I've been working for months on a 29g high for a White's Tree Frog. Did the Great Stuff covered with Weldbond/cocoa fiber/peat thing for the background. I did the skeleton of the waterfall with Great Stuff, then tried mixing sand with Weldbond to cover it. I have a false bottom about 2 1/2 inches high, a pool and stream made from milk jugs w/river rocks siliconed in, trickling down to a "pool" that has only screen separating it from the rest of the false bottom.



Yesterday was the acid test. I filled the bottom with about 3 gal of water, put in the pump (Hydor 400 submersible) and cranked her up. It looks cool; here are the problems:



1) When I put the long-fibered sphagnum and then jungle mix on top of the false bottom (fiberglass screen under the sphagnum) there was some sizable dust that filtered through. I tried vacuuming this out, but only have limited access to the bottom of the tank, so I didn't get it all.



2) To keep the dust from getting in the pump, I cut some holes in a small margarine tub, put a "lining" of filter floss inside the tub, then put the pump in. The holes looked pretty clogged already with the dust.



3) The water falling into the pool is foamy. Is this from the peat? Or the Weldbond, possibly?



4) There is a small amount of water getting behind the sand covering the waterfall; I can see a trickle coming down behind the waterfall. Am I correct in assuming this might affect the Great Stuff?



And finally, 5) There was a significant reduction in water volume overnight; I lost about a gallon. I assume some of this was absorbed by the soil in the tank, as it splashed around (the soil was very dry). Is this going to continue, or will evaporation/absorption slow down (aside from the dry atmosphere inside the house right now)?



I know that's a lot of questions. This is my first attempt at a waterfall that wasn't a pile of rocks in the water. I want the thing to work, but I also want the frog to be healthy and happy in there. I can use some advice!

[ Show Entire Thread ]