55 gal vivarium help.

[The Fluffy Injun]

I'm thinking about redoing my 55 gal white tank and was thinking about trying the foam background think. I also want to put plants and other stuff in there so here are my questions

1) what kind of foam can I use? Like the lowes Dow 12 oz gap and crack foam or are there some you want to avoid.

2) what would be the best substrate to use? Paint or coco fiber and woodglue.

3) can I use a false bottom with the plants?

4) with the foam and substrate, can I carve out a water fall to run over the background or will the foam chemicals not allow this.

5) I'm in the us so specific names of stuff to use will greatly help me. I was reading through a bunch of post and some of the items mention confused me.

6) As this is my first time attempting this, any and all help is appreciated and encouraged.

I think that is everything for now.

Thanks in advance!!!!

[pettios]

Hey there! I'm in the in very similar position. I plan on doing foamed background in a new (larger) tank for my White's for the first time. Having said that, I am by no means an expert. I found this thread a while ago that seemed really helpful. I think it at least partially answers questions 1, 2, 5, and 6.

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...-supplies.html

For question #3, I believe you can use a false bottom with plants. Josh's Frogs has some care sheets for planting them and that is what I've been using to help guide my design. The easiest way to get there is to click on the link below and then in the "How - to use" tab there are several links which I found helpful.

18x18x18 Tropical Vivarium Plant Kit | Josh's Frogs

As for question #4, I've seen posts of builds where people have done this, so it is possible; I just don't know all of the details. Hopefully you find those links helpful. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your viv as it progresses!

[deranged chipmunk]

as far as the foam, i like to use the GE expanding foam. walmart sells it in their paint dept. i have used almost all of the others and the GE is my favorite so far. it cures white vs. yellow and cures with smaller air bubbles, making carving things out of it a bit easier.

i wrote this build journals as a sort of a tutorial, maybe it might help you out, maybe not...lol
http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...aludarium.html

you can most definitely use a false bottom with live plants. the only downside to a false bottom is that you lose vertical space, but it does offer numerous advantages like a reservoir that you can filter, and since there is a reservoir of water, you can utilize a standard aquarium heater to heat the water, which, in turn, heats the air above it and creates a bit of humidity.

there is no specific procedure for carving water falls and such, it's just basically allow the foam to fully cure (about 48 hours) and then carve away. the water area would need to be sealed afterwards, but that is a whole other discussion

between the links pettios and i have provided, you should have enough to get you started. if you have any other questions, just feel free to ask.

[The Fluffy Injun]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

[The Fluffy Injun]

I have decided to try this out with a small 5.5 gal before I do my 55 gal. This way I can have an idea of what I have to do. Thanks again!

[pettios]

Do you plan on housing anything in the 5.5 or is strictly for experimentation?

[The Fluffy Injun]

I have a few tadpoles that I will eventually like to put in there until adult hood IF again IF it turns out how I like and adequate.

[The Fluffy Injun]

By the way Deranged chipmunk, would smearing silicone be ok to seal the foam for a water feature?

[deranged chipmunk]

it would, but it will dry dull. if you want a more shiny surface (which won't be noticeable under a flow of water), two part epoxy is the way to go also, if you don't get a good seal with silicone, you need to remove it and start over since siicone won't adhere to previously cured silicone. if you do it with epoxy and you don't get a good seal, you can always do another layer of epoxy. Loctite makes an excellent 2 part epoxy and it is sold at home depot, lowe's, walmart, ect.

[The Fluffy Injun]

Awesome, thanks for the schooling!

[The Fluffy Injun]

So I started last night making the false bottom, got that finished and set. Today I foamed and applied rocks to my false bottom for the water feature! Now I am waiting oh so patiently.



By the way, I did not realize how much that foam stuff expanded! Crazy!

[deranged chipmunk]

looks good so far. guess you're gonna have a bit of trimming to get that false bottom in there.....lol and yes, that foam does really expand a lot. more than most people expect. at least you tested with a small tank, now when you do the big one, you'll know what to expect

[The Fluffy Injun]

Totally going to have to trim but thankfully I marked out the false bottom on the glass and left a gap of about a 1/2" planning ahead was very important. I'm glad I didn't just dive in. What is best for trimming, just a box cutter or is a craft razor thing better?

[deranged chipmunk]

anything with a sharp blade will work. i use steak knives, exacto knives, razor blades, scapels, wood files. anything that's handy at the time.....lol

[The Fluffy Injun]

Perhaps I overlooked this but what type of paint do I use? I saw the acid something or other put not sure what that is. Want a bit more info before I walk into the hardware store and look like a putts. Could I just be heavy on the titebond and coco fiber and avoid painting? As always, Thanks!

[deranged chipmunk]

i didn't use paint. i mixed coco fiber and titebond and painted it on using acid brushes

[The Fluffy Injun]

Oh I'm just a dumb dumb and didn't read it correctly lol ADD strikes again!

[The Fluffy Injun]

Carving and painting day!

Just finished carving. Though I got excited and forgot to lay my plumbing down so I am thinking I am going to get a piece of pipe a few mm bigger then my tube and just use it to cut a hole in the foam. Anywho here are some pictures

Top


Angled front/top


Front


Ps my false bottom fits

[The Fluffy Injun]

Coco fiber goop added



Here is another question, should I exist the whole thing or just the areas that water will run?

Also, I ran out of titebond and switched to Elmer's carpenter glue(nontoxic/waterproof/stainable) will that be ok or should I coat over with titebond?

I got my plumbing done as well just need to coat them. Obviously I need to get more glue. Thanks again for the help!

[The Fluffy Injun]

Oh and does it really take a week for it to dry completely?!