# divided dart viv update



## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

pretty much finished just need to finish the light box and the lid 

need leaf litter and a bit of moss 

what do think im pretty happy with it to be honest


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Your best vivs to date. Very nice.

Bit overboard with the cocktail sticks!


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

looks good.

they're not cocktail sticks though, they're natives with blowpipes.


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## manda88 (Nov 27, 2009)

You're gonna kill someone with those cocktails sticks! :lol2: What are they there for?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i got to trim the cocktail sticks up they are there to hold my broms to the cork bark


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Your best vivs to date. Very nice.
> 
> Bit overboard with the cocktail sticks!


thanx morg i agree


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

manda88 said:


> You're gonna kill someone with those cocktails sticks! :lol2: What are they there for?


funny u should say that i have a hole in my finger 

they will look better once i have some moss afound the bottem of them 

it was qiuit herd doin vivs that small trying to make it look full enough with out over filling


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

light box done 

just the perspex lids to do


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

litter addded


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

Hey Stewie, what is the humidity inside those? as the background and substrate looks quite dry. Obviously the humidity for darts needs to be 80 upwards.

How are you getting along with breeding fruit flys so far ready for when the frogs come?


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## Velosus (Feb 26, 2008)

Great setups, mind if i ask what you used for the background, and what layers are on used in the substrate?

Ian


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

soil is pretty dry atm its been in there a while not sure oon humidtey atm as i dont have a lid thats the next thing on the list going to do lift out perspex ones or simler 

as for ff's the plan is to have a go at them while its growing in and every thing setles down befor i get the darts


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Velosus said:


> Great setups, mind if i ask what you used for the background, and what layers are on used in the substrate?
> 
> Ian


 
background is gorila glu and eco earth and the substrat is Hydroleca a lucky reptile fleace and eco earth mixed with orchid bark


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

stewie m said:


> soil is pretty dry atm its been in there a while not sure oon humidtey atm as i dont have a lid thats the next thing on the list going to do lift out perspex ones or simler
> 
> as for ff's the plan is to have a go at them while its growing in and every thing setles down befor i get the darts


Cool cool, I would keep spraying to keep it damp because otherwise it will be a pain to make it damp again. Also, it will help the plants take to the tank.

I have found the best recipe for fruit fly culture is half smash potato flakes, half ready brek, 1 teaspoon of sugar, half teaspoon of yeast, mix with warm water until damp and then add white wine vinegar to make it wetter. They seem to thrive with this recipe.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

I agree that it looks a bit 'dry'. Make sure you hand mist at least twice (preferably more) a day, it will give the plants a helping hand to become established quicker.

The substrate will clog up and oversaturate over time - I know this as I used the same composition in my Exo. In the Vert I have used the following mixture :

Fine charcoal - 1 part
Xaxim Granules - 2 parts
Peat - 1 part
Fine Orchid bark - 1 part
Chopped up sphag moss - 1 part
Crushed oak leaves - 1 part

IMO the substrate is often overlooked when it comes to planted vivs.

Also regarding FF culturing - get started NOW, beleive me it takes a while to get the hang of it (i'm still struggling to an extent and have been at it for 6 months).

Regards

Anthony


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

im giving it a good spray a few times a day i put the soil way to early befor i got plants 

i will give that methord a try matt


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> im giving it a good spray a few times a day i put the soil way to early befor i got plants
> 
> i will give that methord a try matt


 Stew not that i would want to disagree with the others on culturing ff's although i totally agree with Ant on the get started yesterday phylosophy,esp trop woods..... but you really can get great results on the ffs with just readybreak white wine vinegar and water, and of course this will work out a bit cheeper too,well Shaz is turning out ruddy thousands of hydei with this method, but we all have different methods whats important is that you find a method that works for you. Although it might be too big for what you need sweetie jars from your local sweet shop are a great container for culturing and they are usually free ...better than them ending up in landfill too,because of the wide mouth they are also very easy to clean out after a culture has run its course.
mate i would get as many different types of feeder cultures on the go as soon as,...variety is the spice of life an all...Stu


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Stew not that i would want to disagree with the others on culturing ff's although i totally agree with Ant on the get started yesterday phylosophy,esp trop woods..... but you really can get great results on the ffs with just readybreak white wine vinegar and water, and of course this will work out a bit cheeper too,well Shaz is turning out ruddy thousands of hydei with this method, but we all have different methods whats important is that you find a method that works for you. Although it might be too big for what you need sweetie jars from your local sweet shop are a great container for culturing and they are usually free ...better than them ending up in landfill too,because of the wide mouth they are also very easy to clean out after a culture has run its course.
> mate i would get as many different types of feeder cultures on the go as soon as,...variety is the spice of life an all...Stu


Stu, I think you should start selling some of your cultures because, whenever I order cultures they are quite often infested with mites.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

matt_mcmahon77 said:


> Stu, I think you should start selling some of your cultures because, whenever I order cultures they are quite often infested with mites.


 thanks Matty,well I was actually informed today when i came back in from cutting shedloads of glass that Shaz has just set up some pint pot cultures to sell if anyone is short.Buddy have you tried dusting you cultures that have mites as you transfer them to the next stage...our very first culture was totally minging with mites we dusted them with vit supps and most of the mites seem to fall off with the dust.(dust flies...shake...now chuck flies on a seive,shake again dust and mites fall through...flies are left...these flies go to next culture,get manda to help its such a crack) Also the wwv seems to help massively so,and the no fruit etc which seems to draw the mites to the cultures.Matty i don't honestly think any of us will ever be free of these blummin mites so its my beginners guess that it is a damage limitation exercise with all of the above little dodges adding up too a f:censor: load of flies and hopefully not too many mites,oh and i know this sounds silly but eventhough we started with TOTALLY infested cultures,we are now nearly free of them and havent yet used any mite paper,So basically all kudos goes to Andie as this is largely his method
Stu


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> thanks Matty,well I was actually informed today when i came back in from cutting shedloads of glass that Shaz has just set up some pint pot cultures to sell if anyone is short.Buddy have you tried dusting you cultures that have mites as you transfer them to the next stage...our very first culture was totally minging with mites we dusted them with vit supps and most of the mites seem to fall off with the dust.(dust flies...shake...now chuck flies on a seive,shake again dust and mites fall through...flies are left...these flies go to next culture,get manda to help its such a crack) Also the wwv seems to help massively so,and the no fruit etc which seems to draw the mites to the cultures.Matty i don't honestly think any of us will ever be free of these blummin mites so its my beginners guess that it is a damage limitation exercise with all of the above little dodges adding up too a f:censor: load of flies and hopefully not too many mites,oh and i know this sounds silly but eventhough we started with TOTALLY infested cultures,we are now nearly free of them and havent yet used any mite paper,So basically all kudos goes to Andie as this is largely his method
> Stu


Thanks Stu, yeah I did this method on both the mels and the hydie. It has had more succes on the hydie than than the mels. It has limited them but they still keep turning up. Maybe as I keep doing it with each culture it will help. I move the infected cultures way away from the "clean" ones as well. Luckily there not wiing out my cultures. Think its just more me being picky.

Its good to know that if I ever run out because of a crash, i will definatly get in contact with you, thanks:2thumb:


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

matt_mcmahon77 said:


> Thanks Stu, yeah I did this method on both the mels and the hydie. It has had more succes on the hydie than than the mels. It has limited them but they still keep turning up. Maybe as I keep doing it with each culture it will help. I move the infected cultures way away from the "clean" ones as well. Luckily there not wiing out my cultures. Think its just more me being picky.
> 
> Its good to know that if I ever run out because of a crash, i will definatly get in contact with you, thanks:2thumb:


mate maybe try without the potato ...any time bro


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

currently making my plastic lids as it open top atm


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> currently making my plastic lids as it open top atm


How are you planning to do it?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

2 lift out ones one per side with mesh under the light


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> 2 lift out ones one per side with mesh under the light


Kewl- that should make access for maintenance easy!:2thumb:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Kewl- that should make access for maintenance easy!:2thumb:


it seems to work 

just gave my plants a good spray it soon misted up with them on 

i dont have a spear hydrometer atm so i cant see how humid it is in there


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Stew might you not be better using glass for the top,its really not that bad to work with,( we are all just scared methinks) have just heard so many plastics go...well limp:blush::lol2:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Stew might you not be better using glass for the top,its really not that bad to work with,( we are all just scared methinks) have just heard so many plastics go...well limp:blush::lol2:


Never happened to me :whistling2:


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Did with me. Glass for those size tanks shouldn't cost much at all.


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

Lexan / Acrylic / Plexiglass all warps over time - it's not due to the heat, but actually the moisture absorbed by the material. Hence it doesn't matter if you increase thickness of acrylic, it will still warp ... eventually.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Actually, thinking about it, I used a fairly stury piece of perspex as a lid on a temperate tank a few years back- and it *did* warp in the end. I take it back.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

detail3r said:


> Lexan / Acrylic / Plexiglass all warps over time - it's not due to the heat, but actually the moisture absorbed by the material. Hence it doesn't matter if you increase thickness of acrylic, it will still warp ... eventually.


 never knew that Ant always asumed heat...cheers dude


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

u might be right but didnt cost any thing as i found it in the shed even if i use it tempry and change to glass later


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

erm 

how do u dart owners deal with condensation 











with no venterlation i have got some mesh under were the lights are


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

humidety is about 75% atm


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

stewie m said:


> humidety is about 75% atm


Is that a dial reading or digital? I would of thought humidity would be alot higher than that with all the condensation? 
You can always give it a couple of sprays a day to knock it up that lil bit more though.

Looking good btw:2thumb:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

its a dial one that i borrowd from my whites viv the other side is nerer 80%


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

this viv is :censor: had all that condensation there 4 days now and its soaking


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

whys my cork got a white fury type mould on it 

really getting fed up with this tank now


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

aww mate,keep at it you'll sort it the mould we all get in various forms me thinks!! some times its cool orange mushrooms sometimes other,mate the condensation thing is there a great difference in the temp of your room to the viv...if the glass is cold you will always get some condensation..it drives me nuts too:devil:.My hope is once my room is heated proper we will have less to deal with,mate might a fan of some description help? Wish i could help more but thats all i got unfortunately as i am hoping to stay away from fans if poss.....they stalk ya mate..not good:gasp::lol2:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> aww mate,keep at it you'll sort it the mould we all get in various forms me thinks!! some times its cool orange mushrooms sometimes other,mate the condensation thing is there a great difference in the temp of your room to the viv...if the glass is cold you will always get some condensation..it drives me nuts too:devil:.My hope is once my room is heated proper we will have less to deal with,mate might a fan of some description help? Wish i could help more but thats all i got unfortunately as i am hoping to stay away from fans if poss.....they stalk ya mate..not good:gasp::lol2:


:lol2:

the only temp differance is the lighting atm i had the same problem with my toad tank i put more holes in the lid and it worked that was at room temp no heating really only a 13w 2.0 bulb 

but in consernd about if i put more holes in this it wont stay humid enough


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

Thought I'd make a post here instead. 

Have you considered using cpu fans? I've read people have used them in dart tanks.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

dont think it suted with the style of lid iv made as the hole top is a lift out lid


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

The mould is new viv mould, it will go away within a week.

I think your dial is out. Can you take a pic from the lid looking down? So we can see the lids?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> The mould is new viv mould, it will go away within a week.
> 
> I think your dial is out. Can you take a pic from the lid looking down? So we can see the lids?


up loading now


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

the lids are bisicly a sheet of perspex with mesh in i used thes as it was left over from our leantoo we got from argos wasnt being used for any thing ealse 

not finished yet tho want to make it a bit hevyer so the frogs cant lift it 










i gave the glass a wipe and misted again and it came back farly quickly but not as much but i will get up tomorrow and it will be soaking again


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Is is that thin bit of mesh at the front? I can't see it clearly.

My vivs have around 5 inches of mesh that stretch across the entire length....they mist up slightly.

What temp is your bedroom?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

the mesh is under the lights there 3 on each side 

my fbt tank is at room temp and that says 74/23 atm but the heating just been on


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

what about addind more mesh 

iit worked for my fbt's 

but will it hold humidety in


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> *The mould is new viv mould, it will go away within a week.*
> 
> I think your dial is out. Can you take a pic from the lid looking down? So we can see the lids?


Yup, I had it in my cane tank (gone now) and my GTF viv (going). A week may be a bit optimistic, but it *does* go. Don't give up yet, Hong Kong Stewie!


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Yup, I had it in my cane tank (gone now) and my GTF viv (going). A week may be a bit optimistic, but it does go. Don't give up yet, *Hong Kong Stewie*!


:lol2::lol2:

dont worry i havnt


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

took the lids of for 5 10 min and it dryed out so im gussing more venterlation is the key


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

You don't have much tbh.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

the only reson i put so little in was because i thorght the les mesh the better i put in under the to allow for some heat and uv to get in the tank 

im adding 2 more hols at the front on each lid but far enough apart that i can add more if need be


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

MOSS


































java moss to lazy go find some so brought some


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

It's looking good mate. Once everything grows in a bit and the ficus spreads it will be looking great.:2thumb:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

jme2049 said:


> It's looking good mate. Once everything grows in a bit and the ficus spreads it will be looking great.:2thumb:


thes are the best vivs i done so far


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

seems to be working so far but will see


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

keep at it mate you get there!!!! : victory:Stew have you thought about a max /min thermometer for your room so you have a handle on whats going on outside the vivs?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> keep at it mate you get there!!!! : victory:Stew have you thought about a max /min thermometer for your room so you have a handle on whats going on outside the vivs?


no i havent acturly spose i could get one them green house ones 

will it come back once the viv is heated if it warmer then my room 

my wites viv didnt do it but thats well vented and dryer 

my fbt tank did i put more mesh in and it hasnt done it since but thats un heated


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

had a bit of condensation today but not as much 

my fbt tank is at room temp and in side that its 18c/64f so my room probly a bit cooler than that 

what the ideal dart temp woundering weather to get the heating an stat set up now


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

is mid 70s about right


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> is mid 70s about right


 thats where were heading mate or just a bit under,it depends a bit on species too ,but I would much rarther you speak to others with more experiance on that.!! Stew yeah we use a greenhouse max /min to get a handle on our room as well as one with a probe on ie an in and out of the viv,unit.
As far as water condensing on glass that is cooler on the outside, because of the room being colder ,its always gonna happen I guess ,but its just getting it to a level that doesn't drive ya nuts,its one of the biggest reasons we went for the ent design,because there is that movement of air fron top to bottom and crucially across the front/doors. That said mate we still have probs with it in all our vivs.As you might have seen i made an attempt at trying to reduce it with some little holes across the front ,it has made a tiny difference but not what i hoped for,but there is a hell of a difference in our room temps now to what it will be once we have the little guys here.The door is always open at presant as I have so much work to do in there its just pointless me trying to keep it up to temp. Stu


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

thermometers are next on the list for the viv 

might get one them green house ones 

going for antonnyi in one side and auzzies or lucs in the other


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

iv added more mesh put the vivs heating on and still got condesation 

so what eals can i do 

any ideas add more mesh or what


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

befor it was a frosty condenstaion 












and here it is today still soaked but its more runny 



















any ideas


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

any got any sergestions

was going to get a aqerium for my next build but dont think i shell bother will only be the same as this


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i now it means the humidety is pretty high but is it best to leave it or stop it


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

as above bet its room temp plus the other stuff:whistling2: he he don't worry you'll sort it,mate when i were a lad:lol2: i kept some phibs in well, some anyway,in aquariums,they thrived,they looked happy and we were mates,they lived many years, but i could never see the buggers,bloody condensation,which is why i spend hours cutting bits of crap glass.....ya get? big point there mate,nuff said
Stu


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

its warmer then my room its heated room about 70 tank mid to high 70s with the heater and lights on

iv added more holes ill add more if it dont keep it humid enough ill have to try some thing eals


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> its warmer then my room its heated room about 70 tank mid to high 70s with the heater and lights on
> 
> iv added more holes ill add more if it dont keep it humid enough ill have to try some thing eals


 as was explained to me mate if you have a bit too much ventilation and then work backwards as it were,it is far easier than the other way round as you can simply cover the vents with a bit of glass and therefore adjust......your biggest poss. problem is bottom to top airflow,which hopefully drys the glass enough for you to see into the viv without messing up your much required humidity


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

yeah only air flow i got is through the top

dont ent vivs only have top vents tho


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> yeah only air flow i got is through the top
> 
> dont ent vivs only have top vents tho


 nah mate have a look on me thread stew,go back a bit too where i put the first bits of a viv together,all that recycled glass bollox,there is a 5cm vent directly under the doors mate ...thats what caught me , find it dude and you'll understand


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

the bit on the inside facing up


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> the bit on the inside facing up


 yeah buddy,so the air is drawn in at the bottom,just below the doors,hence drying them out,and moves as it is warmed by the viv,upwards towards the back,so one has hopefully several different micro climates to take advantage of (and hopefully the froggies can too), well thats the theory mate ,its just making it happen and a front that one can see through too OOORRRAAA


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i cant do any thing like the with mine tho has to be from the top really 

i not using fish tanks again tho :bash:

planty use them so must be a easy way


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

got an idea what bout if i get a air pump and run a air stone in there to circleat the air 

cant use computer fans with it being top open


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> i cant do any thing like the with mine tho has to be from the top really
> 
> i not using fish tanks again tho :bash:
> 
> planty use them so must be a easy way


Agreed mate and I am not knocking them but maybe...just maybe they look at their phibs through moist glass as i did...see mate this is where the glass cutting comes in ...if you can do this (BUY aDECENT CUTTER or its just hassle) then yeah there is an easy way. Maybe its just that fish tanks were designed to keep erm fish in:lol2: and 30 years on well we keep phibs now not then!! ha but Morgan i believe uses tanks of a similar no bottom vent design I am sure he will chuck sommit at ya and with more knowledge than i have:mf_dribble:


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> got an idea what bout if i get a air pump and run a air stone in there to circleat the air
> 
> cant use computer fans with it being top open


 ha cool haven't a clue whether it will work, but methinks tis a great shout,as before mate YOU will sort it its just finding a way:notworthy:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

it was kinda cheap two 4 foots and a stand £30 that why im using fish tank 

now its a pain in the rear 

what do u think of the air pump idea that posted up a bit


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> ha cool haven't a clue whether it will work, but methinks tis a great shout,as before mate YOU will sort it its just finding a way:notworthy:


think there is a spear one kicking a bout so might not cost any thing to try it


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> think there is a spear one kicking a bout so might not cost any thing to try it


 nuffin ventured nuffin gained tell us what ya see mate my only thought would be that if the air stone has to be mounted in water then the air would be very humid already but hell to that go for it!!!


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

was thinking mount it at the top on the glass frame so it blows down the front of the glass 

spose it depends weather its stonge enough to blow enough air


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> was thinking mount it at the top on the glass frame so it blows down the front of the glass
> 
> spose it depends weather its stonge enough to blow enough air


wonder whether it would be better at the bottom Stew so it circulates the air that is not being moved ha ...do both see what is best:lol2:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i see a thread some were of some one putting a fan in a pvc tube and putting in side the viv but i cant find it


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Def worth trying the pump- I vaguely remember using one in a deepish tank years ago- can't remember quite how successful it was though!:blush:

Although I use conventional tanks for a lot of my reps and phibs, most of them are dryer than dart tanks, so I haven't really had the problem.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

going to give it a go my only consern is if it will be power full enough


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

just woundering weather it wound be safe to put mesh in the front with out damageing or weakening the tank


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

air pump is crap


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

think it looks like it might work but its so slow its a job to say for deff 

the one i have is air flow 1

Superfish Pumps > Air Pumps > Filtration/Air Pumps > Aquatics > Main Section > Forpets.co.uk

woundering if one of the bigger ones would work better


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> think it looks like it might work but its so slow its a job to say for deff
> 
> the one i have is air flow 1
> 
> ...


 give it a while mate there is alot happening in your viv right now as evrything settles in i guess,its was warmer today here and had the fire up a bit as Shaz suffering, the silly holes might even be an enhancement clear vivs even after spaying by hand,god knows mate, i wont know nothing untill the room is setup proper, Stew drilling holes is always risky,i have got on really well with it so far but there is a risk, always is, with glass,so act slowly mate and see where stuff takes you first.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> think it looks like it might work but its so slow its a job to say for deff
> 
> the one i have is air flow 1
> 
> ...


Patience, child. Milton Keynes wasn't built in a day! :whistling2:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

wasnt warmer here its got a far bit colder the last 2 days

i dont have Patiencei start getting annoyed all ways do if thing dont dont go how i want even if there nothing wrong with it or the way it works


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

that pump has made no differance apart from a bit the size of 2 50 pence pieces 

not trying any thing ealse so i guess i have to put up with it im not wiping the glass either it comes back with in half hour so no point


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

stewie m said:


> that pump has made no differance apart from a bit the size of 2 50 pence pieces
> 
> not trying any thing ealse so i guess i have to put up with it im not wiping the glass either it comes back with in half hour so no point


Suicide?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

it works ave it

i will not not be beaten i win 

it clears it just weather it stops it dont mind if it dont as long as it ruduce it 

the air i pump i first tride was 1.6 litters a min the one im trying now is 4.2 litters a min 

befor the heating being on struggaled to clear it but the combo with this pump seems to work atm but will see how the pump works over night wen its a lot colder


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Patience, child. Milton Keynes wasn't built in a day! :whistling2:


 Shaz says,"hmmm i think it might have been...have you seen it", nah i haven't phew!!! but agree with your sentiments Ron!!!


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

MK is a masterpiece of town planning.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> it works ave it
> 
> i will not not be beaten i win
> 
> ...


 Stew didn't really understand a lot of that but i liked the RED bits at the top:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2: you ROCK!!! go for it mate:2thumb:


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## manda88 (Nov 27, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Stew didn't really understand a lot of that but i liked the RED bits at the top:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2: you f:blush:ing ROCK!!! go for it mate:2thumb:


Stu, you regularly make me LOL, never change :2thumb::2thumb:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Stew didn't really understand a lot of that but i liked the RED bits at the top:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2: you ROCK!!! go for it mate:2thumb:


ohhhhhh ok :blush::lol2:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> MK is a masterpiece of town planning.


dunno bout that i never been not shore i want to closest i been is silverstone now thats a masterpeice


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

it dosnt work 100% but it dose help to reduce it

only thing is i got condensation in my dranage layer


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

stewie m said:


> it dosnt work 100% but it dose help to reduce it
> 
> *only thing is i got condensation in my dranage layer*


That will always be there. Eventually it will build up and you will have to drain it.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

jme2049 said:


> That will always be there. Eventually it will build up and you will have to drain it.


i cant i made the mistake of not putting a tube in there 

im hopeing the heat cable will help avaporate it


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

still if nothing eles one of the creeping figs has new leaves and i have loads of clover type leaves poping out my moss


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> still if nothing eles one of the creeping figs has new leaves and i have loads of clover type leaves poping out my moss


 he he your on your way mate,have alook for mworks thread on dendroworld,there is a dodge with a silicone tube nozzel that might just help drain that sub
Stu


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

tank mate will check it out 

i didnt think about a tube to sython it


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

any idea on the thread tittle and the section its in i cant find it


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> any idea on the thread tittle and the section its in i cant find it


 bare with me mate onit now...think its the histrionica thread!!!


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

got it mate look vivarium section...then my vivs update 22 oct 2010, and WOW Marcus's vivs TOO


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> got it mate look vivarium section...then my vivs update 22 oct 2010, and WOW Marcus's vivs TOO


ok cheers mate


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

thats a good idea and vivs are stunning 

but i would have to compleaty empty my viv to do it

wish i thought about somthing like that at first seen a few people using sython tubes is there a way i can do it with out messing up the viv


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> thats a good idea and vivs are stunning
> 
> but i would have to compleaty empty my viv to do it
> 
> wish i thought about somthing like that at first seen a few people using sython tubes is there a way i can do it with out messing up the viv


 yeah they are truely great vivs mate,,,now there must be a way round your problem stew...hmmm sleep on it mate maybe there is a way ,gotta sleep meself mate seeya bro Stu


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i have got some tubes that go with a under gravle filter going to see if i can dig out a corner enough to get one in each tank


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

good news moss has loads of clover type stuff comeing up rapidly and every were one of the creeping figs has a few new leaves on it 

and all so the air pump seems to be working pretty well


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

just added a tube in each viv in the corner so sould be able to sithon the water out with ease


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

thought id take some better pics 

what u think


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

see told ya you'ld get there:notworthy: good for you mate well done ,Shaz very sick yesterday so frogroom up to temp...new vivs no condensation others still showing the wet stuff,he he i think i might have a result too mate,to early to be sure but all good,OOOORRRRAAAA:2thumb::2thumb::2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Looking good, dude.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

thanx ronald


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> thanx ronald


 *Not *my name! :devil:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> *Not *my name! :devil:


oooooh ok ronald :Na_Na_Na_Na::lol2:

mines not stewie but that what ehat every one calls me


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## matt_mcmahon77 (Dec 3, 2009)

stewie m said:


> oooooh ok ronald :Na_Na_Na_Na::lol2:
> 
> mines not stewie but that what ehat every one calls me


That's because its your username. His is Ron.:2thumb:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

matt_mcmahon77 said:


> That's because its your username. His is Ron.:2thumb:


 
i now but every one calls me it any way mum dad brother every one so i thought i use it as my user name


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

how oftern will the water need siphoning out the bottem ruthly


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

this it the tank wen i got up as u can see differance between having and not having a air pump


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

pretty happy with this now


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

got air pump running both sides and it seems to work in one but not the other oh well


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Looks good hun.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Looks good hun.


hun ???????


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

stewie m said:


> hun ???????


Fine, hunny bunch!


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Fine, hunny bunch!


ok dear


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Had too much caffeine.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Had too much caffeine.


who u well must be i drink tea darling


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i have a creeping fig in each tank both set up the same same lighting etc 

any idea y one would be growing rapidly and the other witch dosnt apear to growing at all


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> i have a creeping fig in each tank both set up the same same lighting etc
> 
> any idea y one would be growing rapidly and the other witch dosnt apear to growing at all


I've mentioned a couple of times that I've noticed the same plant can perform very differently in different tanks with roughly the same conditions- but your double tank really illustrates this!:lol2:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> I've mentioned a couple of times that I've noticed the same plant can perform very differently in different tanks with roughly the same conditions- but your double tank really illustrates this!:lol2:


cant work it out tho dosnt make sense


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

moss is doin well 



















any one now what the clover type things are called i now there part of the moss as there poping up rapidly every were


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

Looking good stewie:2thumb:
Wish I could help but I ain't got a clue what the lil plants are.
When you getting the frogs then?


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

jme2049 said:


> Looking good stewie:2thumb:
> Wish I could help but I ain't got a clue what the lil plants are.
> When you getting the frogs then?


 
not sure yet still a couple of tiny bits i nees to do like block the holes up in the corners 

might let it grow in a bit more first


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

stewie m said:


> not sure yet still a couple of tiny bits i nees to do like block the holes up in the corners
> 
> might let it grow in a bit more first


Cool. 
Have you had a go at doing your cultures yet? That's the only part I'm apprehensive about.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

jme2049 said:


> Cool.
> Have you had a go at doing your cultures yet? That's the only part I'm apprehensive about.


no not yet gonna do that soon while its growin in


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## detail3r (Jul 13, 2010)

stewie m said:


> no not yet gonna do that soon while its growin in


Should get started ASAP imo.


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## llamafish (Aug 19, 2008)

yeah get the knack of culturing to tea, water baths for the cultures seems to work well stoping mites and getting the cultures not to dry out

Also bean/grain weavils for backup food unless you get phyaollbates (bicolor, terrblis, lugbris) as there have teeth and love weavils


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

just a small update to show how well its growing 


































java moss is growing stupidly fast one of the broms has a new shoot coming out one of the creeping figs is growin rapidly other one pretty slow and the bosten fern seems to be doing pretty well all so and iv had now more problem with the birds nest fern so that must of setteld down 

so over all the vivs are doin well and im pretty happy


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Looking great, Hong Kong Stewie!:2thumb:


I found a clip for you: YouTube - Hong Kong Phooey


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

That's looking well good now stew:2thumb:.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Looking great, Hong Kong Stewie!:2thumb:
> 
> 
> I found a clip for you: YouTube - Hong Kong Phooey


ha ha ha ha ha yes i kinda rember that cartoon


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

thanx jme


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

small update 

its growing so fast never seen stuff grow that fast


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

Nice Stew, In the 1st pic for the ficus try pining it to the background side ways and it will cover it will climb up from the bottom and cover more.

Looking awesome :2thumb:

Darts soon?:mf_dribble:


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

see what u mean with the fiscus but its rooted to the background dont want to move and damage it 

if it just keeps going up and not spreading ill got a nother one to plant next to it but differnt type or ill try growing java moss on the back as well 

as for frogs going to start the ffs soon and as soon as im happy with doin them then ill get the frogs


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

stewie m said:


> see what u mean with the fiscus but its rooted to the background dont want to move and damage it
> 
> if it just keeps going up and not spreading ill got a nother one to plant next to it but differnt type or ill try growing java moss on the back as well
> 
> as for frogs going to start the ffs soon and as soon as im happy with doin them then ill get the frogs


 hey dude,mate to take jme's advice (great tip) one stage further: ficus tip root, so if you pin the tips gently downwards a bit at a time then you should be able to train the shoots back downwards ....these will then put out sideshoots which will give ya the required covereage,
ha vivs are looking cool too
bring on da frosche mate
oh and get some woodlice going soon as if you haven't already , the damn things are so slow.
be lucky mate 
Stu


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i will give that ago with the fiscus 

no woodys or springs yet want them soon 

do thes accturly make a differnce i got springs in my whites and toads tanks for a few week after putting them in i was doin hardly any cleaning they all kind of vanished im doin as much cleaning myself as i was befor i put them in


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> i will give that ago with the fiscus
> 
> no woodys or springs yet want them soon
> 
> do thes accturly make a differnce i got springs in my whites and toads tanks for a few week after putting them in i was doin hardly any cleaning they all kind of vanished im doin as much cleaning myself as i was befor i put them in


As I said at the time, I wonder if that was because those tanks are dryer- the bugs tend to stick to damper areas- shouldn't be a problem in these tanks.


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

u might be right there ronny i will get some any ways


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> As I said at the time, I wonder if that was because those tanks are dryer- the bugs tend to stick to damper areas- shouldn't be a problem in these tanks.


 Ere's a thought guys:as you might of seen we have a compost bin full of our natives,i think they might be able to cope better with dryer conditions and they can def cope with extremes of heat as the plastic bin they live in has been chilled this winter and gets red hot on a sunny day......so what i am saying is might one tailor the species of springtail to the viv.......while we were up at dartfrog a while back,he had some temperate springs in, Marc was culturing these very different to our usual tropical ones,which seem as you say Ron to like the wet
Stu


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Ere's a thought guys:as you might of seen we have a compost bin full of our natives,i think they might be able to cope better with dryer conditions and they can def cope with extremes of heat as the plastic bin they live in has been chilled this winter and gets red hot on a sunny day......so what i am saying is might one tailor the species of springtail to the viv.......while we were up at dartfrog a while back,he had some temperate springs in, Marc was culturing these very different to our usual tropical ones,which seem as you say Ron to like the wet
> Stu


Well, my tanks are a mix in a way- although I don't have any tropical woodlice, I do have the trop springs- mostly scooped from the water surface in my clawed frog tank. :lol2: Because I use 'live' leafmould, and also use local woodlice as food, I have a fair mix of native species in there- I tend to think that the species that will thrive in various habitats tend to prevail, in the end.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Well, my tanks are a mix in a way- although I don't have any tropical woodlice, I do have the trop springs- mostly scooped from the water surface in my clawed frog tank. :lol2: Because I use 'live' leafmould, and also use local woodlice as food, I have a fair mix of native species in there- I tend to think that the species that will thrive in various habitats tend to prevail, in the end.


 Ron, you've been at this quite a while do you see large noumbers of springs build up over time in your tanks or are you adding occassionally?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Ron, you've been at this quite a while do you see large noumbers of springs build up over time in your tanks or are you adding occassionally?


depends on the tank- the wetter tanks, like the FBT and (currently) the African bullfrog, seem to show quite high build-ups. The drier ones (toads, golden treefrog) seem to have a constant presence, but it's only obvious when you look closely at the soil. In terms of clean-up, both seem to work well, though, and I notice the woodlice seem to dominate in the drier areas.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> depends on the tank- the wetter tanks, like the FBT and (currently) the African bullfrog, seem to show quite high build-ups. The drier ones (toads, golden treefrog) seem to have a constant presence, but it's only obvious when you look closely at the soil. In terms of clean-up, both seem to work well, though, and I notice the woodlice seem to dominate in the drier areas.


 Cheers mate much appreciated!!


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

i had springs in both my fbt tank and my whites and the made no differnce apart only for a couple weeks then they just vanished 

im doin as much cleaning as i did before i added some


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## jme2049 (Jan 11, 2008)

stewie m said:


> i had springs in both my fbt tank and my whites and the made no differnce apart only for a couple weeks then they just vanished
> 
> im doin as much cleaning as i did before i added some


Did you never notice them all over the bits of poo? 

In my old Fire Sals viv they would be all over the poo in minutes:lol2:
Although I never added any into my fbt's as they seem to do their business in the water


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

jme2049 said:


> Did you never notice them all over the bits of poo?
> 
> In my old Fire Sals viv they would be all over the poo in minutes:lol2:
> Although I never added any into my fbt's as they seem to do their business in the water


yes they was every were now im cleaning all the poo my sefl


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

decided to trim up the viny stuff coming out the moss to tidy it up as it was going riot anfd taking over 

i brushed the seedy bits off the top witch are now growing on the bottem witch is kinda cool 



















crap pics i now i didnt wipe the glass


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

stewie m said:


> decided to trim up the viny stuff coming out the moss to tidy it up as it was going riot anfd taking over
> 
> i brushed the seedy bits off the top witch are now growing on the bottem witch is kinda cool
> 
> ...


Looking good, though!


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## stewie m (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Looking good, though!


dunno could look better


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