[Guest]

Just to give warning, I have ots of questions.

I have a 75 g. i would like to set up and plant over the next month. I plan on a false bottom (probally foam) I have a lot of aquarium gravel and a hood and light.

I've been reading this board for weeks now and find many people diagreing on many topics. So please bare with the enthusiastic newbie.

1. is great stuff toxic is exposed to water after complete drying? There won't be frogs in this enclosure for atleast 3 from now.

2. I'm looking for a cheap backround that I should be able to find at the local mom and pop shop, home depot, or Petsmart. Any ideas and prices would be greatly appriciated.

3. I colect nice rocks from stream beds. With proper washing i'm sure they will be fine. Now my worry is wood. Could I just find some locally or do i have to pay high prices for cypress at the shops?

4. I have this moss growing around my apartment building in the parking lot. Its winter here in Pennsylvania and this moss is thriving. Would it be possible to scrape it from the cement and transplant it into the viv, would it survive at higher temps and humidity? just a little description( its thick, fuzzy and very green.) I hope i can use it. There's tons of it and its FREE.


5. Do you have to silicone the exposed great stuff used for landscaping? Kinda a repeat of question #1 sorry.

6. When setting up the false bottom then putting gravel ontop the styrafoam do i need to put the window screen ontop the gravel, before laying the substraight?

7. Any great subs easy and cheap to make mixing certain topsoils and stuff???? I'm not exactly a green thumb.

8. Since there will be no frogs and no money for a misting system hand spraying will have to do for now. How much How often???


I'm looking to spend around $50 to get this tank ready to start planting. I'm a bargain shoper and looking for great advice of all you experts.


Thank You.
Dubs

 

[Guest]

Don't mind my spelling. Its late

 

[kleinhanz]

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:57 am Post subject: Setting up my 75g. on a budget

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. is great stuff toxic is exposed to water after complete drying? There won't be frogs in this enclosure for atleast 3 from now.
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ger+danger

2. I'm looking for a cheap backround that I should be able to find at the local mom and pop shop, home depot, or Petsmart. Any ideas and prices would be greatly appriciated.
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... background
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... background

3. I colect nice rocks from stream beds. With proper washing i'm sure they will be fine. Now my worry is wood. Could I just find some locally or do i have to pay high prices for cypress at the shops?
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... light=wood

4. I have this moss growing around my apartment building in the parking lot. Its winter here in Pennsylvania and this moss is thriving. Would it be possible to scrape it from the cement and transplant it into the viv, would it survive at higher temps and humidity? just a little description( its thick, fuzzy and very green.) I hope i can use it. There's tons of it and its FREE.
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... light=moss
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... light=moss

5. Do you have to silicone the exposed great stuff used for landscaping? Kinda a repeat of question #1 sorry.
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... greatstuff

6. When setting up the false bottom then putting gravel ontop the styrafoam do i need to put the window screen ontop the gravel, before laying the substraight?
gravel is not necessary when using a false-bottom
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3786

7. Any great subs easy and cheap to make mixing certain topsoils and stuff???? I'm not exactly a green thumb.
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... +substrate

8. Since there will be no frogs and no money for a misting system hand spraying will have to do for now. How much How often???
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ht=misting


Good to see a new member, read up on the attached links and then let us know what we should expand on. I don't mean to not answer your questions directly, but I think the collective minds of all members suggestions in the links will me more useful!!

 

[Guest]

LOL, nice to have you here. I had the same problems with my 75 gallon, that I am still in the process of adding soil. Just make shure you let it all cure for at lease a week before adding frogs. (I waited 2 months)
Paul

 

[Guest]

I have a kid on the way. Due in April so i'm trying to have this set up (but no frogs by then)

Thanx for all the info.

L8r,
Dubs

 

[Jace King]

Its going to be expenisive to build a background with that size tank. What kind of hood are you going to have.
Great stuff and silicone are a good combo, use them, for that tank i estimate 40 bucks maybe for them thats at 5 cans of each. Some cork bark local bought or driftwood. another 20 bucks for sure.
plants 30 bucks, brom or two, pothos, selangellnia, one jewel orchid. few more plant to fill out the larger viv.
Your looking at another 25 for false bottom construction, and cheap monitoring devices and misc. like sprayers, and all kinds of other unexepected things.
Just estimates as Im gaming right now.

 

[Guest]

Ohh yeah, b4 i go buy it. I found a cheap submesible pump that 120 gph, is this sufficent to power a water fall and stream over the length of a tank this big.


Thanx,

Dubs

 

[mbrutger]

I made it by with 3 cans of great stuff on my 75 gallon (including covering the sides) You don't need to put it on very thick.

 

[Guest]

Ok so i started buying my supplys this morning. PVC Raisers, 2 tubes of GII black 100% syl, 1 can of great stuff (i know its not gonna be enough, but since it needs to be done in layers It's a start.) After i get these damn groceries put away. I'm off to 3 differnt pet shops(looking for a cheap submersible pump and some wood.) back to home dept, for plastic tubing and my foam for the bottom. and a local park to scarvange for rocks to make the water fall, stream and I'd like to find a big piece of slate for a ledge.

One question since the tank will be on its side while foaming. Can rocks be put into the foam and will the foam support it?

I'll keep you posted.


Thanx,
Dubs

 

[Jace King]

In my experience rocks will set in great stuff just fine. My friend made a ten gallon vert with slate going all the way up. He then planted with microgramma nitidia, and put in some vents. Nice ten gallon viv, so yes go for it. if you cant find cork bark at local pet shop call someone or find a local person who sells them or reptile show. Wood is even harder to find, ive never collected but i really want to.

 

[kleinhanz]

The Great Stuff will support small and medium size rocks, but I would add a little of the Silicon you bought to increase the bond.

If any of the stones you collected are pourus, you may want to bake them in the oven before introducing them in the tank. With wook collect form the "wild" you can bake it in the oven (supervised, avoid any fires!!) or you can soak it in a weak bleach solution, rinse it VERY well, and then let it dry out before placing in your viv.

FYI I found that buying some cheap, disposable gloves (try the paint dept) will make it much easier to spread the Silicon over the Great Stuff when applying the coco mix

 

[Guest]

Well i just finished constructing the false bottom. I pray that cheap pump i bought never goes out. or i'm screwed. I silicone the one side wall i prep for the great stuff, i don;t think i'm gonna do the back wall since it took a whole tube. I'm being cheap. I know but i have to. Its getting late. But i wanna start putting on the great stuff. I have to be at work in 6 hours.


L8r,

Dubs

 

[kleinhanz]

If you really want to be cheap on the background, I'll tell you a trick I used for the past 7 years that looks great...just spray-paint the OUSIDE of the back wall black. Mask off the sides and don't let overspray seep into the inside of the tank. The black background is a classic clean look in my opinion. The only drawbacks are that it can scratch easy (unless you cover it with packing tape), plants will not grow up the back, and the frogs cannot climb or utilize the back of the tank as easy as if it were in Great Stuff but I'm telling you it looks good. If you half-ass the backwall with insufficient backing (Great Stuff / Coco Brick) it will look worse than a clean black spray. Just my opinion

 

[Ed]

Be very careful baking rocks in the oven. If they are porus water can become trapped in them and when it turns to steam, it can explode. This can damage the oven and cause significant injuries.

Any rock can be scrubbed, soaked in a bleach solution and then rinsed and then soaked in a solution of chlorine remover (for aquariums) to remove any residual bleach.

If you use a layer of peat moss and the light intensity is high enough you will grow plenty of moss without having to worry about contaminents. Peat is very inexpensive.

If you have a clean area to collect wood, branches from trees other than evergreens are acceptable for use in the terraria (I get my off the back five acres).


Ed