Future Cynops Orientalis Home [step-by-step]

Well thats more Silicone that I would have liked to buy and use but I'll buy as I go so I dont get too much.

Okay, ONE important question I just thought of... If I mess up, or all goes wrong, or I decide I dont like it, is the great stuff and silicone easy to remove from the glass? Whether I use chemicals or whatever, can I get rid of everything to make it a 'clear/clean' tank again?
 
Definitely buy the silicone as you go along. I should actually correct myself and say that I used 3 bottles plus about an 1/8th of another bottle; so just over three bottles. I was very generous with the amount I spread because of all the little gaps in the Great Stuff. If you apply the Great Stuff evenly without too many crevices (these crevices appeared when I tried to shape the foam with my hand), you shouldn't need too much silicone.

As for removing the silicone and Great Stuff, it is certainly doable. You can use a razor blade to get the job done. However, it'll be pretty labor intensive, so I advise planning it in advance and avoiding a do-over if possible. Keep in mind how you want the filter and water feature(s) to work BEFORE spreading the silicone + coco fiber. You'll thank yourself in the end!

:)

Ask away if you have anymore questions. I'm not an expert but I'm more than willing to share my trials and errors.
 
Well I finally found a cheap 10 gal, with rocks, fluorescent hood w light and will start on this project this week. I bough the Great Stuff and the tank is curing and soaking before working on it. I will get the fiber and silicone soon. Im already drawing up the plans.

I wont document it as I go, Ill do what you did and just make a thread when its all done. I did have one question that may be dumb, but if I want to use wood or anything to help mold the great stuff into a shape, the item I use will become stuck to the great and basically bind itself to it as it dries right? I wont be able to leave something against the great stuff as it dries cause itll become attached to it?
 
Yes, the Great Stuff will attach to anything with which it comes into contact. Make sure whatever is attached to the Great Stuff is a permanent fixture in the tank. There are a lot of really good tutorials on Great Stuff backgrounds to give you ideas. I've seen most people attach some sort of cork bark or driftwood into the background to give it a further natural feel.

Good luck with the project! Can't wait to see it.
 
glad to see you take on a project like this, rav. i gotta 55 gallon imma work up like this for my T.Marms. look for the thread in this section starting tonight. ;)
 
Just an update:

I finally got the Cynops Orientalis today. There's good news and bad news.

I found them in a slightly crowded tank with guppies and African dwarf frogs. It must've been warfare in there because the newts were smothering and tackling the frogs, and there were various wounds on the newts. I felt like walking away from the purchase, but my mom would've killed me if I did (the place is kinda far and gas prices are high these days).

The first one I chose was active in the water, had no wounds, and was nice and plump. The second one I chose looked healthy to me at the time, but when I brought it home I noticed a toe missing. I thought nothing of it because it'd grow back eventually. Then, while it was swimming around, I noticed a large wound on the right side of its mouth (underneath the bottom lip). I quarantined it immediately in a spare 4.5 gallon tank. This is the bad news. The injured newt refused food. I went out and got some polysporin and dabbed some on the wound. Hopefully the newt doesn't have an infection and the wound will heal up. I also want it to get eating ASAP because it's not plump like the other one.

The good news is that my other newt is doing great. She's plump, healthy, and eats plentifully. Right now she has the 25 gallon tank to herself. The injured newt will have to stay in the smaller tank until the wound heals up. I probably shouldn't have gotten them from that store but they were only $5 each. I'll post some pictures in a new thread once I can get a good shot.
 
Good to see you finally got some CO. Too bad ones a bit injured but it should heal up if its a cut or something. Has it eaten?

Look forward to the new pics as well. Keep em coming.

I started my project earlier this week and I JUST ran out of Great Stuff..... and Im only working on a 10 Gal... Im a bit pissed! Theres no way it should have ran out already. Im not even using that much. I gotta buy more than Ill be done for the day. All I'll have to do is carve and sand tomorrow and place the fiber. I wont be done till the end of the week than I'll do a thread.
 
I posted this in Chris' thread but Im going to copy here incase you have different imput or method.

I started putting on the coco fiber and Im having alot of trouble. Im looking at your pics and it seems like the fiber went on smooth and even. Mines real chunky and having trouble sticking. Theres parts where I see the yellow from the great stuff and the silicone is difficult to spread. Did you have any problems? Im spreading it with my finger using gloves. I dont know if its the gloves or what but the damn thing looks like ****.
 
Hey, the silicone gave me a tough time as well. The key is to do the silicone in patches and to use some sort of spatula or spoon to spread it. I used a chopstick to get those hard to reach places. Also, be liberal with the amount of silicone you spread if you're in doubt. This will make sure you won't get any yellow spots. I still have a couple yellow spots anyway, but they are very hard to notice.

Also, is your coconut fiber bone dry? If it has the slightest bit of moisture, it will have trouble sticking to the silicone. Dry coconut fiber should stick relatively easily to the silicone.
 
You know you make a good point. My coco fiber has been sitting out for about 3 days in the tub I made it in and its still moist looking. I run my fingers through it and its very cold and after I get my fingers out its left feeling wet, but I see no moisture. Ive had it in the sun, under a heater and it still seems wet a bit. I figured it was as dry as it was going to get.

I am doing everything in patches and it looks okay as it dries now, but I think Im going to have to go over spots, spread MORE silicone and coco fiber. This is the hardest part.

I also noticed the silicone sticks to the great stuff ALOT easier if I cut the top layer off. It doesnt spread easily over the outer 'shell'

Im still working on this as we speak
 
UPDATE: I cleared out 95% of the duckweed because it was blocking too much light. Now my java fern's colours are coming out a lot nicer:

133_3709.jpg


133_3720.jpg


Ladybird hangs out there for most of the day. It's easy for her to stay on one of the top leaves and take a gulp of air whenever she needs it. She rarely uses the land areas.

I'm in the market for some more live plants for the background area. I'm thinking about some hornwort or anubias.
 
Very nice pics man. Will you be looking to add another newt down the line?

I finished my tank last week and its cycling. The water is still cloudy but clearing and Im still adding plants. How are you attaching the java? Are you burying any plants, what kind of substrate are you using?
 
Thanks. I would like to add another C.O. down the line, but I'm no longer going to buy any from pet shops. I'm looking for breeders now instead. And even then, it would be quarantined first.

Congrats on finishing the tank. Don't worry, the cloudiness will go away. I'm using playsand as a substrate. The first day I got it, I washed it thoroughly until it ran clear but for some reason it looked cloudy inside the tank with water. This went away after a couple of days, though.

I tied my java fern down to a rock with clear fishing line. You can grab a huge spindle of it at Walmart for $2. Java fern does best when the roots are free because the roots absorb nutrients from the water. It has an interesting way of growing, as the daughter plants eventually break off and float away. In this case you can just tie the new plant down to another rock.

Right now I am looking for plants that can be planted in the substrate. I thought about anubias, but this plant also likes to have their roots free from substrate. Hornwort is a possibility.
 
Yea I got the same substrate going with some bonuses. The tank is FINALLY clear and ready to be unveiled but I want to give it a few days for all the plants and stuff to be established more. I will give full detail in my thread but itll only be pics of the finished product.

I was wondering, how did you get the pics posted IN the thread themselves? Whenever I try to post a pic its an attachment that the viewer has to click to see.

To get other FBN, why not trying to see if you can get some eggs and raise some? Its pretty tough but theres some nice peeps here that could help you out and in the end its kinda rewarding. Ive been raising some, see here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=48579
 
Is it hard to use the great stuff and how much dose it expand??

Ciz
 
tomthlee said:
The Great Stuff expanded a little bit when I used it. It's just the nature of the product, because it's used to fill in gaps in the house. Here's the final rundown of how much I used:

- Great Stuff: 1 can
- Black Silicone: 4 tubes
- Coco fiber: less than a 1/4 of a brick

I hope yours turns out well! Again, it's not a very hard project but just very time consuming.
Click to expand...


Where could you get Coco Fiber??
 
Great Stuff isn't very hard to use if you just spray it on. Don't try to manipulate it too much with your hands when it's fresh. Coco fiber can be purchased at most pet shops with a reptile section.

Good luck!
 
hey, awesome use of the great stuff foam! i jut started my first vivarium a few days ago to house a couple of juvenile cuban treefrogs, and your pictures and instructions gave me some great ideas. i was wondering though, does the foam adhere to plastic as well as it does to glass, and how long does the silicone/coco fiber take to dry?
 
The foam would stick to plastic just fine. It's very sticky stuff - make sure you don't get any of it on your clothes!
 
i noticed on the pictures of your supplies that the silicone is ge 2 im also building a tank with great stuff but i got ge 1 silicone is that a problem i havent put the silicone on yet should get ge 2 instead please offer help
 
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