# 75 Gallon Vivarium withToads and Skinks



## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Hello, I am new to the forum but I wanted to share a project that I have already created and shared with other forums. I have a local type of enclosure containing American Toads and Southeastern Five Lined Skinks. These are both a sexed pair one male and female. I have a 4ft Odyssey Light Fixture that can simulate morning afternoon evening and night. I have a Mistking and a large UTH for this enclosure. I have local plants such as an Autumn Brilliance Fern and a Japanese Pictum Fern, Pachysandra, Daylilly and an Iris. I will be getting some Spleenwort Ferns and English Ivy in the spring. I have local insects inside the vivarium as well. Woodlice and Earthworms are local and I will introduce the Banded Crickets as well as local Crickets found in the pet shops back here in the states. I have a lot of care guides for both animals in videos I post on my YouTube channel and I just posted a video not to long ago. You can check out my video of the Toads and Skinks here. 
https://youtu.be/IdxfbLiIB4U









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

These are some pictures of my Enclosure that holds a pair of Southeastern Five Lined Skinks and American Toads. The female Toad Ace and male Skink Pharaoh. Please check out the video at the top to see them interact!









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Pictures of the Skink pair. You can see them live in the video posted in the first comment check it out!









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Thank you for the support on here! So the next video will feature the male Skink Pharaoh and female American Toad Ace the Apex predators being they will be the largest one of their species which will come out near early February. I will have another video idk when it will be out but following this one on the male toad Pious the female Skink and Ruby the offspring. It will show how the smaller inhabitants coexist inside the vivarium and highlight Rubies experience being introduced to the vivarium. I am dedicating a week in May for Amphibian Week focused on the American Toads and possibly a new inhabitant pair to the enclosure as well. It will be mimicking shark week but focused on the amphibian in the tank. July I will dedicate a week to the Skinks. More updates coming soon! Checkout the YouTube channel to see the inhabitants and don't forget to like and subscribe!

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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Post in the Lizard Section as well :2thumb:


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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

More interaction between Ace and Pharaoh









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

The Toads Ace and Pious out hunting for dinner this evening









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## s6t6nic6l (May 15, 2010)

Excellent, well done on providing a nice slice of habitat. Do you have a build log of this project and what are the dimensions of the enclosure?
Put up a couple of full tank shots will ya


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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Sure when I get a chance to take more pics of the tank I'll explain more I'm happy you are interested!

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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

s6t6nic6l said:


> Excellent, well done on providing a nice slice of habitat. Do you have a build log of this project and what are the dimensions of the enclosure?
> Put up a couple of full tank shots will ya


I have a thread on the Frog Forum and I think the beginning of the thread explains what I have. If it isn't explained well enough I can go into more detail. 

http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=37658

Here are some of the videos in order of the enclosure. 

https://youtu.be/Au4oPWdL5iM

https://youtu.be/7bow9DstkJE

https://youtu.be/fwFoQPKryo0

https://youtu.be/AzYzqkp1LW4

https://youtu.be/IdxfbLiIB4U

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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Great to see Pharaoh and Ace out again. Video is coming in February









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Pharaoh scales his enclosure while Ace comes out to greet me and hope for a treat. Ruby is basking and getting ready to join Ace and Pharaoh as well as the others in the PA Woods soon.









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Just to get you excited for the video with Ace and Pharaoh here are some pictures that just happened of a documented interaction between them. It is common they cross paths but it's hard to get on camera. I'm waiting to get my new camera to release this video because I can't show you how active the skink is. He freezes everytime I come towards the tank. When I get the camera I'll leave it rolling and leave so I can get some video of him potentially feeding on video and just exploring his territory. For those of you asking and being patient with me I will get a full shot of the tank and talk about the specs. Let me know what you think about the upcoming video the animals or the tank!









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Specs of the 75 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium

T5 lighting from the Odyssey light fixture 4ft with a timer that can simulate morning afternoon evening and night from the powerful lights. The top of the tank gets 10-15 degrees warmer than the bottom. A large UTH mounted on the side of the enclosure. A mistking misting system with multiple nozzles. The temperature ranges from 72-84 with the 80's at the top of the enclosure. There are Woodlice Earthworms and Springtail in the enclosure as the clean up crew and I will encourage Crickets to reproduce inside the vivarium as well. I have the Autumn Brilliance Fern and a Japanese Dwarf Pictum Fern Pachysandra Iris Day Lilly and Moss. I am in the process of getting a 125 Gallon for these animals and will post about the build and updates along the way. I'm assuring you that the Toads and Skinks PA Woods Vivarium will be upgrading by the end of the summer and I will be introducing some surprises that will impact Toad week and the environment week coming up for the YouTube channel. The specs of the 125 Gallon are as follows:


2 American Toads*********** (Ace & Pious)
3 Five Lined Skinks***(Pharaoh, Amsi, Ruby)
2 Autumn Brilliance Ferns
3 Spleenwort Ferns 
20 Pachysandra**** 
12 English Ivy********** 
Iris
Day Lilly
Duckweed
Japanese Pictum Fern* 
Pine Tree (Unknown Species)
Wild Daisy
Moss
Woodlice
Earthworms
House Crickets


Devices
T5 Odyssey Light Fixture 6'/2.5' Marquise
Mistking Misting System
2 Pumps for Stream
3 Night Lights
UTH
Hygrometer
10 Gallon Backup Tank
55 Gallon Backup Tank
Critter Keeper

I left out some surprises that I'll reveal later. Let me know what you think about the upgrade if you have plant ideas or build ideas and let me know if you will follow this when I start? I will create another thread. I would like to post more to the lizards and amphibian parts of this forum when I do this. I am thinking of renaming my YouTube channel for this tank and creating a Facebook for it possibly. Let me know if you would follow it on Facebook?
Here is the last video of the animals and their current enclosure

https://youtu.be/IdxfbLiIB4U

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## s6t6nic6l (May 15, 2010)

You have definitely got to start a build log of the forthcoming habitat. It'll be something to look forward coming into fruition and an interesting read for a change on here!!

Good luck with the project


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## ZachyBoy (Oct 4, 2012)

Great stuff! Very interesting thread, keep it coming :2thumb:


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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

s6t6nic6l said:


> You have definitely got to start a build log of the forthcoming habitat. It'll be something to look forward coming into fruition and an interesting read for a change on here!!
> 
> Good luck with the project





ZachyBoy said:


> Great stuff! Very interesting thread, keep it coming :2thumb:


Thank you both for supporting this build! I will be very interactive with YouTube this forum and the Frog Forum with informing everyone of the updates! I will definitely keep you updated and if you have any plants from my state or ideas for the build like something I could build in the tank that the Toads or Skinks would benefit from please post. If you know of any other insects that could live in this setup or if you just want to talk about it at all or if you want to see something on YouTube I would love to be interacting with the people of the forums for YouTube videos. Just post on here or pm me your ideas! Thanks!


Another interaction with Ace and Pharaoh that was documented









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

New Facebook Page for the PA Woods!
https://www.facebook.com/PAWoodsVivariums/

The YouTube Channel name has changed as well
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nG2pYgsr50aiDHpDE_CFg

So I did manage to make a Facebook page for this enclosure. I will be keeping the content mainly on this and the frog forum as the two forums are my main audience. So with both forums, a YouTube Channel, and a Facebook Page the PA Woods better be interesting and exciting or else it was a waste. so I have many new announcements. Obviously the upgrade from 75 to 125 Gallon is a big deal but that's not the only one. I will be introducing a new inhabitant to this new enclosure as well as a new breeder insect in hopes to have this specific insect survive in the enclosure with the pet store crickets woodlice worms and the others. I do not wish to reveal the new inhabitant and new insect because I wish to keep the anticipation going. I hope you will continue to follow this build because I'm starting completely new basically to build this new tank. Not only will it be the biggest enclosure but also a lot of money to create. I am truly excited to build it. It's been years since I had to start from nothing to build the woods. I will be making new threads on the forums as well so the information and care is fresh and specific to what I am doing at the time. I may join other forums as well to get some excitement and more people interested.

The exotics will still be around. The *75 Gallon Tropical Forest Paludarium will still have a part in the forum and on Facebook and YouTube, but it will be a less featured part with the main point of those two outlets is to market the PA Woods. The exotics will not just be the Tropical Forest anymore. My girlfriends Chinchilla Chi Chi will also partner with the Tropical Forest Paludarium to make up the exotics part as well as the new feeder insect time from time. 

Lastly I have one of the most exciting announcements. There will no longer be one PA Woods enclosure. In order for this to generate an audience the main tank the 125 will have to be the most well done and the exotics are nice to throw in, but now there will be another enclosure to accompany the 125 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium. This will not have any of the animals from any generation of the PA Woods. This new enclosure will be created from local plants and will replicate the PA Woods as well and will compliment the plants and animals of the main enclosure. Together these two will display the beauty of the plants and animals that live in PA. This is supposed to encourage you to want to create something from your unique environment wherever you are from just to encourage people to support their locals instead of all the exotics we see. Together these two enclosures hopefully will encourage you to think about the cool amphibian and reptiles around you.

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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

More pictures of the toads and the offspring skink. They were just laying around a lot today. If you haven't already done so please checkout the YouTube page and subscribe for more content! I am trying to start a movement with my enclosures of the native species and for those worried about taking from the wild that's not intended. If someone from Ohio wants to build a vivarium that is native to Virginia or California then they should and should be encouraged to be as native as possible purchasing the animals but showing them in their natural environment and the beauty of it. This is intended to encourage people about the species we have in the states and to be as passionate and excited about keeping them just as much as exotics. I am attempting to try to encourage as many as I can with this idea in hopes it can raise awareness for our local herps and increase conservation for them but I need your help. Please check out the Facebook Page for more updates! Here are the links to the top YouTube playlists and the Facebook page. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB_fcG-QIYgIu_CnT4BElawrHvCWVb83S



https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB_fcG-QIYgLVvfMesY1uO-9cQqrFgVcz


https://www.facebook.com/PAWoodsVivariums/









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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Checkout the link below because it was the first ever build of the PA Woods Vivarium and please subscribe for more content because there are some new videos on the way

https://youtu.be/Au4oPWdL5iM

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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Here is a new video from the exotics part of my YouTube Channel. Please like and subscribe for more!
https://youtu.be/THroO50D-tk

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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

Both Toads came out to greet me and see if I would feed them









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## MrJsk (Jul 29, 2012)

This is awesome!

:flrt:


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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

The Latest Update 

So after spending as much time as I needed to make a huge decision that would alter my tanks and the PA Woods I have decided to whenever the new tank is created to split up the Toads and the Skinks. This was a hard decision because I was looking forward to seeing the Skinks with this much space to run around, but I am making this decision for a few reasons. The first reason is because of the direction identity and the vision for the PA Woods. I made this to reproduce offspring and to keep my favorite amphibian species which are from PA together in an accurate environment from the woods they live, and to give back and repopulate the species which I will address later. Having the Skinks I cannot do this because they are not native to my county and are actually a subspecies the Southeastern Five Lined Skink but have identical care to the Five Lined Skink. So the Skinks will live together in my 55 Gallon Aquarium. This is a good fit for space because they can climb the background and this was created for a tropical tree frog so there are numerous places to bask and they will have their own enclosure to rule. I will have more surprises with their build and I am very excited and passionate about my Skinks so they are not going anywhere. Now the Toads are going into a 125 gallon. Yes so far just 2 toads with a goal to reproduce and keep an offspring and then as it gets older to rescue another toad and get it checked out of course so all 4 toads can reproduce and be healthy for display. So 4 toads in a 125 gallon 6 foot enclosure. I have been notorious for having 2 species inside the Vivarium and this build will be no different. I am pleased to announce that the Wood Frog will be joining the American Toads in the 125 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium as the other inhabitants. The goal is two pairs of each species and a smaller separate tank for another pair of both species. This will be difficult I know keeping Wood Frogs is but I have a great plan ahead which I will lay out. The Wood Frog is my second all time favorite frog behind the Northern Leopard Frog and I always wanted to keep them. I've spent years studying them so I am very excited for this opportunity. So I checked my laws and have been in contact with the fish and game commission to make sure this was legal. They have to be native to my county which means I'll be hunting some wood frogs and must be healthy. So both species will be checked by an exotic vet numerous times before breeding occurs. Both species are abundant and are legal to have and this will be a pricy project. But I am going through with it because I not only wish to keep these frogs and toads but to give back. There are a lot of experts in native plants a local pet store supporting this and some others so as I get closer to launch of this build I will create another thread and have the experts and supporters and care sheets and specs of the tank and the vision all out front so you can read that and understand what this vivarium is all about. So it will be the 125 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium American Toads and Wood Frogs
And the 55 Gallon PA Jurassic Woods Vivarium with Southeastern Five Lined Skinks. Those will be the two featured enclosures. 

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## AAronCap (Jan 16, 2018)

The Latest Update 

So after spending as much time as I needed to make a huge decision that would alter my tanks and the PA Woods I have decided to whenever the new tank is created to split up the Toads and the Skinks. This was a hard decision because I was looking forward to seeing the Skinks with this much space to run around, but I am making this decision for a few reasons. The first reason is because of the direction identity and the vision for the PA Woods. I made this to reproduce offspring and to keep my favorite amphibian species which are from PA together in an accurate environment from the woods they live, and to give back and repopulate the species which I will address later. Having the Skinks I cannot do this because they are not native to my county and are actually a subspecies the Southeastern Five Lined Skink but have identical care to the Five Lined Skink. So the Skinks will live together in my 55 Gallon Aquarium. This is a good fit for space because they can climb the background and this was created for a tropical tree frog so there are numerous places to bask and they will have their own enclosure to rule. I will have more surprises with their build and I am very excited and passionate about my Skinks so they are not going anywhere. Now the Toads are going into a 125 gallon. Yes so far just 2 toads with a goal to reproduce and keep an offspring and then as it gets older to rescue another toad and get it checked out of course so all 4 toads can reproduce and be healthy for display. So 4 toads in a 125 gallon 6 foot enclosure. I have been notorious for having 2 species inside the Vivarium and this build will be no different. I am pleased to announce that the Wood Frog will be joining the American Toads in the 125 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium as the other inhabitants. The goal is two pairs of each species and a smaller separate tank for another pair of both species. This will be difficult I know keeping Wood Frogs is but I have a great plan ahead which I will lay out. The Wood Frog is my second all time favorite frog behind the Northern Leopard Frog and I always wanted to keep them. I've spent years studying them so I am very excited for this opportunity. So I checked my laws and have been in contact with the fish and game commission to make sure this was legal. They have to be native to my county which means I'll be hunting some wood frogs and must be healthy. So both species will be checked by an exotic vet numerous times before breeding occurs. Both species are abundant and are legal to have and this will be a pricy project. But I am going through with it because I not only wish to keep these frogs and toads but to give back. There are a lot of experts in native plants a local pet store supporting this and some others so as I get closer to launch of this build I will create another thread and have the experts and supporters and care sheets and specs of the tank and the vision all out front so you can read that and understand what this vivarium is all about. So it will be the 125 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium American Toads and Wood Frogs
And the 55 Gallon PA Jurassic Woods Vivarium with Southeastern Five Lined Skinks. Those will be the two featured enclosures. 

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