If he did an update on that tank:

- much of the moss species he added will likely have died (it looks like preserved moss from floral arrangements or 'pillow moss' or 'frog moss' which almost certainly died and rotted.)

- unless he did regular water changes, the water will be a tan from the tannins leaching out from the wood/plant material.

- hard to say about the plants, but he may have needed more light


That all aside the design and implementation was rather good. I was impressed with the rock substrate he used in the foreground and how well it all blended and the fogger never fails to impress. (Although misters will yield 100 fold better results, foggers do look neat.)

If I had built that tank I would have drilled and bulkheaded the back glass of the tank (not the bottom) a few inches up from the bottom and run a canister filter, filled with charcoal laden pantyhoses, to drive the waterfall. Without the charcoal to remove the tannins, they build up and take the water from the clear look in the video to the tea we are all familiar with. Bioballs were there for ease of use. He could have used eggcrate or foam just as easily. Eggcrate works well to help keep the total water volume up in the system, but it's a pain to work with. The more water in any system the more stable it will be chemically speaking. (The solution to pollution is dilution. At least until you can remove/degrade it.)

Your tank with 20 gallons will do best with a small canister, even if it's just to help keep the water moving around. Vivariums/paludariums need to keep the water turning over to avoid anaerobic conditions which can easily build up in our bioload heavy environments. I like to use the cheap Cascade 500's and one of those should work fine with your tank. If you bulkhead the back, priming can be a little challenging, but I found that when priming the pump to remove the return line hose. This reduces the pressure and helps to get the water started moving. Once the water begins to flow out of the OUT spout, I flip it OFF, reattach the OUT hose and allow water to flow until it equalizes, then plug in and it works great. Drilling the back of the tank allows you put the tank on whatever surface you want and makes moving it a lot easier. I broke a tank when it shifted because the weight of the tank ended up on a bottom drilled bulkhead, so now I never drill the bottom of any tanks anymore. Made life a LOT easier.

Personally, I don't like the raw GS look. I feel like it could be covered in something to work or look better. GS is a great glue and construction tool but I've always seen it as a initial layup or glue material that if it's exposed it's because I did something wrong or missed a spot. Though the black is preferential to the white/yellow ascetically speaking.

The ferns were a good choice for the high water environment and hopefully took over the back like he hoped. The moss, unless, I'm mistaken, probably didn't take off. Unless you personally collect the wild moss yourself, or buy if from someone in a wet, live, state, it's just there to look nice for the next week before it begins to rot. Rarely does it ever come back in my experience, and usually when it does it's not the live tissue, but the spores.

 

I think that 72 bows are all tempered glass but cant remember. I would deft check. I found a site online and it said you could check if glass is tempered with an LCD screen. Tempered glass will make the screen appear to have lines, regular glass wont. and I think he is just using a pre-filter may have a charcoal bag in there also. seems to work i guess..

 

Vivworks and Sloanman thanks for the quick reply. The tank is tempered and I'm now coming to realize it can not be drilled. I will have to run all feeds up and out. Now, do any of you have suggestions? I guess it's less work.. But might be hard to disguise.

 

Although id like to avoid running pipes out of the tank, and rather use something submersible that I can feed through a water feature. Not sure of the products out there and their quality. Would it help if I minimized the amount of water?

 

I think I have a few options.. (A) I can use a small internal/submersible filter, and then just use some rio pumps to supply the water features. (B) Orrr I can still have a sump with a HOB-filter and just run PVC up and out the back, then back up and expelled through misters. (C) Then there's just sumping with a canister filter.

I would like to keep costs down, so let's keep that in mind. Also convenience and accessibility when it comes to water changes and maintenance.

I like each for different reasons.. (A) no PVC out the top, and water never leaves the tank.. (B) Its more convenient for water changes, and I already have a HOB filter.. (C) I like because it's the "right" way to do it. Fully accessible and convenient.

Again, I cannot drill this tank.. Tempered glass.

 

I know there's some knowledgable people out there!

 

With your volume of of water, being that prominent of a feature in your design, in-tank filtration will not be enough. You will need to have a sizable and easily accessible and exchangeable activated carbon filter. The easiest way I've done this in hundreds of builds is using a canister. You can still use one without drilling you'll just need to use a pump to prime it. Set up everything, and use a pump to push water up into the hoses of the filter. Remove pump, turn on canister. Bad thing is if it looses suction you'll need to re-prime it again with the pump so make sure you can get to the hose.

Sumps and other ideas work too, but now you're looking into more work and cost which you said you don't want.

Good luck. Should be neat to see what you come up with.

 

Yeah I was talking to a friend and he also said to use a canister. I'm thinking about using the Ehiem classic.. It says it's good up to 40 gallons. Should this be good enough? It's more than I was hoping to spend.

 

What are you planning to put in this tank? Whatever you decide to stock it with, the animal must be paludarium safe (make sure it can swim in water well). It looks like a good start, I hope it goes well for you.

 

I was going to recommend the same one.

 

I saw somewhere where a guy used a rio pump in tank to a set of reverse osmosis canisters that hung on back of tank. it went thru 3 canisters before coming out the last one down a water fall. they sell them at Lowes and HomeDepot ...stage would be pre=filter-charcoal=polisher.

 

I was hoping to do some darts, not sure what species.. I cut the water feature area down by half, so it's like a narrow shallow space about a foot long. If you have any suggestions on what to keep, id love to hear it.. My intention was darts.

Also I have seen so many people use a sticky moss mix that they coat the back of the tank with or certain spots.. Know the ingredients?

 

I just checked out the RO filters and they're just too expensive for my first build.. Maybe down the line. I'll probably go with the canister and expel through a waterfall in the corner.

I'm also thinking about incorporating a misting system from must kings down the line.

Definitely going to need some good big pieces of drift wood too.

Thanks guys, I promise this Viv will be worth the watch.

 

 

there like 20 bucks a can at Lowes
...but yeah the classic is plug and play.

 

What brand is that?

 

Let me make myself more clear.. There will still be about 15-20 gal throughout the tank, just the majority under the false bottom. Only a small portion will be accessible by inhabitants

 

yeah I get it. there will only be about 4 inches of water in the bottom and your concern is getting to the water level with a pump or a pipe because you cant drill.

 

sorry I just pick a random pic but that's similar to what they have at the box stores

 

if it was mine I would go with the classic that we talked about before

 

or even cheaper is the c80 for up to 20gals...Rapids C80 Canister Filter - Up to 20 gal. | thatpetplace.com

 

You should be able to do darts, as long as at least 2/3 of the floor (preferably more) is available for the darts to walk on around (as in, no water in at least 2/3 of the tank) and the parts that do have water are maximum 2-3" deep with gravel on the bottom (as a foothold in case a dart falls in) and several large features (wood, large rocks, etc) that rise well above the water line to provide a place for any darts to climb out of the water. Personally, I would get a large cork round (long, not wide) and extend it from the land side into the water, providing a place for a frog to climb out of the water while being able to get to the land without swimming or hopping long distances (so, basically, a cork bridge). Also, the land where the pond begins should slope down gradually and have gravel glued onto it to make it easier for darts to climb up and out of the water.

As long as the above precautions are met, I don't see why you couldn't have darts in it. I would personally stock it is some type of large Ameerga species, as they are huge frogs and they have really strong back legs (less of a risk of drowning) and I have heard that in the wild, some species of Ameerga are more abundant by sources of water then other darts, which would imply that they appreciate water more then other species of darts as well. I believe they are also an under-appreciated frog, so you'd be helping out an Ameerga species in the hobby by raising awareness and letting people know how awesome they are.

I hear that their calls are deafening though, and that can be a huge con. In the end, it's your decision to make, and no one else can make it for you, although one can try.

Edit: Make sure that you seal off the water access to under the false bottom with egg crate to keep any frogs from getting trapped underneath it.

 

Thanks Frogdude! I'm looking forward to adding something, but I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. As of right now, the way the hardscape/water looks, that species seems like a good option.

The tank will be 2/3 land, along with the other things you mentioned.. Gravel in a gradual slope up to the land, large rock or cork round, etc..

Still curious about the moss mix people plaster all over their vivs to help initiate growth and fill in backgrounds.

 

No problem. Keep in mind that it's ok to decide the frog species before you build the tank. Actually, it's recommend to do that so you can taylor the tank to that specific frogs needs. The species of frog I want is the first thing I decide when I build a new vivarium.

 

So I sort of did a run down of the things I need.. And it's a lot haha. I'll try to list them in order of what I need first.

-canister filter $75 (online)
-extra tubing $5 (local)
-eggcrate $15 (lowes)
-substrate divider $10 (online)
-ABG mix $40 (online)
-fern/moss mix.. Something for the background to grow in $?
-black gravel & river stones $20
-large piece of driftwood $75 (online or local)
-other pieces of wood $25
-misting system.. $200 (mist kings)

That's all I can think of at the moment. I know it's going to be a process, but an expensive one for sure..

Then after that's all said and done I need plants and animals..

 

Can probably get the "MistKing Starter System". I got it as a gift for my birthday and it works great. Says can use upto 10x nozzles. Think the nozzles are about $15. I know your not saving alot but maybe a couple extra nozzels and starter kit would run you around $130, sounds better than $200. Great investment.

MistKing Starter Misting System

 

Oh yeahh, and a light.. Unless an oddyssea aquarium will work.. I think it's 12000k

 

How long is the tank? I know the aqueon brand 72bow is about 4ft long, and in that case an inexpensive lighting system would be 2 of the 48" single bulb T5HO fixtures NEherp sells. I would provide a link but I haven't figured it out yet on this phone. Anywho, the fixtures come with the bulbs and they are just under $50ea.