30 X High Build

First question:

Just can't manage to get these old hard water stains off the glass. I have read alot on a fish forum that I am a member of and have come to believe that the glass has actually been etched over time by the calcium deposits.

The tank is old (says it mas manufactured in 1987) so this is a possibility but I thought I would ask here first to see if anyone has a different method for removing it. a 30min soak in white vinegar was completely ineffective and given the intended inhabitants, I am weary about using harsher chems.

Anyone had success at removing old hard water stains with their own method?

My other viv had them a lot worse, but it bugged the snot out of me so I would really like to take them off it at all possible.


Q2:

To remove the rim like my first viv or not?
Your opinions?

Do you think w/o it it sorta highlights the hard water marks?

Gearing up to make a big mess:


All black errythang:

I had planned on doing the back in black silicone but in the end I decided to go with black silicone on both the sides too. I would like to think it gives it a bit more of a dark, deep jungle feel.

Here is a pick of one of the vivs future inhabitants:

0.0.2 Dendrobates Auratus
Micro Spots I guess?
Patrick Nabors Line
Parents are F1's, So I guess these guys would be considered f2's?

Looking good. Cant wait to see the final product The other one doesn't use great stuff for the background which is why he has a lot of depth. As you can see he as cork bark and fern panels or cork tile. I would shave down the great stuff to make it look like rock and for the silicone to stick on well. I use the same method with my first build which was a 60 gallon. I notice white spots from the silicone not sticking to well to the shiny Gs. Eventually, i would need to go back and do touch ups. So sand the great stuff. "Im assuming" this is your first build;therefore, you will eventually see all the mistakes one makes and how you can do things different next time. Make sure you have your humidity and temp right b4 you put PDFs in. Make sure you let the silicone cure for more than 24 hours or even days. Do a smell test. After you finish building. Put a lid on it, mist it and let it rest for a few days. Check for the faint smell of silicone. Hopefully everything works for you. Overall looks good.

After the GS set it was time to silicone the background and attach some coconut fiber and peat moss.


This stuff is inspired by the fake vine that they sell at the big box pet stores. It is just old polypropylene rope coated with some brown GE silicone and more peat. I wasn't about to spend that kind of money on something so simple and actually think the DIY stuff is more realistic.


A view from atop...


After adding substrate...


Here come those DIY vines and a couple smaller pieces of driftwood...


And of course, planting...


I waited about 3 days after the last silicone application to add the frogs. They were a little freaked out at first I think. I'm glad I added as many under-story plants as I did because the first day they were in there it seemed their favorite activity was to climb to the highest point they could find before leaping clumsily towards the front glass.


I still have some viney/ivy type plants and a couple of crypts on order. I'm going to have to thin out some of the plants I currently have in there to fit them. This is only about half the plant species I hoped to pack in there but space limitations are going to force me to make some trade-offs. Next week, after I get the arrangement just right, I will try to post some nicer pics of the finished product.