1000+ questions :)

[Lija]

Ok people, after consuming what is in the pic (highly recommend for those who can drink legally, can i post pic like that on a forum? pls delete it if not). Anyhow - why there is a bacterial film on the surface of the pond? And i kinda think the substrate is on a bottom of the pond! How im doing so far? What is that substrate? And how the water is getting in that pond? And will faster moving water mess the substrate up?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mpmistr]

michael, you just have to build it properly. special overflows used in aquatic tanks or limited intakes on vivs. imagin a 4" water level. you drill your hole at say, the 2" level. put a 90 degree fitting out of the bulkhead, then a screened pipe that stops at roughly 4". as long as the water level is above the pipe, water flows in, if the water drops below the pipe, no flow, no flood.

Right the overflow would prevent it from flooding. My 40B was actually a saltwater tank once, so it is drilled on the bottom, perhaps one day I will get adventurous and do a sump, I would like to.

[deranged chipmunk]

My pond has biofilm on it because the circulation is extremely slow. And yes, the substrate is on the bottom of the pond, but it is also packed up around the sides. There is a very small area I have open so I can keep the slow circulation up.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[deranged chipmunk]

And the substrate is fluval shrimp stratum. It's like a processed soil. And it's little spheres, so it can't compact and always stays aerated. It also has decent flow characteristics.

Oh, whatever works. I would have grabbed the tequila myself lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Lija]

Never let a woman go shopping unsupervised

See pics. I got everything that they had for terrarium plans ( one of each) + some more and kinda thinking of being back next week, cos they said they'll have more lol i have 3 anubias petite in a mail too - will it grow in that shrimp thing? I also got 3 more bottles ( they are small ) of that awesome wine, would have gotten some tequila for you guys, but cross border shipping is complicated.
I also ordered terrarium 34x16x24 with 6,5" glass below the sliding doors, will need to wait for a week im gonna die! They are gonna reinforce the bottom and put thick glass there so i can use my stand, but i didnt want to push it too far for bigger dimensions. The top of the stand is 33x14.

It seems i still need to get more foam, plumbing, egg crate, pvc pipe, that shrimp thing, the whole list of whatever Bill is using for substrate, more plants too - right? Some kinda wood (will go look around).
Guys how to make a substrate with less ingredients?

I still have absolutely no idea on the design - is it normal? Well kinda have an idea, but dont see it yet.

How im doing so far?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Lija]

More shopping please feel free to comment, especially if i went overboard or got smth i shouldnt. Moss, charcoal, etc - i found recipe on abg mix, sounded easier then mix whatever Bill is using hoops in the pics are my other summer project that im not planning on using in a terrarium, just so you know
Question on lights though - thumbs up or that thing should go back to the store? Same q for everything else.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mpmistr]

My plants came today and I have no real idea on what to do with them either.

[deranged chipmunk]

Sounds like you are headed on your way Lija! The light will work just fine. And don't worry about the design. It will come to you.

I was going to suggest you just use ABG mix. Especially since this is your first build

I got a kick out of "that shrimp stuff" lol That is my favorite aquatic substrate. If it wasn't so darned expensive, I would use it in my bigger aquatic tanks.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[DigitalPunk]

Ohh. Man a build thread! Sounds like you are getting a lot of great advice! Can't wait to see how this progresses!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lija]

Thanks guys!
so the progress so far - shopping, shopping and more shopping lol but then what else is there to do while waiting for tank to be made

advise needed on abg mix. Found this recipe on the other forum

1 part milled peat


1 part milled sphagnum moss


1 part fine charcoal (We usually at least double this)


2 parts fine tree fern fiber


2 parts fine orchid bark


the problem here that i cant find tree fern fiber anywhere that would ship to Canada, can i substitute it with coco fiber? Or anything else?


Oh and after all the reading ive done i want to completely redo my nasutas tank.

[DigitalPunk]

LoL Lija it's a vicious circle

I have seen people replace the tree fern fiber with coco fiber. I think NeHerp has done that with the mix they sale.


I am back with PC access so I have some catching up to do so I can participate better

[Lija]

Paul im starting to understand why dart frog people dont have just one tank. Ever! lol you have plants, you need to prune them, you have leftovers... What do with them? ... Thats right, new tank that should be better then first one. But after you look at your first one and hate it. And cant believe you can do such an ugly tank... So you have to redo it, right? You just have no choice because it is so aweful... By the time you redo it you have leftovers of plants again..... Hey, this is fun!!!


More qs. I like to look for reasoning behind things. What does tree fern do in a mix? Same as bark, filler?

Another question - it seems pretty inert mix, how plants are getting nutrition? Given no frogs in a tank.

And another one i have tropical isopods and springtail in my nasuta tank, should i take some soil with them and culture for some time to have smth to seed into a new tank?

[DigitalPunk]

Oh yeah lol, that is the biggest thing for me. When I finish with a new tank and then look at my others I see all sorts of things I wished I had done differently... So I start building a replacement for one of them and then move everyone into the new home, but wait.. now I have an empty tank and this other tank could be SO much better. Rinse and repeat lol. I currently have 2 empty tanks. a 18x18x24 Exo Terra, and a 40B Aquarium. I am currently planning out the 40B while I clean out the 18x18x24 so naturally I am wondering what I will do with it next lol.

I am actually happy with 2 of my 3 tanks right now. Once the new Vent tank is done I am hoping I love it as well so I can move onto building an entirely new tank for some new (yet unselected frogs) lol.

Now to your questions.

1. Not so much filler (with the bark as well) as it prevents compaction of the soil. Plants and Microfauna want airy soil. If it compacts down once wet it will choke out the roots

2. The peat moss provides the nutrients for the plants. You could replace the Peat moss with coconut fiber and achieve the same thing.

3. I wouldn't take from one tank to supply another if you can avoid it. You would be best server ordering a new culture and setting it up in a breeding bin. In about 30 days you will have more springs than you know what to do with. I actually ended up breaking my one spring culture up into 3 cultures after it was up and running for a few months. Now I restock my tanks from one culture and use the other 2 to restock the first one . Also look into Isopods. They are a great additions to tanks as well and very easy to culture. Though they are best if you buy them and setup the breeding bin for them and then forget about them (except for misting and feeding) for 2 or 3 months to really let the culture take off before you pull from them.

[Lija]

Got it thanks!

Confused though on n2, you said above i can substitute tree fern with coconut fibre. I have peat moss, that is tree fern apparently is a problem around where i live and nobody from US can ship it here, because tree fern products require CITES permit. That is a stupidest thing i've heard actually, i understand same for live protected species, but that ;(

[flybyferns]

Lija,
Just think !
This is only the 1st one

You may need to move to Northern California, plus the wine is really good there !

[flybyferns]

Got it thanks!

Confused though on n2, you said above i can substitute tree fern with coconut fibre. I have peat moss, that is tree fern apparently is a problem around where i live and nobody from US can ship it here, because tree fern products require CITES permit. That is a stupidest thing i've heard actually, i understand same for live protected species, but that ;(

Can you purchase ready - mix ABG ?
It will have some tree fern fiber in it- don't know if a little is allowed - that way - where you are.
It might be a way to get an allowed amount in.

ABG, Atlanta Botanical Gardens Mix | Reptile Substrate | Josh's Frogs

You could purchase - say a 10x10" pc of cocoa fiber background and pull it apart.
The 'strands' don't break.
I've used this many times this way ) to push into small openings between background and glass.
It's pretty easy to pull apart and does not break down.

[deranged chipmunk]

I like Lynn's solution. Buy premixed ABG. I never recommend using what I use because it's a bit complicated lol.


You can break up tree fern panels, like Lynn suggested, or skip it altogether. The tree fern is for aeration and drainage, but it also breaks down over time, adding nutrients to the soil. You actually can skip it, if necessary. You can always add a bit more orchid bark in for drainage. The nutrients you would potentially lose will be made up for in frog waste.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[DigitalPunk]

Loosing some of the nutrients by by having to skip the fern bark isn't a big deal. ABG is really nutrient rich for plants and can cause them to grow wicked fast. Slowing the growing down a bit by loosing some nutrients will just mean less trimming for you

If you have to skip tree fern than increase the Bark and coal to help resist compaction and maybe even add a bit more peat moss as well to add more nutrients to the soil. Should work out great for you. You could even shrewd some leaf litter and mix it into the soil. It will breakdown overtime as well and provide food for your microfauna and nutrients for your plants.

[Lija]

Lija,
Just think !
This is only the 1st one

You may need to move to Northern California, plus the wine is really good there !

Oh yeah! Totally! But my hubby doesnt really need to know that lol

dont tempt me lol living in US thus possibility of online frog shopping and plant shopping..... It. May. End. Very. Badly!

I wouldnt think of mixing my own anything if already made is available, not for the first tank anyway. abg mix is not available for sale anywhere in canada that i can access, same goes for tree fern! I found tree fern panels in one online store for 30$ for 2 panels.... + 30$ shipping..... Rather not to buy it here....

Ok i do this then:
1 part peat moss
1 part sphagnum moss
2 parts charcoal
3 parts of orchid bark
1 part of coconut fiber ( because i have tons of that)

approve?


And if happen to find coconut background or by some miracle tree fern i will add 1-2 parts of that too - yes?


Another question - should i do substrate mix and replant plants i have in that mix after washing off roots, or leave them how they are until i have rank ready for planting?

[deranged chipmunk]

That will work. As far as replanting. You can make your mix and replant them while you build. Won't hurt for them to get used to the new soil. I prefer to acclimate my plants just once. But there's absolutely no harm the other way. It's kinda like a quarantine for the plants. I believe Lynn does it that way and her plants are spectacular!!!


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela