First Vivarium!

[RazzleFish]

Hello all!

I am going to try to swing by the hardware store tonight and pich up some silicone to re-seal the tank. What brand should I get? I know it needs to be aquarium safe but how can I tell if it is or not? Will it say on the container?

I am planning on re-sealing the tank tomorrow and I don't know how to do this. I have a utility knife and I was thinking just remove the silicone and put the new stuff on. Do I need to remove and re-attach the black plastic rims? If so, how do I do that without breaking them?

I wrote off crabs at the start because I thought they were all brackish but after really reading Chrisinator's Vampire Crab build I would love some! All I have been able to find about them is on this page. Their claws cannot open very wide and the site says they have kept them with frogs but it doesn't say what kind. Has anyone kept them with FBTs? I think they are very cool and seem like they would love the set-up that I want but I don't want any compatability issues.

 

[jpappy789]

Anything 100% silicone should be safe, AFAIK. I believe GE1 is one brand people often use. The only thing I've tried is DAP's aquarium sealer which is a heck of a lot cheaper than the ones you see at pet stores. Just make sure there are no chemicals for mold/mildew.

 

[RazzleFish]

Thanks!

 

[RazzleFish]

Update!
I got some DAP's aquarium sealer and after a very messy job, it's curing. I hope to be able to put the dividers in tomorow and let everything cure for a few days. After that I will start setting it up!

I have a heater for the water section but what kind of filter do you think would best suit the design (footprint is 36"X18" and it will be seperated diagonally with the water being about 6-8 inches high)? I've calculated it out to be about 8-10 gallons so I figure I don't need anything huge. I was planning on a little submersible pump or one of those in-tank filters. Either way they will be slightly changed because I would like sponge rather than the disposable cartridges.

 

[jbradt]

Would a sponge filter work for that setup or is the water too shallow? There are some pretty good designs out there for DIY sponge filters.

 

[Chrisinator]

I have sponge filter in my tank. The divider is approx. 5 inches high so I had to cut the uplift tube to about 2 inches for it to really work.

 

[RazzleFish]

I didn't even think about a sponge filter. I'll look around online and see what I can find.

Does anyone know about the crabs? It seems like some people have kept them with frogs but I don't know what kind of frogs.

Thanks!

 

[Chrisinator]

I personally wouldnt do it. I have vampire crabs but not with frogs.

 

[Chrisinator]

Whoops. Forgot to post my reason.

From a few segments of reading, people wouldn't recommend having different species of frogs and amphibians together. With that in mind, I probably wouldn't recommend getting a crab and mixing it with frogs.

 

[RazzleFish]

Whoops. Forgot to post my reason.

From a few segments of reading, people wouldn't recommend having different species of frogs and amphibians together. With that in mind, I probably wouldn't recommend getting a crab and mixing it with frogs.

Alright, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.

The more I read, the more I think my community set-up is falling apart at the seams! Well at least for the herps!

:frog: :frog: :frog: