Okay herree it gooess
I started with a ten gallon that I got from big al's for $9.99
Then I went to Rona (I go there because my dad can get air miles there) and I
got white egg crate they were out of the black ones make sure to get plastic
egg crate and not metal. I cut it to size with a trim saw. I got PVC pipe
there to and cut it to 2½" with a compound miter saw I cut two little V shaped
notches in the bottom so the water that collects in them has some where to
go plus its where I put the zip ties I used to attach them the egg crate.
Next I covered the whole thing with this black weed block stuff I
forget which brand it was but it feels rubbery and has little bumps
on one side. I covered every side with it to so you can’t see under it
this makes it look ALOT better.
Then I siliconed the background using GE 100% silicone clear that I
got at Wal-Mart because it was on sale. I placed the tank on its side
and glued the cork bark to it I put about a cm long line on every part
of the bark that touched the glass
then I taped it down to hold it in with paper towel and masking tape. I
did this so the tape wouldn’t touch the bark and only the paper towel
would I let it dry for about 30 minutes before I glued the other side
I did the same thing with the other wall.
I then let the whole thing dry over night before I took the tape off.
I was surprised at how strong it was.
Then I made the shore with a piece of cork bark cut to size but the
bottom wasn’t level so I siliconed a little piece of bark to it so it
would be level then I realized that there was a gap so I siliconed
that knit craft stuff (don’t know what it's called) to it so my toads
or fish couldn’t get behind it. I removed the tape after the glue
dried.
That’s when I stopped taking pictures
For the water fall I used the exo terra pump that I got at PCPC for
$19.99 I was surprised at how small it is the box is only that big for
the wire. It was placed under the false bottom I used ½" clear
flexible tubing like the stuff you use for aquariums but bigger. I
wired the tube through the back cork bark so you wouldn’t see it. I got
a ½" T to put on the end of it and elbow would be better but the don’t
make ones for this kind of tubing I plugged one end of the T with a
bolt and silicone so the water only goes out on a 90 degree angle. I
siliconed a little cork bark piece over it so you wouldn’t see it. and
I wired the plug for the pump out the back left corner.
When I had this done I made a little "collection cup" from a cut up
500 ml water bottle and cut ten ½" holes in the bottom so the water
would drain out. I cut holes in the black stuff covering the false
bottom so it would drain even faster and would leach into the soil
after that was done I placed river stones that I got from dollarama in
it so it looks good and there wouldn’t be a little pool.
For the soil I used pure top soil that’s just dirt no fertilizers or
vermiculite or anything just dirt mixed with some sand and shredded
sheet moss. I placed the cup for the water fall in and put about 2
inches of dirt in the bottom and don’t compact it because the moss will
have a hard time rooting in it. After that I took the plants out of
the pot and washed all the dirt out of the roots. I dug a little hole
in the dirt and placed the plants in hole and compacted the dirt
around it. Then I got the moss that I collected earlier and placed it
in on top of the dirt. I watered the plants and left like that near a
window for a few days so hopefully the plants would root themselves in
better. After that I stuffed every little nook and cranny with dead
sheet moss I got a dollarama so my toads wouldn’t be able to get behind
the cork or anything. After that I added the gravel I used bits o'
walnut that I got at big al's for $5.99 I only used about half the bag
and the other half I’m using for an aquariums that I’m making for my
future African dwarf frogs. I placed three lucky bamboo in the back
right corner with the two tall ones in the back and the one short one
in the front directly in the gravel and placed river stones around
them for extra support. Then I added bottle water to the tank and
turned on the pump. The pump was on the lowest setting so it didn’t
have enough power to push the water up there so I stuck some left over
tubing on the end of the T and sucked, that got the water moving. I
was concerned that since I will be turning the pump off at night that
I would have to do this every following morning but when the waters in
the tube it stays there so I didn’t have to. I added some java moss to
the water (I love this stuff) and that’s it just add the occupants
just do weekly semi water changes and it’ll be fine if you have java
moss it helps clean the water so it doesn’t turn a tea like color.
hope that helps
Eric
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