# My Golden Mantella Live Plant Terrarium Build



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

Hi everyone :] 

I have been after some_Mantella aurantiaca _for agesand i have finally found a pair and im getting some more soon from a friend. So i have decided to make a live planted terrarium like I have for my Azureiventris and other Dart Frogs to make it as natural as possible :] So im doing a Madagascan lowland forest/swamp set up for the _M.aurantiaca _for when they arrive in a few weeks time. 
Here is a list of equipment I have been using encase you want to do one yourself and if you haven't done one before :] 

*Equipment:*


Glass Tank & Lid
500 ml Spray can of Expandable Foam (500 ml is enough for a 2ft long and a foot and a half high terrarium) - From B&Q.

Bathroom Mastic Sealant & Gun (people say Aquarium Grade Sealant however its all the same stuff just different name and price) - B&Q or Reptile/Aquarium specialists. 

Exo Terra Plantation Soil Brick (any soil or coco husk bricks can be used but i like using the Exo Terra one) Reptile Shops
Stanley Blade (Sharpe razor of some sort) 

Latex Gloves (Trust me it gets messy lol)

This is what i have done so far....
I firstly got my tank (of course) and cleaned it out making sure there was no dirty marks on it. 
I laid the Tank on its side and sprayed a fine mist of plain water, using a spray bottle, on the area i wanted to use for my foam background. I then sprayed the Expandable Foam onto the glass, like so.... 
















And finally all of the background has been sprayed, remember it will expand quite a lot bigger than it looks however it is easy to cut back so dont worry at all (hence the need of a Stanley blade)..


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

So after spraying the beginning of the background allow it to dry and expand (usually it says for 24 hours to dry completely on the can). I trimmed the top of the background to make it look neater and so the lid could actually fit on lol anyway this is what the result should look like...
















As you can notice i have added something on the bottom... I found i had some foam left over so i thought, what the heck im going to make a small water section which looks like this... 








I have cut it into the shape it is now with the Stanley Blade making it as smooth as i possibly can lol... 








So, So far i have got this which is ready for the next stage once it has all properly set as i touched up a few areas which had holes in (also i just wanted to be safe and go over the 24 hour mark)... 










While i was waiting for the Foam to dry and set i, decided to make a little Plaque to go on the display when its finished (this you dont need to do lol i am just sad)...









I will post the next stage when i have done in  but tell me what you think so far please :]


----------



## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

I'm liking the plaque. Saves having to explain to mates all the time where they come from and what they eat:2thumb:
Looking forward to seeing it planted up.


----------



## johnc79 (Feb 29, 2008)

Looking good mate!


----------



## pigeon (Aug 26, 2007)

Looking good i also keep Mantellas.


----------



## jaegersreptiles (May 8, 2011)

woopwoop :2thumb:


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Looking good so far!:2thumb:

About the only quibble I'd have is the fixed water area- is that going to be hard to keep clean?


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

not having any planters or other things lodged into the foam? will look a bit dull with just a wall of mud and plants wont just root into the foam :devil: 

how will the false bottom work with that fixed water area?you would be better off collecting some stones and placing those in the corner leading down to water as the false bottom will need draining often and so this will double up as a water change


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

Thank you everyone! 



pigeon said:


> Looking good i also keep Mantellas.


And oh awesome I was going to make a thread asking for people to show there Mantella set ups, what mantella species do you keep?


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

Ron Magpie said:


> Looking good so far!:2thumb:
> 
> About the only quibble I'd have is the fixed water area- is that going to be hard to keep clean?


Ahhhh well im looking into that atm lol considering I only came up with it at the time  but I was thinking of doing a waterfall/stream thing to keep the water running so it wont go stagnant lol but I want the water to go a pale tea colour anyway


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

sambridge15 said:


> not having any planters or other things lodged into the foam? will look a bit dull with just a wall of mud and plants wont just root into the foam :devil:
> 
> how will the false bottom work with that fixed water area?you would be better off collecting some stones and placing those in the corner leading down to water as the false bottom will need draining often and so this will double up as a water change


Haha patients mate I haveny finished it yet  the next stage is what you just said lol 

And well I am looking it cos I only decided to do it the night I finish the background so it was a last minute thing :]


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

You'll note that these are all positive (hopefully helpfull) queries, rather than niggles. ;-)


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

Ron Magpie said:


> You'll note that these are all positive (hopefully helpfull) queries, rather than niggles. ;-)


Haha thats finee I dont mind questions being asked  you did ask a good Q though but atm the animals wont be going in it for a while (a few months) as I want to make sure the tank matures and grows firstly  but the water bit might be tricky but I saw this picture and he didnt look like he changed the water I will post it on here to show everyone


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Love the plaque! Been wanting to make some for ages.


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Love the plaque! Been wanting to make some for ages.


Lmao my plaques are getting the most attention! I wonder if anyone has actually got them? :/ hopefully I start a trend or something! Lol but if you want me to make them for you I can make them better than mine..


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

JR.Exotics said:


> Haha patients mate I haveny finished it yet  the next stage is what you just said lol
> 
> And well I am looking it cos I only decided to do it the night I finish the background so it was a last minute thing :]



funny i always get tempted to do the same and have a small water area, in fact i think i did 1 on my first build but dug it up in the end :blush: i recently added a small water area by just adding rocks the go into the false bottom


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

sambridge15 said:


> funny i always get tempted to do the same and have a small water area, in fact i think i did 1 on my first build but dug it up in the end :blush: i recently added a small water area by just adding rocks the go into the false bottom


Well atm im reading up on the places it comes from in madagascar and I must say that the water isnt really fresh or clean and that only a few times a year the rains will sort of renew it lol :S so I dunno how to go about it 
But do a thread mate of what you done? Im interested to see what you mean :]


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

right next stage everyone lol :] 

before i even started to make the background, i got the wood and branches i was going to use and soaked them in a bucket of boiling hot water (i took a pic for the sake of it lol) i left it in there for about a week (note that the water level has gone down greatly lol) 









Anyway after you soak whatever your using, its now time (which is tricky) to attach the branches to your background :] using your expandable foam like so.... 

























right now thats done (i will have more in there when they finish soaking) you can now move onto attaching your plant pots for your plants to grow from to make it a little more exciting than a mud wall lol (you will be covering the pot later dont worry)... 










so it should look (well not exactly) like this.... 



















doesn't look like much yet but it will do when there's a little bit more happening lol next stage soon :]


----------



## jaegersreptiles (May 8, 2011)

: victory: Keep up posting


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

JR.Exotics said:


> Well atm im reading up on the places it comes from in madagascar and I must say that the water isnt really fresh or clean and that only a few times a year the rains will sort of renew it lol :S so I dunno how to go about it
> But do a thread mate of what you done? Im interested to see what you mean :]



regardless those sort of conditions couldnt be represented in a viv in the wild the frogs wouldnt always be in very very close proximity to the water in the wild there would also be a much greater volume of water in a viv it would just stink without regular changing 

as for what im trying to explain is in 1 corner you place stones rather than a substrate leca etc so as the water builds up in the false bottom it makes a pool it also allows for drainage...if that makes sense?:blush:

also in future its worth puting the plant pots against the background and then using the foam it will use up less space that way a bit like in the viv i gave you:2thumb: still looking good


----------



## MARK.D (Oct 18, 2008)

JR.Exotics said:


> Bathroom Mastic Sealant & Gun (people say Aquarium Grade Sealant however its all the same stuff just different name and price)


Its not all the same. Bathroom sealant will have mould inhibitors in it making it unsuitable to use.


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

MARK.D said:


> Its not all the same. Bathroom sealant will have mould inhibitors in it making it unsuitable to use.


not so actually... You can buy bathroom mastic which has mould inhibitors or some without  trust me I was there a while looking through it and most my familys are builders, chippies, plasters etc sd o I made doubly sure...  but yes there are options to have that preventer but aquaria grade sealant also has it in so why bother using that when most people tell me to use it lol :S

Your picking holes in something very very minor for no reason tbh... If thats me miss reading what you wrote but I dont care...


----------



## leonh (Nov 19, 2008)

hi JR.exsotics like watching your build and hope it goes well for you,but Mark.d wouldn't be picking it's just a concern as b&q silicone or any standard bathroom etc would normaly have mold inhibitors added plus fungisides and the worry would be that once your viv is done that these would leach into your substrate/water colum poisoning your frogs,i do know however that b&q are cheap however safety is more important..by the way to save a few pennys though over exspensive places like maidenhead aquatics try this company..A.B sealents: victory:


----------



## MARK.D (Oct 18, 2008)

JR.Exotics said:


> Your picking holes in something very very minor for no reason tbh... If thats me miss reading what you wrote but I dont care...


im not picking at anything. Just concerned for the health of your frogs. Also the fact that if someone was starting out and happened to read what you put, they could go out and buy the wrong stuff not knowing. 
Anyway as you seem to know what your doing and you say you dont care, i'll leave you to it.


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

leonh said:


> hi JR.exsotics like watching your build and hope it goes well for you,but Mark.d wouldn't be picking it's just a concern as b&q silicone or any standard bathroom etc would normaly have mold inhibitors added plus fungisides and the worry would be that once your viv is done that these would leach into your substrate/water colum poisoning your frogs,i do know however that b&q are cheap however safety is more important..by the way to save a few pennys though over exspensive places like maidenhead aquatics try this company..A.B sealents: victory:


And did you just simply ignore what I wrote back? Lol I said I made doubly sure that the sealant I picked was safe and I never chose a B&Q own make I chose a better make :/ but thank you for the advice  I chose a mastic WITHOUT fugicides and mould inhibitors in as you do have many options.. Just cos I said B&Q doesnt mean that I bought that own make I meant you can buy them at B&Q. Nah AB sealants is what I was going for untill I couldnt get a bigger size :/


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

MARK.D said:


> im not picking at anything. Just concerned for the health of your frogs. Also the fact that if someone was starting out and happened to read what you put, they could go out and buy the wrong stuff not knowing.
> Anyway as you seem to know what your doing and you say you dont care, i'll leave you to it.


Tbh a newbie wouldnt do something like this :/ I have told my friends about this and they said they would just stick to a normal furnished viv... I have been looking into this a long time and have made sure its all ok what im using.
And I say I dont care mark cos of the ending of our last encounter... So best leave it at that :]


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

JR.Exotics said:


> Tbh a newbie wouldnt do something like this :/ I have told my friends about this and they said they would just stick to a normal furnished viv... I have been looking into this a long time and have made sure its all ok what im using.
> And I say I dont care mark cos of the ending of our last encounter... So best leave it at that :]


 To be fair, someone who used to post on here (not a newbie, either!) *did* do something like this, not so long ago- and had to rip it all out and start again, when he realised that his sealent contained fungicides. It may be basic, but still worth a mention, anyway.


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

as ron said i also made a viv before and threw it away because i ignored advice (in a similar way you are)http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/515529-dart-frog-help-silicone-advice.html believing i had used safe sealant when after emailing (on sugestion of a member)i found out it did have mould inhibitors and fungicides even though the tube didnt state so:devil:if its sold in a diy shop it will have mould inhibitors and fungicides because without them it wont be fit for use 

really really not worth the risk when aquarium grade is around £1-£2 more especially when throwing the viv out cost me £50-£100 reading through my old thread man i was a jack a*s glad i listened in the end haha


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

sambridge15 said:


> as ron said i also made a viv before and threw it away because i ignored advice (in a similar way you are)http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/515529-dart-frog-help-silicone-advice.html believing i had used safe sealant when after emailing (on sugestion of a member)i found out it did have mould inhibitors and fungicides even though the tube didnt state so:devil:if its sold in a diy shop it will have mould inhibitors and fungicides because without them it wont be fit for use
> 
> really really not worth the risk when aquarium grade is around £1-£2 more especially when throwing the viv out cost me £50-£100 reading through my old thread man i was a jack a*s glad i listened in the end haha


Hmmmm ok I will,make a new thread and change what I said on thst but then lol however I just read the tube and it isnt bathroom sealant lmao got it wrong its all purpose sealant however its not money Im worried about.... But someone told me guttering sealant is good too


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

JR.Exotics said:


> Hmmmm ok I will,make a new thread and change what I said on thst but then lol however I just read the tube and it isnt bathroom sealant lmao got it wrong its all purpose sealant however its not money Im worried about.... But someone told me guttering sealant is good too



if its not mould and fungus ressistant it wont really be of any use for diy best not to take the risk and get aquarium grade for peace of mind


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

sambridge15 said:


> if its not mould and fungus ressistant it wont really be of any use for diy best not to take the risk and get aquarium grade for peace of mind


Right I will buy some, where did you get yours? Lol


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

JR.Exotics said:


> Right I will buy some, where did you get yours? Lol


dartfrog.co.uk 2 tubes did the background i gave you with about 1 3rd of a tube at the end if that helps you judge quantity


----------



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

sambridge15 said:


> dartfrog.co.uk 2 tubes did the background i gave you with about 1 3rd of a tube at the end if that helps you judge quantity


Ahhh dartfrog lol I was going to buy one from emsworth but the size of it was silly I would of had to use 6 of them :/


----------



## Malagasy (Nov 27, 2011)

Dont know if its just me but i cant see the pictures :blush:


----------



## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

Malagasy said:


> Dont know if its just me but i cant see the pictures :blush:


Nor can I.


----------



## MantellaMan (Feb 3, 2012)

Malagasy said:


> Dont know if its just me but i cant see the pictures :blush:


Same here :S maybe they deleted them or something?


----------

