I was checking out some isolation tanks from the great Frograck on Dendroboard.com. I have to say, they were pretty sweet! Okay, they could also be used as grow-out tanks or port-o-tanks. But I like the idea of isolation as they should be a temporary solution. While Joe AKA Frograck has some great info on how he made his, I thought I’d go into more detail.

The tank itself really calls for a plastic storage solution with enough necessary space for a frog not to get stressed out, while at the same time ensuring the frog and it’s food source don’t escape. The Container Store is really the main source I have found for this type of storage. But the company that makes the water tight totes with a gasket around the top to keep the water out is IRIS USA. I have yet to find a different company that does the same thing. Also have 4 clamps on both sides of the tank ensure the top wont snap off if the tank drops. Not that you’re frogs would be happy either way.

I opted for the 17-3/4″ x 14-1/2″ x 11″ watertight file boxes rather than the larger totes, simply because they fit on my Ikea IVAR shelves more easily. This probably means the tank will hold only 8 gallons, but I’m still happy with it. The largest totes that will hold over 10 gallons and fit nicely on a shelf are 19-3/4″ x 15-3/4″ x 11-7/8″. I’m actually pretty bummed this size won’t fit on my Ikea IVAR shelving, but that’s a whole different story. Whichever you choose I’m sure you’ll be happy, although I’m looking at the top channels of the first for adding lighting.

Next up are creating vents. I actually think it’s funny as hell to have to make vents in something that is supposed to be water tight. But frogs need air, so what can you do? While 1″ holes keep more humidity in, I think two 2″ holes make more sense. You may notice Joe uses tea balls for this. Ingenious idea! But I have to say make the tanks looks a bit makeshift. My vote would be snap-in grommets. Specifically Heyco 2400 SB-2000-26. I choose these because the opening is 1.640″. This is key because I wanted to use some metal mesh to cover the openings.

The covering I chose this time was stainless steel mesh. However I didn’t want to cut these out myself. That would be a total pain. So I looked online and found these 1.75″ pre-cut circles by Purolator. I happened to find these by accident. And I’ll be calling the company to see how much they are for regular distribution. My plan is to try to get some IPS Weld-On 2354 and cement some ABS plastic to keep the screens in place. We’ll see if it works out. If it does, I want to just make 100 ready for whenever I need a screen!

You would actually think someone makes something like this and I wouldn’t need to re-invent the wheel. And there are! They are these things called louvers with aluminum screens, but the screens have more open space and I’m kinda freaked the fruit flies will escape. Plus the way they fit into place may work for plastic, but not for 1/8″ glass. So I’d rather build my own. That way I have vents for multiple needs. Vents for glass tanks, plastic tanks, and even fans! Damn, I wish I could have someone else glue them together for me. I hope there is an easy way.

The second to last part of this process was trying to get a good substrate for the tank. It’s a portable system so it needs to be light and less prone to sliding when the tank is tilted. That rules out hydroton or growstones. I thought media pads might work, but it’s been hard finding something that works best. I finally settled on a Matala media filter. I’m trying the black, which is a bit more porous than I would like, so I’ll probably switch to the gray in the future. But for my first 3 tanks these will be a great test.
The nice thing is with the tanks I’ve chosen I can cut a half sheet into 4 pieces with very little waste.