The 26 gallon bow front, although similar to the 10 gallon vertical in terms of overall environment, is entirely different from an assembly point of view. The major difference comes from the fact that this is not being placed on its side which means access and viewing points completely change. Another aspect that changes is cost, whereas the 10 gallon costs around $11 plus plexiglass and screening materials (another $5) the bow front costs somewhere in the range of $150 before anything is even added to the interior.
This is an image of the overall project. You can find the build log for the right side (10 gallon vertical) vivarium here:
10 gallon vertical: Detailed Log
Initial preparation involves some basic tools but nothing outside of a standard hardware cupboard. The aquarium itself is from Petsmart and comes with no lid. For this part of the project I wanted to use three pieces of root wood. Saw the anchoring ends flat for the silicone process on the back of the aquarium. The next step was drilling for drainage. This was my first drilling of this project and I am using the Black&Decker carbon bit (1/2”) as already stated in the 10 gallon build, this was a bad idea. Because I wanted to have a pond feature on this terrarium the hole is drilled at the desired water level.
The wood I selected were not regular pieces of root wood. I purchases, more specifically, drift wood so its meant to float in an aquarium therefore its lighter than regular root wood. I also tried to choose pieces that were flat so they would give a platform or loft appearance with plants growing on them. The middle picture (with the awesome reflection of me in it, sorry) shows the lay out of the wood pieces. The 3rd image is of the half inch hold I drilled. This hole ends up being too high and I have to redrill it as a standing tank. Not a smart idea but it needed to happen. I will get to it later.
This step actually took place between the previous two steps. But just as in the 10 gallon vertical build; I used black post paper, instead of spray paint, to cover the back of the terrarium. This, again, will hide the wall behind and hopefully create some comfort of the inhabitants. Use black electrical tape to seal the sides as it matches the black post board.
The lid, which does not come with the aquarium, turned out to be a pain to locate. It is made by All-Glass inc. despite the aquarium being made by Aqueon. It also cannot be purchased at common stores such as Petco or Petsmart and since All-Glass inc. is a wholesaler, the average Joe cannot purchase from them. I had to special order from an exotic fish store. In the end, the advice I can give is to purchase an aquarium that comes with a lid such as Visio. Once I had the aquarium, the first part I did was drilling holes in the back section to act as ventilation for the vivarium. Refer to the Air Circulation section as to why this is necessary.
Once I got the lid, it had to be prepared for the misting system. The system uses ˝” nozzles so this time I used my diamond drill bit to make the appropriate holes. The lid is not substantial in size so I just used some paper towels as padding to reduce vibrations and drilled the lid of the sink. Be careful to place the lid on the terrarium and mark the exact spots you want the misting nozzles to be. This completes the lid for this part of the project. If built like the 10 gallon, the lid would be the viewing area of the terrarium and after tracking it down and getting it ready I am not sure if cutting plexiglass and screening easier or harder.
The steps from here are very similar to the 10 gallon build. Hydroton is used again to create a false bottom. The rules change slightly due to the desired pond feature on the left side of the terrarium. This step caused several problems. I used a piece of root wood on its side as the barrier for the water. Some hobbyist silicone pieces of plexiglass but I don’t think a watertight seal is necessary and I try to use natural items whenever possible. Also, siliconing plexiglass to the front of the terrarium will be viewable and ruins some of the aesthetics. The wood is not water tight and will allow water from flow from the hydroton to the drain. On the other side of the wood, in the pond feature, I used sand and pebbles as if it were a shallow aquarium.
Screen is cut to act as a second barrier against dirt falling into the hydroton. I like adding two layers of screen because the flow of water will start to slow after too many layers. Because the hydroton is not covering the entire terrarium, the screen has to be cut to fit the shape of the wood that transitions the land to the pond.
Terrarium moss from Petco will serve too purposes. It will initially act as the first barrier against dirt falling into the hydroton or false bottom. It will also help absorb moisture from the water that sits about an inch below the dirt. This way it keeps the dirt moist and not soggy. I am not sure on this but terrarium moss might also provide a lot of surface area of beneficial organisms such as springtails to breed and flourish.
EcoEarth is the finial phase of building before added flora and eventually fauna. EcoEarth is a good substrate and if you do this a lot it is easier to buy the dehydrated bricks and soak them in water until you have the desired amount of dirt. This substrate is not thick and merely acts as a medium for moss and initial roots to grow into. It is pH neutral and will not add any chemicals to the habitat. The eventual goal is to cover all the dirt with moss so that frogs, geckos or any other inhabitants cannot track dirt all over the sides of the vivarium.
This is the final product, at a very young stage obviously. But nonetheless, it gives a good idea of the overall result and once the plants grow in and the dirt and background are covered there should be a fine, sustainable vivarium in place.
This is a closer view of the plants. Feel free to ask me what any of them are and I will do my best. Hope this was informative.
26 Gallon Bow Front: Detailed Log
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