Last week, I made the decision to nuke my mantella tank and redesign and rebuild it. I have had a tank design stuck in my head for a while and now is the time to do it. A little secret about me, I love, love,LOVE theme tanks. I know a lot of people stay away from them because they don't want to be looked down upon by the "elite", but I just dig them, so I decided to build me a gimmick tank. I am totally fascinated by the steam punk movement, and that will be the theme of this one. (I have another theme tank in the planning stages) there will be lots of copper piping running through this tank, like steam lines. I can see it in my head, now it's time to make it a reality.
I went shopping at Home Depot yesterday, trip 1 of many. I picked up the necessities, although dummy me, I did not remember to get PVC pipe for false bottom supports, so I guess I need to make another HD run... Hehe I think they are gonna need to restock a few things
I also decided that I wanted a sparkling new tank, so I stopped by my local lfs that has awesome pricing on tanks and picked up a 36x18x18 Viv.
Of course, add this stuff to the supplies I already have and we're good to go once I get more pipe. I will update as soon as I have a floor plan decided.
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
Cant wait to see this one Bill!
"A Righteous man cares for his animals" - Proverbs 12:10
1.0.0 Correlophus cilliatus
2.1.0 Bombina orientalis
0.1.0 Ambystoma mexicanum
0.0.1 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0.0 Litoria caerulea
1.1.0 Dendrobates auratus "Nicaraguan"
0.0.2 Dendrobates tinctorius "Azureus"
Awesome! Can't wait to see your idea come together. Keep the updates coming!
I am in the midst of my RETF build and already planning a Dart tank. I have the rough layout in my head and with the lessons learned from the RETF tank I can't wait to get started! Need to get the Dart tank built so I can buy me some Darts! lol.
So, I got a few things done on this tank last night. First off, I took a few pieces of pipe to work so I could make a few "artistic" cuts that I couldn't make at home
Yes, I know, my tool box is a mess lol
Next, I laid out my floor plan. Decided against a lot of crazy ideas and went rather basic.
Once I got that decided, it was time to do what I have been putting off for a week, I drilled the tank. This was my first time drilling a tank and it was nerve racking, but went well.
Success, a little tiny chip, but that will be covered in foam.
Now that that was done, the real work could begin......
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
Now, this tank is very different from any tank I have built before. I normally try to make my tanks look very natural, a little slice of nature. Since the theme of this one is steam punk, it needs to be very industrial looking. Geometric. Mechanical. I opted for no wood in this tank. Instead, copper pipes will run throughout, replacing the wood. So I started running my pipes.
Disassembled everything and marked it so it can go back together in the right order before I paint it. The second pic is an example of the pipe after painting. It was my test piece.
And here is the humidifier I am modding to deliver my "steam"
This is, no joke, the easiest humidifier to mod. You'll see how easy in my next update.
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
Looks great so far! Keep em coming!
must admit i'm not a fan of theme builds, because they are usually poorly done, this one looks like it could be great, knowing whose behind it helps too lol. I have thought of building a kind of "wasteland" viv myself, background being a small broken down wall with a fake can as a hide etc also would have a bit of an eco warrior feel to it, showing what will probably be in the future for animals in the wild etc etc etc.
Very Nice Build so far Bill.. Very creative and outside the box.. Looking forward to watching you progress with this...
Thanks for the kind words folks got a quickie update. Modded my humidifier.
Was just a matter of using 2 part epoxy to glue a piece of 1/2" PVC to the outlet. Done. Told you it was easy.
Also, got a couple pipes painted, detailed and finished
I actually finished a third pipe section, but it wasn't dry when I took pics last night. I'll grab some tonight of it.
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
I'm going plant shopping today. Need anything?
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203589094112277&id=1363241107&set =a.1434844115446.2055312.1363241107&source=11&ref= bookmark
Corrugated tubing will be in that other tank I am planning. Didn't want to have too many textures to draw the eye around.
Text me if you are something brilliant in the way of ferns. I am looking for a "crocodylus" bird's nest fern
https://www.blackjungleterrariumsupp...e.asp?#page-84
Last edited by deranged chipmunk; January 14th, 2014 at 06:49 PM. Reason: stupid autocorrect wrote bird's eye instead of bird's nest!!
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
Wow Bill, somehow missed this while on vacation, until stumbled upon it today. It is looking very interesting and already learning stuff from it .
Now you got my imagination going. Been thinking about my future Imi enclosure and would really like to theme it as a Mayan temple or similar ruin. Something like a carving in a wall or some steps/entrance with overgrown vines and foliage covering most of it.
Got a couple questions. First, what paint are you using to mimic copper tubing? It looks pretty real. Second, what is that humidifier brand and model? Thank you !
Remember to take care of the enclosure and it will take care of your frog !
Hey Carlos. I really like the idea of the Mayan ruins type tank. That would be very cool. The paint I used is rustoleum hammered look paint. After they were painted with the metallic paints, the details (corrosion and whatnot), I hand painted with acrylic craft paint and then everything was sealed under multiple coats of krylon fusion clear. I believe each got
6 coats of clear coat, I lost track after a while lol
The humidifier I got at bed bath and beyond. It used to be sold under the sharper image label, but now it is homedics. It's great, analog rheostat to control humidity output, which makes it timer friendly. Here's a link to it https://m.bedbathandbeyond.com/m/pro...ier/1041692271
Now, for some updates:
I foamed 2 sides of the tank. I forgot to pick up a can of foam when I was at Walmart Sunday, and we just got whacked with 12" of snow, so the rest of the foaming will wait until the weekend. I threw the extra pipes in to give an idea of how it will look assembled
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
what kind of screen/mesh do you use to separate the drainage layer from the substrate?
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