# How To Build A Live Planted Vivarium Step 1:



## MantellaMan (Feb 3, 2012)

Hello everyone who is reading this,


A few friends have asked me how to build a live planted set up like I have done for some of my endangered frog species, so I thought “what the hell” and decided to a step by step guide online so other people can happily look at it and try it for them selves.
















This guide is going to be based on my now complete set up for my M.aurantiaca, Golden Mantella Frogs. Your first step is getting the correct materials and equipment.


Step One “Equipment & Material”: 


You will need a lot of stuff however i will tell you the best stuff to use and sometimes the cheapest option if you dont have much money to spare. Anyway make sure you have the following:


Glass Aquarium Tank: can be any size you want, completely up to you just make sure that you buy enough stuff for your tank size, this guide is for a 3ft long x 1ft deep x 2ft high glass aquarium.
Expandable Foam Spray Can: you can get this in B&Q (If you live in the United Kingdom) or any DIY Supermarket, for this size tank you will need a 500ml and 350ml Spray can of the stuff.
Aquarium Grade Silicone Sealant/Mastic: you must make sure that this is aquarium grade sealant and that it is “Free From Fungicides & Solvents”, I used “Aqua Mate Silicone Sealant” which you can find on eBay for good prices. Make sure it’s transparent, however black would be quite good to use.
Old Credit/Debit Cards: I will explain why you need this when it comes to it.
Can of Black Spray Paint: I will explain why you need this later too.
Soil Substrate: you will need a lot of this so make sure you stock up on it, I used 2 brick of “Exo Terra’s Plantation Soil” which is 8.8 Litres of fertile soil. You will need this for a lot of stuff not just the animals substrate.
Moss: any moss can be used, i like to have a little ecosystem so I prefer it to be live moss (which can be very hard to keep alive if not in the correct conditions.
Stanley Knife: Dont really need to explain why you need it, however if you are under 18 then please be supervised by an adult or let them cut anything you want to be cut.
Bog Wood: for terrarium decor make sure you submerge this in water and leave to soak for at least 4 days before using it.
Rocks: if you are using rocks you have found in your garden or simply found in the woods then make sure your sterilise them by boiling them in water before using them, to make sure you kill off any bacteria or toxins.
Live Plants: make sure you use plants you know or have been advised are safe to use with animals, otherwise you can risk losing your animals to any toxins the plants might secrete. I find that you can’t go wrong with Bromeliads. Here is a few of the plants that are safe to use with animals such as amphibians Aechema Chantinii, Begonia Foliosa, Fiscus Pumila, Fiscus Panama, Dryopteriss Erthrosa and many others.
 You shouldn’t need anything else the decor is completely up to you aswell in what you would like it to look like.


Anyway I shall post Step Two soon.


Many Thanks


MantellaMan


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