# 36gal bowfront redo



## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

I've decided to redo a 36gal bowfront viv for the 2nd time it is going to house a pair of azureus or possibly suriname cobalts. Ive made some fake rocks and I plan on putting clay in between them. 

Here's the progress so far...










here's the false bottom I left an inch or two around the outside perimeter to be be filled with lava rock and hide the ugly white eggcrate.










I started by cutting the foam into general shapes and using toothpicks to hold them together. I then used a rasp to carve it to the desired shape



















I then covered most of the foam with Quikcrete mortar mix.





































I then mixed up some drylok and tinted it to make it a dark grey. Later on Ill do some detail work to make it a less uniform color. I also made a stream bed out of Greatstuff. The stream will flow into a shallow pool at the front of the tank and disappear behind the big rock on the left side. 










The pump will be hidden in the back right corner and pump the water up through pvc pipe along the top and down to the outlet of the stream on the left side. The pvc be hidden by a great stuff/silicone/peat covering.










I placed to 1in pieces of foam in the corner to create an access to the pump. Eventually Im going to put a piece of "tree trunk like" driftwook against it and some more fake rocks, clay vines etc around it....










starting to make some vines...

More coming soon!!


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

looking great so far. I just got my bowfront yesterday and im looking for ideas as well


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## R.variabilis (Sep 15, 2011)

Looks like a great tank! keep updating, I wanna see how this comes together.


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments.  Bowfront tanks are awesome! Update coming soon


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Just a tip (if your patient, 3+ months) instead of detailing the rocks, in about 4 months the rocks will have green moss for an even natural look. This tank is coming along better than some pro faux rock tanks!


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

thanks! yes definately looking forward to seeing moss grow in, around, and over the rocks.  I think I'll still do some drybrush etc to break up the uniform color and give them some depth...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Looking good so far!


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

alright here's a picture of my drift wood in place....not sure if I like it or not...thoughts?


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Alright so its time for another update! I'm just about done I just have to install the light and air circulation fan and wait for the tank to establish for a few weeks before adding the frogs. So here it is:

Ok so Ive seen alot of people asking about plexiglass vs glass lids and people asking about plexi warping. I decided to go with plexi because its easier to cut and drill and as far as the warping I decided to show everyone how I prevent it...










Ok so the supplies I used were .22in plexiglass, .25in aluminum channel, silicone and gorilla super glue and epoxy.










After the plexi was cut to fit the shape I used a miter box and hack say to cut the aluminum channel to fit all strait sides of the lid including the door where the hings would be. I had to use pliers to make the channel fit snuggly aroung the plexi then I glued them in place.(I had to use gorilla epoxy on the hinges. Gorilla superglue wouldnt work for some reason.) 










Then along the front I applied a thick bead of silicone on the underside to create a tight fit to keep humidity and frogs inside. I then pressed it down on wax paper(silicone doesnt stick very well to wax paper) to make sure the silicone was even with the aluminum channel. Then I cover both sides of the plexi with tape and spray painted it black and let it dry and thats it for the lid.










Here's the pump its a Minijet-404. I used some foam filter media(for ponds) to creat a make shift filter. The main reason being to keep debris out of the pump.










Here I added decorative stone and gravel to the water area and lava rock across the front to hide the egg crate. I also mounted a fake liana and put in the mesh substrate divider.










Here I added clay in between the rocks and filled the tank with water and soil. I will put moss, vines, bromeliads, etc. in between them and hopefully eventually it will look like rocks with plants growing out from between them. 










Here's a pic of the stream and pool.

More pictures of the planting to come! Comments Suggestions welcome.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

how fast does that stream run? can you post a video?


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## Frank H (Nov 3, 2005)

looking awesome! Keep us updated please.


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Alegre323 said:


> how fast does that stream run? can you post a video?


Not sure exactely how fast it is. The pump has adjustable flow with 6 "settings" the highest setting is 108gph; right now its running at its second lowest setting. I'll try to make a video soon.


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## Alegre323 (Sep 2, 2011)

Bokfan1 said:


> Not sure exactely how fast it is. The pump has adjustable flow with 6 "settings" the highest setting is 108gph; right now its running at its second lowest setting. I'll try to make a video soon.



Ok. Im holding off on building my tank again til i figure out what i wanna do....
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk


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## SutorS (Feb 20, 2011)

absolutely keep updated. Love the rocks, driftwood (what kind?) and avatar of Brian Habana


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## brinkerh420 (Oct 2, 2011)

Add some Neo broms and moss. It's looking great! Especially with the pauldarium feel because of the pond in front. Love it.


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Tahnks for the comliments Ive added the plants so I'll try to get some pics up soon.



SutorS said:


> absolutely keep updated. Love the rocks, driftwood (what kind?) and avatar of Brian Habana


Its maylasian driftwood, and thanks. Are you a Springbok fan?


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## SutorS (Feb 20, 2011)

ah well it's a nice piece. I am first and foremost a USA rugby fan


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Alright Ive got it planted and have a temporary light over it. My final light fixture sould be in tomorrow and Ill take some pics then.



SutorS said:


> ah well it's a nice piece. I am first and foremost a USA rugby fan


Ahh I see well I do like them as well since I live in the US and all


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## xsputnikx (May 11, 2010)

Very Nice I might have to do something similar to that layout in my next tank


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Alright so its time for an update on the planting. Its been planted now for almost 2 weeks and the plants seem to be growing well. The microfauna in the tank booming so the frogs should have plenty of food to snack on once they get in the tank.  Right now Im just trying to let the plants establish a little more and fatten up my female azureus before putting her in the tank with a male (that I still have to buy). Im also planning on putting a few more plants in the water area. Im thinking some babytears and azolla would look great. Anyways here's the pictures sorry fro the poor quality I'll try to get some better ones with a camera I'm more familiar with...



















Heres a pic of the pool as you can see the water level looks too high but if you look at the line at the top of the tape that is where the water level is under the soil so the soil is plenty high enough out of the water..



















Suggestions/questions welcome!

Also Im looking to put an air circulations fan in. Does anybody have specific links for a 40mm fan and an adapter with adjustable voltage?

Thanks.


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Nice! If I were you Id put a glass frog or two in there!


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

That turned out real nice!


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Glad people are liking it. I certainly do!i plan on adding a few more non invasive plant and an air circulation fan. Anyone one have links to a good one and and adapter with adjustable voltage. I may just start a thread asking that question...



Dendroguy said:


> Nice! If I were you Id put a glass frog or two in there!


Not familiar with them....are they nocturnal?


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

Looks great, can't wait to see it once it has grown in some.



Dendroguy said:


> Id put a glass frog or two in there!


Are you sure that is a good recommendation for this tank? I have never kept them, but from the small amount of research I have done it seems that the lack of broad-leaved plants would make it unsuitable.


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## froggies3 (Feb 1, 2011)

Wow that looks great, hope to see some frogs in there soon.


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## Colleen53 (Jan 19, 2009)

Well done and thought out. The plants look great. I wouldn't put too many more plants in though. Your rocks are the vocal point and if you put too many plants in, they will be hidden in no time. The azureus will enjoy the small pond. Right before my female azureus will be laying eggs, she goes down to the pond and soaks her behind. Interesting to watch and know when the "time" is coming.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

I just saw this for the first time. I must say it's one of the nicest builds I've seen in a while. The rock work is sublime, and will only get better over time. Please keep us updated.


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words. No I dont plan on putting too much more in. I'm thinking about trying some miniature orchids. Any suggestions on some good begginer species?


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## gigiols (Apr 7, 2011)

I am sorry there are some things i do not understand. If the pump will brake how do you take it if is beneath the false bottom !? If you have your terrarium in a acquarium without vents on the sides and on the front how will you reach the exact ventilation for your tank !?


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

gigiols said:


> I am sorry there are some things i do not understand. If the pump will brake how do you take it if is beneath the false bottom !? If you have your terrarium in a acquarium without vents on the sides and on the front how will you reach the exact ventilation for your tank !?


The pump is actually in the back right corner behind the pink foam (See below) there is nothing covering it so replacing the pump is simple...I just pull it out the top. 

I dont have any ventilation on this tank. It just gets fresh air when I open the lid everyday. Thanks for the interest!



Bokfan1 said:


> I've decided to redo a 36gal bowfront viv for the 2nd time it is going to house a pair of azureus or possibly suriname cobalts. Ive made some fake rocks and I plan on putting clay in between them.
> 
> Here's the progress so far...
> 
> ...


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## davidadelp (Sep 29, 2010)

Very nice! i love vivs with water features but when I try them myself they never work right. I cant seem to control my water to where its not soaking my substrate to. How is your substrate holding up?


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

My substate seems to be holding up just fine. Its my own version of ABG mix.. I had a little bit of trouble with it splashing over the side but I lowered the flow on the pump and put a 1in buffer of gravel aroung the pool and that seemed to help..


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## froggies3 (Feb 1, 2011)

There is a thread that I started about good beginner mini orchids in the plants section here, I would look there.


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

froggies3 said:


> There is a thread that I started about good beginner mini orchids in the plants section here, I would look there.


Alright, i found it thanks!


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Quick update:
just bought a pair of azureus they should be in Wed. I'll take some pics when I get them in.

Here's a few updated pics:










View from the right.










View from the left.



















Neo. fireball x punctatissima



















Tillandsia caput medusae. Really cool air plant if you look on the second pic you can see the roots attaching to the driftwood.









My new fan. I didnt realize how loud 51 decibels was. Guess I'll start looking for a quieter fan. lol

Thats all for now...


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## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice work! I had the same problem with a small fan - using an adjustable power supply worked wonders.


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## bstorm83 (Jul 16, 2007)

I do have one question what is keeping the little pond water level higher then the rest?


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

That actually was not intentional. It's because the pump is pumping water into the pond faster than the water can drain out between the fake rock and gravel.


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## bstorm83 (Jul 16, 2007)

oh ok thanks...i was figuring that but wasn't sure. I am doing a 46 bow right now and trying to do a decent water feature


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## Bokfan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

yep just takes some playing around with. good luck!


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