Sophia Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 I'm not bored... hurry up with the rest of the story :slfg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 I th8nk the paradise fish would upset the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruju Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Looks mint, I'd love to do something like this. This provides good instructions. How have you installed the pump for the waterfall? How have concealed a filter? I assume you can access them somehow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Glad I'm not boring you Sophia...next stage on its way...RIGHT NOW... Thanks Caryl…I’ll now give the Paradise Fish idea a miss. Hi Fruju, pleased you like the set up! I’ve use a fluval canister filter, it sits in the cabinet under the viv, so it’s easy to access, and clean if & when required. The filter inlet sits in the back left corner of the viv, & it is positioned in behind a block of filter sponge that also acts as a pre-filter. The filter outlet is a shortened piece of a standard spray bar, & gives me a good spread of water that then forms the waterfall. Have a look at the 2nd & 3rd to last pic’s in the next post, & you can see the filter pipes coming out at the back right corner of the viv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 :spop: On with the next stage… The whole background is now positioned back into the viv and an extra piece of driftwood is set into position. This piece was selected to give a nice line down towards the front of the viv, & to also give a suspended branch effect that I could cover with moss. This shot is from a different angle, and shows how the planting pots fit in behind the manuka, the vines are added to give a bit of an edge, & to help hide the pots. I had made space for that green basket. It was to hold a clump of live sphagnum moss, but it proved to take up too much space, so I ended up using a smaller version. Here’s a closer pic of the water fall area, & another pot that is set up to hold the Neoregelia lilliputiana in place. Now water is added, & the fluval filter is turned on to activate the waterfall. A few final tweaks to get the water flow just right. Then the viv is left to run & settle for a week before I begin to plant it. I kinda like this stark look... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 !drool: You have inspired me and I think a lot of other people on this forum with your Vivarium! Thank you for the awesome build thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Oh and a newb viv question: how do you avoid condensation on the the inside of the vivarium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 It's amazing And great write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Oh and a newb viv question: how do you avoid condensation on the the inside of the vivarium? It will be cold water so I guess it would stay close to room temperature...? so no condensation. Very cool viv :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 !drool: You have inspired me and I think a lot of other people on this forum with your Vivarium! Thank you for the awesome build thread That's a real complement hovmoller...THANKS! It will be cold water so I guess it would stay close to room temperature...? so no condensation. Very cool viv :thup: Yep, you got it si sphinx, unheated viv, so no condensation. One issue I do have is that the frogs like to climb all over the glass when they're out hunting for food at night...and they're just like little kids with sticky fingers...so I have to clean up on a regular basis. Hey Twinkles...your biotope build looks amazing...and now you've got me thinking that I NEED to set up a large native aquaria! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mts sufferer Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Sorry its a bit of a late answer, but yes I would definitely agree with caryl and give the paradise fish a miss as they can hardly put up with each other, let alone other fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruju Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 Great build; one of the best vivs I have seen on the net, great info and pictures of the transition. I bet you are thoroughly enjoying that in your home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 It is great how you have laid it all out like that. Your obviously a natural. It is inspiring. I'm actually serisously thinking about finishing (ie starting background) a viv i started a year, or two, ago now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Great build; one of the best vivs I have seen on the net, great info and pictures of the transition. I bet you are thoroughly enjoying that in your home. Thanks Fruju...yep we're really enjoying it. And the viv has become the centre of attention when the frogs are being fed. We had family around for dinner the other night, and they arrived just as I was adding the days catch of flies to the viv. We all stood around cheering as the frogs got the flies...great entertainment :sml1: Cheers ID, it was some of your frogs pic's that inspired me! Now I want to build another larger viv and track down some of those amazing lutino Golden Bell Frogs !drool: Just sorting out the final batch of pic's showing the planting...should be up soon. Cheers, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 At long last here is the final instalment…planting time... :spop: I’ve had a pond / water feature outside for some time, and when that was set up I spread around a heap of java moss. It has since done well out there, so I had some nice established sections from which to cut out pieces for the viv. I started covering the central branch by cutting a section of the java moss to size, & then binding it on with fishing nylon. I have heaps of bromeliads, so it was a difficult choice what to include in the viv. I settled on just 2 species. This one is Tillandsia somnians, a much underrated brom IMO. It’s one that doesn’t like to be planted, which is ideal for a viv set up. So I just cut a few plants, & positioned them where I wanted. The other brom is Neoregelia lilliputiana. This is a neat mini neo and it fits in with the scale of this viv. Close up of the java moss over my suspended branch. I had run a couple of the home made vines down this branch, & into the water, then covered them with java moss. The plan was that the java moss would allow a sort of capillary action of water up to the branch, & keep the whole area moist…it has sort of worked, but additional spraying has been required. Now the java moss “island” is in place, & behind that (back right corner) is an area of live sphagnum moss. This area was reduced a bit, as it took up too much of the water space. Gravel & a few flat stones are added. And here it is…the finished viv! I've played around with the plants a bit, and added a couple of orchids, but the viv has pretty much run to plan since set up & no major issue so far. I just give the plants & moss a spray of pond water from time to time, & do the occasional water change. I guess the test will be to see how it looks 6 – 12 mths on. Thanks for putting up with my drawn out build! Cheers, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruju Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Could add a mister? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 how many litres is in the water section? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason22 Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Very cool one of the better ones ive seen :thup: :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Thanks Jason. Are misters easy to retro fit Fruju? Might be a good option. Hey Sophia, the water section holds about 35 litres. Not a large volume of water, but the fluval canister filter makes sure this volume moved a number of times each hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Such an awesome build, nice job! I like your idea of using rope to make roots, very cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nznatives Posted June 14, 2012 Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 Wow great job and such a great read also! At the same time as you, i have also been creating a background for some whistlers in an exo terra 45,45,45. Will make a seperate topic of mine when im finished if anyone would like to see? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Sounds good NZ Natives...let's see it :spop: I decided to... PIMP MY VIV As these frogs are pretty much nocturnal, I wanted to add a moon light of some type. After looking around at options, it seemed that blue LEDs were the way to go. So a few components were put together…a strip of blue LED's, plus a dimmer...now the viv’s all pimped up :sml1: Here’s the viv with the fluro lights, plus the LED’s. And just the LED’s. The frogs seem to like it, and are not bothered by the blue light at all :happy1: They’re often seen out hunting under the LED’s, and are quite active, especially when food is around! Cheers, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 that's cool :sml2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Blue lighting is wicked :thup: What sort of led strips did you use? I've got a 3ft marine blue fluro on my tank at the moment and love it, but want something to a strip the length of the new tank for night watching. Looking at those reels of flat leds that you can cut every 3 bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted June 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 Thanks Sophia & Twinkles Those LED's came from LED World:- http://www.ledworld.co.nz They had a good range, I got one strip that was already made up, waterproof, & ready to go. Cheers, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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