# dart frog tank build



## jon-r

evening all, this is my first post in the amphibian section as im more of a snake person
i have always like the look of dart frogs and have wanted some for a while, so i finally bit the bullet and decided to get myself a tank and start the build

here is the tank i won on ebay for £26 inc base :no1:









the dimensions are 32" wide x 18" deep x 30" high and 10mm glass all round

next was the fun part deciding were i wanted all the bits to go and then start with the expanding foam


















went a bit over the top with foam but i did cut some of it back









then it was time to start on the sides









as you an see i got carried away and worked into the night, so the next morning when it had set i went about making the waterfall


















i had to remove a small piece of the wood because it was blocking the flow of water to the pool at the bottom :bash:

the other side now foamed

























then it was time for the messy part, unfortunately i was to occupied with applying the silicone and eco earth i forgot to take lots of pics

so skip forward a bit to this











the bottom part still needed siliconing and eco earth applying

then it was carried upstairs and i vacuumed all the loose eco earth from the bottom and started adding the substrate


























then substrate was put in which is a mix of peat, eco earth and bark chips


----------



## jon-r

also while i was doing this build i was buying some plants and collecting lots of different types of moss


































then after a bit of messing about it started to look like this










and a bit more moving about


























sorry about the glare on some pics

and for now it looks like this










all i need now is 2 broms to place in the pots on the background, then leave it to grow in for a few months

and then the hard part, deciding what frogs to get :blush:

im rather happy with my first tank but wont be able to do anymore as the reptile room is totally full now 

thanks for looking
atb
Jon


----------



## Morgan Freeman

That is awesome. The plants you've chosen will fill that viv on no time.

Leucs or galacs will love that.


----------



## Wolfenrook

You're not going to like me very much for spoiling your obvious excitement a bit, but you don't have nearly enough drainage there for a dart tank. The other thing is, that looks like grape wood. Grape wood goes permanently mouldy in the high humidity of a dart tank.

A couple of other questions. What have you done, or are you going to do to make the lid suitable for a dart viv? You can't just use a fish tank hood for darts. The other question is, have you done anything to ensure drainage from the pots you foamed into your background? Foam is water proof, plants rot if the water has nowhere to drain away.

Don't get me wrong, it looks smashing to the eye. But does seem to have a few problems with it. For what you are trying to achieve I would have constructed a false bottom, to make sure you have ample drainage, but at the very least you need double the depth of drainage layer I'd say, minimum, and to put something into place to make it easy to syphone out the water from the drainage layer when it gets too full. As things stand you're going to end up with a very soggy substrate, which is bad for darts, it can lead to foot sores and skin problems.

Sorry to be such a killjoy, but hope this helps a bit.

Ade


----------



## jon-r

no worries ade,

the drainage layer is actually thicker than it looks on the pics it is at least 3-4 inches of leca

in earler pics im not sure if its clear but there is a piece of pvc tube going right down the back to the pool and 2 pieces going from pool into the leca, so the suction of the pump will pull water from both parts
it is the same for the pots they are raised slightly from the glass and the foam was pushed back through the holes to allow the water to drain down the back

as for the grape wood :2wallbang: that was one thing i forgot to check :2wallbang:

forgot to say in the original post but the tank is not finsihed yet i still need to sort out the lid and ventilation, get the waterfall running and fit a misting system

atb
Jon


----------



## Wolfenrook

Cool on the drainage then bud. I was figuring the strip around the bottom was a similar hight to the one on the tank I converted. Obviously not. lol

Not so bad then, just that grape wood that is going to be a pita now then. Wish I had seen this sooner, surprised nobody else noticed to be honest.

Good luck with this, conversions make gorgeous dart tanks. 

Ade


----------



## marcuswinner1

My first Dart tank was a converted aquarium. I solved the hood issue by buying some fine mesh and fixing it over the top of the tank before fitting the hood.
I cut a square hole in the middle so that when I open the hood I can add food and put my arm in to get to any areas that need attention but the frogs cant get out (unless they learn to climb upside down on the mesh to reach the hole!).

Its worked for 18 months now with no probs.

Cool Viv mate, keep us updated.

(I would go with some sort of Tincs, but then thats just what im planning next)


----------



## s6t6nic6l

outstanding build. great looking scenery. bottom pic = :no1:

well done 

good luck with the husbandry


----------



## sambridge15

great viv :2thumb:


----------



## onemanandhisfrog

Wolfenrook said:


> You're not going to like me very much for spoiling your obvious excitement a bit, but you don't have nearly enough drainage there for a dart tank. The other thing is, that looks like grape wood. Grape wood goes permanently mouldy in the high humidity of a dart tank.
> 
> A couple of other questions. What have you done, or are you going to do to make the lid suitable for a dart viv? You can't just use a fish tank hood for darts. The other question is, have you done anything to ensure drainage from the pots you foamed into your background? Foam is water proof, plants rot if the water has nowhere to drain away.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, it looks smashing to the eye. But does seem to have a few problems with it. For what you are trying to achieve I would have constructed a false bottom, to make sure you have ample drainage, but at the very least you need double the depth of drainage layer I'd say, minimum, and to put something into place to make it easy to syphone out the water from the drainage layer when it gets too full. As things stand you're going to end up with a very soggy substrate, which is bad for darts, it can lead to foot sores and skin problems.
> 
> Sorry to be such a killjoy, but hope this helps a bit.
> 
> Ade


actually i had alot of grapewood in my viv, it did get mouldy alot at first but it eventually stopped moulding


----------



## soundstounite

onemanandhisfrog said:


> actually i had alot of grapewood in my viv, it did get mouldy alot at first but it eventually stopped moulding


 Ello mate ya good!!


----------



## soundstounite

Jon r first welcome to the phibs:welcome:
just a thing mate once you get these frogs,your snakes are gonna struggle:lol2:,i think you might want more!!!
Jon your tanks a stunner mate welldone
My tiny tip would be to remove some of the moss at the bottom and put a good layer of leaves in their place,you will be amazed how much your frogs utilise it...I was.,Oh and the sight of a darts bum in the air with its head buried hunting sommit, we can't see, is a sight you should be treated to,mate is so funny as well as being a HUGE benefit to your little guys
great stuff kiddo
Stu


----------



## spencerburgo

your tank looks amazing : victory:

cheers spencer...........


----------



## jon-r

thanks for all the comments guys

just an update, the grapewood has been removed, im currently waiting for another tube of silicone to arrive so i can redo the eco earth where i ripped the grapewood out

also when the substrate is placed back in i will only put small amounts of moss and add some leaf litter as advised

atb
Jon


----------



## onemanandhisfrog

soundstounite said:


> Ello mate ya good!!



hi buddy  i been keeping an eye on your progress amazing work dude


----------



## Ron Magpie

Definitely looking really good!:2thumb:


@Jon: Do you still have your tank?


----------



## jon-r

thanks for the comments

ron do you mean this tank or the one i was selling a while ago?

atb
Jon


----------



## Ron Magpie

jon-r said:


> thanks for the comments
> 
> ron do you mean this tank or the one i was selling a while ago?
> 
> atb
> Jon


Hehe- actually I meant t'other Jon!:lol2:


----------



## soundstounite

:lol2:


Ron Magpie said:


> Hehe- actually I meant t'other Jon!:lol2:


----------



## stemull74

Awesome job m8, your tank is amazing, you should be pround of all your hard work because it looks fantastic. What plants did you go for and where did you buy them? Great job.


----------



## onemanandhisfrog

Ron Magpie said:


> Definitely looking really good!:2thumb:
> 
> 
> @Jon: Do you still have your tank?


lol, sorry for holding a conversation in your thread jon-r xD

Nah sold it and sold most of the other stuff unfortunately  i will make a bigger and better tank one day though! :2thumb:


----------

