasp ferns (one is still hanging on but not looking good). I've added one large rhipsalis that I had in my classroom. My order from Tropical Plantz shipped today, hopefully they will be here by Friday. Once I get them in I'll take some updated pics.


----------



## SLiK JiM

They're looking great!

I really should have started building mine by now, but we're just having the bathroom done, so I don't have any space to work!


----------



## Bokfan1

Well it looks awesome!! Keep us updated!!


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> They're looking great!
> 
> I really should have started building mine by now, but we're just having the bathroom done, so I don't have any space to work!


I know how that goes some times. Hope you can soon. I thought you'd be interested to see my female panther laid eggs last week. 31 total, 22 look fertile .













Bokfan1 said:


> Well it looks awesome!! Keep us updated!!


Thanks! Should have a good update for this weekend.


----------



## SLiK JiM

frankpayne32 said:


> I know how that goes some times. Hope you can soon. I thought you'd be interested to see my female panther laid eggs last week. 31 total, 22 look fertile .


Nice! I've thought about breeding chams for quite a while but I would need a lot more space/time and money so for now it's not an option!


----------



## frankpayne32

My TropicalPlantz order finally came in today! It got lost/stuck at the post office for an extra four days so I was a bit worried but the plants still look good. Just in need of a major watering. I will get them mounted tonight.


----------



## frankpayne32

All the new plants are in place.  

I received:

Tilliandsia caliginosa
Tilliandsia streptophylla
Neoregelia "kahlua dawn"
Neoregelia "strawberry hill"
Neoregelia "hearts of blood"

I got two other new bromeliads that I have promptly lost the id tags for... I also stole some tilliandsias from my abronia cage. The broms still really need to open up from being cramped/dehydrated during shipping but overall they look pretty good.

The frogs aren't too visible in the pics, they were mad about me messing around with their home but they are out and about already. Hope you enjoy the pics


----------



## frankpayne32

Found this really weird/awesome fungus growing underwater on the glass!


----------



## JoshsDragonz

Looking real good Frank! I have a small patch of a similar fungus in my tank on the glass.

-Josh


----------



## Shinosuke

That patch looks like slime mold to me. They don't last long but they grow fast and look really cool. I didn't know they could grow under water, though.


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> Looking real good Frank! I have a small patch of a similar fungus in my tank on the glass.
> 
> -Josh





Shinosuke said:


> That patch looks like slime mold to me. They don't last long but they grow fast and look really cool. I didn't know they could grow under water, though.


Thanks Josh! I love finding weird things like that in tanks. Happened all the time in my reef tank too.


----------



## frankpayne32

My friend and former coworker John came over tonight with some goodies for the tank. He is a great guy and has been working with dart frogs for twenty years (he taught me pretty much everything about keeping them). Anyway, he brought me a bunch of plants (aquatic, epiphytic and rooted. Also, a dozen endlers livebearers and a dozen cherry red shrimp. Unfortunately I stirred up the sand putting them in so the water area isn't too visible right now. I'll take some more when it clears up but here are some as it is now. I hope to pretty much just let the tank grow in at this point. My hands have been in the tank way too much lately. Time to let everything settle and grow. I'll still keep this thread updated with pics.  Thanks for looking.


----------



## SLiK JiM

Very nice additions! I do love Endlers although you'll soon be over run! Man, those things pump out a lot of babies!


----------



## frankpayne32

SLiK JiM said:


> Very nice additions! I do love Endlers although you'll soon be over run! Man, those things pump out a lot of babies!


Thanks! I like them a lot so far. I'll keep that in mind. Endlers are pretty uncommon around me so if I run into extra ones I should be able to sell them/give them to my local fish stores.


----------



## SLiK JiM

frankpayne32 said:


> Thanks! I like them a lot so far. I'll keep that in mind. Endlers are pretty uncommon around me so if I run into extra ones I should be able to sell them/give them to my local fish stores.


I had them over here (bought as a present for my gf) and did nothing particularly special, but got overrun with the blighters. They're just like guppies! Each day i would have 2 more!


----------



## frankpayne32

Calling amazonica.


















Cherry red shrimps eating algae.


----------



## Alegre323

Wow. Just wow


----------



## frankpayne32

Alegre323 said:


> Wow. Just wow


Thanks! Got some new fish tonight. I'll post new pics soon.


----------



## frankpayne32

New frogs and fish. 

Pair of 'santa isabel' anthonyi from Keith at Frog's N' Things. Had them about a month now, finally got around to posting pics. The male calls non stop.










Some new fish two. Two red velvet swordtails, six neon tetras, and one dwarf blue gourami.














































I'd like to get about another half dozen neon tetras but except for that I am done with the tank. Fully planted and fully stocked. Now time to relax and enjoy.


----------



## JPccusa

Looks great! 
Enjoy the short break. Soon it will be time to start pruning and moving stuff around. 
The work is never completely done.


----------



## Crimsonraptor

I'm not sure whether I should be drooling at the finished tank or the _Abronia graminea_ back on the first page  Ah, what the heck, I'll drool about them both.

Anyhow, that's a really nice viv you've got there. Quick question; although I don't know if I missed this earlier on in the thread. About how many gallons of water do you actually have in there?


----------



## eos

Looks fantastic! I agree... the work is never done. You'll find something to do. lol


----------



## frankpayne32

Crimsonraptor said:


> I'm not sure whether I should be drooling at the finished tank or the _Abronia graminea_ back on the first page  Ah, what the heck, I'll drool about them both.
> 
> Anyhow, that's a really nice viv you've got there. Quick question; although I don't know if I missed this earlier on in the thread. About how many gallons of water do you actually have in there?


Thanks! 

I think there is about 30-40 gallons of water in the display and about 20 gallons in the filtration sump.


----------



## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> Looks great!
> Enjoy the short break. Soon it will be time to start pruning and moving stuff around.
> The work is never completely done.





eos said:


> Looks fantastic! I agree... the work is never done. You'll find something to do. lol


Thanks, both of you! You're right who am I kidding, there's always something to fiddle around with. That is one of the best things about this hobby though.  I'll keep updating as I continue to tinker.


----------



## Robert.hallam

So, now that ive gathered nearly all of the supplies i need to construct my 125, my question for you issssss, do you think the benefits outweigh the negatives when it comes to sticking to the paludarium instead of just a vivarium? After you realized you original dam leaked, you mentioned possibly canning the idea and going with all land and no water, so what do you think? Is it frustrating to bot have the extra land area or is it worth it? OBVIOUSLYYY youre very happy woth how the tank came out as you should be, but im having a tough time deciding if ill be happy with the decision of cutting out half or more of the possible land area in the long run as i plan my tank, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!


----------



## frankpayne32

Robert.hallam said:


> So, now that ive gathered nearly all of the supplies i need to construct my 125, my question for you issssss, do you think the benefits outweigh the negatives when it comes to sticking to the paludarium instead of just a vivarium? After you realized you original dam leaked, you mentioned possibly canning the idea and going with all land and no water, so what do you think? Is it frustrating to bot have the extra land area or is it worth it? OBVIOUSLYYY youre very happy woth how the tank came out as you should be, but im having a tough time deciding if ill be happy with the decision of cutting out half or more of the possible land area in the long run as i plan my tank, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!


It depends what your goals are. If your goal is to breed dart frogs and to have as many as possible then I would just do land. However, if your goal is to have a dynamic display that is varied and not just the norm then I say go with the water! I've found it to be completely worth it and I'm glad I went this route. The final effect is very engaging for me and more enjoyable to look at that my "dry" vivariums.

I still have ten frogs in the tank (2 tincs, 2 anthonyi, 6 amazonica) and they have enough space where they use the whole tank and have enough hiding spaces where there are times when I don't see any frogs. If I didn't have the water area I could probably add more frogs but ten in a tank this size is plenty for me and the water allows different species of aquatic fish, invertebrates, and plants to be kept that wouldn't be able to otherwise. 

One other consideration is that the paludarium does require considerably more forethought and maintenance. I've found "dry" vivs to be extremely simple and easy to maintain (to the point of being boring). The paludarium requires a little more effort. So there's my two cents, hope it helps and good luck!


----------



## Robert.hallam

frankpayne32 said:


> It depends what your goals are. If your goal is to breed dart frogs and to have as many as possible then I would just do land. However, if your goal is to have a dynamic display that is varied and not just the norm then I say go with the water! I've found it to be completely worth it and I'm glad I went this route. The final effect is very engaging for me and more enjoyable to look at that my "dry" vivariums.
> 
> I still have ten frogs in the tank (2 tincs, 2 anthonyi, 6 amazonica) and they have enough space where they use the whole tank and have enough hiding spaces where there are times when I don't see any frogs. If I didn't have the water area I could probably add more frogs but ten in a tank this size is plenty for me and the water allows different species of aquatic fish, invertebrates, and plants to be kept that wouldn't be able to otherwise.
> 
> One other consideration is that the paludarium does require considerably more forethought and maintenance. I've found "dry" vivs to be extremely simple and easy to maintain (to the point of being boring). The paludarium requires a little more effort. So there's my two cents, hope it helps and good luck!


All excellent and valid points which i appreciate. Im heavily leaning towards the paludarium now because of the fact that i would like to have a more natural waterfall/drip wall without having to sacrifice the entire bottom of the tank to a false bottom/drainage layer. Like in a 10-20 gallon tank a drainage layer is no big deal, heck, i have have one in my 75 leuc tank, but if u think about it youre giving up a lottttt of space and height in a 125 for a false bottom. I think what im actually going to do is create the 125 paludarium, and with all the excess supplies and extra wood/cork im going to build an additional 55 gal set up )) thanks for the advice man! Here goes nothin!


----------



## frankpayne32

Robert.hallam said:


> All excellent and valid points which i appreciate. Im heavily leaning towards the paludarium now because of the fact that i would like to have a more natural waterfall/drip wall without having to sacrifice the entire bottom of the tank to a false bottom/drainage layer. Like in a 10-20 gallon tank a drainage layer is no big deal, heck, i have have one in my 75 leuc tank, but if u think about it youre giving up a lottttt of space and height in a 125 for a false bottom. I think what im actually going to do is create the 125 paludarium, and with all the excess supplies and extra wood/cork im going to build an additional 55 gal set up )) thanks for the advice man! Here goes nothin!


Glad to hear it, good luck!


----------



## frankpayne32

Some updated pictures and a video.


----------



## frankpayne32

Adjustable light hangers in place so I can raise and lower the lights as needed.





































One of three batches of amazonica eggs already in the tank.


----------



## JoshsDragonz

Looking good Frank


----------



## frankpayne32

And last a video of the tank. Thanks for looking!

http://s572.beta.photobucket.com/user/frankpayne32/media/IMG_1650_zpsea3a6613.mp4.html


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> Looking good Frank


Thanks Josh! It's getting there.


----------



## masterkush

Very nice!


----------



## Robert.hallam

Hahaha hey frankpayne its been a while, i hope the tank is doing amazing and i just wanted to share a laugh with you. Sometimes immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and i say that because my 125 gal paludarium is finally complete and it is a striking mirror image of your setup hahaha. I did base a few of my original ideas off of your tank but i never went back to look at yours but it is quite funny how similarly they came out in the end. Even more beyond that, i also added 5 e. tricolor santa isabela frogs in to my tank today just like you have in yours as well hahaha im going to put some pictures up shortly and i might even throw together a little DIY guide for dendroboard. But anyway id love to talk about our tanks sometime and maybe we can help eachother out if we ever run into any issues or questions!


----------



## Harpo

The orange cap in the OP is sweet. 

I am sorry if I missed it, but was the reef posted once in another forum ever? The build looks terribly familiar.

Great build, thanks for sharing! The growth of the current build is great.


----------



## frankpayne32

masterkush said:


> Very nice!


Thank you!



Robert.hallam said:


> Hahaha hey frankpayne its been a while, i hope the tank is doing amazing and i just wanted to share a laugh with you. Sometimes immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and i say that because my 125 gal paludarium is finally complete and it is a striking mirror image of your setup hahaha. I did base a few of my original ideas off of your tank but i never went back to look at yours but it is quite funny how similarly they came out in the end. Even more beyond that, i also added 5 e. tricolor santa isabela frogs in to my tank today just like you have in yours as well hahaha im going to put some pictures up shortly and i might even throw together a little DIY guide for dendroboard. But anyway id love to talk about our tanks sometime and maybe we can help eachother out if we ever run into any issues or questions!


Thanks! I'm glad somebody got something out of the build. Let me know when you post something, I'll definitely check it out.



Harpo said:


> The orange cap in the OP is sweet.
> 
> I am sorry if I missed it, but was the reef posted once in another forum ever? The build looks terribly familiar.
> 
> Great build, thanks for sharing! The growth of the current build is great.


Thanks. I loved my orange monti cap. I grew it from a quarter sized frag and when I sold it it was almost 24"x18". I had an extensive build thread on reefcentral. Just do a search for my username (it's the same as on here) and "125 gallon in wall build". Thanks for the compliment!


----------



## frankpayne32

Just a couple of neat pics I took yesterday.

Here is the male tricolor guarding a clutch of eggs. Luckily they laid this one in full view.


















There is also at least two clutches of amazonica eggs in the tank right now with some tads in the water. There is at least one tinctorious tadpole in the water too. 

Not from this tank, but here are some pics of my male abronia graminea. He's turning into a real stunner.


----------



## frankpayne32

Some updates. The tricolors are breeding like crazy. Their are at least three froglets in the tank doing well, two clutches of eggs, and two more batches of tadpoles scattered around the tank. Anyone in the area that wants tricolors on the cheap just ask! I've seen the male transporting tads but what's funny is he seems to be placing them only in bromeliad phytotelmata and not in the 40 gallons of water in the tank! 

The amazonica continue to call like mad although I have not noticed and clutches. Hard to say. They may just be old enough now.

The plants and fish continue to thrive and fill in as well. 

Bromeliad in bloom.









Male amazonica calling away









Tricolor tadpole









Male tricolor carrying tads


----------



## boombotty

frankpayne32 said:


> QUOTE]
> 
> Do you know the name of this plant? My buddy had one pop up where he had a jewel orchid die and they are really cool little "bushes".
> Your tank is looking really good BTW. I'm usually not drawn to paludariums, but I really like this one.


----------



## frankpayne32

boombotty said:


> frankpayne32 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Do you know the name of this plant? My buddy had one pop up where he had a jewel orchid die and they are really cool little "bushes".
> Your tank is looking really good BTW. I'm usually not drawn to paludariums, but I really like this one.
> 
> 
> 
> You know I forget what it's called right now. I know it's really common and grows like a weed. If I figure it out I'll post back.
> 
> Thanks!
Click to expand...


----------



## JPccusa

frankpayne32 said:


> You know I forget what it's called right now. I know it's really common and grows like a weed. If I figure it out I'll post back.
> 
> Thanks!


Isn't that Pilea microphyllla?


----------



## frankpayne32

JPccusa said:


> Isn't that Pilea microphyllla?


That's it, thanks JP! Also known as artillery plant.


----------



## frankpayne32

Some updated pics. 
































































That's it for now. I caught six tricolor froglets out this week and there are at least two more of the buggers still in there... Thanks for looking!


----------



## frankpayne32

Some updated pics. I sold the tricolor pair as they were just breeding so fast that they would have overrun the tank before long. There are still two half grown froglets in there that I haven't caught yet.


----------



## JoshsDragonz

The tank has grown in great Frank!


----------



## JonRich

Great build..well done


----------



## Dendro Dave

Looks great...more pics of the girl if she is over 18


----------



## Amphinityfrogs

Awesome. Looks great. I noticed you have a pitcher plant in there. I figured those would not survive in a dart tank. I might have to move some of mine from outside to inside some of my tanks now. Thanks for the Idea


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> The tank has grown in great Frank!


Thanks Josh! It's getting there. Still want to add some more tilliandsias but I think I'm about done planting.



JonRich said:


> Great build..well done


Thanks!



Dendro Dave said:


> Looks great...more pics of the girl if she is over 18


Haha, she is. I'll make her pose and smile in front of it next time. Just wanted to give an idea of scale.



Amphinityfrogs said:


> Awesome. Looks great. I noticed you have a pitcher plant in there. I figured those would not survive in a dart tank. I might have to move some of mine from outside to inside some of my tanks now. Thanks for the Idea


Thanks. I'm not 100% sure if it will thrive in there but I think it will. I've only had it about a week.


----------



## eos

Wow. Tank looks great.


----------



## jpstod

Turned out Fantastic looking


----------



## Los3r

Just went through the entire thread and holy crap that is epic! Love it!


----------



## frankpayne32

eos said:


> Wow. Tank looks great.





jpstod said:


> Turned out Fantastic looking





Los3r said:


> Just went through the entire thread and holy crap that is epic! Love it!


Thank you all for the kind words! I will attempt to get some more pics and hopefully a video to showcase the movement of all the fish (they have been breeding like crazy).


----------



## FIT BMX

Really is looking great!


----------



## frankpayne32

FIT BMX said:


> Really is looking great!


Thanks for looking!


----------



## frankpayne32

Here are some updated pics of the tank. I sold my breeding pair of the tricolors about four months ago as their breeding was out of control. I caught all but two or three of their offspring from the tank. Well I must have missed clutches of eggs/tadpoles as well because their are now about four adult tricolors and at least a dozen froglets. The adults are already starting to breed! I will be catching them out when I have time and selling them off as well. They really like it in there. The same exact thing happened with the endler's livebearers. I started with about four of them. Now their at least forty... I hope everyone enjoys the pics. I am really happy with how things are growing in.


----------



## jrodkinsey

Just went though your entire build. Thanks for sharing. Very nice!


----------



## frankpayne32

jrodkinsey said:


> Just went though your entire build. Thanks for sharing. Very nice!


Happy to, thanks!


----------



## jacobi

That looks really nice. Well done!


----------



## MrBiggs

frankpayne32 said:


> Here are some updated pics of the tank. I sold my breeding pair of the tricolors about four months ago as their breeding was out of control. I caught all but two or three of their offspring from the tank. Well I must have missed clutches of eggs/tadpoles as well because their are now about four adult tricolors and at least a dozen froglets.


That's awesome! I'm setting up a similar (if much smaller) tank in the hopes that I have similar success with my Aurotaenia. From egg to adult without worrying about pulling tads and whatnot. We shall see!


----------



## GRIMM

Looks like one hell of a nice jungle. Nice job


----------



## JoshsDragonz

Hey Frank, the tank is looking great! I'm going to have to find me a few female endlers to put in my 180 for my males.


----------



## frankpayne32

JoshsDragonz said:


> Hey Frank, the tank is looking great! I'm going to have to find me a few female endlers to put in my 180 for my males.


Thanks Josh, you're tank is looking great as well. If you were closer I'd give you dozens of them! Just beware that once you do your tank will be full of them in a few months time.


----------



## frankpayne32

MrBiggs said:


> That's awesome! I'm setting up a similar (if much smaller) tank in the hopes that I have similar success with my Aurotaenia. From egg to adult without worrying about pulling tads and whatnot. We shall see!


I'm sure you could pull it off. I had a friend do the same thing with vittatus in a 55 gallon. He had dozens of them in every life stage from tadpole to breeder.



GRIMM said:


> Looks like one hell of a nice jungle. Nice job


Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it's progress so far.


----------



## epiphytes etc.

Got another update?

BTW, maybe you mentioned it before, but how deep is your water area?


----------



## a-ha

> BTW, maybe you mentioned it before, but how deep is your water area?


I believe he said it was at least 7 inches. I'm not positive though. I'd love to see an update as well.


----------



## frankpayne32

epiphytes etc. said:


> Got another update?
> 
> BTW, maybe you mentioned it before, but how deep is your water area?


Sorry for the delay, I haven't been on this board in awhile. I will have to take some new pics and post an update of the tank.

I have pretty much gotten out of dart frogs as I have been strongly focusing on my chameleon and abronia breeding projects. I sold what I believed to be most of the frogs in the tank. Invariably I missed a few anthonyi tads or froglets and there are still a few in the tank subsisting off of the various populations of microfauna in the substrate. The tank still houses all of the same fish as well as a trio of my fiance's crested geckos. I am thinking about getting rid of the water in the tank and housing a pair of Abronia graminea in there or perhaps a colony of dwarf chameleons. Still not sure though. The tank itself and all of the plants are doing well though.

The water level is 8" high. I believe I measured it to be exactly 1/3 of the tank height.

Thanks for the interest, I will post updated pics soon.


----------



## VivNoob

frankpayne32 said:


> Sorry for the delay, I haven't been on this board in awhile. I will have to take some new pics and post an update of the tank.
> 
> I have pretty much gotten out of dart frogs as I have been strongly focusing on my chameleon and abronia breeding projects. I sold what I believed to be most of the frogs in the tank. Invariably I missed a few anthonyi tads or froglets and there are still a few in the tank subsisting off of the various populations of microfauna in the substrate. The tank still houses all of the same fish as well as a trio of my fiance's crested geckos. I am thinking about getting rid of the water in the tank and housing a pair of Abronia graminea in there or perhaps a colony of dwarf chameleons. Still not sure though. The tank itself and all of the plants are doing well though.
> 
> The water level is 8" high. I believe I measured it to be exactly 1/3 of the tank height.
> 
> Thanks for the interest, I will post updated pics soon.


I have read through the Build... I love it!!!!!! You have made me decide to rebuild mine!!!!


----------



## rigel10

I wonder why this thread does not have 5 stars!


----------



## JCK

Awesome tank. I really love the big waterfeature and the giant broms. If it were mine I would change only one thing: I would only put in fish from South America. I know that almost everyone is putting in tropical plants from all over the world, but since I have kept tropical fish since early childhood, it would irritate me. I am glad I am not a botanologist though

What I find absolutely intolerable from an aesthetic standpoint though is building a beautyful piece of Jungle and then stocking it with red platies or dragonswordtails, albino corydoras and other color breeds( even if the wildform of the species is from the same habitat). There are so many nice wildmorphs of fish (like the endlers or other livebearers like the small Xiphophorus species or even dwarf chichlids, Otocinclus, various Rivulus species) that should be treated like our pure frog lines.


----------



## VivNoob

Remember this isn't your tank though

Sent from the woods of New England


----------



## frankpayne32

VivNoob said:


> I have read through the Build... I love it!!!!!! You have made me decide to rebuild mine!!!!


Thanks! Revisiting this thread has made my interest in improving the tank grow.



rigel10 said:


> I wonder why this thread does not have 5 stars!


Thanks! I'm not even sure how stars are awarded on this site. 



JCK said:


> Awesome tank. I really love the big waterfeature and the giant broms. If it were mine I would change only one thing: I would only put in fish from South America. I know that almost everyone is putting in tropical plants from all over the world, but since I have kept tropical fish since early childhood, it would irritate me. I am glad I am not a botanologist though
> 
> What I find absolutely intolerable from an aesthetic standpoint though is building a beautyful piece of Jungle and then stocking it with red platies or dragonswordtails, albino corydoras and other color breeds( even if the wildform of the species is from the same habitat). There are so many nice wildmorphs of fish (like the endlers or other livebearers like the small Xiphophorus species or even dwarf chichlids, Otocinclus, various Rivulus species) that should be treated like our pure frog lines.


Thanks for the compliment. 

To each their own, I didn't want to be limited in what flora and fauna could be included. Also, I'm only a school teacher and I have only so much money to throw at the tank so sometimes I have to go with more common plants and animals. I go by what is appealing to me and what I can afford. Much of the plants, fish, and animals in this tank were given to me by friends even. Also, what is intolerable to you may be enjoyable to others.




VivNoob said:


> Remember this isn't your tank though
> 
> Sent from the woods of New England


Thanks for the sentiment but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Some people are more critical than others.


----------



## frankpayne32

Updated pics as promised


----------



## mitchy

Frank, I just wanted to thank you for the posts! I found this thread very useful and inspirational! Thanks!


----------



## frogfreak

rigel10 said:


> I wonder why this thread does not have 5 stars!


It does now. 

Great build Frank! Top notch!


----------



## frankpayne32

mitchy said:


> Frank, I just wanted to thank you for the posts! I found this thread very useful and inspirational! Thanks!





frogfreak said:


> It does now.
> 
> Great build Frank! Top notch!


Wow thanks! I'm touched and surprised at the level of interest. I will do my best to keep the thread updated and will be here to answer any questions.


----------



## frankpayne32

Couple of plants blooming or in the process off.

Nice bromeliad inflorescence.





This miniature orchid is about to bloom. Bought it as a cheap out of bloom specimen so I'm excited to see what kind of flowers it has.


----------



## NickBoudin

This has to have been my best read so far tonight. From post 1 to here, fantastic. I was a bit excited when I watched as you didn't take hours to sit there and "sculpt" and shape the foam as people tend to forget most of this gets hidden with growth. 

Again, exceptional build.


----------



## frankpayne32

NickBoudin said:


> This has to have been my best read so far tonight. From post 1 to here, fantastic. I was a bit excited when I watched as you didn't take hours to sit there and "sculpt" and shape the foam as people tend to forget most of this gets hidden with growth.
> 
> Again, exceptional build.


Thanks a lot. I love the detail that some people go into with their backgrounds. Their are a lot out there that are much better looking than mine but I just don't have the patience for that! You're right, not even half is visible at this point.


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## frankpayne32

Took some above-tank pictures today while doing a little pruning.


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