# rainforest viv(darts)build guide



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

this is my second dart tank just started it today i used the expanding foam followed by gorilla glue with eco earth mushed into it :2thumb: previously i have made vivs using grout and paint as well as silicone and eco earth 

first up the tank won it on ebay 20£ :gasp:has got a light hood but needs some converting 










next up the materials i use bog wood purchased from emsworth reptiles along with a few plant pots 










next up placing the wood a good tip dont rush its not going to run away lay the pieces out till your happy,but also take into account the inhabitant of the viv.This will be for dart frogs from my past viv i found they like to squeeze into small spaces so i made sure the way the wood was layed out formed tons of small caves 










finally for today i added in the expanding foam:devil:hate this stuff:devil: use it liberally in my first viv i used a massive tube squirted the entire thing in and by the time it stopped expanding i had lost half my space or rather the inhabitant had!

i find that if it is squirted in small lines with about an inch either side it will expand to just cover the back then apply thicker around the wood and plant pots as well as a few random areas to make it look natural










pics arent the best as there from my phone if i have time will post again tomorrow with the background complete :notworthy: its also very hard to make out the background as its not stood up so its hard to judge depth but ill take some better angled pics tomorrow


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## ginna (Jun 2, 2009)

cool , i will subscribe to this , be interesting to see how it turns out . looks great so far .:2thumb:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

ginna said:


> cool , i will subscribe to this , be interesting to see how it turns out . looks great so far .:2thumb:


http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/572978-planted-exo-guide-9.html similar to my last 1 i hope :lol2: allthough i want this to have more climbers hanging plants and moss rather than broms


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## animalmadhouse (Nov 17, 2010)

looking good m8 can't wait till its fin :2thumb:


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

Is this going to be a false bottom with water underneath?

Looking forward to seeing it progress. Your other dart tank is ace:2thumb:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

jme2049 said:


> Is this going to be a false bottom with water underneath?
> 
> Looking forward to seeing it progress. Your other dart tank is ace:2thumb:


well it will have a leca base to allow water to drain into it so the substrate wont become saturated and kill the plants then ill just drain the water out every week or so :2thumb: should be getting some plants tomorrow so i may delay the update till tomorrow


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

ok gorilla glue is a tad annoying to cover gaps as it ends up foaming up to much and making the gap more noticeable:devil:so i think a gorilla glue silicone build is a good solution for next time 










java moss came today got some growth in my other tank so it should grow even better in here...i hope 




























pics arent the best as the light causes to much reflection the glass is filthy and i was using my phone :lol: will look alot lot better after planting and a substrate has been added


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## lewis1504 (Jan 25, 2011)

ill subscribe too  this project is looking very good 

cant wait to see it finished


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

lewis1504 said:


> ill subscribe too  this project is looking very good
> 
> cant wait to see it finished


fingers crossed the garden center has some nice plants tomorrow i am hopping to get 2 loads of ficus pumilia for the planters and a few broms for the front so a similar layout to my last build 


the amount i fiddle with my vivs i doubt it will ever be truely finished :lol2:


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## lewis1504 (Jan 25, 2011)

have you thought about incorparating a stream or waterfall??? reckon it could be easy to do??

im fairly new to this so i do apologise


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

ok drainage this is leca (ight expanded clay aggregate...i think) its really light expanded clay balls these or a false bottom are vital when planting a live tank it allows the water a place go meaning the substrate wont get flooded

i speak from experience my old crested gecko habitat didnt have a false bottom and it took about 4 months but then the substrate was soaking the plants died and it stinks of sewage :bash:so spend the extra 4-6£ get some leca just to be safe










next up is a weed fabric this acts as a barrier to prevent the substrate from falling into the leca as it only allows water to pass through there is also a small piece of tubing in the corner to make drainage easy 










next up substrate i used eco earth mixed with fine grade orchid bark pile it on a few inchs deep










the first load of plants going in 3 bromeliade :devil: garden center didnt have any ficus pumila or anything so ill have to order that off dart frog 










finally leaf litter (from my garden) this stuff is full of woodlice springtails and other little bugs that help breakdown the frogs waste it also provides fertiliser for the plants and hiding places for the frogs ,i will also be adding several cultures to the viv at a later date 



















deffinatly needs some more plants and decor to bring it to life but ill keep updating


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## bilbo75 (Jan 10, 2011)

:2thumb: looks brill mate, 
dont suppose theres any chance you can tell me what i need for this kinda setup i really want some frogs but have no idea bout lighting/heat/substrate and i defo dnt no what a false floor is lol,
thanks
looks brill though!


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

bilbo75 said:


> :2thumb: looks brill mate,
> dont suppose theres any chance you can tell me what i need for this kinda setup i really want some frogs but have no idea bout lighting/heat/substrate and i defo dnt no what a false floor is lol,
> thanks
> looks brill though!


dart frogs do fine at room temp humidity needs to be kept at about 80%+ they do fine on eco earth with leaf litter on top allthough some people go for a carpet of moss

the hardest part about keeping darts is setting up the tank and breeding fruit flies!i recommend a trip to dendroworld or dendroboard these are dartfrog specific forums and are a great place to start


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## bilbo75 (Jan 10, 2011)

brill cheers mate, :notworthy:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

bilbo75 said:


> brill cheers mate, :notworthy:


any time :2thumb:

just ordered Ficus Panama, Ficus pumila sunny pot
Tradescantia fluminensis, Seira-Starter-Culture:mf_dribble:


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## lewis1504 (Jan 25, 2011)

i will also look at that link should be helpful 

viv is looking really good

also how do you keep the humidity up in the tank? qith a fogger or just through spraying?

when you say adding cultures, what are you adding and what will they do?


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

lewis1504 said:


> i will also look at that link should be helpful
> 
> viv is looking really good
> 
> ...


you minimise ventilation and a good mist in the morning and evening does fine for keeping it above 80% live plants also help , the cultures contain insects that will inhabit the viv similar to bottom feeders in fish tanks they survive off the inhabitants waste dead plant matter mould fungus's anything you dont want in a viv they eat meaning you never ever have to clean your viv

they also act as a food source for the inhabitant :2thumb:


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## ginna (Jun 2, 2009)

nice DVD collection you got there it looks like you have been collecting fo r a long time .i want a load of dvds like that .... oh and the tank is nice too :whistling2: 

lol im joking it looks really really good im liking the broms they liven it up :2thumb:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

ginna said:


> nice DVD collection you got there it looks like you have been collecting fo r a long time .i want a load of dvds like that .... oh and the tank is nice too :whistling2:
> 
> lol im joking it looks really really good im liking the broms they liven it up :2thumb:


be alot more plants go in yet vivs only about 50% complete 30% more from planting 20% more from growing in

as for the dvd collection thats nothing next to the games collection and the blu ray collection :2thumb:there nothing more than space fillers!


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Very nice!


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## JustJack (Apr 19, 2010)

Looks brilliant gunna tag along for the ride!


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

Trootle said:


> Looks brilliant gunna tag along for the ride!


still has alot of work to do just gave it a misting and there is a fair few areas that need to be te covered in eco earth so iv ordered some black silicone :2thumb: few touch ups to cover the foam and a ton more plants then mabey 4-6 months of growth and it should look ace so it is a long ride


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## spring (Feb 28, 2010)

Hi Sambridge

Great looking tank. I really enjoy reading your planted tank guides, they are always informative.:no1:

I notice you mention using a piece of tubing above the weed fabric in the bottom corner of your tank to help drainage

Is this to allow you to manually remove any excess water from the substrate? Or does it allow water to drain to the bottom of the tank easier?

I ask because I thought the use of leca as a drainage layer/ preventing water logging meant it was unnecessary to remove any excess water from the tank? As it allowed water to collect at the base to be reabsorbed by the soil?

Sorry if my question seems stupid!:blush:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

spring said:


> Hi Sambridge
> 
> Great looking tank. I really enjoy reading your planted tank guides, they are always informative.:no1:
> 
> ...


i always manualy drain the drainage layer every 2 weeks as it is usualy full by then i give a good misting twice a day so the soil is always moist if i didnt the soil would eventually become waterlogged as the drainage layer filled :devil:


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## spring (Feb 28, 2010)

Ah ok.:2thumb: 

Out of curiosity how do you use the tube to help drain away the water/ how do you drain out the water? 

I ask because I have been in the process of setting my first large naturally planted terrarium for Green Anole for the past few months. 

(Taking a while due to size 110x 45x 90cm tank and finances.) 

I have used a 2’’ layer of leca and weed control fabric but was wondering if I should put a piece of tubing in as you have done before I put in soil?

Thanks for your time

Again great thread!:2thumb:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

spring said:


> Ah ok.:2thumb:
> 
> Out of curiosity how do you use the tube to help drain away the water/ how do you drain out the water?
> 
> ...


i just ram a piece of tubing through the substrate in my old dart tank but the substrate is slowly mixing with the drainage because of this:devil: i then use a bit of tubing lower it to a level bellow the waterline use a seringe to start the process and siphone it all away into a large container


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## spring (Feb 28, 2010)

Thanks for the advice.:2thumb: 

I will have to see if I can do something similar for my tank.

I will have to keep a close eye on your thread to make sure I have not left anything else out!!:no1:


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

update added the plants moved some bits around now it just need a long time to grow!:lol2:


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