[Boyd75]

i'm modeling a 45 bow front.
how important is air flow?
warm air rises.
frogs will move the air.
air is moved by changes in pressure.
There will also be a stream that will move air.
are the fans necessary?

 

[Whitneyd88]

I personally make sure everything is sealed up. I dont even care for the little vents on the exo terra tanks (the fruit flies use them to escape) but I think those tanks look nice so I have some of them (but I also seal the mesh tops up with glass. I dont keep any fans in there, when I first started I was really paranoid about it so I made a little hole up top in the plastic of the glass top and I set a fan there that pulled air out, it ended up keeping my humidity really low so I ended up taking it off and covering up the hole. I saw a post where someone put a fan in there that I'm assuming turned on when the mister pointing towards it turned on. Its my understanding the plants perform the good oxygen exchange.

 

[Scott]

More important for some types of plants than the frogs you'll likely keep.

s

 

[Boyd75]

Thats what i'm thinking. the tank im doing will be air tight. glass top.
but ive been seeing builds with built in air ducts.
so I'm not sure if there's a huge benefit to this or not.

this is the tank
if the flow is necessary i can just add a duct in the right corner from top to bottom.

 

[Boyd75]

More important for some types of plants than the frogs you'll likely keep.

s

do you know what types of plants need strong air flow?

 

[carola1155]

air flow can be very important for helping your frog regulate their body temperature...

So depending on what kind of temperature control you have in the room you keep your frogs... it can be a necessity or you may put your frogs at risk of overheating easier.

As for plants, in my experience most ferns are going to want some air flow... if they end up with standing water on their leaves they pretty much melt, so the air flow will help the droplets evaporate. Some bromeliads need a bit of air flow around their roots or they will rot, but most in the hobby should be fine as long as they are not constantly wet

 

[Boyd75]

I just read somewhere that the fans also help with glass fog.
so i'm just going to put one in.

Now, Positions of vents and direction of flow...
Whats recommended?


My idea was to do a vertical duct in the corner. sucking air from the ground level and pushing it out the top, at an angle facing the front glass.

 

[carola1155]

Just to elaborate a bit on the temperature thing... fans in a totally sealed tank don't do much for cooling, you're still going to want some vents.

My tanks that I've had fans in always either just directed them at the glass or towards ferns, but I've never done a whole duct system so I can't really comment on that. I just use something like this for flow: DIY Air Circulation | GlassTropics

 

[Boyd75]

Just to elaborate a bit on the temperature thing... fans in a totally sealed tank don't do much for cooling, you're still going to want some vents.

My tanks that I've had fans in always either just directed them at the glass or towards ferns, but I've never done a whole duct system so I can't really comment on that. I just use something like this for flow: DIY Air Circulation | GlassTropics

Nifty,
KInda big and industrial looking, but well put together.
a pad heater at one end of the tank with a thermo regulator
how would that do for temp control.
as long as not set on a high it should suffice, yes?


but i do see a vent as a benefit to oxygen levels for the plants.
10 plants to 2 frogs, seems unstable. happy frogs, dead plants.

 

[Ed]

Its my understanding the plants perform the good oxygen exchange.

Except at night when they suck up O2 and release CO2..along with everything else respiring in the tank and yes, sealed up tanks are believed to have caused the deaths of frogs through CO2 poisoning... There was a study published in a European magazine/newsletter.

Some comments

Ed

 

[Whitneyd88]

Except at night when they suck up O2 and release CO2..along with everything else respiring in the tank and yes, sealed up tanks are believed to have caused the deaths of frogs through CO2 poisoning... There was a study published in a European magazine/newsletter.

Some comments

Ed

I did learn about this in aquaculture class but I didn't know it would be so severe as to cause death. Flies always manage to get out of my tanks so when I say sealed I don't inspect for open crevices. I would imagine the tank would have to be very heavily planted, have many frogs, and the lights would have to be off for an extended period of time for death to occur bc once the lights come back on the plants would start depleting that CO2 they generated and start generating more O2

 

[Whitneyd88]

I also don't have misting systems hooked up and running so I do open the lids everyday to spray a little bit

 

[Boyd75]

im most likely going for misting system

 

[jeeperrs]

It will be cheaper and easier to just make a screen and put on the top, instead of a total glass top. If you put the screen in the front of the lid, you will not have as much of a problem with fog. No wires and no fans needed. Plus, it helps keep the temps from getting so high in the tank, as compared to air tight. That is my best recommendation. I have a 90 gallon tank with about 4 inches of screen that run the entire width of the tank. I do about the same amount in my smaller tanks as well. All my frogs are breeding and healthy. I am a firm believer in passive air movement and use no fans.

 

[jeeperrs]

im most likely going for misting system

You will be very happy with a misting system I love mine.

 

[Boyd75]

It will be cheaper and easier to just make a screen and put on the top, instead of a total glass top. If you put the screen in the front of the lid, you will not have as much of a problem with fog. No wires and no fans needed. Plus, it helps keep the temps from getting so high in the tank, as compared to air tight. That is my best recommendation. I have a 90 gallon tank with about 4 inches of screen that run the entire width of the tank. I do about the same amount in my smaller tanks as well. All my frogs are breeding and healthy. I am a firm believer in passive air movement and use no fans.[


do you have a screen making method? lol I don't want it to look shizny, and a bow front screen seems difficult

 

[jeeperrs]

It will be cheaper and easier to just make a screen and put on the top, instead of a total glass top. If you put the screen in the front of the lid, you will not have as much of a problem with fog. No wires and no fans needed. Plus, it helps keep the temps from getting so high in the tank, as compared to air tight. That is my best recommendation. I have a 90 gallon tank with about 4 inches of screen that run the entire width of the tank. I do about the same amount in my smaller tanks as well. All my frogs are breeding and healthy. I am a firm believer in passive air movement and use no fans.[


do you have a screen making method? lol I don't want it to look shizny, and a bow front screen seems difficult

The bow front will make it more difficult. If you already have the glass top I would use the front section to fit the curve of the glass. You can have a glass cutter cut the glass so that you will have a flat end. I use window screen. You can get the metal piece for about $2.50 at Lowes (I get black) then you will put window screen in. If you can't get it cut then you can put the screen toward the back but I am not 100% sure how it will effect the fogging on the front. Here is a picture of a couple that I have done.

This is one I did for my Exo Terras. It is in the back because there a vent in the front. I am going to have the glass cut to move it more to the middle because I use UVB bulbs as part of my lighting and I feel I will get better use out of the screen being in the middle.

This is the small screen I initially made for my 90 gallon.

I don't have a pic handy of the large screen. It looks the same as the small one but it is about 4 inches wide instead of 1 inch.

 

[Boyd75]

nice for a straight cut.
I don't think ill find a bow cut piece for the idea though

ill raid home depot and see what i can find haha

 

[jeeperrs]

nice for a straight cut.
I don't think ill find a bow cut piece for the idea though

ill raid home depot and see what i can find haha

Yep, that is the one thing you will have to figure out how to navigate.

 

[Pumilo]

Screen construction. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/63781-screen-vent-construction-how.html

The curved front will be a problem, as screen rails are not typically curved. MrBiggs has a nice solution for you.
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/89097-advice-needed-framing-curved-screen.html