# First Vivarium... A few Questions...



## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Hello,

I'm starting my first vivarium shortly, I've bought a couple pieces of driftwood, a small water pump, and an exo-terra 12x12x18 (which I plan to alter according to a post on this site about making them FF-proof and able to contain humidity.

I've drifted around this forum for about a year off-and-on, gathering information on construction and everything... 

Anyhow, I have a few questions regarding the build of it. I would like to go for a GS foam background, with coco-fiber, and my two pieces of driftwood for the background components... One of my questions deals with the water feature, I'd like to have a waterfall coming down from the top of the tank into a pond at the bottom. I bought a little ZooMed pump and two feet of small-diameter hosing for it. I tested out the pump with the tubing, and it will push the water out to the desired height at about the right amount. The question is, how do I put this pump into the vivarium in a way that enables me access to it should something go wrong? Any tips on building this water feature are appreciated. Also, what should I use to create the pathway for the waterfall that won't weather away over time with constant water going on it. Of course, I would like to use something that looks decent and realistic. 

For my false-bottom I'm using egg-crate and PVC, should this cover the whole bottom since I am going to need to put a pump at the bottom of the tank? Or? I'm not sure how to construct it so that I can get the pump out if it breaks... Also, how high should the PVC pipes be off of the floor of the vivarium?

When I was in a LPS, I was looking at their vivariums, and they had the false-bottom, with screen over it, gravel, bark, then the fine substrate... Is this appropriate? Just using aquarium gravel over the screen, then the substrate? 

I hope I've worded this all in a clear way, but if I have confused anyone, I'll gladly reword it. 

Also, any tips on PDF's I could house in this smaller viv comfortably are appreciated. I like leucs, azureus, and auratus a lot. I would like to get a single pair of one of the species. A species that climbs a fair amount is great too since the vivarium is more vertical than horizontal.

I wasn't sure if this should have been posted in Parts And Construction, or Beginner Discussion. If I got the wrong forum, I apologize.

Thanks in advance,
-Neodoxa


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## brettlt (Oct 5, 2006)

To allow you access to the pump, you could cut a hole in the eggcrate for the pump and then cover it up with something like a sandwhich box sized gladware turned upside down, or smaller. How deep will your false bottom be? If it is deep enough, you could just use another piece of eggcrate. This could be foamed seperately to help match the decor. It will make a small mess to get to the pump, but it is better than taking the whole thing apart.
Some people just put the plastic tube right into the GS went it is sprayed to make the water feature. This troubles me if there were ever a problem, so I would use PVC piping that the hose can go through. That way, you could change the tubing if needed. The important thing is to plan it out before you are ready to start using Great Stuff.
For the waterfall I used river rocks and brown silicone to attach the rocks to the Great stuff background. I tried to kind of seal up my stream with silicone, but it still leaks. It is not really problem with the false bottom it all goes down anyway, and the flow ended up working out great. My pump is only a small 66 GPH, and I keep it at the lowest setting, even with a height of about 14".
For the substrate, I laid down fiberglass window screen over the eggcrate and then 1" of Leca, then two layers of window screen, then 1 1/2" to 2" of my substrate mix. My substrate mix contains, 2 part coco bedding, 1 part shredded oak leaves, 1 part milled spagum moss, 1 part small natural charcoal, and a little bit of washed playsand. I also put some full oak leaves on top of this mix where I could. I have a word file on different substrate mixes, pm me if you would like it. 
As far as what to house in it, I would think small, this is only about 11 gallons of space.


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Hey, thanks a lot for the reply! 

I just went out to Lowe's and bought some silicone and PVC for the false bottom. I got GE II Bioseal Brown silicone, having read some threads on here that said it was safe. I remember a while back there was some discrepancy with the Bioseal silicone being safe or not, and that it was concluded to not give a definite problem compared to regular GE II silicone. 

The PVCs I ended up getting were little straight couplings (pretty much just like precut pieces) that were about two inches high I would say. The pump I got says it can run smoothly with a centimeter of water, and, should the problem arise, can run without any water for 30 days without damage to the mechanics of the pump. So I figured the false bottom being two inches up would be fine. If not, let me know. It is a ZooMed Micropump. I want the waterfall to be about 3/4 of the way up the tank, so about 14 inches up is how far the pump needs to push the water.

I guess now I'm having problems figuring out where to position the pump. The background will be GS foamed and have driftwood on the back right side that is siliconed to the foam and background. So as far as putting it on the back right side, that is out. It would be impossible to get the pump out if problems arise with it. The left back is a possibility but would still be hard to get to if I need to take it out. 

I guess I'm still not sure where to put it, and how to put it in. Maybe someone can help me with that... I wanted the small pool of water to be in the front left. 

Thanks a lot,
-Neodoxa


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

The pump doesn't have to be in the pool... your entire tank will have 2 inches of water, but you will cut the eggcrate where you want the pool and drape your screen down to make "walls". The pump can be in the back under the false bottom, where you cut out a space for it and then cover it up (non-permanantly).

This make sense? 

Search around, there are lots of construction posts that show various ways of doing this. One way I saw was to use a LARGE diameter PVC in the back corner of the tank that runs from the top of the tank to the false bottom, completely sealing it off.


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Yes, I understand what you are saying... That was actually the route I was thinking of taking, just cutting out a spot for it, then putting separate egg crate over the pump, covering it in a way that makes it accessible, and that is that. 

Another question I now have since I've been diving into this project is about a spot for a syphon tube to change water from the false bottom when it gets too dirty. Would it be practical to just make the open spot where the pump goes big enough to stick a syphon tube in? Or is there some other way to do it that makes it so I dont have to tear up that corner of the tank every time I wish to syphon the water out and put new water in? 

I guess perhaps I could make the pond in some way where the screen could be removed to put the tube right into the pond to suck up the water? 

Any ideas...?

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate the help I'm getting here thus far.

-Neodoxa


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Ok, so I think I figured out the way I'm going to do my pump and syphon tube (to change water). I think I will use a large piece of PVC in the corner about an inch off the bottom of the false-bottom. The pump will be housed in this along with enough room to allow a syphon tube. The large pvc pipe will be in a corner and since it is a bit off the bottom will allow water access to the pump and syphon tube from the false-bottom. This way if something goes wrong with the pump I can just pull it all out through the large piping and fix the problem. It seems like it would work rather well. Replacing the waterfall tubing and pump would be very accessible if necessary. I just need to make sure it is secure so no frogs accidentally get in. 

I'm thinking of posting a construction journal for my very first vivarium...

Thanks for the guidance,
-Neodoxa.


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

I just thought of another question I have...

What lighting should I use for the 12x12x18 vivarium? I haven't gotten any plants yet, but I'm looking at, of course, some bromeliads, etc...

I did a search about Exo-Terra lighting and saw someone using a 65? watt Lights of America floodlight on their 18x18x24 Exo-terra... Would I need this much since mine isn't as tall? I couldn't find any posts about 12x12x18 Exo-Terras though.

Cheaper is always better, of course... So anyone have any ideas on lighting fixtures?

Since I have the water feature figured out, the false-bottom in, the GS foam bought, the bedding mixture (brettlt could you send me that document with substrate mixtures), etc... The only major thing left to figure out for construction is the lighting and the plant work... 

Lighting ideas are greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot,
-Neodoxa


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

For lighting:










A simple clamp-lamp and a 27W daylight spectrum twisty compact fluorescent bulb, about as cheap as it gets. If you want color on your broms though you will need to go with more.


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## forestexotics (Nov 14, 2006)

This is what I did on my latest tank.








I used an irrigation pipe bought from Home Depot for @4 bucks(you get like 10ft of it) , cut it to size, make holes in bottom, cover holes with screen, foam it in. Dont forget to add another hole further up for tubing to come out that will lead to beginning of water feature. Then add GS to cover up the irrigation pipe. Its quite easy and allows for easy access to pump.








heres a pic after GS'ing the tank.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

Neat idea!


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Yep, that is close to what I was trying to say a couple of posts ago. Using the irrigation tubing with holes drilled in it at the bottom coivered in screen is a good idea... I might just do that.

About the lighting, that clamp lamp and a 27W CF bulb would be enough to grow my plants successfully? Awesome. 

Thanks for the replies guys...! I'm coming closer and closer to my first PDF's by the day!  

-Neodoxa


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## brettlt (Oct 5, 2006)

The only problem with the 4" irrigation pipe is the ground area of your viv. It is only 12" by 12". A 4" pipe would take up about 11% of your ground area. I used a 4" pipe in mine, but mine is 36" by 12" and I still think it takes up a lot of the space.

I would go with a hole in the eggcrate, and covered up with more eggcrate. As long as the flow is what you want, you will not need to get to the pump unless it breaks or becomes clogged. This should not happen very often.

Your pump needs less than 1/2" of water, so 2" will be plenty. It is sometimes recommended to leave some air space between the water and the false bottom. I leave about 1/4" of air between the top of the water and the bottom of the egg crate. Since the eggcrate is 1/4" thick it is actually leaving 1/2" of air space. If you did this your water level would be 1 3/4".

It is great to ask questions here, there is so much help. I know without this board I would have had no idea how to build a viv.


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## DizzyD (Sep 19, 2006)

Just throwing an idea out there about the pump placement, do the eggcrate thing all the way up (vertically, like little walls), so no frogs can enter and GS over that. Some screening fastened tightly on the inside of the crate so the GS doesn't take over. Just make the area as small as possible so you can still access the pump. It'll save you a lot more space and you won't have to buy eight ft or whatever of drainage pipe. You should probably incorporate it into your background/waterfall to save even more space. Best of luck.


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Yeah, I have the PVC I need if I choose to go that route with the whole pumpline deal... But the egg-crate idea is also interesting... Hmm... That WOULD create a bit more groundspace perhaps, it may be a negligible difference since the pvc fits pretty tight to the pump size as it is... I'll check it out... Thanks for the input.

Question: For the screening above the egg-crate, is aluminum screen ok to use?


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## brettlt (Oct 5, 2006)

It seems like I read somewhere at aluminum screening was bad due to it oxidizing with the constant moisture. Most people use fiberglass screening, which is about $5 or $6 at Walmart, or available at your local hardware store.


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## Neodoxa (Oct 12, 2006)

Is fiberglass screening from Wal-Mart a seasonal thing, or? I can't seem to find it anywhere this time of year. 

Also, another question/problem... I think I got myself in deep for my first vivarium, as I'm sure many do... The whole waterfall thing changed into a trickle of water down a piece of vertical driftwood... Well... I am not sure how to provide drainage for this water feature, given the small ground space of the viv to begin with. Making a pond on the bottom would take up a hefty amount of ground space, no matter how small the pond was. So, I got to thinking, about perhaps protruding the GS background out past the bottom of the "waterfall" and have it drilled through down into the false bottom below, with screen over the whole. The water would never get to the substrate, just cycle through that way... 

Catch my drift? Would that work ok? 

-Neodoxa


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## DizzyD (Sep 19, 2006)

Sounds like a great idea to me, just make sure the depth isn't rediculous (no abyss here) and that there's a way out if it is of reasonable size. Oh, don't forget to silicone the drilled out area and painters tape off the screen area. That will help seal the "pond" better. Best of luck, and hit up the local hardware or home depot or lowes for that screen...


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