[Los3r]

A while ago a friend told me I could have one of her unused tanks so I could get the frogs I really want and today I was finally able to come down to pick it up at her place. This is probably gonna be a slow build. She says she thinks it's 50 gal. I'll get measurements once we get back to her place

 

[Los3r]

Dimensions are 48x20x13

 

[Judy S]

Is it glass or acrylic???

 

[Los3r]

It is acrylic.

 

[ICS523]

the tank is 54.025974 gallons

Thank you Google!

 

[Los3r]

Forgot to post that yesterday and yes google is amazing x)

 

[Los3r]

Gave the tank a thorough cleaning. Has a few scuffs and scratches, but thankfully, most are on the back

 

[Los3r]

Picked up a stand and filter today. Gonna pick up supplies for false bottom next weekend

 

[Amphinityfrogs]

Looks like its gonna be a nice decoration to the house.

 

[Los3r]

I certainly hope so

 

[Los3r]

Had some time before work so I went and bought supplies. DiDidn't buy enough foam apparently x)

 

[kitcolebay]

What do you have in mind for the bottom? Just at a glance, I'd say that you don't need a false bottom that tall unless you're really wanting a lot of height to it. That's a lot of unused space. If you do want it at that height, then I would definitely encourage you to add a lot more support to it. I imagine the weight of damp substrate would collapse or seriously bow what you have there.

Definitely a nice starter tank with lots of potential. Looking forward to seeing how it develops! Subscribed!

-Chris

 

[Los3r]

Oh didn't think of the weight of the substrate! Gonna be kind of a palu. Gonna keep neon tetas and maybe some corys. Guess It's a good thing I bought so many pvc pipes x)

 

[Los3r]

quick run to home depot and I picked up another can of foam. And while it dries I'll make more supports for the bottom.

 

[kitcolebay]

I imagine you may already know, but a couple things to keep in mind...

-You'll want to use some screen or mesh to keep your substrate out of the water.

-Design your water feature with slopes and easy access for any clumsy frogs to get out of the water portion

-Make sure you have it sealed well, so no frogs can get under the false bottom.

I don't consider myself as one of the experienced members, but in my limited experience, that's a few quick thoughts that I'd be concerned with.

-Chris

You won't regret going very slow on the build and spending more time on the planning phase. It's much easier and cheaper to make changes to your design before actually trying to build it. If in doubt, toss the question out here and there's plenty of knowledgeable members that will help ya out!

 

[Los3r]

I'm planning on having driftwood coming out of the water and onto the land portion in case someone decides to go swimming. I was gonna leave the false bottom open at the front so the fish could swim around underneath the land portion. Now I'm not so sure. I am definitely going to foam around the perimeter of it so they can't get in between the bottom and walls.

 

[kitcolebay]

Generally, there is many different approaches that are taken for different aspects of the build. Research palu's on here and ask lots of questions if in doubt. There is no single correct way of doing anything, but people have learned that there are some things you definitely don't want to do!

If not positive on how you're constructing everything, then I recommend pausing the construction to plan, research, revise, research some more, and then plan some more. Then make more necessary adjustments as you go! Like I said, you won't regret it! With a nice size tank like that and the time/money invested in it, you'll definitely appreciate getting it mostly right the first time.

-Chris

 

[Los3r]

Foam is in place and added more supports. Forgot to buy black contact paper for the back so I'll have to do it tomorrow.

 

[Nismo95]

Just an idea.. What if you were to avoid having the false bottom empty underneath so that the fish can swim freely.. I know already going against your idea.. but hear me out! take that section you have already made.. Maybe drop it down 2-3 inches and push it dead center.. maybe make it longer and skinnier.. And than you have a "U" type body of water.. Imagine the land is the inside of the U and the black line of it is the water section. you can than make the false bottom with sides so no frogs accidently go swimming and end up beneath the false bottom.. That could cause panic and stress and ultimately let them drown (imagine being trapped under the ice in a lake during winter) lol. look at it this way.. YOU have to choose.. Have a couple tetra's with less swimming space or run the risk of waking up to finding one of your smurfs under water

Either way, its your viv.. So build it the way YOU want.. this is one of my favorite palu's.. And it has the same land portion like I was trying to describe and give you a general idea.. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Los3r]

That is neat looking. Guess I'll start cutting x) on the bright side, my future froggies will be safer with a design like that