# 'Vert' Conversion - Pikey Style



## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Decided to make one last tank, using the popular vert conversion method seen on DB.

Here is where i'm at so far :

30 x 12 x 18" All glass aquarium :










Polycarb front and rear lower sections, doubled up in thickness and siliconed in place :










Metal L profile and stainless steel mesh siliconed into place :



















Again Polycarbonate and stainless steel mesh siliconed into place for the upper vent :










Need to let this cure, then add tracks and get an optiwhite piece of glass cut for the door.

Regards

Anthony


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Update :

'Crap-hood' - Made using Polycarb and covered in vinyl

4mm Runners added to the top, bottom and left hand side

Draught Excluder added to the right hand side to cover the gap between the glass side and door.

4mm Optiwhite door added -4mm bigger then needed so I can remove with ease.

16mm hole drilled in the top for a twin Mistking nozzle, also one at the back for wires.



















On order :

Lighting - TMC Grobeam 1000 ND LED light unit and Controller for sunrise / sunset programs.
Thermostat - Lucky Reptile Pro II Stat.
Mistking twin value nozzle.
Egg crate for false bottom

To order :

Heating - Will be ordering an aquarium heater.
Background - Bentonite clay + peat / xaxim 
Plants - Plan to collect an order from Marc at Dartfrog in the next couple of weeks, aswell as seeding with Isopods too 

Cheers for looking

Regards

Anthony


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Kewl! Whats going in there?


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

It's either going to be a trio of R.Fantastica or a trio of Amazonicus vents.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

detail3r said:


> It's either going to be a trio of R.Fantastica or a trio of Amazonicus vents.


 Nice:2thumb:,Ant how much did the optiwhite cost?,I guess you have gone this way for the uvb option what are your plans?


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## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

Looking good so far :2thumb:

I was wondering how the UV lighting would work too.

I'm mentally-planning a similar build (36x12x15) for some treefs later in the year once I release the rana trio


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

REDDEV1L said:


> Looking good so far :2thumb:
> 
> I was wondering how the UV lighting would work too.
> 
> I'm mentally-planning a similar build (36x12x15) for some treefs later in the year once I release the rana trio


 I have seen a separate free standing uvb(arcadia) lamp used,maybe thats where he is heading?


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

soundstounite said:


> Nice:2thumb:,Ant how much did the optiwhite cost?,I guess you have gone this way for the uvb option what are your plans?


Cheers mate.

The door cost me £15 from a local glaziers - polished and bevelled edges too 

And yes, I will be subjecting the tank to a weekly UVB session via an arcadia compact UVB lamp shone through the front glass (the same will apply to the terribilis viv, via the opti-white glass lid).



REDDEV1L said:


> Looking good so far :2thumb:
> 
> I was wondering how the UV lighting would work too.
> 
> I'm mentally-planning a similar build (36x12x15) for some treefs later in the year once I release the rana trio


As above, having taking insparation from a DW member called Mworks (who also is the breeder of my Terribs ), who seems to have gotten noticeable positive responses to UV applications on his Histo viv, I have decided to follow suit.

Kind regards

Anthony


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

detail3r said:


> Cheers mate.
> 
> The door cost me £15 from a local glaziers - polished and bevelled edges too
> 
> ...


 Yes i saw that too mate it has had a profound effect on my thinking,when you actually see the frogs telling you as Marcus so eloquently demonstrated then its pretty compulsive is it not,especially the bit about swapping the bulbs to non uvb and them giving no reaction...his vivs are astoudingly good too Stu


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Update :

- Grobeam 1000 nd LED light + storm controller added
- 2" False bottom added
- Substrate screen added
- 10w unstatted aquarium heater added

On order from Dartfrog.co.uk -

- Xaxim panels for back and left hand side
- Orchid bark, xaxim granules and moss for the substrate mix
- Various plants

Just need to get the stat ordered after that and let it all grow in 










LEDs on the vert compared to 2 x 39w T5HO lights :










Regards

Anthony


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

That exo is looking sweet.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> That exo is looking sweet.


I think that photo flatters it tbh, nowhere near as impressive in person.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

I need your opinions guys on the placement of the wood in the tank, as the rest of the materials and plants are arriving tomorrow :

Option 1:


















Option 2 :

















Also a photo of the LED light unit profile :









and one of the direct light output of the unit :









Looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Regards

Anthony


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i thought a bout doin this with my old fbt tank


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Anyone care to give help me out on wood placement?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

detail3r said:


> Anyone care to give help me out on wood placement?


option one for me


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

here ya go mate sommit to mull over,bit of wood in pic 3 is our choice,but build the floor up from left to right,front to back so that the roots just touch the floor and look like they disappear in to it. So you create a tree stump effect with all the roots partly showing,will give loads of hiding climbing places,we have just spent ruddy hours planting so we can close our eyes and see yours finished,let me check we got the right pic


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

yep pic 3 and make the top melt into your fake background...SORTED,:lol2:bet you turn it the other way up now:lol2: seeya S&S


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

- Xaxim panels attached 
- Substrate mix which comprises 2 parts Xaxim (tree fern) granules, 1 part fine orchid bark, 1 part peat moss, 1 part fine charcoal and a handful of crushed oak leaves
- Mistking nozzle installed (dual nozzle)
- Lucky Reptile II Pro stat
- Oak leaves and Magnolia leaves
- Plants (I will list later)
- A few oak branches

I 'hope' to source some Amazonicus off a DW member when its grown in. Oh and its seeded with springtails too.



















Leaf litter added :



















Comments and feedback welcome

Kind regards

Anthony


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Yeah really taking shape now.


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

Its taking shape. just a suggestion that I would do is pull the bit of wood with all the branches coming off, out the substrate a bit, so that the bits are sticking out the leaves, because otherwise seems a bit of a waste. Think it would look good, like roots sticking out the ground.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

matt_mcmahon77 said:


> Its taking shape. just a suggestion that I would do is pull the bit of wood with all the branches coming off, out the substrate a bit, so that the bits are sticking out the leaves, because otherwise seems a bit of a waste. Think it would look good, like roots sticking out the ground.


Taken on board - cheers

Got a few issues with the viv.

1) The temps are way too low - the 10w sumbersible heaters doing nothing, the tank sits at around 16 / 17 c all day (13 c at night!).

2) The water from the mistings is collecting on the front vent and dripping through it (lower euro vent).

3) The triple (modded from double) nozzle at the front isnt cutting it, dry patches all over the xaxim - hoping a quad nozzle will sort this.

So suggestions on how to get some heat into the viv? Heatpads generally only raise temps 3 / 4 C above ambient (which is around 15 C in this house).

Cheers

Anthony


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Heat the misting water.

Stop being weird and turn the heat up :2thumb:


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Heat the misting water.
> 
> Stop being weird and turn the heat up :2thumb:


I don't pay the heating bills, only the mortgage so no say in that regard lol. (Plus the heating can only come one twice a day so there would still be temp drops when no-ones home).


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

run a heat cable from top to bottem


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

insulate the outside of the viv,polystyrene,if this offends your eye make a snazzy box round your viv


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> insulate the outside of the viv,polystyrene,if this offends your eye make a snazzy box round your viv


That might really help- I'm using bubble plastic round the back and sides of the GTF viv at the mo- it really seems to help stabilise the temps.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Well I have used the Acoustic Laminate underlay, which is a bit OTT but has stabilised the temps and the viv is now sitting at 22 C.

Have also added a few chunks of temperate moss, in the hope that even for a few months it will cover the xaxim and help increase humidity.

Just need to add one or two more plants then leave to grow in I think.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Planted :



















I should be adding a group of Amazonicus vents later this month.

Regards

Anthony


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

1 week in the LED lighting and 90%+ humidity seem to be working..

Macgravia showing growth :










Moss growth :










FTS :


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Nice man. Get some moss mix on the tree fern. Mine's going mad under twin T5s, yours should be even better.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Photos taken with Nikon D5000 + standard 18 - 55mm lens + lens hood :

DSC_0023 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0015 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0026 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0022 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0017 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0012 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0008 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

DSC_0010 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr
Only a few of the broms / F.Pumilia have been in permanent positions for a few weeks. The rest was re-arranged last week
I should be collecting 4 juvenile Vanzolinii later this week
Kind regards
Anthony


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

It looks better IMO.


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## Love Pets (Nov 23, 2009)

It looks amazing,congrats!:mf_dribble:


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> It looks better IMO.


I prefer the balance now that the large fireball brom has been removed. Just waiting on the christmas moss adjusting to terrestrial life and also the riccia fluitans arriving.


Love Pets said:


> It looks amazing,congrats!:mf_dribble:


Cheers 

I'll have to film the sunrise / sunset cycle aswell as activate the storm function and record this.

Regards

Anthony


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## Casp (Sep 13, 2010)

Looks Lovely! Lucky frogs! :notworthy:


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

You think the moss will adapt?


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Xmas moss adapts quite well so long as it's kept damp. I have some growing in my leuc viv, taken from one of my shrimp tanks. Truth is, most 'aquatic moss' isn't really, it's just terrestrial moss that can survive been kept under water. Most actually grow faster when grown terrestrially than they do when grown under water.

Ade


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## berksmike (Jan 2, 2008)

Ive found crystalwort (riccia fluitans) is really good for spreading on damp/wet substrate and is a lovely bright green carpet


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Wolfenrook said:


> Xmas moss adapts quite well so long as it's kept damp. I have some growing in my leuc viv, taken from one of my shrimp tanks. Truth is, most 'aquatic moss' isn't really, it's just terrestrial moss that can survive been kept under water. Most actually grow faster when grown terrestrially than they do when grown under water.
> 
> Ade


Access to more co2?

I have some flame moss I'm going to try now.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Peacock / flame / java / taiwain / christmas mosses should all adapt as long as you keep them VERY moist during the transition period from aquatic to terrestrial life. I hope the combination of intense lighting and high humidity will see it adapt soon. 

Berksmike - I added a clump of Riccia Fluitans yesterday 

Regards

Anthony

P.s. - The UK moss seems to be doing fine too


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Should do bud. Where I have my xmas moss in the leuc viv is right up near the top vent (around the base of an orchid), but gets dripped on by the misting nozzle after each misting, never even got any die back on it at all. You might get a bit of die back, with it looking dead, but don't bin it, just leave it in there and ignore it, it's surprising how long it can take mosses to reappear, I once took some Java moss from terrestrial to aquatic (a lot of Java grown commercially is terrestrial phase) and it vanished for about 6 months before going nuts.

Ade


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

My flame is brown as it can be anyway. Left it out on the side.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

0.0.4 Vanzolinii added 2 days ago, here's a snap of one. Will get better photos soon, once they are settled and I can open the viv :










They seem to be happy, packing away springs like there's no tomorrow


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Updated shots :


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Growing in nicely bud. 

Ade


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