First Bioactive Build is Almost Done
It's a Dubia 4x2x4 for my ball python, Dashi. She'll have a snaking river waterfall that feeds her own 7 gallon aquarium (and 10 gallon sump). There's a slate-top basking hide on the second story and an underground bunker for her cool hide. It will be a bioactive setup featuring Papaya isopods and orange springtails. I still need to get all the plants in and decide on the aquatic life.
Some important things I learned along the way:
- Don't trust stray foam to be water tight. The original waterfall wad made with spray foam and vinyl tubing for the water channels. Where the water changed directions I thought spray foam, drylok, and silicone would be enough to hold the water. After many leaks I decided to cut out the channels and use zoopoxy instead, I highly recommend it.
- Dubia stands are not rated to hold more than like 150 pounds. The stand with the aquarium and water was not an issue until I started adding gravel, then the stand started buckling under the weight. I had to make a "King of DIY" style aquarium stand to fit as a skeleton inside the fascia of the Dubia stand and then I haven't had issues since.
- Don't buy plants until the build is done. I bought plants along the way but some died as the build kept getting delayed. Other plants didn't fit the look of the tank as things were changing.