44G Hex Tank: Build Log with Pics.

[kristy55303]

i would defiinately put on the gs silicone before the great stuff. helps the gs stick better and not pull away from the tank in the fututre allowing you viv to be self-sustaining for many many years...if you are going the cocofiber route, also ust he silicone on top of the gs or you will eventually get the cocfiber to fall off and look bad. thats what happened with my first viv. you learn from your mistakes. I would personally nig on the fogger. dangerous to the frogs and uses up to much water...really just a non-sense nuicance?? where do i get a tank like that for that cheap lol. kristy

[froggsong]

Foggers are only dangerous if you do not use them properly and keep enough water for it to run. In MY experience, GS sticks better to glass than to silicone. I have read about people saying the GS will pull away from the glass after time, but I would think that would only happen if the GS has alot of wood and stuff pressed into it, making it very heavy. You could keep that from happening by applying it in areas rather than in one piece. I totally understand using it for aesthetic reasons though, especially if there is any on the front glass. However, you can still apply it to the glass and then just paint the outside of the glass, or cover with tape or whatever.
Anyway, what's going on with the build, Waterkeeper? You done anything else yet?

[kristy55303]

personally speaking, i would just save the money and nig the fogger and hassle. my first gs viv build, there wasnt silicone on the back of the tank and caused humidity to also make it break down and break away from the walls. unsightly, yes also. there also was not silicone on the gs for the cocofiber route which caused the cocofiber to break down and fall off. This is only my opinion of course. some frogs then got stuck behind the gs and suffocated. not a goos thing. sad. i am breaking down this tank and redoing the correct way. notice the cocofiber falling off in te left corner? this is an old viv, but would not have happened, had the silicone been in place. right now it holds three cosata rican auratus dart frogs. i am planning on doing something more elaborate with the viv. kristy

[froggsong]

I wasn't talking about not using silicone ON TOP of the GS, but behind it on the glass. If applied properly, it should not peel away from the glass if just applied on the glass. The coco fiber or whatever you stick to the GS will not stay in place unless you put silicone on top of the GS. You also have to be careful to do it quickly so the silicone does not have a chance to skin, otherwise the coco fiber will wash away with misting or any other contact with water.


The GS in this picture (the landings on the glass, not the ones on the plexi wall in the middle of the picture) were applied directly to the glass. They are more securely in place than the ones that I applied on top of silicone. So, IMO (which has been agreed with by several people that use GS in a professional setting), it is better to apply the GS to the glass.
Some people have had bad results this way, but perhaps they didn't apply it the same way that I did. It could also have to do with the amount of weight you add on top of the GS. Also, I can peel parts of the BG in that tank away from the silicone it was applied on top of very easily (I can foresee having a problem with this at some point), but I cannot peel the GS that is attached to the glass away from it.

[kristy55303]

good point. heres another point..nice to meet you by the way....that gs has been known to accidently break glass when applied without silicone first....because it expands...heard some horror stories. kristy

[froggsong]

Yes, that is true, but generally it is because of improper application. If you do not allow for expansions on the sides and top, it will put too much pressure on the glass and cause it to break.

[Waterkeeper]

I think the concept of putting the great stuff on siliconed glass can only pose a real benefit if the silicone is still fully UNcured. the GS ability to attach to a cured silicone surface is IMO no different than it's ability to attach to glass. neither surface is porous/coarse enough to give the GS some "nooks and crannies" to expand into, which is in my guestimate, the only thing that could allow it to work better than a direct application.

For the record (just so there is no confusion for later updates) 2 GS'd walls of this project are attached directly to glass and 1 wall is attached to eggcrate.
The covering is Exo-Terra forest moss, not coco bark, / applied to GE black silicone TYPE 2.

Now for some updates.

[Waterkeeper]

I did a quick rigging of my fan setup so that I can get this thing planted soon.

I attached the fans together with some twist tie wire, and held them to the eggcrate portion of my top with the same wire temporarily while I silicone them in place.


They sit at 45deg angles from each other, and about 45 to the top so I get a good flow against the front 3 panes of glass. I can even see the moss on the back wall move in the breeze when they are running.
GOOD SIGN!


untill I can get the 10 gal torn down I have to tape the tops in place so they don't fall in. the wiring will be a mess untill then.


I put down the thin layer of gravel as my base substrate. about 2 layers thick (1/4 - 1/2")

You can see I left it thinner toward the front. the land will Grade down to the front.


the second layer which will be the bulk of my substrate will be this Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss which from my understanding is one of the highest in organic fuel for your plants. This time of year yard stuff is becoming more scarce and I couldn't find my organic formula i used on my last tank. this will have to do.

inside the bag.

it looks dry and textureless but once it's wet it makes a nice substrate. It will be topped with a heavy layer of top soil once the plants are in, top soil prevents the erosion of this spagnum and seems to keep things very clean as opposed to the tanks I see that don't use it.

My heater should be in on thursday, I ordered a tetra ht-30. they are small, fully submersible, and pre set to keep 78degree water. it should fit right into my filter box in the back.

[froggsong]

I use the same thing for substrate in all my tanks (I did switch to aspen for the BP though), and it does very well for my plants... You are right about erosion though... If you water in any other way besides misting, it floats all over the place before settling just where you don't want it...

I like the idea of applying the GS in top of UNCURED silicone, I think that would be a good idea for areas where you don't want to see the GS through the glass... I might do that for my newts paludarium when I redo it... I am thinking of working on it soon, since it will take less time than the CWD tank... I keep getting distracted from working on it! heh... Looking good, btw, keep those updates coming!!!


EDIT: My advice would be to wet the peat moss in a bucket BEFORE you try to add it to the tank... MUCH easier to get it wet that way, and easier to apply. Otherwise, you are going to end up with peat moss all OVER the place!

[Fisherman 1991]

That is awesome! I can't wait to see it finished.

fisherman