Speration of Land and water.

[JungleFever]

Hey Guys,

I'm trying to do a new setup, I want to separate one half of the tank into land area,and the other half to water. How do I prevent the soil from getting into the water,and the water drenching the soil?

[Vivweaver]

You can use clay balls, then screen. The screen keeps the dirt above the water table. Here's a good example from Black Jungle:

Waterfall

Or, if you're worried about filtration, then make a dock, with free water flow below the surface, and use Plexiglas onto of PVC pipes that look like a dock. Then use a medium like rock (which I don't recommend), then screen, then dirt. That would give you plenty off humidity, but hard to clean. Many people are making reservoirs so that it's easier to clean instead of just water.

I have found the only way to keep water clean in false bottom scenario is to have three filters: Chemical, mechanical, and UVC, and a pump for water flow.

What is the vision of your new design?

[JungleFever]

I know about the false bottom, but the problem that comes into play is,what retains the soil from spilling over into the water?

[Vivweaver]

I see! : )

Here are some pictures. I spent about twenty minutes doing this the first time, then my computer froze and I lost all my data, so here's a shortened version: Please let me know which picture most represents what you're planning on doing, so we may give you more detailed answeres because there are several different ways to seperate the top soil from the water, depending on what application you're using.

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

[JungleFever]

Number 2 most represents what I would like to do, Front to back separation about 1/2 land,1/2 water.(I like to have room for terrestrial plants).

Thanks for the help Viv, Much Appreciated!

[Vivweaver]

I have written a response three times, and every time thought of something better when I was finished writing. Here's what I think you should do:

Frame, Cast, Mold. I'm not sure how in depth you want to get, but this will work out for you quite well.

In my opinion, Fiberglass is the way to go for your specific application. You can create a shelf and a back wall all in one piece. Once you've done that, you can silicone or cement over the shelf. It's whatever you prefer. Fiber glass won't rot, and you don't have to worry about it being porous and micro-organisms growing where they can make your tank look bad.

Make a frame out of Garden Fencing. It's about thirty bucks at Lowes, however it's plyable, easy to cut, and strong. I would put two to three layers of Garden Fencing, then fiberglass over it. You can get sheets of fiber and use that to create a nice terrain where the plants grow, and even create trenches in the shelf for your plants. After that, just silicone and co-co fiber the top, and silicone a natural looking rock wall for the bottom, and no one will know how you did it.

This is just a suggestion. By all means, do what you feel would work best. This approach will not only be sanitary for plants and animals, but will also look natural, and also give you the flexibility you need to chose your specific plants and design. All the while staying under about 100 dollars, which you're going to spend regardless unless you get a great deal.

[JungleFever]

Originally Posted by Vivweaver

I have written a response three times, and every time thought of something better when I was finished writing. Here's what I think you should do:

Frame, Cast, Mold. I'm not sure how in depth you want to get, but this will work out for you quite well.

In my opinion, Fiberglass is the way to go for your specific application. You can create a shelf and a back wall all in one piece. Once you've done that, you can silicone or cement over the shelf. It's whatever you prefer. Fiber glass won't rot, and you don't have to worry about it being porous and micro-organisms growing where they can make your tank look bad.

Make a frame out of Garden Fencing. It's about thirty bucks at Lowes, however it's plyable, easy to cut, and strong. I would put two to three layers of Garden Fencing, then fiberglass over it. You can get sheets of fiber and use that to create a nice terrain where the plants grow, and even create trenches in the shelf for your plants. After that, just silicone and co-co fiber the top, and silicone a natural looking rock wall for the bottom, and no one will know how you did it.

This is just a suggestion. By all means, do what you feel would work best. This approach will not only be sanitary for plants and animals, but will also look natural, and also give you the flexibility you need to chose your specific plants and design. All the while staying under about 100 dollars, which you're going to spend regardless unless you get a great deal.

Thanks viv!

I need some clarification on a few things though,so excuse me for being hard-headed!

What kind of fencing are we talking about?

Do you mean Fiberglass sheets, or a DIY resin and matting job?

And I'm Unsure what you mean by "You can get sheets of fiber and use that to create a nice terrain where the plants grow"

The More In-depth you go the better!

Thanks again!

[Vivweaver]

In-Depth works for me : )

The wire I'm talking about looks like this:

It is also called "Galvanized Wire Fencing". I like the two in the middle because they provide the most support.

I would lay it down, and make it look like such:



And use two to three layers of wire so that it's nice and strong on the bottom, with maybe one layer for the top half because you'll need to do some cutting latter.



After the reservoir is cut, you can start fiber glassing. I do mean fiber glass sheets using resin on top to make your hard external surface.



Then, I would cut the area that I needed in the top with some wire cutters, and shape it so that you can form your reservoir. If you think the fiber glass is strong enough to hold, then you can take it off the wire, and just use the fiber glass you made, and carve your area for plants out of that. If it's still flemsy, then use the wire, and just cut the wire too.




Yes, I am an MS Painter. You can find my work in the Denver Art Institute

[JungleFever]

Aha!

Excellent!
You know what they say A picture's worth a thousand words

I have the welded wire(2nd in the pic),and fiberglass resin+ hardener,All I would really need is the Matting,to complete the frame.

What would you recommend using to bond the fiberglass to the glass tank?

As well as what should I coat the fiberglass with to grow epiphytic species?

Thanks viv, that helped allot!