So you want to build a "Frog Room" ?

[Philsuma]

This thread will be a continual feature where we can discuss building a dedicated room for keeping and breeding Poison Dart Frogs.


FIRST

Location, location, location !

Very important, obviously, because once made, it's hard to tear down or go backwards.

Dart Frog vivariums do best with ambient temperatures, that is, the entire room should be easily and effectively....totally....climate controlled.

Since Dart frogs "do best" in a generally "household" climate - high 60's F to 70's F, it's important to choose a room in your house where that range can most easily be accommodated.

Attics, third floors ? Bad

Basements ? Now we're talking ! Basements (if ya got em - sorry Florida, other weird areas of North America) are by far and away, the best location. The are cooler and usually easier to insulate and thermo regulate.

Secondly, the concrete floor is ideal for our purposes too. Water that will eventually be spilled is easy to clean up from a concrete or tiled floor. FF and other hobby detritus is equally easy to vacuum up off.

Carpet = not the greatest
Concrete and tile = perfect

and remember...cooler is better than "Hotter". Avoid stuffy areas and large windows and potentially drafty rooms.

[dtfleming]

This is true, I am in the processing of finishing my frog room. I need to finish framing one wall, insulation and replacing the window. I also have a window air conditioner available to use if need be.

[Michael Lawrence]

I ripped out a wall in my living room and turned it and the other front bedroom in the house into the frogroom. 32'x12 with 4 windows that measure 78''x36'' and a half glass door. Nothing beats natural lighting when your frogroom is full of plants. Carpet is an issue. Steamer company makes a nice living off us.

Michael

[Philsuma]

Good point Michael. Natural light can be useful for plants - for sure.

Optimally, above lighting would be best - Skylights, but then such lighting would be hard to have in a .....basement.

[Philsuma]

Part 2:

The Floor.

The best is a basement concrete slab, but I just read that concrete can "suck the moisture" out of an escaped frog. Interesting and I can actually believe this.

In a Frog Room, with lotsa vivariums, you WILL get some frog escapes, so plan for it.

I would recommend a nice tight, tiled floor. Tile installed with easy to clean grout lines, over top of a good concrete slab. That way, you can actually "flood" parts of the frog room floor or at least create multiple little pools for the safety of the frog that got loose, until you can recapture it. It works...I've done it.

So....tile over concrete is what I would strongly recommend.

[Cindy Dicken]

Phil,
what if you seal the concrete?

[Philsuma]

Phil,
what if you seal the concrete?

I would think that could work too.....

Hopefully some construction gurus will chime in on this.

[dtfleming]

I think I would seal the concrete if you plan on flooding the floor. I have most of the frog room insulated and will have a new window installed shortly.

[jig1]

Tile floors are great. We have big clay tiles thru out our house. As mentioned very easy to clean. I wonder tho if you were "constructing" a new "frog room" would linoleum floor work? maybe less expensive? thoughts?

[Philsuma]

Another consideration is colour of the flooring.

I like a light off-white or plain light single colour with no pattern or stipes ect, so that you can easily see escaped frogs, flies and spilled items.

[Tim13]

Just to chime in on the flooring talk, costco sells rolls of thick rubber/plastic/space material that is black and in a diamond plate pattern. Not real expensive and super durable. Most frogs should show up well on a black floor, while it will hide other things that fall on it. Also easy to clean, you can pour water on it and mop or squeegee it up, or do like im going to and just squeegee it into a sump pump hole.

[Philsuma]

wow ! Nobody wants to discuss this ?

Do we have a lack of "Frog Room interest" - people not having such a collection size or location, or is everyone just waiting for me to post stuff ?

[hkspowers]

I want a frog room so damn bad, but here in ballerfornia unless you are a millionaire you aren't getting a house with more than one bedroom. lol If I ever get the chance I would like to have my frog room in a basement with polished and sealed concrete floors. I would like to have ceiling fans for general air movement, and fluorescent lighting pref recessed into the ceiling. I would want a shop sink in the basement along with a work bench area to work on /build tanks. I would like a damn strong shop vac, and all of my tanks to be front opening!

[Philsuma]

I can see you've been putting some time into thinking about it.

A Shop Vac is a must. Glad you posted that.

At first I bought the biggest model wet/dry vac....BIG mistake. It was TOO big and I couldn't deal with it - getting it around all the shelves ect. A medium model is much more practical.

but one thing I would go big with...is the hose. Spend the $$ and buy the longest accessory hose. So useful for getting under the racks and up into the ceiling areas for webs.

[hkspowers]

I have considered an alternative for apartment dwellers such as myself. I have really been contemplating moving into a nice large loft. They have the polished and sealed concrete floors, are insulated like crazy here in Cali anyway, and usually sound proof since they are almost all brick and concrete, and the ceilings have sound deadening material stuffed into them.

[DKOOISTRA]

My thoughts, or vision. I want several tanks along 1 wall to be visible to the general "living area" and the actual frog room on the opp side of the wall. They would appear to be built in from the living area. Top access for these tanks. The frog room itself will have many more, just not on display. I'm thinking basement, probably family room on one side with 4 or 5 visible tanks and utility room/frog room on the opposite. This is down the road, we've got 40 acres we'll be calling home someday, when we build I'll have it all figured out, it's a ways out yet though.
Derek

[dtfleming]

I'm still interested in discussing it. I will have a new window installed in mine shortly. Need to finish a wall and add a door. Insulation will be finished and I'm leaving the floor as is (concrete).

[Stu&Shaz]

Gotta say I wish I had tiled our floor...DUMMY. I really should have sorted that one but head was more full of having a floor strong enough to take the weight,and i had just ripped our all the flooring because we found woodworm. So failing a basement which we didn't have, an upstairs room is the only option.

Start at the bottom is that floor strong enough,racks full of glass tanks,plus that wonderful bit of hardwood you love so much are heavy when they are 3 high, wall to wall. Its PROPER scary heavy.

If at all possible go for a north facing room to avoid high temps from direct sunlight.

Stick a maximum/minimum thermometer in there for as long as possible,ours was from the hottest part of summer right though to coldest bit of winter months ...check regularly find out what the room does,these things don't just happen spur of the moment, ideally it will always run a bit too cold for frogs, when all those lights are on it will be a blessing.

Insulate everywhere you can,saves bucks later might save our froggy friends lives too when S**T happens...which it invariably does.

Secondary glaze that window, our old single glazed means we have now got triple with the units we installed,erm out of rubbish for the cost of 8 screws...and a bloody big headache trying to work out just how to do it,with the materials we had. If i had double glazing i would still have gone there,keeps heat out,summer and warmth in in the winter.

If you can install running water,that said we didn't and i get to keep fit running the stairs carrying the stuff :lol:
But if you do install a sink be blummin careful what you put down it,heaven forbid you have some nasty disease in your room,would be nice to know that you didn't clobber the local phib population too!! MAY that never happen to anyone that reads this !

Secure those racks to that wall, I have 2 vivs that i bought,second hand,we make all of them ourselves,these were cheap as the were slightly damaged,the guys rack fell over,he gave up lost nearly all his frogs in a few seconds...that breaks my heart ! I would rather not have had that opportunity,and he still kept his frogs. so I'll add here is that rack really up to the job of carrying those tanks...ARE you SURE.

Being a picky bitch whom takes a lot of time to try to put a bit of love into each viv, the best viewing experience is gonna be if you have something to block out those lights above every viv, I know its hard to make your own racks I have that T-shirt , I spent hours last winter freezing my ********s off,would id do it again...hell yeah, HMMM actually I have to...oh HELP :roll: :lol: :lol: Seriously though there is a lot of work in one of these rooms,and a huge joy to be had back from it,always worth going that little bit further huh ?

Regards,
Stu

[Stu&Shaz]

Her's a couple of pics just to put a pic on what i was rabbitting about this is our attempt half way or so through,now i guess



the second rack is 3 high but i've ommitted the top shelf as no vivs yet
Stu

[hkspowers]

When I move somewhere more permanent I will be converting my rack to the extruded aluminum racks! They look so clean and tidy. Yours are source of jealousy here. :wink: