Dart Den
Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...
Dart Den

Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...

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Tank preparation...
#1
Thought I'd start a thread with a couple of tips on "prepping" a tank. Things to do before you start your back ground work etc...for any type of tank. Exo's, zoomed, aquariums. What are some of the things you normally do to get them ready for a build.

I start before I even leave the store. Before I walk out the door, I check for cracks. I've seen tanks come into a store with a cracked pane before, so I always check. I also look at the gaps in the doors. I do have a couple of tanks where the door shuts just a little differently than others, never enough for a frog to get out, but definitely big enough for fruit flies. I get the tightest fit I can. I have had some tanks where I've added tubing to the sides of the doors to close up the opening and other doors that fit so tight I cant get the tubing on. Look for a good tight fit.

I've got some others I'll throw out there, but we'll see what other people come up with too.
Derek
1.5 kids and a bunch of frogs
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#2
Good thread !

As soon as you get it home......

Water Test it.

Check for leaks. Even if you are not using a large reservoir / false bottom. This is good to know.
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"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".
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#3
I don't even water test it. I assume it will leak. Thats my second tip.

Once home, the very first thing I do before anything else is sylicone the bottom. I've had 2 exos leak so far. The longer the tank the more the potential for a leak (I think). As you are building, your tipping turning, moving, laying down the tank etc... it can make for stresses on the seams. The larger the tank, the greater the stresses. The first tank I got was a 36" exo, it WASNT leaking when I started Sad . It had a pretty good sized water feature that I put in before I started the rest of the back ground. There were no leaks as I tested the water feature. By the time I got done, there was a steady drip. Ive never had a cube leak, or the 12 x 12 x 18 but if you think about the size of the doors on a 36" and being open on the top, its a potential hazzard. I sylicone the whole bottom, up the front to the door and 6 to 8" up the back and smooth it out with my finger before I do anything else. Ounce of prevention. But a water test even after this would be a good idea. NOTHING is worse during the build phase than getting almost all the way done and noticing that little puddle.
Derek
1.5 kids and a bunch of frogs
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