Newbi Built Indy tank - 90x12x30

[zach2011]

haha that sounds cool, u should put up pics of that

[SamG88]

awesome set up man,real unique.im a newbie to this aswell,so is the land all completely styrofoam or is it hallow?gonna post pics eventually of my own terrarium,wanna change the whole thing agian but idk if it's fine the way it is

[daregone]

The Foam is pretty solid - there are some gaps to allow water to flow out when I drain it.

I know what you mean about changing it. I have been playing with this thing for about 2 months now and I am still seeing stuff I want to improve upon. Mostly in the systemic area.

I wish I had set it up with a bigger overflow drain so that I could crank up my water feature flow.

I wish I had made the main aquarium drain directly on the bottom of the tank so I could get even more water out when I drain it- now I have to siphon out the last 1-2 inches of water.

I wish I came up with some clever means to secure the foam that did NOT requre the use if silicone. Maybe some sort of clip type thing that would lock the foam in place.

Also, I think I may need to modify the drain and overflow parts in the planted areas. Right now, I have a drain that is about 1/4" above the bottom of the planted zone - so it can sort of act as an overflow - allowing for a bit of water to remain is the clay pebble bed but not too much. I still need to learn what is enough and what is too much...

Anyway - here a few more photos - one shows the fog coming from the mouth of the snake - thje other is of a couple of my new fish next the jaguar skull!

[zach2011]

haha dude thats rele awesome with the snake mouth and the fog

[jclee]

That has got to be one of the coolest and most unique vivarium concepts I've ever seen. I do think Zach's onto something, when he mentioned the possibility of PDFs drowning in the water. Could you build a "lip" to the land portion that's a few inches high, to keep them land-locked? Or maybe consider alternate, humidity-loving herps that swim better than dart frogs do?

[daregone]

Thanks!

I have read about others that have done paludariam set ups with PDFs and have had no problems with drowning. I have intentionally made the rock feature that goes into the water rough and sloped to allow for a wayward frog to climb out. Also, I have a large root that springs out from the ground and goes in an out of the water to give more places to hang onto.

[eos]

Very nice work! Topnotch creativity!

[daregone]

Thanks!

I am currently having a problem with the fish - they keep dying.
I have tested the water and everything is supposedly fine. Good Ph, good nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and alkalinity. I tested it with kits at home and at took it to the pet store for testing...

So now I need to figure out what is going. The tank was circulating water for a several days prior to putting fish it. I then put in 4 tetras so they could start the the tank cycling. I did my water changes and conditioned the water. But they still died.

Now I plan on pulling everything out - cleaning all the surfaces inside, washing the gravel, and possibly adding another layer of epoxy over the foam.

So here are my current suspects for water contamination:

1. Foam (or more specifically the paint on it..) The epoxy covering is designated safe once cured, but there may be insufficient coverage over the painted foam. It is possible that some sort of contaminant is leaching into the water and the tests cannot detect it.

2. The silicone. I am using what is labeled as 100% pure silicone. It makes no mention of any anti mildew or anti microbial qualities. I had read elsewhere that silicone of this type should be fine - but perhaps that was bad info. So I will remove all of it(or as much as I can) and use silicone purchased directely form the pet store that explicitly says aquarium safe.

3. Fertilizer. To the best of my knowledge, there should be no fertilizer getting into the water - the planted areas are sealed away from the wet area. But I cannot dismiss the possibility of contamination. So when I drain the tank, I will look for leaks from the planted areas.

4. residual industrial contaminates in the plumbing system. This seems like it should be pretty low risk... All tubing and piping is human potable grade. Normal PVC piping and vinyl tubing. But you never know.... SO I will do several full system flushes.

5. the water. There could simply be something nasty in the water. I have been using tap water and adding in an aquarium water conditioner that depletes the chlorine and is supposed to make it safe. I guess I will try distilled water.


Anyone have any suggestions?

[brp4e.]

you have to let the beneficial bacteria accumulate before putting fish in! Go to the pet store and buy the stuff called cycle and add that stuff and let it cycle for w.e amount of time then put the fish in and it should be all good.

this is the stuff i am talking about.. Nutrafin Cycle Biological Aquarium Supplement - Water Clarifiers - Water Conditioners - PetSmart

[daregone]

Hi TDizzle

I was trying to cycle the tank. From what I have read, you can cycle a tank by putting a few hardy fish in and they help to establish the bacteria colony. I was told the tetra's I had were pretty tough and would be good to go through the rough period of cycling.

However, given what has happened, I will go with your advice and give the Nutrafin a shot. Also, I have seen where people have simple put in small amounts of pure amonia to start the cycling.

In any event, I want the water properly prepared befor I put in the next fish......