20g construction journal

Frog10 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 12:40 AM

Here is the start of my new 20g tank which i messed up on earlier. I decided to go with the false bottom instead of gravel because i am going to have a water feature.

These are the rocks will use for the water feature

the exo-terra submersible pump that will be used for water feature

Covered the intake of the pump with screening

Not sure if its accurate but its all i got

I am going to make one of those fake tree trunks out of those two pieces of egg crate to hide the pump and power cord.
Good start or bad? The pvc's are approximately 1 and a quarter of an inch. I will ask you guys to determine which frogs will go in there when it is finished.
Thanks

Marty71 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 12:57 AM

Hi Johnny,

This is coming from somebody with minimal experience (three tries to make a tank would be progress), but it looks like you have the false bottom covering the whole base minus a spot for a pump. I think you'll be better off if you leave a pond/waterfall area open, cut the false bottom back and screen off the false bottom around it so the frogs can't sneak underneath it. Then use rocks or driftwood to create a miniature retaining wall between the planted area and the waterfall/pond area. Hope that helps.....

Marty

Frog10 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 01:05 AM

umm that square cutout is where the pond is going to be

Marty71 · #4 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 01:09 AM

My bad. You can fit both the pump and pond there?

Frog10 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 10:59 AM

The pump fits under the eggcrate. I am going to gs the rocks into the backround and have the water come down the rocks and cascade into the pond

brettlt · #6 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 03:13 PM

How will you access the pump if it breaks?

DartMan · #7 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 05:51 PM

Jonny, I have to ask the same question as brettlt about access tot he pump. In fact, I have ask if you're open minded about possibly using another type of pump? I ask because my son has an Exo Terra pump and he's always having problesm with it, but his if fairly accessable to work on it. I've read a few posts on hear about other people having problems with Exo Terra pumps as well. You might want to reconsider looking into that. I don't mean to be negative, but better to know now about it than later and have to redo it all over again. Just consider it.

zBrinks · #8 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 07:45 PM

Ive had great success with 'Beckett's' pumps from Home Depot. Ive used them on aquarium refugia for years without incident. Ive had one running a water feature for 6 months now (all the way down the back of a 33 cube) and it's still going strong.

skronkykong · #9 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 08:00 PM

I finally bought a pond pump from Lowes after going through the overpriced pumps at pet shops. Mine does around 150 GPH and its was less expensive than the 90GPH pump I bought at a petstore that couldn't cut it (although it does have a built in filter that can be changed. I have 55 gallon though so the 90GPH one probably was too small (I'll sale it to anyone on here btw!).

Its better to get an adjustable pump that is too big and turn it down too. It will last longer. Also I would build a box around the pump under the false bottom with screen to provide for a third layer of protection. THat would just require putting three or four walls around it with screen over. Looks good so far though, good luck!

daemonfly · #10 (**permalink**) 01-04-2007, 08:02 PM

Looks like a good start. Perhaps instead of the V shape for the tree, you could make it a bit "rounder" by forming it into a "\_/" (3 pieces, front + 2 sides) this would give you a bit rounder trunk, and a bit more room to manuever the pump through it.

I got GS drying on my own tank right now