# Back with another PDF build



## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

After a long hiatus from frogging, with SPS reefing and high tech planted aquariums in between, i've decided to revisit the froggy side of life.

Equipment list :

Enclosure

24*18*24 Exo Terra

Lighting

ATI Sunpower 6 x 24w T5HO dimmable

Misting

Rainforest Vivs misting system w/ 2 single nozzles and 25 litre RO resovoir

Substrate

Hydroleca drainage w/ABG substrate layer and leaflitter

Background / decor

Treefern / cork background with cork 'tree stump'

Circulation

DIY polycarbonate lid with 1" vent and 40mm fan w/fan controller

Treefern background (will be cut up to make space to silicone the cork trunk)

20180310_111330 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

First test fit :

20180310_110059 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180310_110110 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180310_110415 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180310_110426 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Drainage (may remove the cap and replace with cork round)

20180310_110639 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180310_110705 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Well stocked with Superfly I think! :

20180310_110803 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Misting pump / reservoir :

20180310_110734 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

More to follow.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

I'll continue to post for my own future reference if nothing else.

So my cat helpfully decided to deconstruct the modded lid I used - so I upgraded to 10mm twinwall polycarbonate. 

This has a lower thermal heat loss than glass, but the flipside is a lower percentage of light transmission. From the datasheets i've gathered it goes (approximate figures) :

8mm low iron glass (optiwhite) - 90%
8mm float glass - 85%
10mm twinwall polycarbonate - 80%

Not bad, and coupled with the fact the ATI is pretty overkill for this tank anyway (usually used on SPS / LPS reef tanks), it should see some decent PAR numbers at all heights in the tank.

20180312_173528 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

5 x 75mm vents, wrapped in fly mesh to improve external circulation and decrease moisture buildup on the front:

20180312_173150 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Back to the light - bought preowned from a reefer with a selection of 10 / 12 and 15k bulbs producing a very blue light not pleasing on the eye for its new purpose :

20180310_110613 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



Replaced with the following :

20180312_100308 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

So that's :

6500k x 3
4000k x 1
3000k x 1
2700k x 1

Which looks like this :

20180312_103613 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180312_103620 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Also cut out 3 x 16mm holes for misting nozzles.

Tomorrow will see me siliconing the treefern panels to the back of the tank - any ideas of I can silicone the cork stump onto the treefern to keep it secure and upright?


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Hardscape just about finished.

The xaxim was siliconed to the glass, 2 panels on the back pane, the main trunk siliconed in between them, and any bare glass filled in with a xaxim / cork mosaic.

20180314_095022 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180314_095513 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180314_095537 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Continuing the build, I decided to cover the left hand side to prevent my Burmese kitten taking too much interest in the inhabitants.

Originally I bought some exo terra treefern panels along with the treefern from a local supplier - the quality difference is stark - the exo is the lighter variant, thin and general poor quality, too late as it's siliconed in place . 

I continued this theme with breaking up the remaining treefern and some cork to create a mosaic, while leaving a 1 inch gap in between which will be infilled with sphagnum moss. I'm still not happy with the bare glass left at the sides, so i've ordered some more dark tree fern panels to finish the job.

My jobs list

- Recut and redrill another lid, as the initial misting nozzle placement was too central and would have left 30%ish of the tank dry (i've also ordered 2 more misting nozzles, to increase coverage).
- Drill an 8mm hole on the rear glass panel towards the bottom and fit the mistking bulkhead (for drainage water runoff)
- Drainage layer - I purchased hydroleca drainage medium but am considering using an eggcrate setup for weightsaving.
- Mix substrate to simulate Atlanata Botanical Gardens substrate
- Start practicing with fly cultures, i'll stick with just melanogasters / turkish gliders.
- Plumb in misting system.
- Order parts for internal fan circulation, so far that comprises : 50mm brushless fans x 2, PC fan controller, 3 pin extension cables and power supply.
- Silicone Manzanita in place to finish off hardscape
- Order and install heatpad into cabinet to stabilise temps in there for optimum isopod / fly production.

Here, I think, is the finished hardscape (bar the treefern panels on the sides) :

20180317_171208 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180317_171346 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180317_171230 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

To be continued


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

It's been a little while since my last update, in no small part due to work but also things going wrong (and continuing to!)

Since the last update i've managed the following :

- Drilled bulkhead for Mistking 'value bulkhead' - this is only 6mm tubing but it does the job of draining the excess water from the drainage layer. Ryan from MK quoted me the wrong drill bit size, so had to wait for the correct one to arrive before proceeding. Once drilled and fitted I leak tested it, and found it was leaking badly even with an extra O ring on the outer glass. So I had to smear it in silicone and fingers crossed this seems to be holding up :

20180405_140912 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180405_140916 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

- False bottoms constructed, these cover approx 80% of the floor, to reduce weight. Finished around the edges and centre with expanded clay balls, topped with rigid plastic mesh and topped finally with horticultural fleece

20180405_131043 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20180405_131445 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

- ABG substrate mix created (using sphagnum moss, tree fern granules, carbon granules, fine orchid bark and peat moss)

20180405_141057 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

- Topped with a thin later of oak leaves (I need a much thicker layer, prefereably a variety including magnolia and cattapa leaves)

20180405_141206 by 
DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

- Also plumbed in the misting system and drainage, all pretty tidy underneath the vivarium :

20180405_143354 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

The hollow cork tubes i'm thinking of filling with fine orchid bark to prevent the frogs from entering and acting as a large refugium for the isopods (shoutout to Pumilio for this idea)

Other things on the to do list :

- Hide the fan in cork to create a relatively hidden internal air circulation solution - this will be powered by a 2A PSU at set intervals during the day

- Add ventilation at the read of the lid

- Try and work out why both fans on my ATI sunpower unit have stopped working

- Plant!

- Decide what LED solution to go for, either a self build CREE solution, a couple of Kessil A160 Amazon suns or some GU10 track lighting (want a hybrid solution so when summer comes around the temperatures from the T5 can be eliminated)

- Also debating on wether to re-add the manzanita branches or leave them out for a 'cleaner' look?


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

viv by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


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## Rolls (Apr 7, 2018)

At that looks awesome, I'd love to do a small version for some golden mantellas.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Rolls said:


> At that looks awesome, I'd love to do a small version for some golden mantellas.


Cheers!


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

A list of current plants :

Scaphosepalum Rapax
Restrepia Mohrii
Maxillaria Pumilia
Restrepi Trichoglossa
Begonia Listada
Elaphogossum Crinitum
Pyrrosia Nummularifolia
Marcgravia Sp.
Neoregelia Memphisto
Neoregelia Hawaii
Neoregelia Hybrid
Chrismas Moss
Java Moss
Flame Moss

Plants on order :

Pleurothallis Jantae
Pleurothallis Luctuoasa
Pleurothallis Tripterantha
Peperomia Rotundifolia
Peperomia Hope
Microgramma Tecta
Ficus Panama
Neoregelia Fireball
Neorgelia Red Waif
Neoregelia Hybrid

Also now it's summer the ATI Sunpower is causing heat issues (sits 2, 4, 6 centigrade above ambient when using 2, 4 and 6 tubes respectively)

So i'm considering a couple of options :

Single LED Unit - the new Radion G4 Pro Freshwater. Use this for summer and T5 for winter.

Or a custom LED unit, thin strips of CREE 3W leds in the 5000k and 6500k range, using 2 T5s on warmer days and 4 on cooler days.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Sorry for the lack of updates, i'm in the process of moving house so the tank has been put on the back-burner.

A few things :

- I've purchased 2 x Kessil A360 Tuna Sun LEDs with the spectral controller for custom photo periods, sunrise and sunset etc (ex display for less than £400 - bargain, kinda!) - unsure how to integrate these with T5 or whether to use these for the warmer months and the T5s for the cooler months - thoughts?

- I need to replace the polycarbonate top with glass and construct some type of vent.

- I need to build a new stand, this crappy ply stand is falling apart already. So i'm planning on buliding a wooden stand to accommodate 2 of these 24*18*24 Exo Terras.

Will update when there's something meaningful to add.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

LEDs+T5s by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

20181027_120413 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120422 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120428 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120435 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120441 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120446 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120533 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120542 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120550 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120555 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120608 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181027_120623 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

New build underway ready for some Oophaga pumilio 'Escudo' i'll be collecting next week.

20181119_172633 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181119_172645 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181119_172649 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

20181119_172747 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

A small plant order underway for the new build too :

- Ficus montana
- Marcgravia sintenisii
- Marcgravia umbellata
- Microgramma reptans
- Microgramma tecta
- Neoregelia 'fireball'
- Neogregelia 'hawaii'
- Neoregelia 'hybrid'
- Neoregelia 'punctatissma'
- Neoregelia 'red waif'
- Philodendron sp.
- Pyrrosia nummularifolia
- Pyrrosia piloselliodes

Hoping to place a small orchid order soon too


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

A few photos showing both tanks and growth.

Escudo 1 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_143830 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_143923 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_143934 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144033 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144039 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144058 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144113 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144131 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144234 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144229 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144416 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144539 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_144553 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Marcgravia by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


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