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Newbie with a 10g laying around. Need ideas and help.
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Newbie with a 10g laying around. Need ideas and help.
#1
Well my friend may buy my 10g and use it for dart frogs, if not then I will eventualy. Right now I'm worrying about my saltwater fish tanks, but I'd love to setup my 10g for darts. I have no clue about anything so any starter reference would be great. Also if either of us did set it up, then we'd be on a budget. From what I saw, the frogs would be the most expensive part right?
I'd love to see the 10g like the Vivariums you see with all the plants, etc.

So basicly no clue about how to set it up so I need the basics and then some.

I have a 17watt flourescant left over from my 20g (since I upgraded lighting for corals) would that be ok for frogs and plants?

Thank you, Mike
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#2
Well I read some stuff about setting up a tank so I kinda got the basics down and now I got some more specific questions.

But here's what I got from it.
Measure deminsions inside tank and get a sheet of eggcrate, cut it to fit, then elevate it from cut pvc pipe? How tall would the pvc pipe need to be? Then you stick some kind of balls under the eggcrate. After that you put soil or substrate on top(recommendations?). Add a background and place some driftwood inside the tank. Then add some plants and would there need to be some kind of water pool inside the tank for the frogs?

Questions:
-Is the 17w PC ok? Or do I need like T-5's?
-Does the plants need a misting system??
-Does there need to be some kind of bowl to hold water for the frogs?
-I need recommendations as far as equipement goes like substrate and stuff.
-How much do you guys think the total cost would be without the price of the frogs?
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#3
Anyone?
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#4
Hey Mike,

I'm a newbie here and to vivs myself, but I'll share with you some of the sites I found informative and inspirational. I also have some opinions and most of whats out there are just that; some happen to be more correct than others. I tried to find ideas that worked well for many and made sense to me.

This instructional journal was really neat as it had a similar false bottom format to what I was trying to make; gave me some confidence to know it could be done this way...

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/vivarium/vivarium.html

Here is another that is simpler and would probably work best for your 10gal.

http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/arti ... ottom.html


Sounds like the wattage (17W) would be ok for some tropicals, though bromeliads would appreciate more light, I think. There are lots of bulbs for sale that are meant to grow plants, as well.

I don't think it is necessary to have a misting system for plants or frogs, especially in only one tank of that size. Watering the plants and hand misting seems to work fine. If the ventilation is high, your humidity may be low and you may want to use an acrylic or plastic cover. There are hinged tops and kits available online.

As for a bowl, I would read through some more informative PDF sites and see what you think. There are certainly a lot of good threads here to read through on just about ant subject.

There are lots of substrates used in the hobby, I like the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Mix(ABG). Google it and see what you think. A good drainage layer below the substrate, above the false bottom, is a good idea. As with the other elements in a viv, it's a good idea to see what many others are doing and how the different methods work for multiple individuals and choose the one you think is best.

The cost, from low end to high, could run you $150 to $350 excluding frogs, I think, but those figs are arbitrary - I would start by looking up prices of everything you'd like to incorporate.

My only advice is to research the kind of frogs you want and see what they require - space, temps, humidity, plants, food, and how many of what gender are compatable. And don't believe everything you read, but a good rule of thumb is that, if you can find the same info about something in just about everything you do read(read a lot!), it's probably ok. Personally, I like to call breeders that I do business with, be it plants or frogs, and see what they think.

Also, look into what kinds of plants you want; many plants that hobbyists are using in vivariums will outgrow a 10g. My tank is 16"H, so it was tough to find suitable plants in the right scale. It's hard to find a lot of miniatures that won't outgrow a tank that size, but it's possible if you look through lots of sites offering plants for sale and make some calls to find out what the mature size of the plants will be. Some plants you just have to resign yourself to trimming regularly, I suppose.

Lastly, make sure to find out if everything you are planning to use, including plants, is non-toxic.

I hope this helps and I hope others offer you there advice, as well - it can't hurt to gain from as many experiences as possible!!!

This page of links has just about everything you can imagine relating to PDFs:

Good luck,
Mike
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#5
By the way, this a great hobby and welcome!

Mike
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#6
Thank you soo much. Lots of great info I'm going to go through. It sounds like a cool hobby. I've been in sw fish for a while and this seems just as cool and a lot cheaper LOL.
I may use my 20g as a frog tank, depends if my dad wants a larger reef tank.
Here's my tanks:
10g(dart frog tank either setup by me or friend)
20gHight(reef tank, if empty maybe frog tank)
125g(In process becoming a FOWLR)
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#7
Yep, lots and lots of info out there. Hard to say which tank would be best, you may find that the kind of frogs you like are well suited to the 10g. I've heard that D. azureus make good first dart frogs and are mainly terrestrial, making a standard 10g just as good as a 20gH. However, a 20gH would allow you to use taller plants... but getting light to plants at the bottom might be more challenging. Also, servicing a taller tank from above could be more difficult.

Good luck,
Mike
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#8
If I did upgrade to a bigger reef than I'd have some T-5's left over for lighting. I think I could handle my little 20g for maintence.
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#9
Welcome to the forum Mike.
If you can afford it, bigger is always better. Not just from a stand point of offering more planting possibilities but also for the frogs, just because they are small they still need their space.

PC's or T-5's will be fine for that tank. The main concern will be how the lights will affect the tank temps. You need to be able to maintain temps in the tank below 80 degrees with lights on. Also keep in mind the temp in your house will also affect the tank temps. So depending on what part of the country you are in you have trouble keeping the tank cool in the summer months, or warm in the winter months.

As Mike said, misting systems are not neccessary, but it would be beneficial to hand mist daily. It is recommended to have a solid glass top, or at least have the majority of the top covered. This will allow you to maintain the required humidity levels. The frogs do not have to have a water source as long as you can provide adequate humidity by the daily mistings and glass top.


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#10
Would a 10g be good for a starter tank though? I'd love to in a couple years build my own tank out of wood with mesh screening on the front and a glass top. But would the 10g be ok for now?
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#11
You could get by with a 10 gal.
Do you have an idea which frogs you are interested in?
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#12
Ummm not realy. I look at frogs for sale and I like certain color patterns, but they don't have what kind of tank would be best for each one so I don't know what the best option would be for my 10g.

Any recommendations? Remember I'm on (or friend will be) on a budget.
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#13
Auratus (green) or leucomelas would be best for your situation.
Start saving your lunch money!
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#14
LOL I'm waiting for Christmas. Right now I have to pay off a suprise large texting bill, then I have to remodel my tanks. Next summer I figure I'll be able to, if not then hopefuly my friend will set it up before then.
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#15
Will the 17 watt flourescants be fine in the 10g though?
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#16
Probably, but it will also depend on what plants you are wanting to use.
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#17
Ok well I'm clueless on the needs of the plants so what do you recommend? LOL Again. Smile
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#18
In doing your research for plants, you will want to look for plants that have low to possibly medium light requirements.
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#19
Cindy Dicken Wrote:In doing your research for plants, you will want to look for plants that have low to possibly medium light requirements.
Where would I find that kind of info? I've looked at sites that sell frogs and such but there isn't requirements.
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#20
I am also new to the hobby. I have been in it about 3 months now and am hooked. My collection has been slowly growing. As far as lights go, I bought two 48" shop lights for $7.00 each plus about $4-$5 for daylight bulbs. I have one 10 gallon tank set up with three 2-3 month leucs, one 10 gallon with a two 4-5 month old azureus, and two 20h's one with 5 young New river tincs and one with a Pair of Orange Terribilis. With the 48" lights one light fixture covers two tanks and so far (3-4 months) my plants and everything seem to be thriving.
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