How/where to get started ?

[Tindomul1of9]

Normal bacteria that grows will be good enough. Adding plants to the water feature will also help.
A good filter would be the Zoo-Med 501 canister filter. ITs an external filter, one tube sucks water out of the tank, and another spills it back in. YOu can even use it to make a waterfall. Once you see it, you will understand how it works.
The expanding foam is very easyily removed. Its just foam once it dries, light weight, and can be removed mechanically, with a razor blade, or by just pulling it apart.

[trep]

Alright, thanks for the quick reply hehe.

Well, if i don't really need a filter, i could go with a pump that works the same way (one tube take the water out the tank, another tube put it back in). That would be the perfect solution since i don't really want to drill holes in the tank. Could be easy access too. I noticed a submersible pump at the shop today, i guess it could work the same way.

[ChromeLibrarian]

I always filter. You may not need it, but the better your water quality, the healthier your frog, so why not filter?

[trep]

Originally Posted by ChromeLibrarian

I always filter. You may not need it, but the better your water quality, the healthier your frog, so why not filter?

Actually, i don't know the price difference between a filter and a pump. If there isn't a major difference, i'll go with a filter. Another reason i wanted to use a pump, was for the maintenance. Again, i don't know much about pumps etc. but i tought it would require less maintenance than a filter. I also wanted to have all the waterfall system IN the tank. So, i was planning to put the pump/filter in a corner of the tank with easy access to it for maintenance. I don't know yet how to install these things, so i don't know if i was going to mount the pump/filter on the back of the tank or just lay it down in the water and get a tubing that goes above at 14"-18" for the waterfall. I've read some stuff about pumps that some might not be able to push the water that far up. So any recommendations regarding this would be appreciated !

On another note, i went to hunt for the materials yesterday. Home Depot had pretty much everything i needed, they even had that GS (I'm surprised they have it here). I've read about the Silicone to use and the only black silicone they had was a Silicone II, brand General Electric. I was wondering if i really needed Silicone I, or from your experiences, it didn't really matter.

I'm concerned about something too, the price of a 27G tank here is 60$ (every prices i put here are in canadian dollars, but since it's now close to the US dollars, there arent much differences (~0.90 CAD for 1.00 USD)). I think it's a bit overprices, but it's new and in a petshop. I also asked for the lighting system (all i need is a light and the "ballast") and they were selling these around 50$, again i tought it was really overpriced. I'd like to get your opinions on this.

Thanks again !

trep

edited:

I just wanted to know what you guys think about this substrate.



Thanks !

[Landon]

those prices dont sound way out of line for pet stores. you could prolly fnd a good amount of deals on eBay. i dont know exactly how big a 27 is, but it may be shippable. then again it may outweigh the savings to send it to your country

i think i just answered a post of yours on a different board ill save myself the typing of answering any one of the Qs over :P

is the aquarium hobby big in your area. try looking around for used equipment. you may be able to find a good deal on a tank and lighting. they may not end up exactly what you are looking for, but worth the shot. try any local reef clubs or fish clubs. theres always some one selling a tank in ours.

as far as the pump. i havent found a really good low maintenance filter for in tank use. if you want everything enclosed the bacteria and heavy planting method would be best, IMO.

oh and becareful running a submersible off of hoses outside of the tank. some of them need to be submersed for cooling purposes. running thm out of the water could overheat it causing ireperable (sp?) damages.

[ChromeLibrarian]

A filter is a pump that cleans the water as well as moving it from place to place.

Here's a pic of my paludarium...



In the back corner (right side) is a Tetra whisper filter. It pulls the water in the bottom, forces it through a filter that is made of bio-foam to build up beneficial bacteria and contains activated charcoal. The water then spills out over the top, forming a small water fall. To change the filter, you pull the old filter out the top, and push the new filter in. You don't even have to turn it off to do this. I did have a slight problem with stuff clogging up the filter intake, so I cut a new filter apart, wrapped the bio-foam in place over the inlet and rubber-banded it in place. Problem solved.

The size filter you use will depend in the amount of water you have.

A pump has no filter media, so all it does is move the water. It does nothing to clean it.

[trep]

Originally Posted by Landon

i think i just answered a post of yours on a different board ill save myself the typing of answering any one of the Qs over :P

Hehe yea, that's the same me I like small boards too, so i'll try to post a journal of the building up on both places if i can borrow a camera from someone. I see this board is kindda starting, i'll try to be more active even tho my knowledge is kindda restricted so far :P

Oh, and i don't think i'll get a tank shipped. In case it arrives broken and need to return etc. too much trouble, i'd rather pay the 5-10$ and get it here without trouble, and as you mentionned, shipping cost would probably be hehe.

I've tried looking for a used one, but people generally sell them all equiped and don't want to sell only the tank, but i'm still looking !

Thanks for the quick guide and the informations Chrome, i'll check this out !

Regards,

trep

[Zapher]

I dont have much experience with vivarium's because im just getting into them but i do have quite a bit of experience with aquariums and when it comes to water, always use a filter. If you worry about cost then a whisper filter would work great but are hard to cover up and dont look too attractive. Though if your not concerned about that then they are great filters (I have used them in the past). But if you dont mind spending the money to get a top of the line filter go with a canister filter (someone mentioned them before). They use a input and output hose and using the output hose you can create your waterfall quite easily (i am currently doing the same thing in a brackish water tank). Two good filters are the Fluval and Eheim, though the Eheim is extremely expensive but the best out there IMO. A pump would work but you would need access to it as they do get clogged up periodically and since most are required to be underwater it creates issues of placement. The maintanence really isnt that bad on a filter, you only have to change the media once every 1-2 months. Hope i help a little with your decision.

[twodogs]

Expanding foam is a buggar of a thing to clean up when it is wet and even harder when it is dry.
Be very carefull.
Good product to use for shaping and making backgrounds but can be a mongrel to clean up.