First attempt at building a fake background.

[thadmy]

That's actually a really good idea with the bamboo. Could you upload of pic of how you used the screen to make a pool. Did you just use the screen to separate the dirt from falling into the drainage layer.

[DonLisk]

I don't have a picture of it but you basically just hold the hydroballs back and place your stones in on top of the screen material. Have the stones come up high enough to meet your substrates top so it doesn't fall into the water area.

[thadmy]

So I hold push the hydroballs back then place the screen over that where I then place rocks over it and levels the rocks off with the land so it doesn't fall in

[DonLisk]

Sounds right. you can just make an area sectioned off by using eggcrate to create the frame of the pond area, then screen all of that so the hydroballs don't get into the pond. Place that on the bottom and design your ponds contours with stone coming up on the sides to stop substrates from mixing in.

[DonLisk]

Here are some images of members tanks to get some ideas for doing your pond area.










Hope these help.

[thadmy]

Yeah the second one is most likely what I'm going to make. I just need to get all the branches in to see how much space I have in the bottom of the tank to do it. I'll post pictures tomorrow after the silicon has completely dried. I end up using small stones and dried sphagnum moss to cover areas on the GS that weren't covered with dirt.

That way it gives it more of a naturalistic look rather than just a dirt wall

[thadmy]

Here is what I have so far. I had to scrape the big tree as I got it from a friend and there was a dead lizard that had crawled inside and died. It smelt bad so I figured it would be toxic for the frogs so I'm going to the reptile show on Sat to get another big central branch.

The bottom I plan on sloping to a small pool in the front by the door leading up to land and then planting the bamboo on a slant in the back corner like you said. I also plan on adding more moss and small rocks to the side walls as long as a few vines here and there to create climbing spaces.

I was thinking getting a small colony of Clowns (4) and maybe 2 Neon blue geckos.