Member's Choice Build

[deranged chipmunk]

Thanks Mike! That fern canyon is really something. It must be truly awe inspiring to see in person. It definitely gave me some excellent ideas!

[DigitalPunk]

Hey Bill,

I've been racking my brain to come up with a decent idea for this tank and am drawing a blank mostly.


When I look at the empty tank I see a waterfall running from the top back down the middle of the tank. I see a rock face with moss and ferns growing on it that the waterfall is running down.


Are you going to use spray foam back ground/ another background design styles? Or are you looking to keep it more natural?


Edit:

I see it being high in the back and lower in the front using as much of the free space in the tank as possible. Maybe a pool/pond in the front of the tank...

[deranged chipmunk]

Well, I decided to go a unique route for my background. Real rock. I hit up the garden center today, and I had all this rock to choose from, but I was targeting one specific type.
This was just a wee bit of what they carry:




I really wanted this piece, but it wasn't the rock I wanted:


This is what I wanted, black feather rock. About the same weight and texture as lava rock:


I added in the gallon jug for reference:


So basically, it will have a black "lava rock" background. Yes, a water fall is eminent, and it will be planted with ferns, violets (both standard and mini), a few mini gesneriads, and a butt load of aquatics in the aquatic portion.

[DigitalPunk]

Nice!

[Heatheranne]

Since there were some excellent ideas here, I am going to try to incorporate as many as I can. The tank will house ferns, violets, some miniature gesneriads, and I may even have a succulent in a dry spot, just for Neil!

Heather, the cascading waterfall is an incredible idea, and I am going to "Chipmunk it out". I have a special plan for the background. Something very, VERY unique, as long as I can get the materials this weekend.

Aww . It will be like the frog family "us" tank with an idea from each of us .

[deranged chipmunk]

Aww . It will be like the frog family "us" tank with an idea from each of us .

that's the idea Heath

[deranged chipmunk]

so i spent about an hour with a hammer and chisel in my hand, and reduced the large rock i got in this pile of rubble that i can now use as my background.



i also got my wiring/tubing conduit siliconed into place.


next step will be setting up my water supply system for the waterfall before i can start deciding the rock placement. to be continued........

[deranged chipmunk]

ok, so i've had some frustrations with this tank. i couldn't find the pump i wanted to use until this evening. of course, i had just siliconed in some rock work, so it will be a couple days before i start playing with pumps and water again. i did, however, get my wood siliconed in, and some of the right wall rock work. i still need to foam between the rocks. i am feeling way too lazy tonight to run to walmart to pick up a few cans o' foam, so i'll foam tomorrow night. here's what i have done so far:

da wood




those with a saavy eye will notice that i repurposed the wood from the original configuration of this tank. i really love the pieces and this was the original plan for it when i found them.

rock work. please keep in mind that the pics are rotated, the tank is still laying on it's side



next update won't be until after the show this sunday, so have a wonderful weekend!!

ok, so they didn't rotate on here, FF and Photobucket are constantly screwing with me LOL

[DigitalPunk]

Where do you find those pieces of wood? Would love to get some like this one or the one you used in the build before the steam punk build.

Looking good so far, can't wait to see how it all comes together!

[deranged chipmunk]

All the wood in my vivs, are local. I rummage in the park through the deadfall until I see something that catches my eye. If I don't find anything in the park, i head to the river after a big storm. The log in the mantella tank was a washup piece of oak driftwood.

It's very rare that I pay for wood. Exception being wood for planted tanks. But only if I want a certain look.

[DigitalPunk]

Awesome, I have been keeping my eye out for driftwood (I live right on the Mississippi river) but haven't had any luck yet. I have purchased all the wood for my viva so far, but would love to find a free solution to that lol.

[deranged chipmunk]

Dead falls are like a gold mine, if you don't mind digging through a bunch of wood. I like decayed wood, it gives me natural planters to work with. The less I have to figure out where to plant, the better.

[deranged chipmunk]

Scored a few plants for this tank at the show yesterday. I got a Sinningia muscicola, a begonia, and I chose a nice nepenthes ventricosa. I have always wanted a nepenthes, and even more so, wanted one in a tank I built. But then Bruce, who knows much more than I about them, explained it will be too humid in the tank for it, so it is now going to be a house plant I also picked up a philodendron wend imbe for the steam punk tank. I just couldn't stay away from Black Jungle's booth!!

[deranged chipmunk]

[DigitalPunk]

Nice plant additions! Sucks the nepenthes ventricosa isn't a candidate for a planted terrarium. I love that plant!

Know this is off topic for this thread, but can we expect some pictures of the new frogs soon? you added what 6 frogs over the weekend?

[deranged chipmunk]

Here are a couple I took before I scored them off to quarantine, where they have been hiding constantly lol and a couple of one of the imitators.

[DigitalPunk]

Awesome! Are you going to QT the imitators? I didn't know if knowing they came from a reputable person and being able to see if they were housed together or not if you would need to put them through a QT period.

The M. Baroni look great! I am on the fence on if I will try to score another Mantella group for this next tank or if it will be a Dart tank.

[deranged chipmunk]

The imi's are in their own "flybyferns qt special" tank. Which brings me to a few pics I took to show heather last night. Have you ever noticed when I take full tank shots, you never see my lights? And there is always a tub or two on the tank? Here's why.

The imi's are in the container the the far left. Here's the rest of the stuff on too of my tank, I really need some shelving lol



That's a tiger lotus I am keeping alive for this build and some lichen.

[DigitalPunk]

LoL your space looks like mine. Though I have shifted to sitting more stuff on the floor lately lol. I am glad I am not the only one who needs to focus on the frog room and less on tanks for a few lol

I like that little green house on the floor. I have some plastic tubs on the floor with soil and plants in them sitting around tanks so they can get under the grow lights lol. I really liked Lynns Shoe hanger planter setup she showed off a little while ago. I may have to steal it and move away from the plastic tub setup lol.

[deranged chipmunk]

That's my little ikea $25 green house. It's awesome and it's packed with begonias and violets and ferns (oh my) that Lynn and heather have me on Sunday