# dart viv build



## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

just moving the link to here as advised  and will let the other post sink :whistling2:


http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/609209-started-dart-viv-d.html#post7440324



cheers Jason


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

id copy the entire thread over we are lazy people


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

not sure how to do that :blush:
im just going to finish the background and will upload some more pics old and new to this thread tonight  


cheers Jason


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> not sure how to do that :blush:
> im just going to finish the background and will upload some more pics old and new to this thread tonight
> 
> 
> cheers Jason


what darts you going for in there just noticed your only down the road from me  well a fairly long road but still not far


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

*pic update*





































the tape is to show the flow of water from the top down to the river bed roughly, im not sure whether to stop the flow there and cut some better bark to create a wall for the water to flow down or continue the river like below 



















white pipe is for the "out" tube for the external filter for ease of getting it out if needed  

any suggestion or comments welcome 

oh and sam im in shirely southampton only 30 mins from you i think : victory:

cheers jason


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

Looks awesome so far. Liking the water way:2thumb:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> image
> 
> image
> 
> ...


looks ace yea not to far shame you didnt make it a few months earlier they had some lovely darts at pras this year :mf_dribble:got myself 4 tinc suriname  any thoughts on what lucky frogs will be calling this home?


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

im going to house luecs in there mate they will be my 1st frogs :2thumb:
so going to make sure the viv is grown in for like at least a month before even thinking about putting anything in there 

how many would you recommend are housed in a 60x60x45 comfortably ? 
i was thinking 3 but im happy to have more if there is room for them ? 

also i notice people putting tubes in the viv's are these just hides ? or are they for breeding ? 

cheers Jason


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> im going to house luecs in there mate they will be my 1st frogs :2thumb:
> so going to make sure the viv is grown in for like at least a month before even thinking about putting anything in there
> 
> how many would you recommend are housed in a 60x60x45 comfortably ?
> ...


there empty film canisters for breeding i left mine around 2 months before adding frogs but that was just because i was waiting for pras :lol2:iv never kept leucs allthough iv heard they do well in groups 

id order yourself/scav off members some fruit flies and get used to culturing them...ordering some springtails and woodlice so there well established in the viv before adding frogs may also be an idea


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

im waiting for my dendrosoil and plants from dart frog so will have that soonies and yeah i need to start the fruit flies soon i just completely forgot about them are they anygood in cold areas say a porch ? i just dont fancy having the flies in doors, crix and stuff i have no probs with :whistling2:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> im waiting for my dendrosoil and plants from dart frog so will have that soonies and yeah i need to start the fruit flies soon i just completely forgot about them are they anygood in cold areas say a porch ? i just dont fancy having the flies in doors, crix and stuff i have no probs with :whistling2:


i think its room temp they thrive well mine do fine at it I think they would crash in those temps.....you do realise exo+flies=fly infested house? its well worth reading a few fruit fly proofing guides even after doing so I still get around 1 fly escape per 50 flies


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

yeah i have the proffing guide book marked im guessing there flightless and tend to not stick around too long if they escape ? the gf would hit the roof if too many got out lol 

also i never had the oppertunity to feed them to anything how do you get them in the viv ? prob a silly question :blush:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> yeah i have the proffing guide book marked im guessing there flightless and tend to not stick around too long if they escape ? the gf would hit the roof if too many got out lol
> 
> also i never had the oppertunity to feed them to anything how do you get them in the viv ? prob a silly question :blush:


lol im sure there is a better way but i put the culture in a sandwich bag with dusting powder lift the lid off tap it untill i get enough put the lid back shake it ,shake the bag so there all dusted then just tip em into the viv 

you would think so but myself or family have found flies in every single room in the house bean weevils are even worse they get everywhere! i must say greenstuff or modeling putty was of great use for fruitfly proofing its like blu tack that sets hard as plastic perfect for filling all those little gaps!


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

im guessing they will keep the woodlice and springtail numbers at a decent level so i dont get infestead ? or do they not tend to feed on them ? 

sorry for all the questions
Jason


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Do you have a drainage layer?

Looks really good so far.


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

i was just thinking of going false floor 2" high then weed mat the dendrosoil 3-4" deep ? is this good or should i have some other substrate below the dendrosoil ?


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> i was just thinking of going false floor 2" high then weed mat the dendrosoil 3-4" deep ? is this good or should i have some other substrate below the dendrosoil ?


i wish i had a larger false bottom im forever draining mine i used eco earth mixed in with fine grade orchid bark 50/50 mix makes for a nice soil then cover that in leaf litter and moss....never used dendrosoil heard good things though :2thumb:


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

I just been out to get a good bag of leaves  do I need to bake them to kill off any nasties or just chuck them in when ready ? Can I use any leaves because I'm sure I read somewhere only oak leaves due to them degrading slower or something along those lines 

Cheers Jason


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> I just been out to get a good bag of leaves  do I need to bake them to kill off any nasties or just chuck them in when ready ? Can I use any leaves because I'm sure I read somewhere only oak leaves due to them degrading slower or something along those lines
> 
> Cheers Jason


I use oak leaves and used to bake them but just either give them a quick wash or just 'chuck em in' I have done both.


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> I just been out to get a good bag of leaves  do I need to bake them to kill off any nasties or just chuck them in when ready ? Can I use any leaves because I'm sure I read somewhere only oak leaves due to them degrading slower or something along those lines
> 
> Cheers Jason


nasties is like the boogyyman of the other sections most the "nasties" will in fact be beneficial to your tank i use oak leaves i collect from a local oak tree also use other leaf litter from the garden but the woodlice and springs power through it!


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## bronz (Feb 1, 2008)

Snail and slug eggs seem to be the biggest pain for me when using collected leaves. A lot of microfauna are handy additions but there are enough bad guys to make it worth baking them.


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## radicaldave (Sep 25, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> i was just thinking of going false floor 2" high then weed mat the dendrosoil 3-4" deep ? is this good or should i have some other substrate below the dendrosoil ?


Hydroleca mate is awesome for a drainage layer I use it underneath the substrate of every tank that is going to have heavy water fall / humidity. It is lightweight clay balls about the size of marbles and will help the tank and plants no end..

I brought mine from a wyevale group garden centre at just a pound a bag so i brought enough to do 3+ tanks.


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

maybe i should get a small bag then :hmm:

only reason i havent thought about using hydroleca was because im using a external filter for 2 reasons 1 being it keeps the darts water nice and clean and acts as a pump for the river and 2 because im hoping it will painless to drain the viv if needed,

so i was thinking i fill the bottom half way between the bottom of the tank and the bottom of false floor and as it cycles the water will evaporate and generaly get lower as it goes round, so the water should be topped up by water draing through the soil from misting and so on. 

and i understand that hydroleca stores the water for a while so will restrict it getting into the filter cycle 

im probably talkin complete rubish so please correct my mistakes :lol2:
im off today so just about to start the false floor and river bed pics coming later tonight : victory:

cheers Jason


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## radicaldave (Sep 25, 2009)

Sorry when i say I use it underneath the substrate of every tank that is going to have heavy water fall / humidity i actually use it in every phib tank i have made (i have 3 active..) 

I have heard about tanks that do not use a drainage layer such as hydroleca becoming waterlogged and boggy.. it also gives you a margin of error if your false bottom overspills and floods into your soil. It will also help your live plants and prevent root rot and other stuff im sure the other guys might have seen this first hand and provide a better example. I can only say from my research and tank builds I myself would rather have a drainage layer than not and would recommend it in a rainforest setup.. Although to be fair as nice as they are i would also recommend not having a water feature in a tank either but again thats just my opinion,,

Would i be fair in saying that misting adds quite alot more water to your tank than you might think..


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

thanks for the comments and your advice radicaldave i will look into this tonight : victory:

got the floor done and the pool and the river bed set out but im pretty sure i dont like it :neutral: it looks a bit big i think im still not sure so please coment on this im thinking about having a 1 peice slimmer cork river lower down ? 

anyways here are some more pics


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## liamb111 (Apr 2, 2010)

i think it'll look fine/great once you've got some marsh plants etc. in there, they'd cover up the strait edge/corner good and propa


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## JayW (Dec 14, 2010)

When I start this I am planning on making a water fall also. Looking at your design, it looks really nice. In the corner, is this going to be a pool? If so, how would water drain out?


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

it will be a shallow pool the water will drain through the black matting and into the rest of the water that will be under the false floor mate 

the mat i have used is crap is there any mesh type stuff i can buy from somewhere like homebase to stop the soil seeping through ? 

the stuff i have just frays so easy and as you can possibly see from the pics looks rubbish 


cheers Jason


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## JayW (Dec 14, 2010)

I thought there was something with in the stones. Same idea as I was thinking. Looking nice


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

*questions questions questions lol*

nothing has happened today as my two deliveries havent arrived 
but i do have a couple of questions 

i went to homebase today to look for some weed control fabric but was like £14 is there anything cheaper i can use ? i really dont want to use the stuff i have lol 

also from everything i have read fruit flies seem to be the common staple diet are there any others ? i have read they eat bean weevels and micro crickets 

in my local shop they sell cups of fruit flies can i use these to start a culture ? 

and can bamboo live in water if so where can i buy some that is no in a stupid vase as i would like to grow some in the viv in the pool area and would like to try and twist it as i grows 

many thanks 
Jason


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

also are these bulbs suitable for my viv ? i have a 3 light canopy i have 1 reptiglo 2.0 and thats all i was only going to fit 2 bulbs is this ok or should i have 3 on the go ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20W-BC-DAYLIG...4399771?pt=UK_Light_Bulbs&hash=item19bb2bea1b


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

turbo_time said:


> also are these bulbs suitable for my viv ? i have a 3 light canopy i have 1 reptiglo 2.0 and thats all i was only going to fit 2 bulbs is this ok or should i have 3 on the go ?
> 20W BC DAYLIGHT SAD LOW ENERGY SAVING LAMP LIGHT BULB on eBay (end time 27-Dec-10 08:36:09 GMT)


Yeah, only I think for exo hoods you need a screw fit.

You can have up to 26W and daylight bulbs are what you need for plant growth.


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

:lol2: thanks morgan you just saved me looking like a complete pratt and ordering a BC instead of ES bulb :blush:

ordered the one for now im sure 2 bright lights ether end of the canopy should be plenty 


Jason


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## pollywog (Oct 6, 2005)

Hi Jason, If your having trouble with the substrate divider freying you can quickly run a lighter across the cut edge to bond it.


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

Thanks for that tip i will give that ago tomorrow : victory:
Jason


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

*plants arrived *

:2thumb: my dartfrog order is here so i popped out to grab some hydroleca as advised before i start : victory:
i aslo grabbed some weed control fabric and 2 bamboo shoots 
plants are ....

birds nest fern 
kyoto dwarf mondo grass 
creeping fig 
snake skin plant 
2 broms ( neoregelia marginata ) and (vriesea solo )
i guess the neo is tied to a branch to root itself as its not in a pot ? 
i also hve the 2 lucky bamboo shoots and moss spores
also im waiting for some java moss 










im going to get stuck in so will upload pics later today : victory:

Jason


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

*pics *










with the orginal idea of river 










The new idea i think this suites better 



















coments welcome :2thumb:

i notice the sag in the middle of the eggcrate and the slip where the stones are but everything is zip tied so im sure it cant go anywhere 

only things that need to go in now are a curly liana branch, java moss round the pool area and the neoregelia marginata as im not 100% how to plant this yet 

cheers Jason


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

a good first dart viv!! going to be a good home for a few froggies!i like the original stream better lol


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

yeah i think i like the original aswell but would like it in one peice so i think i will go get a longer bit of cork tomorrow. 

how many luecs could i house in here comfortably i read somewhere 6-8 but thats soounds overkill i was hoping for more like 3-5 

Jason


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

the neo can be panted by washing off the compo wrapping some moss around the base and then attaching to the side with cocktail sticks etc. some don't even bother with the moss as she will air root if your humidity is high, they can even be glued to the side...or to a branch with silicone. oh hell nearly forgot cool looking viv: victory:


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> the neo can be panted by washing off the compo wrapping some moss around the base and then attaching to the side with cocktail sticks etc. some don't even bother with the moss as she will air root if your humidity is high, they can even be glued to the side...or to a branch with silicone. oh hell nearly forgot cool looking viv: victory:


 DOH panted...PLANTED


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## turbo_time (Oct 30, 2009)

oh ok thanks for the help on that : victory: i just need to find a place for it now then lol 

Jason


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