new to hobby getting a new 20 gallon tank

[intertan]

I will be getting a new 20 gallon tank sometime this week. I have the basics of the frogs down but the vivarium is a different matter. I am planning on purchasing 2-3 frogs. I know you use great stuff for the back ground ans coco fiber and silicone to cover the great stuff.

I see some wood in some vivarium's and was wondering if this is store purchased wood or stuff from the back yard?

how do you secure the plants to the back ground, I know some have a film canister in it but some plants are just to small for it.

how do you secure the hinges on the front panel? silicone?

[brettlt]

Most of time wood you see in a vivarium is purchased. Wood from your yard will tend to break down rather quickly in a viv environment, plus you have to do a lot of cleaning, bleaching and baking to make sure the wood does not harbor any bad parasites.

Of the most commonly available driftwood for vivs, the best (as judged by how long it takes to break down,) seems to by cypress, which is available on ebay, as well as frog vendors, then ghostwood, then Kampas/Malaysian driftwood, and the wood that will have the most mold and break down the fastest is the commonly available grapewood. I sure I did not include all the types of wood available, but this covers the most common. In the case of any wood purchased it is usually recommended to bake it in the oven at 200 to 250 for 10 to 15 minutes. Ideally this will kill anything harmful that is on the wood.

Also, some wood is not considered “safe” due to toxins or sap from the wood that could be harmful. I do not remember what these are, but the ones listed above are considered safe.