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My Madagascar Inspired Mantella Paludarium

48K views 168 replies 23 participants last post by  Fishies_in_Philly 
#1 ·
i decided to move this build journal over to this thread since it is for frogs. to see the beginning of the build, you can go here :
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=197462

this is going to be a quickie update. after 2 days of foaming, adjusting, adding my diy rain system, i am finally complete the "construction phase" of this project. the vinyl tubing you see in the pics are for my rain system. basically, it's a hydroponics irrigation system that runs off of a pond pump that i modified to work for me. they will eventually be covered in silicone/coco fiber to look like vines. i do have pics of how the rain system works, if anyone wants, i will post them on request.

here's where we are at, after all the foaming is done and curing. i'll start covering the background in a few days


sorry the pics aren't better, but i've been working one this sucker the past 4 nights straight and i am whooped!!
 
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#3 ·
Whoa Bill, thats gonna be a sweet set up. Are you going to automate the rain system? What kind of water do you plan on using for the rain? are you goign to filter the main water area? how are you gonna get the silicone to stick to the vinyl? Wow I cant wait to see this monster progress. Sorry for all the questions, cant wait to learn some more from you guys.

Cheers

JD
 
#5 ·
@Don, i'll post pics of the setup tonight

@JD thanks :) the rain system will be on it's own timer. I will adjust it throughout the year so that i can replicate seasons for the orchjds as well as to simjlate breeding conditions, if possible. The water will be tank water recycled. The pump is under the false bottom along with a heater and the submersible filter. As far as the silicone sticking to the vinyl, it will stick. Silicone adheres to almost anything except cured silicone.

@yukon, thank you, even i am curious to see how this turns out.....lol
 
#6 ·
Subscribed into this one as well. Coming along very nicely, I'm curious to see how you set-up the rain system and the type of timer you end up using. How about some more detailed info on the vinyl tubing? I assume you've got some behind the scenes plumbing going on that we are not seeing or is that yet to come?
 
#7 ·
ok, here are the behind the scenes pics of my rain system. first off, let me say that this sucker works off of a pond pump. no need for a high dollar, high pressure pump. also, this system uses a LOT less pressure than a mister. but also, you don't get as fine of a mist. the pump for it is hidden inside the false bottom, along with the heater and submersible filter. i can access it all through the chimney on the left side. the pump feeds 1/2" i.d. vinyl tubing. it gets split into a Y connector so that i could vary origination points of my "vines". installation is simple. you get yourself this fancy installation tool


punch it into the tubing to make a hole


insert the 1/4" self sealing fitting




these are some of the fittings i am using.they are 360 degree spray nozzles. i will have them at the ends of my vines, pointing down like a regular sprinkler head. i forgot to get 180 degree ones, i'll pick them up this weekend.


that's pretty much it. i told you it was simple. now, i have yet to test THIS setup, but i did find that 5 fitting was enough to prevent pressure buildup, which was wreaking havoc on the pump. more fittings, less pressure, happier pump. of course, more fittings will also reduce the spray pattern.

oh, i also started covering the great stuff with titebond/peat moss tonight because i am writing a step by step tutorial on this tank for another forum. i only did enough to show how it's done tonight. i'll try to finish the covering over the next few days.



hope you enjoy, until next time. Hope everyone has a nice, happy, safe Thanksgiving!!
 
#8 ·
oh, i forgot. i got all the rain maker supplies from this company
http://www.gardenindoorsllc.com/shop/
yes, they ship. or, if you are interested, shoot me a pm, and i would be more than happy to send you the items via mail. and to give you and idea of my expense on the rain system, the pump was $27 and everything i bought at the hydro store (below) was $30, including the pots and hose that i tossed. i bought tubing at h.d. for $5 for the 1/2" i.d. and $4 for the 1/4"
 
#10 ·
Very nice set up once again. Have you had any issue with the peat moss or coco fiber releasing tannins into your water after being soaked with the titebond III? I want to use it in my build under the water but I dont want to endure the black water. I just like the look of the clear water.......especially sine my herps are 90% aquatic.
 
#11 ·
I have a paludariums that has a lot of coco fiber covered foam and no tannin issues, I dd have some issues when I added driftwood but that's as because I didn't boil it first (I recommend drying the coco fiber in an oven first to make sure there is absolutely no moisture in it before applying I to the silicone) great looking start I had a blast making Borneo tank and it is growing in nicely.

Len
 
#12 ·
@kado yup, that's all it is. I'll hide those behind branches. The ones i can't hide will get wrapped in java moss
@JD nope. No problems with tannins. Like Len said, i dry my coco fiber out first. I actually like the tannins. I'm a big fan of blackwater tanks.
@Len thank you :) your Borneo tank was inspiring to watch being built. It gave me quite a few ideas for other builds i have done.

If you guys want to see a biotope paludarium, check out len's borneo build. It's breathtaking to say the least.
 
#14 ·
Just so everyone knows I have gone both routes and have had success when it comes to misters the DIY is a low pressure setup that works well but usually requires a pump in the setup to do and it is a larger spray (not really a mist) the setups from places like mistking use a high pressure pump and produce a very fine mist, it all comes down to price but the basic package with one mister for a mistking is $99 so not terribly bad if you are misting a large area the. It goes up as you add more nozzles. One thing I have learned about DIY is that what seems cheaper in the beginning a lot of times ends up being just as expensive when you are done.

Len
 
#16 ·
Yup, there are affordable misters out there. But for this tank, i didn't want the fine mist. I wanted actual "rain" in an effort to mimic seasons and breeding. Now the clay dart tank i have plans for, that will have a misting system. And i could have run an external reservoir for the pump, but i wanted a self-contained system. You know as well as anyone that with numerous tanks, we need to find efficient maintenance routines.
 
#17 ·
I'm actually happy the Len brought this up. I just want everyone to understand, i built this rain system not because i was looking for a cheap way to build a mister, but because i wanted to simulate rain. These frogs are dependent on rainy and dry seasons for breeding. So instead of removing them and placing them in a rain chamber for breeding, i opted for this system, which i hope will mimic their natural environment.
 
#20 ·
I actually have a mistking mister and a pump that runs a drip line I thought of adding sprinklers for the exact effect you are after. The mister though does a good job with watering everything but I like the idea of a a heavier rain type setup. My tank also floods twice a day so watering is really just for the higher plants in the tank that are above the flood level. I'm planning on some needed maintenance and pictures over the next week so look out for pics in the near future.

Len
 
#21 ·
Nice set-up. Looks like I need to order some of those sprinkler heads. I tried something similar using the ACE Hardware drip system and set it up with a MJ1200 for the pump. It works, but I don't quite get the directed rain effect I wanted. If you don't mine me asking, what are you using for a timer. I find the 15 minute interval causes issues with flooding in my 30gal paludarium set-up.
 
#22 ·
Well, since my system is all self contained, i'm planning on using a 7 day digital timer. As my seasons change, i'll adjust my rain cycles accordingly.

Now, what i thought you could adapt from this for your african tank is t-off your output hose, run a length of 1/2" across the top, jack in a 1/4" adapter with a valve to adjust flow and then foam as you like. Does that make sense?
 
#23 ·
Well, since my system is all self contained, i'm planning on using a 7 day digital timer. As my seasons change, i'll adjust my rain cycles accordingly.

Now, what i thought you could adapt from this for your african tank is t-off your output hose, run a length of 1/2" across the top, jack in a 1/4" adapter with a valve to adjust flow and then foam as you like. Does that make sense?
Yep it does, might be simpler than the return manifold I got going right now. If you get a chance, check the thread and give me your thoughts will you?

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=197926
 
#25 ·
all sides are now covered, and will be allowed to dry for a week before i fill 'er up and work on the rain system. if all goes well, we'll be planting the aquatics this time next week. that is, if i get a stand built, pick up new bulbs for my fixture and another bag of substrate, i think. here's where we are at today :)
 
#26 ·
lookin great. I love the DW all over the place. Does the plastic covering help with tannins getting into your water. I have used similar techniques. How high is the water going to be? when are you gonna cover the rain vines?? I am excited to see how those turn out. Do you ahve the mantellas yet or are they on order
 
#27 ·
dude....breathe!!!LOL the water level is going to be just at the apex of the underside of the stump. i'll have about 3" or so of water in the main pool and about an inch in the shallow pool. i'm going to cover the vines this week. i have several vines made up already so that i can mix and match different sized vines. to give it a more realistic look.

i want this tank to grow in a bit before i introduce frogs to it, so i am not ordering the mantellas until after the new year. heck, i haven't even decided on terrestrial plants yet...lol i'm going to have 8 mounted orchids in there, 2 from madagascar, and that's the extent of what i have decided above sea level. i do have my heart set on a vanilla orchid draping down from the high right, so i guess that much is set....lol
 
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