I have decided to build a 20G high display vivarium that will eventually house some D. auratus dart frogs, but for now it will just have plants. I have planned and browsed some forums for a couple months now, and I finally started the build this week. I figured that I would put up some pictures of the build so maybe it will help someone or at least inspire somebody with their own build! To start off the build I got a 20G high tank from Pet Supermarket…. After getting the tank, I swung by Home Depot to pick up some egg crate, pvc pipe, zip ties, and weed block to build my false bottom. The false bottom is very important because it keeps the soil very moist and raises the humidity in the tank. The first thing I did was cut the pvc pipe to the right size and cut notches in the bottom so that the water won't sit stagnant in them. These will act as support so that the egg crate doesn't break from the weight of the substrate. Next I siliconed the pipes to the bottom of the tank... Then I cut the egg crate and used the zip ties to make it into a box. I made sure to leave an inch between the tank sides and the false bottom so that I can surround it with pebble to hid it. Next I used some more zip ties to wrap the weed barrier around the false bottom... Here's a picture of it sitting in the tank... I also used the egg crate to create an area for a siphon tube so that I can take water out if the water level gets too high... Thats all I have for now, but I ordered a glass lid, ABG mix soil, some leaf litter, and a piece of drift wood that should be arriving in a few days. I'll post an update when I get the driftwood in place and the background done. The background is going to be made of natural clay so hopefully it will give the tank a really cool and unique look!
Looks awesome so far! And the weed barrier is definitely needed... I didn't use that when I had done mine, instead I just put the rocks around it, then the moss and soil over that... I could never figure out why the soil level kept getting lower as the months went on... Figured it out eventually but the weed barrier will definitely come in handy! Good luck and keep us posted on the build!!
OK, I've had a lot going on lately, but I recently got to do some more to my tropical tank! After siliconing the false bottom down, I soaked some pebbles that I got from home depot in a 5% bleach solution and then added them to the edges of the false bottom. Here is a picture with the rocks added, the new light(exo terra hood with two CFLs), the glass top, and some of the wood I got…. Next I started on the clay background. Word of advie: wear gloves during this step…..like seriously. I bought "Special Kitty" brand kitty litter from Walmart, added water, and started mixing it until it started to look more like clay. Then, I filled the bucket about an inch above the clay and left it overnight. This is what it looked like... It needs to be able to stick to the glass and hold its shape so keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't absorb too much water. Once you get it to the consistency you want, chop up some sphagnum moss in a blender (try not to tell anyone that you blend moss in your blender, they will think your crazy lol). I also got some coco fiber to add some structure to the clay. Your going to want to mix it with only a handful of clay each time so it's more manageable. I mixed mine by feel, but in the end I used about 2 handfuls of coco fiber and 1 handful of sphagnum moss per 1 handful of clay. This is what it should look like when your done…. After mixing all of your clay, you get to be creative! Start slapping your clay onto the back of the tank and mold it into what you want! The whole thing takes a lot of time and your arms feel like jello when your done, but it looks fantastic! Thats it for now, but I should be panting soon so I'll post another update then!
That's awesome.....if i can convince my wife, that may be my next project.......nice inspiration..good job.....once your done it will be a great tutorial I can't wait t to see the final product!
