# New Pumilio Tank



## Tasiamay (Sep 4, 2006)

This is the second dart frog tank I've contructed. I think it turned out pretty well. Just waiting on the plants to get here to finish.

It's a 12x12x18 Exo Terra (bought from PetCo for the clearance price). It's also got the Exo Terra light hood. The small water feature is made from normal drip system tubing from Home Depot and the Tom Aquarium Pump (made for the CPR overflow for reef tanks). I used the Tom Aquarium pump b/c it has just the right amount of "drip" and it doesn't have to be in the tank, submerged in water to work ... which makes maintenence very easy!

Since I hate the silicone/coco fiber step, I decided to put the coco fiber directly onto the great stuff. I stuck fairly well and looks okay since I used the black kind. It's going to be covered with plants eventually anyway ... right?

It's going to house a pair of Mancreek Pumilios.


Full Tank Shot









Closer Full Tank Shot









Water Feature









Water Feature "Pool"









Tom Aquarium Pump


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

lloks, pretty sweet, i woudl give them a litte more space though in the future.


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## Abbathx (Aug 15, 2007)

very very nice start & ouch all 5 of your galact's are females


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## skronkykong (Jan 1, 2007)

That aqua lifter pump is a great idea. I might try the same thing! Wished I would have known about those before.


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## dvknight (Feb 20, 2004)

Would kindly share some information about that pump?


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

I like the landscape, looks good.


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

Looks good... One way I found that coco-fiber sticks well to the black great stuff, is to 1: put in on immediately! about 1/2" worth of cocofiber and pat down.... Than vacuum out the extra after a couple of hours...

I like how your pump is out of the tank,, and I agree that will make maintenance EASY!... can you just undo one end and let the pump suck out the water from the tank when doing water changes?


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

For the benefit of those who do or want to try the "spray black foam and smash" technique, here's what I do...

I start by preparing all my smash material and getting it ready and close to the tank. I use several differnt sizes of materials. Chunk peat and large coco husk give a really nice look and texture. Tree fern sticks, long coco fiber also make for an interesting look. The most important material to have is lots of fine coco fiber and/or peat. 

After all the materials are together, work quickly and spray the black foam in an even layer. Two sqft is about the max area to do at a time Don't try to make 3D features yet. Drop in the large materials. Bands of different materials look better IMO then an even spread. Then cover the whole mess with a thick layer of the fine material and smash it all in. Finger tips rather than the whole hand work better for adding texture. 

USE LATEX or VINYL GLOVES! 

Let it sit and check it every 5-10min. When places expand, dump on more fine material and smash it down. Within a hour or so it should be done most of its expanding. You can also poke a thin stiff wire into bulges to let the gas out. To add more depth and a 3D look, just repeat the process in selected areas to build it up. You can also touch up spots at the same time. 

I've also made small pieces of foamed and smashed pieces ahead of time and after they've dried, glued it to the background using more foam and material smashing around the joint. 

I don't vacuum the tank and just turn it over and rap the back side so the loose stuff falls off. All the loose stuff then goes through a strainer to recover the unused fine material to get ready for the next grab and smash.

It's definately a learned technique, and good or bad, it makes a nice looking silicone free background. 

Have fun out there!


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## boombotty (Oct 12, 2005)

Thanks for the tip about the pump, Kristin. That's a great idea to have it outside for easy access. For anyone looking I found them here: http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/fi ... lifter.htm.
Scott


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## dartboy2 (Aug 22, 2007)

Looks great so far, keep us updated.


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## Tasiamay (Sep 4, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the compliments!

The plants have arrived ... now I just need to get it planted & take some more pictures.

I got the idea of the aqualifter pump b/c my other expensive hobby is saltwater reef tanks. I love it, b/c it's outside of the tank & I didn't have to worry about creating a pump access. For waterchanges, AaronAcker is right ... I just unplug the "in" line and drain it into a bucket.

Here's another *Link* for the Aqualifter pump. You can find it at almost any store that carries fish supplies & they are fairly cheap.


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## dvknight (Feb 20, 2004)

Any updated photos? I'm interested to see that pump in action with the terrarium planted...


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## Tasiamay (Sep 4, 2006)

Just realized I never updated this thread with pics of the tank planted. The Aqualifter Pump is still working well, although you can't see the waterfall anymore due to the Broms & Cardinal Plant.

For now, it houses a single male Mancreek Pumilio. When I can find him a mate, they will go into a bigger tank.


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

Nice tank! What happend to the other blue jean?


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## topherlove (Jul 14, 2006)

i really really like this tank. Great job on the background.


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## Quaz (Nov 13, 2005)

Tasiamay:

If you don't have the aqualifter filter on there, you are going to want to and it's smart that you used the black air hose. You may have learned the lesson of algae clogging the lines on the C.S. overflow on your reef tank. I had the same idea for a drip system using the aqualifter. I think it is the perfect drip system for a frog tank.


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