My First 29G Tank w/ Water Feature plenty of pics

[dart345]

Well here it is finally at last my first construction journal. I expect this tank to be done at up and running within 7 days. I am taking my time on it, and already have selected D. azureus species to house the tank. I plan on getting 3-4 unsexed froglets from a local breeder. I already visited the breeder's place and was satisfied with the living conditions and the set up.

I purchased most of the stuff you in the pics from Cindy, over at vivarium concepts. I also purchased the used tank she had as well, which is a 29 gallon.

I also purchased some springtail culture kit and fruit fly culture as well. I will make my own culture in a few days so that I can have a good food source readily available. This will also allow me to get my hands dirty to make sure there will not be any issues. I have a month before I start to house the new frogs in the tank.

First picture : I purchased 2 bags of already mixed substrate ideal for housing real plants and poison dart frogs. This save me the time of having to mix and find the best substrate.

2nd pic: I had to purchase 2 bottles of black silicone from Cindy because I was unable to find it at Home Depot or wally world.

3rd pic: This is the fruit fly starter kit I have, this is enough to keep me going for awhile

4th pic: Barely notice it however its a container with charcoal pieces and springtail culture. This help the tank out in digesting the fecal matter and what ever else that keeps the circle of life going....

5th pic: is the wood I purchased. I liked the pieces and will find a way to use them to create a really unique waterfall.

[dart345]

Here are some more pics of the wood I had shown in the previous post, just to give you a idea of what they look like.

I was lucky and when I bought the tank, it had already substrate, clay balls, egg crate, driftwood, and 2 small coco huts.

Which is great because now I have plenty of stuff to work with, and will use what I need, and save the extras for a future build.

I will be using GS stuff for the background and make a false bottom out of egg crate to help keep the weight of the tank down. My idea is to create a nice background, yet keep plenty of land space for the frogs to move around with.

From my readings of numerous journals, I have notice some tend to get carried away and when its all said and done , they are left with little land space.

I am also keeping in mind that the plants will fill in and help out too.

[dart345]

The first pic below shows the background that was originally on the tank, Only the cork bark was salvageable from the background, the rest was too wet and silicone to the back of the tank. As a result I had to use a blade to gently remove the silicone and the material off the glass.

I went ahead and removed the stuff I wanted to keep and set that aside outside. I will plan on pressure cooking the materials in a big pressure cooker pot to kill any unwanted problems.

I was able to salvage the hydroton balls that were already in the tank, since a screen was placed to separate from the substrate.

The 4th pic below shows the drain that was installed on the tank. I do not plan on using this, however it was a nice feature to have to allow me to drain the water should I have to.

This 5th pic shows the clay balls on the bottom of the tank. Really going to have to clean em out before I can use them again.

[dart345]

The 1st pic below shows what was in the tank, that I tend to keep to reuse. Nice to be able to have a nice selection of wood when setting up a tank with a water feature.

The 2nd pic here is what I was able to save from the original background of the tank, no sense in throwing it out even though I may not use it, you never know.

This 3rd pic shows a better view of that driftwood. That be nice and I think will be using that. Just going to have to clean it out real good and and bake it , since it will not fit in my pressure cooker.

The last pic is the stuff I will be discarding from the tank. I was able to pick up most of the substrate by using the mesh that was underneath it.




As far as cleaning the tank goes, well I washed it off really good removed the materials, and took a blade to remove the silicone off the glass. I then took some warm water mixed with dish soap to and used a sponge with scrub pad and started to work on the tank. I removed all the build up rinsed it out several times. I then filled the tank up and added some bleach and let sit for a little while outside. I did this because to make sure nothing will be left behind that can harm the frogs.

I stopped by wally world today to purchase some solution that removes chlorine and chloramaine (sp?) I will use that to fill up the tank again to make sure no chemicals are left behind.

[dart345]

First 2 pics shows before the cleaning.

The last 3 pics shows the aftermath of the cleaning and applying the black silicone to the background. I did not have a spatula or something similar so I had to use my hand with a latex glove to help spread it out. I wish I had something to help smear a even coat, however when I apply the great stuff and add more silicone, to some spots it will not be a problem.

Right now I am working on the egg crate structure. If you notice the tank already has some pvc siliconed to the bottom from the existing false bottom. However Since I am adding a water feature I will have the raised up higher then what it was.

I plan on working on making the the egg crate structure tomorrow and taking pics along the way to show progress. I already have a spot in mind for where the pump will be hidden yet accessible.

Any thoughts or suggestions I am up for... I know this is not much now, however I wanted to get the journal started as I was building it so that I can make sure that every step is completed the right way.

[dart345]

For those who like to know, I plan on using titebond method to apply texture to the foam after it has cured. After reading some post, it seems the sure way to go.

Supplies that are still needed for the construction:

Water pump
Plants
Frogs
Light System
Temperature Gauge w/ Humidty readings
Distilled water
Possible more PVC pipe for the egg crate frame
Possibly more egg crate material
Addtl bottle of Titebond
Sand ( will add some to the titebond to help with the texture)

[dart345]

Oh some input on selecting a water pump be great, and I do not mean what kind but more like what brand. I hate to buy something that is going to give me problems, I am aware of making sure the head height is tall enough so that it can pump the water.

[dart345]

Another thought I had and just a thought, can I put some ghost shrimp in the water area? granted the water area is small and probable 1-3 inches deep I figured the ghost shrimp eat whatever fell in the water, i.e. fruitflies, springtails, or fecal matter at that. Or would that pose as a problem?

[dart345]

So after staring at the tank for a hour or so trying to figure out how I will build the frame, I started to come up with something.

If you notice the box like structure on the right back side of the tank, that cavity will be utilized by the water pump.

TO Conceal this area, I thought of a REALLY GREAT idea! I figured after the GS has been put into place, I can carve a niche and try to find a slate stone to put over that. That way the stone can come in and out. I hope that makes sense to you, and I hope to provide some pics of that down the road.

I still am not finish with the framing, still looking at a few things and waiting some of your input before I start to lay the foam down. As far as the mesh screen goes, well I have intentions of laying that down flat and cutting it to desired length, and let the edges go underneath the "Great Stuff" towards the background. This will secure the mesh in place.

If you are able to notice the false bottom is not that far from the bottom of the tank. I left this as is, since the previous owner had already silicone PVC pipe with v slots in them silicone to the bottom of the tank, I figured I utilize the work that was already been done.

Since I will be using hydroton clay balls anyways underneath the substrate, by the time its ready to lay down substrate, it will be apx 3-5 inchs away from the bottom. With 2 layers of fiberglass mesh, one over the eggcrate and the second one will be over the layer of hydroton balls. I think this help alot and sort of "diffuse" the water, as it works way down to the false bottom.

I hope I left plenty of room for a pump, since I have not picked one out yet. I figured that be plenty of room.

If you notice I had that wood piece in there, because I was trying to get a idea as I go along on how I would piece this tank together. Its funny how when you keep reading and start constructing your tank, how ideas start to change at last minute. I am really taking it slow to make sure I do not mess up in any areas, and to find a "all around" fit for what I got.

Tomorrow I will be looking forward to finishing the frame and then apply some Great Stuff Foam so that I can let it cure.

[aquariumreef]

The smallest AZOO pumps are good. I used one to empty a 46 gallon Bow front aquarium at 2ish feet perfectly at WF speed. It's going to be a WF pump.

Aquariumreef