# Here we go again



## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Well, I was looking at my Gold Dust Day Gecko's viv, and thinking it looked pants. Then I looked at my empty exo viv that was supposed to be for my Sinoan Dwarf Boa when he grows a little. Inspiration occurred, I could do the empty viv up for the geckos, then strip their current viv and do it up for the boa......GENIUS!! :2thumb: So here goes, it's all presented from start to finish, I was going to do a build journal type thread but got so carried away making it that I never got round to posting lol! Started off with a section of cork background, soaked it in water and bent it to create a curved tree section. Gorilla glued it to a sheet of hardboard also bent, and left it to dry in a position where it would dry curved. Then stuck it in the viv, like so.














Next up, a bit of foam, a few odds and sods to make planters







Added some roots, temporarily for now







And a basking ledge







And then expanding foamed the hell outa that sucker!!







Here's a shot where you can see the planters, some of them are a bit close together, but I worked around this in the end







Next up, gorilla glue and compost





















After this I hit it with a second layer in places, but used eco earth instead of the compost, this was to give the soil some variation, unfortunately i forgot to take pics. Here is the drainage installed, I drill a 26mm hole and used a toilet cistern overflow connector, this will be hooked up to a couple of other tanks drainage then into a bucket when I've built the unit they're all going in.














And following this I got really excited and completely forgot to take any pics. This was the simple bit though, hydroleca, weed proof membrane then soil. The back left part behind the "root" is mostly compost, this is to ensure the ficus gets plenty of moisture. The majority of the rest of the substrate is a mix of compost and bark chip, to give good drainage. The plants are all bits I had lying around, the broms are all offsets that have grown over the past few months/years in other vivs. This pic is with the flash, which made it look terrible!







And here's a couple of shots of it lit from above, as it will be














I also used black Fablon to cover the sides, back and a strip on the bottom of the front panel so I don't have to see the Hydroleca, and at some stage glued the right hand "root" in place, the left is loose so I can remove it should I need to. Hope you all like, comments and thoughts welcome Dave


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## Rammy (Feb 3, 2013)

Looks fantastic!
The expanding foam, roils glue, compost combination worked great and looks so realistic. Thanks for the tips.

Dave


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Brilliant as usual!


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## Dibles (Nov 7, 2011)

Nice, looks great, thanks for sharing!


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Looks great Dave. What is the plant at the bottom with the big stripes?


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## SeanEK4 (Dec 1, 2009)

im guessing there was no need to "seal" the bark as such? just glued in place and left yeah?


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## terryTHEfrog (Oct 21, 2012)

did you have to dry the compost out so it could stick to gorilla glue.

so expanding foam-gor glue (thats made wet 1st isnt it) then push the soil on ?


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

i really like it fella  can i suggest maybe a few small mushrooms on the bottom of the trunk? though you might not see them anyway once its grown in

also did you think about having a hole in the cork bark so the occupants could go inside and sleep/hide etc? but then again if they didnt come out your pretty buggerd ha ha


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Rammy said:


> Looks fantastic!
> The expanding foam, roils glue, compost combination worked great and looks so realistic. Thanks for the tips.
> 
> Dave





tomcannon said:


> Brilliant as usual!


Thanks Guys



fatlad69 said:


> Looks great Dave. What is the plant at the bottom with the big stripes?


Honestly haven't a clue mate, I bought it half dead for a quid, got it home and checked it out on the toxic plants list, then nursed it back to health and forgot the name!! It's pretty mad though, fits in really nicely doesn't it.



SeanEK4 said:


> im guessing there was no need to "seal" the bark as such? just glued in place and left yeah?


Exactly, it's no different to cork bark that everyone puts in their vivs.



terryTHEfrog said:


> did you have to dry the compost out so it could stick to gorilla glue.
> 
> so expanding foam-gor glue (thats made wet 1st isnt it) then push the soil on ?


No, the thing with gorilla glue is that the more moisture it's exposed to, the more it foams, and the better it adheres. 

So it's expanding foam, spray lightly with a handheld mister sprayer, gorilla glue, leave for ten mins, the heap a s:censor:tload of compost over it, and every few mins push it right down. If your expanding foam is quite uneven, like mine, the glue will tend to sink into the deeper parts. This isn't really much of a problem, just means that once it's dry you go over the higher bits again, I use a different substrate when going over the raised bits, to give more depth of colour.



Lermy said:


> i really like it fella  can i suggest maybe a few small mushrooms on the bottom of the trunk? though you might not see them anyway once its grown in
> 
> also did you think about having a hole in the cork bark so the occupants could go inside and sleep/hide etc? but then again if they didnt come out your pretty buggerd ha ha


Thanks pal, I was thinking of ordering some shrooms, is pollywog still the best place? 

Thought about putting a hide in there, some sort of woodpecker hole type thing, or even the section on the upper right where it looks kind of like a branch has broken off, I thought of hollowing that out so it looks like the whole branch had ripped right out of the trunk, but these guys wouldn't use it anyway, I've provided all sorts of hides in the past to no avail. It'd just end up with a brom in it.....or a load of rotting crap that'd stink!!

:lol2:

Thanks all

Dave


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

When can we see the lucky occupant in then Dave?

I've started another build and will be GG'ing it with a desert bedding/sand mix which you know all too well about! I remover us speaking about it before and you recommended not misting the GG before applying the mix and simply dampening the mix before applying. Would you still recommend this? I will do a test run first but just wanted to check what you'd recommend as I have yet to experienced it! Is it just every hour and push the mix back on to the GG? And finally would you suggest I did one wall at a time laying the viv flat with said wall on the bottom?


Sorry for all the questions mate, we can take it to PM if you wish.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

tomcannon said:


> When can we see the lucky occupant in then Dave?
> 
> I've started another build and will be GG'ing it with a desert bedding/sand mix which you know all too well about! I remover us speaking about it before and you recommended not misting the GG before applying the mix and simply dampening the mix before applying. Would you still recommend this? I will do a test run first but just wanted to check what you'd recommend as I have yet to experienced it! Is it just every hour and push the mix back on to the GG? And finally would you suggest I did one wall at a time laying the viv flat with said wall on the bottom?
> 
> ...


It's fine in the thread mate, may help some other people out too.

I would recommend putting a layer of glue on, then damp/moist substrate. This is because gorilla glue expands in elation to the amount of moisture available to it, when using soil or eco earth you want a thick layer, when using the sand and desert bedding because it's so fine, if the gorilla glue expands loads you lose the detail of your rock, and it tends to flop over itself and leave an effect closer to dried magma than anything else, or to put it another way........looks like melting jelly!

Push it in every few minutes for an hour, with sand desert bedding I literally sat there for an hour for each side just constantly pushing it down. You really want to minimize expansion but still have a good amount of substrate pushed deeply into it.

Definitely lay each wall flat, it's like golden syrup, pours off!! You'll need to be aware that it runs into cracks, crevices and leaves the upper sections bare, you may need to go over it and do the raised sections again.

Tips......

do a practice piece, it'll give you an idea of what you're getting into.

Make a big tub full of your substrate mix.....nothing worse than having to go back and patch a bit and finding you can't get the colour right.

Work in a well lit area, the first sign of the glue expanding through is often the glint of light sparkling in between the substrate.

If this is for the build you posted earlier....you'll struggle with the cracks and textures, if you noticed on my desert GG builds I kept the textures very broad and used the actual substrate to give it a rock effect, as GG is runny it fills cracks and acts a little like a self-levelling compound.

Good luck with it mate, it's easily within your abilities, anyone with the skills and patience to do a build like your beardies will master this stuff in a few minutes

Dave


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Oh yeah, the occupants are in today, they're being shy though!

Pics soon.

Dave


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks very much for that Dave. It is for that bud however I won't be covering it totally in substrate. It will be fully grouted first and the sunstrate will be used in the lower patches and cracks to appear as loose crumbling clay/mud and the grouted rocks will protrude from it. I understand about loosing the details but I want to. I have purposefully over exaggerated the jaggedness of the sculpting knowing that thick grout will blend it all in leaving a semi smooth but bumpy rock face. Well that's the plan anyway, I'm pretty sure it'll turn out how I'm expecting, I've got so used to carving the affect I want and loosing it during grouting that now I'm carving knowing that it'll all change with the grout. 
I'll be sure to use all your tips and keep you posted. Thanks once again.


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## terryTHEfrog (Oct 21, 2012)

one spoilt gecko!

I tried before but didnt use the gorilla glue I tried pushing dampish coco onto sprayfoam ! it didnt work lol


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

terryTHEfrog said:


> one spoilt gecko!
> 
> I tried before but didnt use the gorilla glue I tried pushing dampish coco onto sprayfoam ! it didnt work lol


Lol I guess that didn't work out too well! Gorilla glue is pretty good for this sort of stuff, give it a try

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

yeah think pollywog is still the best place at only a couple of quid


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Looks great Dave. What is the plant at the bottom with the big stripes?


 Found it!! Peperomia argyreia It showed up in an american thread I was perusing, not sure thats the name I bought it under lol, but it checks out on google images! Hope this helps Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Cheers Dave I was guessing it was a peperomia, just didn't know which one. Definitely on my wish list.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Finished this vivs friend........except for plants : victory:










This one features a fully glassed lid,










(excuse the dirtiness, this was midway through construction! It's all clean now )

It also has a DIY reflector canopy for two T5 tubes, the ones in it are temporary and should receive my new D3 6% and Tropical Pro through the post today. Drainage is the same as the other, straight out the bottom, and these two are now plumbed in together to make draining easier. 

There are 8 plant pots left to fill, plus floor space, it's now waiting for plants, have been in correspondence with Gill and she's going to be sending me some awesome plants, i'd advise anyone looking for a few nice broms to get in touch, she's got some beauties in!!

The plan was to make the two vivs look like one bigger picture, it kinda does but I'm waiting until the plants are in to make a final call on how successful I've been.

Oh, and it's for darts, hence the glass lid. Wasn't originally planned to be.......impulse is the master of planning though!!

Dave


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## snakekeeperteznemz (Dec 20, 2009)

inspirational!!!
thanks for sharing


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Hi Dave, it looks great. How are you going to get cross ventilation with a fully glass lid without the air becoming stale?

Adam


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Hi Dave, it looks great. How are you going to get cross ventilation with a fully glass lid without the air becoming stale?
> 
> Adam


 I'm either....going to drill a couple of holes and mesh them, or cut one hole out and put a low power fan pulling air through a couple of times a day, i'm in two minds. Thoughts? Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> I'm either....going to drill a couple of holes and mesh them, or cut one hole out and put a low power fan pulling air through a couple of times a day, i'm in two minds. Thoughts? Dave


I would go with the mesh. The fan may well reduce the humidity too much. Also if the humidity drops with the mesh you can always cover it. You could always do it like this.








I used perspex but glass would work just as well.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> I would go with the mesh. The fan may well reduce the humidity too much. Also if the humidity drops with the mesh you can always cover it. You could always do it like this. image
> I used perspex but glass would work just as well.


 Looks good, where do you source your mesh? I've got the original top mesh, will that do it ok? Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> Looks good, where do you source your mesh? I've got the original top mesh, will that do it ok? Dave


It's fine so long as you don't mind fruit flies getting everywhere! Lol. I got this mesh from Dartfrog but you can get SS mesh 0.5mm off eBay. You will also need to fruit fly proof the front mesh as well. Just unclip it and cover the grill in mesh, or just cover it from the outside. There are a couple of other mods you may need to do as well. The doors, is there a gap between the hinged side of the door and the side of the viv? If so get a thin strip of aquarium tubing slit it down the middle then clip it onto the door. Also silicone the wire access shut on the exo lid, fruit flies escape from anywhere!


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> It's fine so long as you don't mind fruit flies getting everywhere! Lol. I got this mesh from Dartfrog but you can get SS mesh 0.5mm off eBay. You will also need to fruit fly proof the front mesh as well. Just unclip it and cover the grill in mesh, or just cover it from the outside. There are a couple of other mods you may need to do as well. The doors, is there a gap between the hinged side of the door and the side of the viv? If so get a thin strip of aquarium tubing slit it down the middle then clip it onto the door. Also silicone the wire access shut on the exo lid, fruit flies escape from anywhere!


Thanks mate, I already ff proofed most of it......the weeks and weeks of research paying off!! Leaving the roof was more an experiment to see if i needed a vent or not, and if I did (I do) then how big to make it. I'm thinking it'll only need to be about 40mm wide by the length of the viv long.

I'm going hell for leather on this build as i'm hoping to pick the frogs up this weekend, although if it's not ready and i'm 100% happy with it, i'll hold off getting them. 

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Converting exo's for darts definitely needs research but as you say pays off in the long run. 40mm should be fine Dartfrog sell 6cm x 1m for £3.99 and its completely fruit fly proof, that's what I used. I went for the same width as the ENT vivs knowing I can always cover some up if I need too, better to have too much than not enough.

Have you thought about coming to the BAKS meet in April, there will be lots of frogs for sale and it will give the viv time to settle. You can also join BAKS and bronze membership is free, just follow the link below. Which darts are you thinking of getting?

Also make sure you have fruit fly cultures on the go well in advance, you will be amazed how much they get through. Lol

Adam


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Converting exo's for darts definitely needs research but as you say pays off in the long run. 40mm should be fine Dartfrog sell 6cm x 1m for £3.99 and its completely fruit fly proof, that's what I used. I went for the same width as the ENT vivs knowing I can always cover some up if I need too, better to have too much than not enough.
> 
> Have you thought about coming to the BAKS meet in April, there will be lots of frogs for sale and it will give the viv time to settle. You can also join BAKS and bronze membership is free, just follow the link below. Which darts are you thinking of getting?
> 
> ...


Got some mesh ordered, this

Stainless Steel #40 Woven Vivarium Mesh A4 Sheet - 210 x 300mm - eBay Price! | eBay

and

this

Stainless Steel #40 Woven Vivarium Mesh A4 Sheet - 210 x 300mm - eBay Price! | eBay

I'm hoping the bigger mesh size will do, to allow a decent amount of ventilation, if not i'll go with the finer one.

As for BAKS, i'm not too sure, the only meet i'm planning for right now is SWARE. I'd probably feel a bit lost at BAKS, i've kept whites, firebellies and soon to be darts, with these exceptions I've always been much bigger on reps. This, I think is changing though, I'm really interested in a lot of different amphibs right now.

I'm planning on leucs in this viv, start at the bottom and work upwards  I've put down a small deposit on a trio, that keeps them reserved for me for a week or so. The cultures are in hand, I've got springs and ff, and am going to look at bean weevils soon too. The substrate going in there is seeded with springs too, may look into woodlice......i never seem to have any luck with them though, they end up as feeders rather than cleaners!

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> Got some mesh ordered, this
> 
> Stainless Steel #40 Woven Vivarium Mesh A4 Sheet - 210 x 300mm - eBay Price! | eBay
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have all bases covered. The mesh should be fine. Dwarf tropical woodlice will do well in the viv, just keep a culture aside to top it up with and to use as feeders. They take ages to get established then just explode! Leucs are a great frog and most experienced keepers have them as well as the more difficult darts. Once you have kept darts I guarantee you will want more.

Adam


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Sounds like you have all bases covered. The mesh should be fine. Dwarf tropical woodlice will do well in the viv, just keep a culture aside to top it up with and to use as feeders. They take ages to get established then just explode! Leucs are a great frog and most experienced keepers have them as well as the more difficult darts. Once you have kept darts I guarantee you will want more.
> 
> Adam


I've heard that darts are EVEN more addictive than reps.......this could be a problem. Although my shed is getting rebuilt into a 24 foot by 11 foot monster soon, so I'm thinking that that might become the snake house, which would give me a LOT more space in the house  

I'll get round to woodlice at some stage, springs seem to be pretty effective at breaking down waste on their own though, so it's not a priority.

I've always liked leucs.......they've always seemed like the archetypal dart frog to me, and much as there are others I would like, it's always been leucs I've had my heart set on. Finding they were the best beginner frog, well, what a BONUS!!

:lol2:

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

They are one of the most entertaining as well.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

So, honest answer time, i've got cultures of ff and springs doing well, the viv is to all intents and purposes ready, just got to do the vents tonight and hopefully Gill will have my plants to me by friday, then I can seed the floor with my springs culture and that should be the viv complete. Temps are fine, light is fine, humidity will be fine, ventilation will be fine.

Do I get the frogs saturday/sunday, or do I play the (over?)cautious route and wait a while for the tank to "bed in". I'll lose the deposit if i don't have them soon, but it's only £20, and the frogs are more important. For reference they're currently in a dry-ish(in my opinion, for darts) viv, fed on micro crickets, and no live plants. 

To my thinking, they'll actually be better off with me sooner rather than later, even if the viv isn't 100% rooted and established, but what's your opinions?

edit: they'll be in a quarantine rub for a week or so anyways, just to check eating, pooping, etc, so won't inhabit the viv until next sunday at the earliest.

I guess I should have posted all this on amphibs, it just kind of developed :lol2:

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

I would get them as everything food wise is ready. What I would do is keep them in QT for a couple of weeks until the springs get established. If the springs aren't established they will demolish them in no time. You will still need to top up the springs from time to time as unlike for most reps they are also feeders as well as clean up crew. It may be worth posting in the phib section as others may have a different view. If you are anything like me you must be getting quite excited about getting them.

Adam


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> I would get them as everything food wise is ready. What I would do is keep them in QT for a couple of weeks until the springs get established. If the springs aren't established they will demolish them in no time. You will still need to top up the springs from time to time as unlike for most reps they are also feeders as well as clean up crew. It may be worth posting in the phib section as others may have a different view. If you are anything like me you must be getting quite excited about getting them.
> 
> Adam


Excited? oo:oo: 

Who, me? 

:blowup:


Nahh

:lol2:

I've been checking out lots and lots of info (all day!Love my job right now.......technically I'm working) particularly the first 70 or 80 pages of stu's dart room, and I figure i'm pretty much there, the tanks ok, foods good, frogs are ready, and I cannot :censor: wait!!!

Lol also ordered some optiwhite glass, so when I vent it I can take off whats there, put a strip of the opti in and the mesh and normal. This is because there is a 6% tube above anyway, I may as well give them UV if it's available, they'll have plenty of shelter from it if they want.

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Sounds good to me and the opti white and mesh will filter some of it as well. I have a new arcadia pro canopy which came with a 12% UV which I am advised will be ok ( although i will be going for 6% when that one blows) so 6% will defo be fine. You may want to add another bulb for plant growth at a later date. Most dart keepers go for two bulbs.


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Forgot to mention I love your home made canopy. Did you use guttering to make it? Something I have been thinking of doing.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Sounds good to me and the opti white and mesh will filter some of it as well. I have a new arcadia pro canopy which came with a 12% UV which I am advised will be ok ( although i will be going for 6% when that one blows) so 6% will defo be fine. You may want to add another bulb for plant growth at a later date. Most dart keepers go for two bulbs.


Should have been clearer, I have an Arcadia Tropical Pro T5 and an Arcadia D3 6% UVB T5, as it's a home made canopy with the ballast separate, i can fit both tubes comfortably in a small area, I think the canopy is about 5 inches wide, and is lined out with Mylar to act as a reflector. I think this should be more than adequate, I guess the proof will be in how my plants do 

You'll have to let me know how you get on with the Arcadia canopy, I was quite interested in it, but wanted my lights kept in a small tight area to focus them and keep it all tidy, hence making one. Am looking at the arcadia ones
for some of my other vivs though.

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> Should have been clearer, I have an Arcadia Tropical Pro T5 and an Arcadia D3 6% UVB T5, as it's a home made canopy with the ballast separate, i can fit both tubes comfortably in a small area, I think the canopy is about 5 inches wide, and is lined out with Mylar to act as a reflector. I think this should be more than adequate, I guess the proof will be in how my plants do
> 
> You'll have to let me know how you get on with the Arcadia canopy, I was quite interested in it, but wanted my lights kept in a small tight area to focus them and keep it all tidy, hence making one. Am looking at the arcadia ones
> for some of my other vivs though.
> ...


The arcadia are much smaller than I thought. Way smaller than an exo, you could fit 3 on a 45cm exo. They look really smart and well built. I will let you know how they work in practice.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> The arcadia are much smaller than I thought. Way smaller than an exo, you could fit 3 on a 45cm exo. They look really smart and well built. I will let you know how they work in practice.


 Awesome, thanks mate  Dave


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Small update, went down to the woods today (didn't get any big surprises, no teddy bear picnics or anything) and collected a few varieties of moss. I bunged them straight in, as I know this wood to be clear of pesticides, etc, and have used moss from here in several vivs in the past. I'm hoping my spraying schedule, bright lighting and absence of hugely destructive animals (like my cham :devil will allow this to flourish 

Here they are










There is also a mini orchid in there, I have no idea how it'll do, it was doing ok in my cham viv so I split some off, see how it goes 

Hope you all like

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Looking good. Let us know how you get on with the moss. Moss from the Uk doesn't seem to do that well in tropical setups so will be interesting how it goes. The orchid should flourish in there.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

I think lighting is usually the problem, well, I hope it is, I've tried everything else!! Chances to dry off, constant wetness, shaded areas, etc, so i'm now hoping this will be the winner  Also there are four varieties in there, one has to work, right?!

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> I think lighting is usually the problem, well, I hope it is, I've tried everything else!! Chances to dry off, constant wetness, shaded areas, etc, so i'm now hoping this will be the winner  Also there are four varieties in there, one has to work, right?!
> 
> Dave


Fingers crossed. Some people do have success with it but unfortunately not me. I have has success with a mix of sphagnum moss. Xmas moss java moss and the epiweb mix all blended together with some sphagnum peat and water. Then just paint it on where you want it and be patient for it to grow.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Fingers crossed. Some people do have success with it but unfortunately not me. I have has success with a mix of sphagnum moss. Xmas moss java moss and the epiweb mix all blended together with some sphagnum peat and water. Then just paint it on where you want it and be patient for it to grow.


 I've seen the slurry mixes, thought aboutgiving it a try but never got round to it so far. Got the frogs......they're stunning!!! Settling now  Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Excellent, looking forward to seeing the pics although I don't think pictures do them justice. They almost look plastic in reality, the colours look to good to be true. You will really enjoy keeping them.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Excellent, looking forward to seeing the pics although I don't think pictures do them justice. They almost look plastic in reality, the colours look to good to be true. You will really enjoy keeping them.


 Haven't stopped grinning yet!!


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> Haven't stopped grinning yet!!


You never will!:lol2:

I used to keep reptiles but once I got my first dart frog I was hooked!


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> You never will!:lol2:
> 
> I used to keep reptiles but once I got my first dart frog I was hooked!


 
Already considering downsizing on the snake front :whistling2:

The lizards, well they're here to stay I think, most of them are in enclosures built into the house.....doesn't allow a lot of flexibility!!

However, once the shed is sorted, perhaps moving the snakes out there and setting up for the breeding of them that I've been planning, and thus leaving a lot of space for......umm........a lot of dart vivs!

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

How are the frogs settling in?


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> How are the frogs settling in?


They're happy as can be :2thumb:

They're in the viv, I had the quarantine rub set up ready to go..........and just as I got home with the frogs, my overexcited 7 year old son leapt off the sofa, scatted the tub (with the lid removed five mins before by the missus for "one final check") and not only sent leca, substrate, pots, moss and weed membrane everywhere, but also managed to create a decent size hole in it!

Fortunately the frogs were still in their travelling container at the time.

However, to be honest I think it worked out better, I've been able to leave them to it for the most part, as the springs are in there already so I don't have to be doing too much in the way of feeding, and they're really settled in. 

One slight hiccup, there are currently four, not three :hmm: There was one left all alone if I'd had just the three......and not many people buy 1 frog, so I figured, since they're still juvies and have shared happily until now, that I'd take all four (the price drop may have been a slight incentive too :whistling2 and over the next month build a second viv, to either act as a back up, or to move a pair into, if it turns out I have two pairs. Or get another two, and make three trios. 

Not exactly sure, as I'm not sure of the sex yet, but the seller had definitely heard one calling, so one male for sure. More plans will develop as they do, but i'll have the viv ready for if it is needed.

Anyways, long rambling nonsense outa the way, lets get to what you really wanted!

PICS!!!














































I've gone a bit mental with the camera over the last few days, to be honest I've found more features on the camera in the last two days than the previous two years (WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN CHANGE THE WHITE BALANCE/EXPOSURE TIME/FOCUS? WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME THAT BEFORE!!!) but these guys are just so photogenic!

I now know I need a new camera, as mine doesn't get the sort of pictures I want of them (fine for the kids sports day though :whistling2

And more importantly, I now know I NEED more frogs!

(Time for a lie down!)

Dave


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## GECKO MICK (Jun 6, 2012)

Loooks awesome buddy.:2thumb:


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## chrisalty (Feb 12, 2013)

AWESOME!!! :notworthy:


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Forgot to mention I love your home made canopy. Did you use guttering to make it? Something I have been thinking of doing.


Just noticed this post, sorry mate. Yeah, it's straightforward guttering, with a length of 3/4 by 3/4 running down the centre to give a "seagull shape to the Mylar, the mylar is stuck in with silicon, then end caps on the guttering. I used some old bits of fish tank to finish it off, but in future would wait until i got to the shop to get some 4mm U channel. Used tool clips to hold the tubes inside. 



GECKO MICK said:


> Loooks awesome buddy.:2thumb:





chrisalty said:


> AWESOME!!! :notworthy:



Thanks guys :2thumb: well chuffed!

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> They're happy as can be :2thumb:
> 
> They're in the viv, I had the quarantine rub set up ready to go..........and just as I got home with the frogs, my overexcited 7 year old son leapt off the sofa, scatted the tub (with the lid removed five mins before by the missus for "one final check") and not only sent leca, substrate, pots, moss and weed membrane everywhere, but also managed to create a decent size hole in it!
> 
> ...


Leucs are one of the dartfrogs that do well in groups. I would build them a bigger viv and keep them together, (hopefully it will be a male heavy group ) that way you can have another species such as Azeueus for that viv. Oh and Leucs love a bit of water as well.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Leucs are one of the dartfrogs that do well in groups. I would build them a bigger viv and keep them together, (hopefully it will be a male heavy group ) that way you can have another species such as Azeueus for that viv. Oh and Leucs love a bit of water as well.


The advice in red........I _like _that sorta advice!! 

*runs off to tell the missus we need a new viv and some more frogs* 

To be honest I was thinking along these line anyway, I've got a bit of time while they're young and hopefully will find out the genders before making final decisions, I understand that males will call from a relatively young age?

I've been thinking about water, humidity wise it's fine, but I was thinking about some sort of small pool that they could access, I wasn't sure if it was necessary or not. Is it a small pool just to sit in they like, or a bit of a swimming area? I'm restricted on this one but i'm tempted to go for a decent size build for them for the future, something like Grimms peninsula build, and could incorporate a larger body of water if needed.

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

my_shed said:


> The advice in red........I _like _that sorta advice!!
> 
> *runs off to tell the missus we need a new viv and some more frogs*
> 
> ...


They don't have to have a pool but Leucs are one of the darts that seem to do very well with a water area. Just a small area will do not too deep. When you do a bigger build you can have a more elaborate water area. Grind peninsula build is awesome.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> They don't have to have a pool but Leucs are one of the darts that seem to do very well with a water area. Just a small area will do not too deep. When you do a bigger build you can have a more elaborate water area. Grind peninsula build is awesome.


Cool cool, I'll start planning  The missus didn't seem overly phased when I showed her your earlier response that we'd need a bigger viv long term, and some more frogs  I did get a filthy look for s******ing and saying that it couldn't possibly be my fault :lol2:

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well that's a better response than I get from my wife! :lol2: I just sneak the vivs in and claim I have had them ages in the loft!


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

fatlad69 said:


> Well that's a better response than I get from my wife! :lol2: I just sneak the vivs in and claim I have had them ages in the loft!


It's all about immersive conditioning. You know the theory that if a person is constantly surrounded by something they become used to it, like treating phobias by surrounding the individual with the object of their phobia. I've done that, my wife is so used to me getting more an more animals (and finding ways to blame it on her) that she not only accepts it, but embraces it 

:no1::no1::no1::no1::no1:

Dave


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Update!!!

The good news: so I ordered some rather nice broms from Gill, and they arrived in great condition, lovely specimens, fantastic colours, great condition.

The bad news: I was in such a rush to get them settled that I didn't take any photos of them, while ordering them I didn't really pay much attention to the max size of them.......and Gill definitely does a good job of encouraging her plants to hit max size!! 

Long story short, I bought a couple of clumps and a couple of individuals.......the good news is the clumps look GREAT in my chams viv!! The bad news, they wouldn't have fot too well in with the frogs. 

Anyway, I managed to fit in a Neo Wild Tiger (joint favourite of the bunch, along with), a Mo Pepper Please, a good size offset from the Fireball clump (looking forward to this one reddening up), and an Aechmea Suenos in. 

I also raided my back room and found a couple of good stems of Aeschynanthus Radicans (Lipstick Plant), so threw them in on the right hand wall too, I've had sprigs of this blooming in a different viv so hopefully that'll throw some gorgeous red flowers into the mix. 

A few more bits of moss pinned up, shifted the orchid, (although may need to rethink that....it's in a rather shaded patch) and trimmed the Tradescantia (don't call it inch plant for nothing!) and I was about done. 

Here's a pic, please tell me any thoughts, specifically any new suggestion for things to do differently, i'm probably going to let it grow in for a bit, see what works and what doesn't, and then add bits if needed. I'm actually after a couple of button ferns and a few mini orchids, if anyone knows any good sources/has cuttings?










Dave


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## joe1981 (Dec 14, 2012)

really nice colours, just waiting on mine to settle a little before i add some more. Think i might give up on the Broms the Neo Wild Tiger i really nice why don't i have one of those!! 

justairplants here i come:2thumb:


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

joe1981 said:


> really nice colours, just waiting on mine to settle a little before i add some more. Think i might give up on the Broms the Neo Wild Tiger i really nice why don't i have one of those!!
> 
> justairplants here i come:2thumb:


The Neo Wild Tiger is a brom, just a different family, (or something, i'm never sure of the diff with genera, family, subspecies, species, etc!)

Don't think i've seen your build at all.....have you posted?

Dave


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Here's what I did with the rest of the plants, and a few bits and bobs I had lying around.

Before










Not the most recent pic, but pretty much unchanged from this

To this





































and the proud owner (who was royally pissed off that I was mucking with his crib!)










The weird white looking blobs on his lower half aren't an attempt to camouflage himself as a Billbergia to fit in with the one behind, the mister had just given him a nice shower so they were water droplets!

Hope you all like, apologies for the first pic, my camera isn't the best, and it exaggerates shadows compared to light areas......I'm sure there is a setting to fix it....I just can't find it :lol2:

Dave


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