Starting a Vivarium

[dendroworks]

I'd add a nice layer of leaf litter and seed it well with springs and isos - especially if you will be putting frogs in it soon. Some lateral branches with attached plants stretching across the viv would also be something I'd consider.

Regards
Marcus

[cablemandan]

I can't seem to find any locally (leaf litter) I have it on order, but until then hopefully the fella I'm getting the frogs from will spot me a few to start with. I am getting my springs and food cultures from him also. He's gunna get me all fixed up when I leave. curious about water though, Should I get one of those overpriced zoomed bowls or will they just drink off all this water on the plants? I haven't seen much discussion about this.. if I just need some little dish easy to access in there great cuz those bowls all seem huge.
I still plan to add effects also, like some vines and some corkbark stuff. I'm going to add to it, i just want visibility high until I know I'm not screwing something up. There is alot of shade and hiding spots under ledges in the back behind the plants. I'm going with tincs so hopefully they will aclimate quickly and not feel the need for hiding to terrible long.

[Tony]

No dish needed. Humidity, condensation, and droplets from misting keep them hydrated.

[cablemandan]

That sounds great, I have more than plenty of that water dish in an animal tank always turns into a huge mess, spillage, substrate, *phooey*, food all those things are not so exciting at all lol

Just seeing how much condensation is on everything it seemed they would just probably drink from it but I wasn't totally sure. Thanks for the heads up.

[Philsuma]

You have a glass lid right ? That's essential for keeping up the humidity.

[cablemandan]

Yes sir. I threw a hygrometer in there and its ranging between 85-95% humidity. The only reason you can see in it in the pic is because I wiped it right before I took it. Condensation began to cover the glass within 10 minutes after I took it. The temp is up in the high 70's but i think thats due to the lights. I will make a couple spacers to get the lights up a couple inches off the top. I'm using 2 13 watt CF's and they dont put off much heat, but it's enough to keep the viv about 6 degrees warmer than the house. I will probably want that warming affect in the winter time, house is older and gets a bit drafty. I'll monitor that though.

[RichFrye]

Just a quick heads up for those who have cracked aquariums. I'll take 'em all.
The water amount and preasure is nothing. A tad of silicone fixes most all cracks, pertaining to the ability to hold the tiny amount of water /preasure in a dart viv.

[cablemandan]

You can't have mine Rich, it was a bump in the road cuz no i am making sure it didnt crack the bottom seal. I still intend to use it. It's a 30 gallon bow front i turned around and used the bow front to make a more contured, closed background. when i started it though I just got the old GS at home depot and it expanded like crazy I lost alot of tank space. I also tried to make the misting system myself from rainbird parts, which wont work unless you hook up the garden hose. I will patch it and rework it to organic(did i mention I like this method?).

On a side note, when I get my froggies how should the feeding go? do I just dump in shaken flies and all is well or use a dish? do the frogs learn when the top opens its food time? Probably trivial questions unless you have never observed it.. in a couple months I will say.. pfft.. but I want to know what habbits work for feeding and what doesn't, so I know what to expect.

[Philsuma]

On a side note, when I get my froggies how should the feeding go? do I just dump in shaken flies and all is well or use a dish? do the frogs learn when the top opens its food time? Probably trivial questions unless you have never observed it.. in a couple months I will say.. pfft.. but I want to know what habbits work for feeding and what doesn't, so I know what to expect.

feeder-insects-nutrition-how-to-feed-your-frogs-f22/best-way-to-feed-out-ff-t3343.html

[cablemandan]

Thanks once more for the heads up. I never seem to find the posts you link me with the search, probably not reading deep enough.

So I was kinda concerned about my lighting choice, since I bought these 13w CF's 6500k at the big box store for $.89, but the plants are taking off!! I have alot of new growth in less than a week, and the creepers have new roots popping out of every node looking for dirt. There are alot of new growth chutes coming from the roots as well. Good signs I think(hope)

[RichFrye]

Here's a quick one.
There are no 'feeding stations' in the wild. Take the flies you think are enough for that day's feeding in your hand and blow hard. The flies go all over and the darts hunt .

[cablemandan]

Great point. Closer to a natural environment very cool, thanks Rich

[cablemandan]

Updated pics, a couple weeks of growth and some leaf litter, seeding in progress. I still didnt put vineage across the front, but I bought Cobalts and think it will be a non issue to not have more arboreal climbs. Sorry for the blur but condensation is good and I haven't got fans yet to deal with it, its secondary on my list


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Some of my hides I built into it


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This one is a bit outdated as the little purple plant had since rooted and is growing rapidly


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The pics I took are all to the left side of the tank, as I designed it to be the hide spot, so I was looking for a different perspective with pictures. As it grows in the right side has hides also, as of now this is probably where my buddies will hide I think, time will tell.

[cablemandan]

Swept the condensation, and took this just a few minutes ago...


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[cablemandan]

I had to pull out 1 plant, growth rate was way too high. When I did it stirred things up a bit, tossed my leaf litter, and noticed a bunch of mold/fungus under the leaf litter. Will this be a problem or is it normal?

[Philsuma]

Why pull it......that's what they make shears for. Snip it next time.

Mold and fungus is good food for springs and Isopods.

[cablemandan]

Well at first I was going to do that, but the plant had already spread roots 6" in every direction, so I was concerned with it choking out my smaller, less aggressive plants. It tripled in size in 8 days, kinda scary.

[cablemandan]

My habitat looks not a thing like this anymore. the BG is the same, but it has grown over, is lived in and changed. Working my next build now. I will leave my poor cobalts to their breeding. I would post pics, but the place is not show quality like all the others, just livable.

[RichFrye]

As can be attested by anyone who has been in my frogroom, my vivs look gross. Sort of like this, but with lots of film cans. Picture taken with flash.

[heyduke]

As can be attested by anyone who has been in my frogroom, my vivs look gross. Sort of like this, but with lots of film cans. Picture taken with flash.

Looks like a forest floor to me. Not gross. But then again I've always liked the frogs more than the plants.


Sean