# 54 gal. AGA Corner Build



## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Just consolidating some of my random posts to one thread. I'll try and share the progress of this build as often as I can.

build a stand...90% done









refine the stand...80% done









design a top...75% done









must include fans, rain reservoir, light, while staying under 5/8" tall 
(sitting flush with the lip of the tank) **obviously the light is the 
exception here....50% done 




































LOTS more work to come


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Uh....Lee...

What's the handgrenade doin' on the shelf?


......I'm.....worried......


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## Jason (Oct 14, 2004)

Philsuma said:


> Uh....Lee...
> 
> What's the handgrenade doin' on the shelf?
> 
> ...




Looking good! Very sharp and looks top quality.


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## Phyllobates (Dec 12, 2008)

Looks cool. So are the fans pulling air through the triangular vent in back?

I had to laugh about the grenade as well. I had this image of you getting ready to work:

"Alright- fans? check. Random remote control? Check. Grenade? Check."


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Philsuma said:


> Uh....Lee...
> 
> What's the handgrenade doin' on the shelf?
> 
> ...


Thats for when millipedes, slugs, or chytrid take over your terrarium........better safe then sorry ;-)


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

lol, the grenade is my contingency plan for tanks that dont work out as planned.

Actually the triangular section in the back is the rain reservoir. I'll have a minijet404 recirculate water up into that section (note the silicone'd angles sealing it off). Its just an idea for incorporating a rain chamber into the main tank for the S. gottlebei that will be calling it home.

Most likely I'll have one fan blowing in and the other out to create a decent flow of air across the front glass. I'm hoping that will dry up any condensation or rain splashes that make it up front.


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## McBobs (Apr 26, 2007)

I'm confused on how the rain reservoir works....

-Matt


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

pretty sweet!! what size fans are those?


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

McBobs said:


> I'm confused on how the rain reservoir works...


dont worry, so am I  once I get a bit further it should make more sense



Julio said:


> pretty sweet!! what size fans are those?


two 80mm fans, probably overkill but noone likes a foggy tank in the living room.


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

ok, a little progress. I ended up drastically reducing the number of rain holes and dropping the diameter to 1/16". The effect is pretty much perfect and the minijet on its lowest setting keeps the reservoir filled but not overflowing. Its getting there...

The only catch I need to noodle through is from a dry start I need to break the water tension on all the holes to get them to start dripping. I've tried beveling the holes and even putting a nick in them but that hasn't seemed to fix the problem. any ideas?


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## Phyllobates (Dec 12, 2008)

So does it overflow the trough before it starts dripping? Perhaps more pressure? Allow the chamber to fill to a higher height so that the water pressure forces it through. 

I imagine as bacteria slime grows in the holes they will clog too. Hmmm.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Hey Lee,

Great job so far! Not sure if this would work... but maybe a piece or two of thread or coco fiber dangling through the holes; something that will wick some moisture downward to get a drip started. Fishing line could be worth* a try, but it might not create enough of a capillary effect. 

Best,
Mike


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Phyllobater said:


> So does it overflow the trough before it starts dripping? Perhaps more pressure? Allow the chamber to fill to a higher height so that the water pressure forces it through.
> 
> I imagine as bacteria slime grows in the holes they will clog too. Hmmm.


It probably would if I didn't get them going. I only have 5/16ths of an inch to fit all of this so a higher water column isn't an option. I'm thinking of attaching a thin piece of stainless wire into each of the holes and seeing how that helps. The good thing is if something does get clogged its just a matter of lifting off the top cover and wiping it down. I'll definitely need to put in some sort of standpipe overflow for good measure though.


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## Phyllobates (Dec 12, 2008)

bellerophon said:


> I'll definitely need to put in some sort of standpipe overflow for good measure though.


Always a good idea

Where will your water resevoir be located, under a false bottom or external?


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## dylanserbin (Apr 11, 2009)

wow, i am impressed. I cant wait to see it when its done. The rainmaker lid thing is so cool.. wish i thought of it first. haha


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

The water will be recirculated from the bottom of the tank.

There's still time dylan, if you can perfect it before I finish the credit's all yours


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

Cool Lee, nice job on the stand! I'll look forward to seeing this develop. If all else fails you can always just stick a rainbar inside the tank.


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Lee,
is the rain panel going to be exposed on top of the tank?


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

roxrgneiss said:


> Hey Lee,
> 
> Great job so far! Not sure if this would work... but maybe a piece or two of thread or coco fiber dangling through the holes; something that will wick some moisture downward to get a drip started. Fishing line could be worth* a try, but it might not create enough of a capillary effect.
> 
> ...


hrmm, didn't work. I might have to open the holes a little wider but then I lose the nice drop size.



Devin Edmonds said:


> Cool Lee, nice job on the stand! I'll look forward to seeing this develop. If all else fails you can always just stick a rainbar inside the tank.


rainbar?!? then how would I get me over engineered merit badge?



Dane said:


> Lee,
> is the rain panel going to be exposed on top of the tank?


nope, if you look at the pics on the first page it actually has a cover that sits on top. Then on top of that I've made another (not pictured) cover that will enclose the lights and power supply for the fans.


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## afterdark (Jan 16, 2007)

Have you had to pull the grenade out yet?


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## Uncaonce (Mar 11, 2009)

Great idea about the rain resevoir! I think the idea of thread might work to get it flowing.


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## boogerman (Dec 27, 2008)

ok I have an idea for breaking the tension, I havent tried it just a thought what if you took the drill bit put it in the hole you drilled and kinked it so that the hole is at an angle instead of level ..............HAH dang just hit me, ok I know this will work vibrate the rain panel take mabye a small "massager" wobble type weighted motor on a 2-4 second timer to get things going. good luck on this , you must do metal fabrication cause the tank is CLLLLLLLLEEAAAAAAAANNN! truly top notch


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

I wonder if the vibration of the fans going would do enough. Probably not. I would not think it would take much though. I'm really surprised that a thread would not work. Perhaps trying different materials for a wick other than wire?

I thought I was bad on over engineering things! Nice work Lee. Good luck on this riddle, I hope you get it working well and post updates as you go, and status down the road on the tank once it is up and operational..


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## vrmarkii (May 20, 2009)

Is your rain tray sealed? You could try pressurizing it for a couple of seconds with a cheap air pump for an aquarium.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

What if instead of just a circular hole, you make a keyhole or teardrop shaped opening. I'm not sure how fine you can make it, but in a plastic mock up, it seems to work without increasing the size of the original hole too much. I'm guessing this is similar to your nick idea, but going just a little further seems to bring desired results. Just a thought.

Good luck. Interesting idea.


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Its open top so pressure is out. It seems to be a little more consistant starting recently. There could have been some residue from the laser film causing the excess tension.

I might give that teardrop a try though


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Just thought some of you might want an update to this thread. For those that aren't caught up, this corner tank will house a group of Agalychnis annae for a TWI breeding project. It was originally slated to be used for Nyctixalus margaritifer but Michael over at Sandfire had to put a hold on that project due to unexpected losses with stewards. As it stands I'm waiting for the right piece of wood to come along to be the inspiration for the rest of the tank.

Devin over at ripariumsupply was kind enough to help me with some greenery. I don't have much experience with emergent type plants so he hooked me up with a few that should fit the bill. Also threw in one of his Hanging Planters, very impressed. Seeing as the water in this tank is only about 3" deep its a bit too tall so dont be surprised if you spot it in one of the tanks at the zoo, its really a neat idea.

integrated rain system running








land to water ratio








light/power shroud lifted *small form factor PSU mounted in the center for fans, etc.*








reservoir/electrical barrier removed.








rain system filling.


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

Did you figure out the issue you were having with the top?


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

yeah, I think there was some film on the stainless. seems much better now


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Had a few spare minutes at work so I whipped up a couple fan grills for the hood.


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

ha, thats really cool


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

sweet work Lee!!!


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## VivariumWorks (Feb 27, 2008)

Hey if you could set up a little kit with a small fan that can be plugged into a regular wall outlet and with a grill like that, I'd be VERY interested in buying a bunch from you. That is down right WICKED! Put a couple of those on a viv and you go from a nice tank to a seriously professional one! Let me know if you can make something like that up and roughly what the cost would be.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

That grill is rad bro! The whole thing looks amazing. It never ceases to amaze me what people come up with on here. Ever time I'm sure I've seen it all someone like you blows me away. The rainmaker is amazing!


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## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

Any updates Lee? It's got to be all grown in by now...


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Its actually nothing too special, I need more plants in the back but its tough finding them around here.


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## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

Nice! Those guys look all grown up. Any breeding yet?


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

none yet, the males call frequently but the girls *if there are any in there* have yet to fatten up. There are a few that are 3/8" longer than the rest so I'm hopeful I've got a mix of sexes.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

i was excited to see some gottlebei in a terrarium, but alas, no luck  

for the future... a relatively easy and good way to create a rain effect is to take a page from wet/dry filter construction. to achieve even saturation of media (in he case of the wet/dry) there is a tray made which uses a grid of routed lines. they have a V shape profile and run the length of some acrylic sheet and penetrate about 1/2 - 3/4 of the thickness of the sheet. holes are easily drilled at the intersection of these lines. this helps with uneven flow, and if you get the holes the right size you can achieve a nice drip from the system.

james


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## Noxtreme (Aug 10, 2010)

dude awesome!!! I'm about to build a viv out of the same tank. You saved me a ton of time in design and measurement. Going to have a lot more lights in mine though.
Thank you so much.
Dylan


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

Very nice, and yeah the fan grill is pretty sweet. I'd put that on my PC for sure lol.... You'd think more people would be using this shaped tank as a home viv... Maybe this will inspire some people to try them out more.


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