NEW 40gal VERT VIVARIUM! converted from my old Paludarium - Orchid Board

raimeiken · #1 03-13-2009, 03:08 PM

Well, I'll start off by showing what the tank used to be, a Paludarium. (w/ a few fish, cherry shrimps and cories in the water)

Here it was way back maybe a year ago.

I decided to convert it into a vertical tank since I didnt have much vertical space with this 40gal breeder. So I tore it down several months ago and threw most of the plants away especially that creeping fig. That thing covered my tank! I saved the broms and tillys and put them in a separate tank.

After a lot of reading, research and planning. I Started on the conversion.

I sketched it out on Google's sketchup software. First, I had to tackle the cabinets that I had to build to fill both sides of the viv and the top. I didnt want all that extra space to go to waste.

With my excitement and busy schedule I forgot to take construction pics of the cabinets and the viv itself

The two on the sides are regular cabinets made from plywood. Cut them with a circular saw, sanded, glued and nailed together, painted and stained them.

The one on the top is where I mounted my AHsupply lights from the old Paludarium.

So here's what the viv looked like after it was all done.

I siliconed tree fern panels on the background along with some cork barks. I filled the gaps with Great stuff and covered that with concrete binder mixed with peat moss. Oh and i smeared some mushed up aquasoil mixed with sphagnum moss on the fern panels. That's what that brown mud is on the back wall.

I decided to go with a Euro style vents at the bottom. I used Lexan to make it since it's easier to drill holes through it for my drain and so I can run my misting and fogger underneath the false bottom. (I have a more close up pics of the vent if you scroll down some more)

The driftwood in the center is from the old Paludarium, I just had to saw off some of it's branches since they were too long.

I ran the misting tubes under the false bottom and behind the tree fern panels, then I silicone it to the top of the viv. I just used regular misting nozzle from homedepot. I dont need the more expensive nozzles to water the plants. I also installed a valve so I can control how much water is getting pumped out of the nozzles.

The tubing for the fogger also went underneath the false bottom and up the right side of the viv, behind the cork bark and tree ferns. Then I siliconed it behind the black trim of the tank in the front. It's hard to see it. I'll show you more pics of it later. I also installed a shut off valve on this so I can control the amount of fog coming out of the tubes.

So here's the viv back on the stand with all the cabinets on it.

Here's a more close up pic of the vent with all the tubes and fans(the fans arent point straight forward, they're tilted up, I just put the covers on the back like that to prop them up) hooked up.

Here's some close up pics of the top just incase you were wondering on what I did with the top vents.

I didnt like the look of the screen door type of ventilation. It didnt look 'clean' enough for me. So I cut a piece of Lexan, grab my boring bit and bored five 1 3/4" holes. I cut out some screening in circles, went and got some black rubber gaskets and siliconed them on the holes. Im really pleased on how it turned out

The front of the viv is one big piece of glass I cut out. I didnt want to use Lexan since I scratches so easily. I drilled two small holes on the sides and screw in small piece of lexan to lock the glass door in place

The substrate I used is a mixture of peat moss+perlite+sphagnum moss+orchid bark

Here's a close up pic of the misting system.

And as promised, a close up pic of the fogging tube I silicone in the inside of the viv.

Fogger is on

after about 5 mins

pic of the cool mist humidifier i rigged up

(i got the idea from of the users in here)