# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  All start like this...(D.I.Y.)

## vitorhugof

Hello.
I am to start to make mine paludarium, and go to all announce in this forum the development across the time, so that they can be along with all the assembly process.
This was paludarium where I was felt inspired, and anger to be paludarium that I will take for example.---»FOTO 1 
The second photo is representative of the place where I go to start to mount everything.---»FOTO 2
Photos 3 and 4 are of the beginning of the structure in bricks and concret.(I Used a tool of nivel to be all extremely lined up)---»FOTO 3 and 4
Tomorrow i will post new foto´s about the finish of he structure (to finish to execute the from above part and glue tiles)
In the truth I place this announce, because necessary of the your aid in everything, or either: aid in project; all the type of ideias, liked that they spoke as if paludarium was yours. The measures that paludarium goes to have are: height-110 cms width-90 cms depth-60 cms.
I am thankful all and forgive my bad English.

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## jja

Firstly A big welcome to you vitorhugof. Looking forward top seeing your pictures and thanks for sharing .... no problems about the english  :Grin:

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## Wild Ginger

Hi Vitorhugof, hope to see developements on your building of the paludarium setup and don't hesitate to drop any questions on regard to this. Good luck and all the best!!  :Grin:  

Best Regards,
Phillip.

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## vitorhugof

01/07/2005
Hello.
Now the tiles already are glue.(FOTO 1 )
After a cleanness and of a rightness of the edges, it is the final aspect of tiles (PHOTO 2 )

24/07/2005
hello. 
As you must have repaired the construction of vivarium was stopped by some time, this must it because i be had vacation. Now that i returned we go back to the workmanship: 
(PHOTO 3 ) Lage in strengthened cement and steel. 
(PHOTO 4 ) Beginning of the painting work. 
(PHOTO 5 ) final Aspect with an ink hand (goes to be painted 3 times for a bigger resistance.
In briefing I give more news.

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## crandf

Is it going to be something like a cabinet made out of bricks and cement instead? How big is it?

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## vitorhugof

Hello
*USER crandf*: This is only the estructur that anger to support vivavrium, is about some kind of a table. 
Measures:height - 70cms
width - 1.10cms 
length - 70

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## dkk08

Hi Victor any updated pics on your very interesting creation

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## vitorhugof

Hello. After coming vacation, I now go to recommence the construction of vivarium. Between all the questions the one following 'is the more serious one: That type of moss is this that if ve in the biggest part of vivariuns? Where I can buy it? It has some member of this forum that sell this kind of moss? Thank you all

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## vitorhugof

So...
Nobody´s gone help me??
Common...

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## XnSdVd

> So...
> Nobody´s gone help me??
> Common...


They would, it's just that you're all the way in portugal... Anyway, I think you're looking for java moss. As for where to buy it... I'm not sure. Different sides of the planet  :Opps:  You should also consider the difference in climate. I'm not sure what the wheather over there is like but it's hot(29 - 32 degrees celcius) and humid over here.

I can't help much but have you thought of using local moss? I'm sure there are forests or rivers where you live. At the very least there should be a large drain. And you're bound to find some moss there. Best of all, you know it'll survive in your tank. Anyway, wish you better luck than me fellow builder  :Grin:

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## vitorhugof

Hello all.
No, its true, i&#180;m back again on the construction of my vivarium
Here is the glasses that i will use, tomrrow i will glue the glasses


That&#180;s the concret structure i doo for the vivarium,(i need to move my Red cherry tank to other place.

I will post new photos very soon.
I like some recomendations from the people of the forum, advices and self experience will help and improve my work.
Thank you all

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
Today i buy the panels that cover the concret structure, i think black is good
 

I start to cut on the right measure:


This is the material i use for glue the panels:
 

The glue:


A side view about how the glass saty on the top:


Here you can see how i doo the hole where the water go off the paludarium:


Tomorrow i will buy more material and the work will re-start again.
Thank you

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## |squee|

Looks good! But I'm confused... is that the stand for the paludarium or the actual paludarium itself?

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## vitorhugof

Hello
USER |squee|: This is only the estructur that anger to support vivavrium, is about some kind of a table.
Measures:height - 70cms
width - 1.10cms
length - 70

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## XnSdVd

> Hello
> USER |squee|: This is only the estructur that anger to support vivavrium, is about some kind of a table.
> Measures:height - 70cms
> width - 1.10cms
> length - 70


Some well meant corrections:

estructur = structure

And I think you mean "is used to support the vivarium" when you say "anger to support viv...." Anger actually means unhappy, like  :Mad:  

Anyway, what did you use to make the table? The white material looks like styrofoam...

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## valice

> Anyway, what did you use to make the table? The white material looks like styrofoam...


Seems like it is a slab of concrete to me from his pictures.
But given that there is no support in the middle, can the concrete support the weight for the eventual product by juz its two stand at the side?  :Opps:

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## |squee|

victor, I see I see. I'm amazed by your patience, I'd have given up this project when it has taken so long to complete.

vincent, it's concrete...  :Grin:  I don't know but it sure sounds stronger than wood  :Razz:  furthur more it's only a paludarium. 

XnSdVd, you mean *angry*!  :Grin:

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## Justikanz

Terence, that's because you are still a teenager...  :Smile:  You will be like that too as you grow older.  :Smile:  Yes, teenagers do grow old too.  :Smile: 

Victor, given that the tank is 90cm long, would it be necessary to support the center of the table as well? How deep would the water level be?

By the way, what kind of mosses are available in Portugal? Saw that you are looking for 'China moss'... Perhaps you might wanna start with the local mosses... 

Just my 2 cents worth...  :Smile:

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## XnSdVd

Tsk tsk... thomas... trying to sound old wise learned eh? You realise you're only 30 right? -poke-

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## vitorhugof

Hello all.
First you need to stay calm(remember the heart atack)  :Smile: 
Now the questions:




> Victor, given that the tank is 90cm long, would it be necessary to support the center of the table as well?


Justikanz:
I dont think i need to suport the midle of the structure because have many steel inside of the concret, the measure of paludarium will be a little bigger than the measure of the "table", wich means that all the weight will be in top of the two lateral pillars and not in the midle.
By the away, i have an aquarium with 600 liters on the top of a similar structure it goes 3 years.




> How deep would the water level be?


Justikanz:
I Think will be about 25 or 30 centimeters (maybe less, i wiil see the aparence), will be something between 247 and 297 litters. Because the paludarium measure is:
width - 1.10cms
length - 90cms






> By the way, what kind of mosses are available in Portugal? Saw that you are looking for 'China moss'... Perhaps you might wanna start with the local mosses...


Justikanz:
He have many types of moss, im not looking for China moss, im looking for a picture from Guang Zhou, china moss. Because i have this one and many another types of moss, and my digital camera is not so good to take good pictures, so i cant show my mosses to my friends... as you are.

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## valice

> I dont think i need to suport the midle of the structure because have many steel inside of the concret,


no wonder can support... it is an reinforced concrete slab!!!  :Grin:  cool... where do you get it from? or you did it urself?

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## Justikanz

Victor, understand your concept of the tank being longer than the stand.  :Smile:   :Well done:  

Btw, just interested to find out... what type of mosses are available in Portugal? I wonder if we can get those that cannot be found here from your side...  :Razz: 




> Tsk tsk... thomas... trying to sound old wise learned eh? You realise you're only 30 right? -poke-


Psst... No longer 30...  :Razz:   :Opps:

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## vitorhugof

Hello all.
Like i say, today i buy the Pressed Poliestiren, for put under the glass (it prevents that the glass if breaks) my son want to apear in the picture:


With a hot knife i cut at the same measure of the glass and doo the hole were the water goes off:


I start to glue the back glass (how big he are)
*Doo not takes this as an example, therefore I must have used gloves*:


Because the paludarim will be mutch larger, today i just glue the back glass, like this tomorrow i have a suport to glue the two side glasses.
Here you can see how it is at te moment:


Now the questions:




> no wonder can support... it is an reinforced concrete slab!!! cool... where do you get it from? or you did it urself?


*Valice:*
Yes, i doo by my self, its easy: 50% sand...50% cement, water and mixing all.
Then you doo a form in wood with the measure you want and punt the final product inside ith some steel. Just whait to dry...The real problem is to put the slab were you want...Its very heavy.





> Btw, just interested to find out... what type of mosses are available in Portugal? I wonder if we can get those that cannot be found here from your side...


*Justikanz:*
Are you talking about immersed or to put out side the water?

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## Justikanz

Immersed ones? We have Taiwan, Christmas, Java, Singapore, Erect, Weeping and Willow mosses here for scaping and recently, fissidens seem to be the rage... Just only a couple of years ago, there was only Java moss, now got so many different types of mosses... So, was wondering if there are other mosses...

Anyway, you are going to use moss for growing outside the water for this paludarium?  :Smile:

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## vitorhugof

Hello.




> Immersed ones? We have Taiwan, Christmas, Java, Singapore, Erect, Weeping and Willow mosses here for scaping and recently, fissidens seem to be the rage... Just only a couple of years ago, there was only Java moss, now got so many different types of mosses... So, was wondering if there are other mosses...


*Justikanz:*
Here in Portugal there is only Java moss.
Im the only (on-line or street) one store who salle another mosses.
I have an aquatic plant on-line store (I dont teel the name..i dont now if i can say), and i salle : Vesicularia dubyana; (X-mas moss) Vesicularia montagne; Fissiden sp.; (Erect Moss - Vesicularia reticulata); Mini moss; Musgo de Taiwan; Spiky moss; Willow Moss Fontinalis antipyretica, and i have a few more as my personal collection.



> Anyway, you are going to use moss for growing outside the water for this paludarium?


*Justikanz:*
I im think to use in my paludarium some of these mosses, because will have many wooden trunks i will put in each wooden trunks a type of moss.

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## XnSdVd

Ahh... so you own a store? cool! always wanted to do that...  :Grin:

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## solonavi

Great effort. <thumbs up>

Cheers
JC

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
I am with some doubt about substract that i will go put in the paludarium. I im to think use the following elements of low for top: expanded clay; laterita; granulated NPK; vegetal land mixture humus and rind of pine.

I am to think to plant many especies of the aquatic plants that they require very nutrient and I prefer to have all the nutrients in substract, for not stay all the time fertilizing. 
But when i tell that to a friend mine he said me that nao would go to be good for the animals, therefore it would go intoxicat, mainly Dandrobates one time they absorb everything for the skin. 
Its truth that I run risks when making this? Which are the species of animals that not wiil be afectad? 
Wich alternativ I have?

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## vitorhugof

Hello all.
The advances:

Here you can see how its look the glass on the top of the Pressed Poliestiren and the wood:


Here im put some silicone to glue the side glass:


A final view about all the glasses (whos that guy??):


Here this a structure that I mounted, to make a declivity, this goes to be filled with expanded clay and polyethylene foam. For top it goes to take a plastic net that goes to isolate the soil from the rest:


A side view:


Tomorrow the work will go one.

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## XnSdVd

First off, i just realised how huge the tank is... how old's your son? Secondly, nice idea with the styrofoam(that's what we call it over there)! i've never seen that being done before  :Well done:  
That and I noticed a small tank in the corner, storing your plants there till the big one's finished?

oh yes, substract is actually called substrate. And i think you meant tomorrow the work will go "on" one is how you spell "1"

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## vitorhugof

Hello again.




> i just realised how huge the tank is... how old's your son


*XnSdVd:*
My son have 8 years.




> That and I noticed a small tank in the corner, storing your plants there till the big one's finished?


*XnSdVd:*
No...in the corner is my Red Cherry tank...
If you see a earlier post you can see i have an on-line aquatic plant store, so i have tons of plants.

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
Any body know something about my idea tu use laterit and NPK soil'?
Will be toxic for dandrobates??

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## Happy Camper

> Hello.
> Any body know something about my idea tu use laterit and NPK soil'?
> Will be toxic for dandrobates??



I love this setup, any updates yet? Amazing stuff, well done!  :Smile:   :Shocked:

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
Here how the work goes:

I start the water system with two eheim pums:

This is the place were the sump will be, there is 2 pumps (the left one for the pipe system is eheim compact 1002 and the pump on the right side for the cascade is a eheim 1250.)

Here the up part of the same system:

As you can see there is a pipe system on the left side.

Here is a box that i doo with plastic net, to prevent clogging the overflow:


One up view:



Here is the first two coco pannels:


The system i used to glue the coco pannels:


Thank you all.

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## Justikanz

Sorry, what are those white stuff?  :Huh?:

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## dkk08

those white stuff are foam spray aka great stuff in States and maybe in euro countries... u can get them easily at local hardware stores at $12-$14 per can... its very good for making backgrounds or dividers  :Kiss:

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## Justikanz

Oh... Aquarium safe? I assume they harden upon drying and mosses can be planted on them... Interesting... Thanks... Learn something new...  :Smile:

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
Here is the advances:

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## vitorhugof

> Hello.
> Any body know something about my idea tu use laterit and NPK soil'?
> Will be toxic for dandrobates??


Its near the time for i puct the soil.
Can you help me?

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## Justikanz

Sorry, not able to help leh... Calling Wild Ginger...  :Razz:  Fei Miao?  :Razz:

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## Fei Miao

do you mean dendrobates? posion darts frogs? I have no experience with them so can't comment much on whether with NPK soil is toxic to them... (it's illegal to own these here  :Sad:  ) IMO coco peat is always safer choice.

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## ranmasatome

What is NPK soil??

When i was overseas..i always used a mixture of peat and pure potting soil (no funny bits and pieces in there) for dendrobates.

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
Thank you for the answers.



> "...do you mean dendrobates? posion darts frogs?...".


Fei Miao: Yes, it is dart frogs. Mine Vivarium will keep Dart frogs and phelsuma (but we will talk about this later)

Because i dont want to be every time fertilizing i want to put this as soil:
Humus of earthworm:


Laterit:


Turf:


N-P-K- Granulat:


And on the top some rind of pine.

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## ranmasatome

i think the NPK granules are okay on the BASE.. i would keep away form the pine rind as a top layer.. If you are unlucky and get a batch of pine that is not properly treated they exude oils that are irritating to the skin of such animals..

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## Fei Miao

Thanks for the pics. Yes, put all those stuff, NPK, earthworm humus..etc... at the bottom layer and top it with a good layer of coco peat, I think that should be fine, have these areas away from the wet section.... :Smile:  wouldn't want to risk harming those critters, would you?  :Smile: 

On fertilizing, if you keep ferns, they don't need much fertilizing, I read somewhere banana peel have a high level of potassium and ferns like that> occasionally I cutted up banana peels for my potted ferns... now that's organic  :Grin: ..

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## Xema

Wow, Impressive work, my 'Iberic' friend...

_Note to crypto-fanatics: I use to use the stuff which vitorhugof names turf (I name it granulated peat) as soil for swamp grower cryptocoryne._

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## XnSdVd

It never ceases to amaze me how many different people we have on these boards...  :Grin:

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## Xema

Yeah... a very international board here.

Anyway, I am interested to know where did you get and how much did you cost the granulated peat? ... In Spain is a difficlt to find stuff and very expensive... it´s only used as filter media.

Greet from Spain

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## vitorhugof

hello again.




> Yeah... a very international board here.
> 
> Anyway, I am interested to know where did you get and how much did you cost the granulated peat?


Xema:
Were?? In your Cowmtry (in Vigo), but is not granulet is a kind of plates. And i think is 4 eur each (20cmsX5cms) .
In a few days i will post mre advances.

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## Xema

I mean the stuff in follow pic



I bought something similar sold as a filtration media, is a kind of peat in pellets form... like your pictures.

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## vitorhugof

Hello,
Xema: This is N-P-K granulat, and is used for plants like our mothers have in the balcony as fertilizer.
Its available on garden centers.

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## Xema

Hey man, I mean the black pellets



It&#180;s granulated peat... I bought someone to my crypts some time ago and costed me around 10€ per 500 ml... very expensive to use as soil.

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## XnSdVd

> I bought someone to my crypts some time ago and costed me around 10 per 500 ml... very expensive to use as soil.


 :Huh?:   :Surprised:   :Shocked:  Xema... you're rich...

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## vitorhugof

Hi.
Xema: You are true, thats granulated peat, and you right about the price.

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## vitorhugof

Hello.
Here is a ew advances:

I put a plastic net to cover all the bottom.


I start to put the soil (is N.P.K. adicted):


A closer look to the container:


Here is the peat bricks:


I have to put them in water for at least 24 hours:


The laterit:



A full view:

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## vitorhugof

Hello again.
Now its time to landscaping with peat brick:



Another view:


Time to plant the moss:

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## ranmasatome

great to see more photos!! i cant wait to see what its going to end up like.. :Smile:

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## Justikanz

Wow... Finally got some greenary now.  :Smile:  Keep the pictures coming. I am sure the spring/summer temperatures will spur you to work on the tank.  :Smile: 

So curious as to how the finished product will look like...  :Razz:

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