46 gal bowfront viv construction journal "lots of pics"

[Adamrl018]

Ive been browsing various dartfrog forums and this one seems the most active :]

Hey guys I'm Adam and this is my 46g bowfront construction journal.
I got it yesterday and was so eager to get started this is 1 days worth of work so far!












I'm waiting on my "Dendro Bedding" and "Terra-Lite" from Black Jungle to continue on...
I just got a bunch of plants from Lowes and looking around local stores for some broms.

[Julio]

good start, any idea on what is going in yet?

[Adamrl018]

im getting some leucs from a local breeder

[stevenhman]

Cool! I think this is going to look even better once it's done.

Is that a lemon button fern? Now comes the fun of silicone & coco fiber!

[Adamrl018]

Originally Posted by stevenhman

Is that a lemon button fern?

Yep :] got it from black jungle. im ordering some broms right now

This is my first viv too im very stoked to get it finished!

[tommy2]

Looking good so far......!

[Adamrl018]

so i just got some "tropical soil brick" from the Petsmart across the street and this is a mess! i tried to get the silicone in every crack on the foam and patted the soil on it. it doesn't seem to be sticking... after I'm finished what is the easiest way to clean up the soil that didn't stick instead of lifting up the viv and letting it fall to the bottom?

[stevenhman]

Was the coco fiber dry when you tried to apply it to the silicone? The reason I ask is because it kind of looks wet in the picture.

The only method I know of it setting it upright and letting it fall off. I blow on it (or canned air) and shake the tank around a little to see how much falls off. Then reapply.

After that's done you could scoop it out or vacuum it up out of the bottom.


I noticed this earlier, is your powerhead not removable? You might have problems down the line with the impeller getting all gunked up.

[Adamrl018]

/facepalm...
yeah it was damp when i put it on. damn. what should i do now?

[stevenhman]

Hmm.. good question. I would see if any sticks first off. If it's less than 80% stick (way below 50%) I would try:

Do a test patch with some dry coco and silicone again. Let it cure, see if it bonds to the old silicone, and that the coco sticks.

If that doesn't work let the whole shebang cure. Try Gorilla Glue and dry coco fiber. The gorilla glue likes to bubble. Use gloves. Let cure and see if everything bonds.

If that doesn't work you might have to tear the whole thing out (razor blades and elbow grease, no chemicals) and try again. This time armed with better knowledge!

I know I rushed my first tank because I was so excited and regret it now. I did a lot better on my 10g vert than my big 45g. Even if you have to scrap the background you can probably save some of the false bottom and wood. Even if it is a total loss on the background it gives you time to get all your plants together, find some good substrate materials, and try new things with a new background. (i.e. put a couple pots for plants in the background, make the pump accessible in case of failure, etc)