Well..
One day I was planning out and constructing a misting/rain system for a Snake Tank
(now by rain I dont mean absolute down pour)
I am setting a system up that not only mists the tank but also causes a natural rain effect (Natural as in the droplets form and fall from the sky / top of the tank)
soo anyways in the process of setting that up I thought well.. I cannot make it rain the way I want in a tank like this (Nowhere for the water to go)
So I started digging into Paludariums and how to setup a Half n Half Tank
I have a 20 Long (12h x 12w x 30l)
After debating on how the heck to do a half and half and try to make it as natural as possible with a 12 in wide tank I decided to go for the Plexi or Lexan divider and to shape it into a curvy more natural looking shoreline
The Tank is divided Long ways with a Lexan peice shaped in about an "S" shap to create essentially a Ying-Yang design by splitting the tank (Photos Below)
This gave me the ability to move the divider back and fourth to decide how much or little Land/Water I wanted and I used a Lexan peice that is 5 inches high to leave around enough room for live plants in land and water
right now only pics I have are the shaped insert setting in the tank
The tank still has dirt / potting soil in it - this was from the first occupants AND serves a purpose currently will explain after last pic
As you can see the tank is split like a Ying Yang Symbol and Im actually thinking of sticking with that theme if I can make it look right (I mean its not a perfect Ying-Yang Shape
And The soil was left in there for a reason... I use a Heat Gun to soften up the Lexan so that I can mold it into the shape I need and the dirt plays a key role in the process
It helps hold the shape AND cools the plastic at the same time
Just mold it up -- set it in the dirt and leave for a few hours and presto a nice shaped lexan for your tank
now that ive covered those basic steps imma outline what I plan
First
sticking with the Yin-Yang theme - I plan to run a small trickle wall or waterfall in the lands corner and have a round pond style area that it runs to then runs into the water side
The round pond would be shallow and in about the spot it would be for a Eye on the Ying-Yang
And on the water side I plan to build or use some sort of Rock pattern in the shape of a circle to be the Eye of the other side of the Ying-Yang
I plan on using a in water heater, filter, and seperate water pump (from a tabletop fountain)
to move a light forced stream of water from the water side to the waterfall
and the water will be filtered thoroughly to ensure if any animals drink from the running stream / pond it will be safe
this is my first ever attempt at this soo... bare with me
hope to keep it updated with photos and info as I go along
Must say I tested some expanding foam a bit back for making a divider but LOL I am not patient enough and I ended up collapsing the foam and making a yellow mucky mess (thank god I tested it in a cheap 7 dollar plastic tub)
which is now cleaned out and used to store craft goods LOL
here is a quick tid-bit on the Ying-Yang
Classic Yin Yang Symbol
this symbol represents the primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Depicted as it is, it also outlines the necessity of balance in all things.
You can see from the photos the basic ying-yang shape -- so if the space permits ill stick with the waterfall pond idea
a few tips for lexan
Not hard to cut when you score one side deep and then stabilize the lexan between 2 peices of wood and with a quick Snap - break the peice along the Score lines
the smaller the peice that harder it is to actuall do this with tiny parts try to get a good grip and snap em cleanly
Gloves are worn because small parts snapping can lead to poking yourself and snapping into your hand -- Did this to my thumb and knuckle already -- Makes a pretty cut
First Palu - Active Construction / Log
Linear Mode
