water buildup

[uphwiz]

Any ideas on how to remove the water build up i get each day.
There is no drain plug. I don't use any planting media in the base , so im working with a clean bottom of the tank. I get about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch each day, as of now I use an absorbent cloth
and remove one hand full at a time

Jimmy

 

[dashman]

Are you talking about a terrarium? You can buy small plastic water dishes at Lowes to put under the pots to capture any water run off from the pots and then dump them out.

Just a side note, you may be overwatering if you are removing that much water each day. Most CP like moist and damp but not watter logged.

The info you gave is kind of vauge so I may be totally off base with my response.

 

[uphwiz]

yes its a terrarium and the fogger splashes some out of the dish i use for the water supply and it creates quite a lot of fog . which then condenses and runs down to the bottom hoping there was a cool tool to do the trick for me i keep my humidity up to 80 to 85 percent all the time

---------- Post added at 06:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 PM ----------

i only actually water individual pots about twice a week it is a highland nep. terrarium and i have a few heliamphoras in there as well

Jimmy

 

[swords]

False bottom man! What ya do to make yourself one is go to Home Depot/Lowes/Mendards lighting dept and look for "recessed fluorescent light reflector grid", it comes in 24" x 48" sheets in white, black or silver plastic, we just call it "egg crate" here and everyone knows what you mean.

While you're there stop in the plumbing dept and grab a handful of 1" x 1" or 1" x 2" PVC (plastic) pipe couplings.

When you get home measure the inside botom of your tank and transfer those measurements to the lighting grid with a marker. Then using a pliers snap the grid along your line and test fit it into your tank. If its too big just break off another row of the grids. When it fits good Then glue those PVC pipe couplings (with aquarium silicone) in a well spaced manner on your lighting grid - one coupling in each corner and supported evenly in the middle and let it dry.

Lastly place your false bottom on the tank bottom with the couplings supporting the grid 1-2" above the bottom of the tank. Then you can water all you want without moving the plants and leave the water under the plants to evaporate and raise your humidity without any work on your end. Easy is always the best way!

 

[uphwiz]

Thanks swords i'll give that a try but i may have out done myself i built the tank myself it lays on its side
and has a 2" lip of glass at the front bottom with sliding doors on the front they slide in a track, top and bottom so i'll still have to be careful as to how deep i can let the water build up , but can go as far as 1 1/2" safely I did this to keep my lights out of the tank totally to keep it cool as possible may be able to use a fish tank cleaning to periodically drain some water can you grow live sphag. on the grid as well i have a small crop i would like to expand

Jimmy

 

[swords]

You got it, just siphon it out when it get's too deep. I always leave a bit of water under the false bottoms so the air is stays plenty humid.

I ordered this new siphon for my tanks on Saturday and am waiting for it to arrive:

Friday I suppose since it didn't come today

I used to use this bicycle pump style one but I finally sucked some soil or something into it and it doesn't work now:

The new one is 1/3 the price and can be taken apart and cleaned so should never "go bad".

 

[uphwiz]

that one at the top looks great e-bay? amazon ? company that makes it ? thanks for the advise

Jimmy

 

[swords]

The red and clear one is from Ebay, about $7 + 3 shipping. Just look up "hand siphon". You may even find it in a local hardware store I just happened to see it online and order it right then.

Here's a quick shot of the false bottom in my fully planted Anole's vivarium:

The pipe you see sticking up above the soil line in front is where I siphon the water out of the false bottom. If your plants are in pots you can just stick the hose through the grid and not have to make an access pipe like I did.

 

[Not a Number]

Go to the Dollar store and buy a turkey baster or two. One of those essential tools.

 

[swords]

Essential! You can see my shiny new turkey baster there in the bottom center on the pile of Toy Riot address labels!

Jimmy,
I'm working on a sliding front Vivarium myself, and then I will convert the one shown above to the same thing so I'd definitely love to see what you did!

 

[dashman]

yes its a terrarium and the fogger splashes some out of the dish i use for the water supply and it creates quite a lot of fog . which then condenses and runs down to the bottom hoping there was a cool tool to do the trick for me i keep my humidity up to 80 to 85 percent all the time

---------- Post added at 06:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 PM ----------

i only actually water individual pots about twice a week it is a highland nep. terrarium and i have a few heliamphoras in there as well

Jimmy

Ah, that makes more sense now. My fogger does the same thing. I stopped using it and bought a humidifier. I still want to use it for something, just haven't found the right application yet.

 

[uphwiz]

It will take a bit of doing but i will give it a try have to take pics than load them and send them i have a little trouble finding pics on my pc even after i down load them so work with me and i'll try and show what i did. Hope it will work for the long haul, i really like it , just need a couple ideas about cooling, and would like to have a place to get wires and the like in without loosing humidity . see me 9:30 or so
Jimmy

 

[swords]

I still want to use it for something, just haven't found the right application yet.

Doorstop!


I was fooled into buying one of those crummy foggers too, back before 2000 when they were "new technology" in the reptile hobby. I won't tell you exactly HOW MUCH I paid for mine but it was well over $100 and it worked about as well for as long as most peoples experiences with them. Maybe a week then never made a puff again.

I then bought a cheap $35 ultrasonic humidifier from the pharmacy that held 2 gallons of water and it ran 24/7 for six years straight! lol

 

[dashman]

Doorstop!


I was fooled into buying one of those crummy foggers too, back before 2000 when they were "new technology" in the reptile hobby. I won't tell you exactly HOW MUCH I paid for mine but it was well over $100 and it worked about as well for as long as most peoples experiences with them. Maybe a week then never made a puff again.

I then bought a cheap $35 ultrasonic humidifier from the pharmacy that held 2 gallons of water and it ran 24/7 for six years straight! lol

LOL! I got a ultrasonic humidifier about a week after getting my fogger too.

 

[uphwiz]

keep loosing my place try again

---------- Post added at 09:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 PM ----------

[/COLOR]

---------- Post added at 09:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 PM ----------

cant seem to get this down Jimmy

---------- Post added at 09:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 PM ----------

[/COLOR]just ordered the glass it was easier to assemble than i thought it would be just need to make good beads of silicone at each seam so you'll get a water tight seal, once mine was assembled i cleaned off the excess on the inside and applied another fairly large bead of silicone and smoothed it out with my finger, use an aquarium for reference
make a nice smooth finish this will be your water tight seal
Jimmy

---------- Post added at 09:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 PM ----------

There is a great site for DIY aquarium building sure everyone here would love it I 'll try and find it again
Jimmy i'll answer questions on how i did mine if you like

---------- Post added at 10:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 PM ----------

Hum http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diytanksrefugiums/ss/diycustomtank_4.htm

 

[dashman]

Good job! How much did it run you for materials?

 

[uphwiz]

more on terrarium build

about 90.00 for the glass and 15.00 for the aquarium silicone i ordered the silicone amazon to get a large tube and it almost took the full tube the front doors are plexi glass and i put a two inch piece of the 1/4 inch glass on the bottom front edge and a 1 1/2 piece on the top front then used H track over to create a sliding effect for the doors they are split in the middle so i can just slide them out of the way completely ( the H track you can pick up for about 9.00 to 10.00 from lowes its the stuff they use for the composite lattice , the stuff you use under decks and such
just wedged them up on the top and down on the bottom be careful not to push to hard i put a few slivers of red wood shims behind, and inside tank top edge hopping it will swell with the humidity and help hold at any rate the doors support the track and it can't fall down its worked great so far