# First Vivarium



## Fraservet (Feb 19, 2012)

Hi, just finished my first dart frog viv today. Quite happy with it, although need some more pebbles for the pool.
It has a tree fern panel background and partial side panels, a waterfall dividing the space, with a pool at the front.
Left hand side is mainly orchid bark and leaves, with some lichen and a nice rooty piece of wood.
Rhs is more soil based with moss, a raised shelf at the back, and a really nice piece of wood which I have slotted a couple of other pieces into to give more depth to the tank.
The middle section has a tupperware box which has lots of holes at the bottom and contains the filter/pump for the waterfall. The lid and front are covered by tree fern panels so the filter can be easily accessed for cleaning.
There is a fairly deep layer of leca with fleece on top, then some orchid bark, followed by a layer of dendrosoil from dartfrog, with a deep layer of eco-earth on the right and a thin layer on the left with more orchid bark on top.
There are a couple of pieces of nice red stone, a spawning hut and some seed pods.
There are a number of plants, mainly bromeliads, tillendsias, orchids, a couple of climbers and a couple of foliage plants.
It's in an exo terra 90x45x60 tank, with the exo terra canopy with 4x repti-glo 2.0 bulbs.
There is a heat mat on the back wall connected to a lucky reptile thermostat, and a lucky reptile super mist system connected to a lucky reptile hygrostat.
Still a few bits and pieces to fiddle with, but mostly done.
Just need to give the critters in the dendrosoil a bit of time to multiply, then I can get to the frogs!
First pic is before it was all watered in.









Second is with the mist system active.








Let me know what you think


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

very nice viv and will only get better with age


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## MantellaMan (Feb 3, 2012)

Loving it mate! :2thumb:

You can definitely be proud of that i must say!


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## boabloketony (Jan 22, 2007)

Wow ... I love it !!! :mf_dribble:

It's obvious that alot of time and money has gone into setting it up. 

You should be thrilled, it looks great!


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## Fraservet (Feb 19, 2012)

boabloketony said:


> Wow ... I love it !!! :mf_dribble:
> 
> It's obvious that alot of time and money has gone into setting it up.
> 
> You should be thrilled, it looks great!


I have had major regrets several times in the past after setting up tropical and marine fish tanks, as well as much more basic tanks for fire bellied toads, red eyed tree frogs and a horned frog.
I have always gone a very simple, budget root to start with and then either ended up with a crappy tank (not that cheap can't be really nice when done properly) and had to live with it, or spent twice as much money and time trying to upgrade things afterwards.

This time I decided to do it as well as I could right from the start. 
The mist system and stat are probably overkill, but I work odd hours, so this will hopefully keep things just right without too much input from me.

I have spent far to much money already, and don't even have any frogs yet :blush:

I am planning to keep a group of about 6 frogs, probably leucs, but possibly auratus.
My research has suggested auratus are a bit more territorial - although not as bad as most - but that a tank this size, with plenty of different areas and nooks, should be ok.

Any thoughts on this?


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

That looks lovely :2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Yep, really nice tank- and as people have said, it will only get better as it matures and evolves.


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## biggie01 (Feb 23, 2012)

very nice mate :no1:


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## beaniebopps (Oct 4, 2009)

Lovely! That is the size of exo terra I've been waiting to get my hands on second hand for ages - not a popular size for some reason so they hardly ever come up. I may just have to splash out and buy one new!

The only thing I would suggest is moving your Pepperomia schumi red (if that is infact what it is?) as it appears to be right in line of your misting system - this plant doesn't like to get its leaves directly wet, it will rot them and it will eventually die :2thumb:


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## biggie01 (Feb 23, 2012)

it does look awsome.. im thinking about filling my tree frogs with live plants but can anyone give me some good tips like do i plant them directly into the eco earth and moss and bark chippings i have on floor or do i pot them up ??


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## MantellaMan (Feb 3, 2012)

biggie01 said:


> it does look awsome.. im thinking about filling my tree frogs with live plants but can anyone give me some good tips like do i plant them directly into the eco earth and moss and bark chippings i have on floor or do i pot them up ??


Entirely up to you mate, some people do re-pot them and stick the [pot in and hide all trace of the pot, but then i replant them directly into the soil again, Plantation Soil by Exo Terra is especially fertile i find and seems to work really well for plants (thats what i find)


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## biggie01 (Feb 23, 2012)

MantellaMan said:


> Entirely up to you mate, some people do re-pot them and stick the [pot in and hide all trace of the pot, but then i replant them directly into the soil again, Plantation Soil by Exo Terra is especially fertile i find and seems to work really well for plants (thats what i find)


ohh ok thanks i have alot of fake plastic plants in with my frogs and i would like to have live ones they look alot better and got told will keep humidity up aswell


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## MantellaMan (Feb 3, 2012)

biggie01 said:


> ohh ok thanks i have alot of fake plastic plants in with my frogs and i would like to have live ones they look alot better and got told will keep humidity up aswell


Yeah i prefer live plants to fake ones lol but in all honesty I have always used live plants with my amphibs! lol


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## biggie01 (Feb 23, 2012)

MantellaMan said:


> Yeah i prefer live plants to fake ones lol but in all honesty I have always used live plants with my amphibs! lol


ohh nice well i think im going to sort it out


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## Fraservet (Feb 19, 2012)

beaniebopps said:


> Lovely! That is the size of exo terra I've been waiting to get my hands on second hand for ages - not a popular size for some reason so they hardly ever come up. I may just have to splash out and buy one new!
> 
> The only thing I would suggest is moving your Pepperomia schumi red (if that is infact what it is?) as it appears to be right in line of your misting system - this plant doesn't like to get its leaves directly wet, it will rot them and it will eventually die :2thumb:


Yeah, it's quite difficult to find that size tank at all, never mind at a reasonable price. Most places were £180-£200, which is double the 60x45x60 so seems a bit excessive, but managed to find it for £150 delivered, and it was very well secured - wrapped and strapped to a big palette. 
Not sure if you are allowed to mention specific websites here? but pm me if you want to know where I got it.
The bigger tank definately helps when it comes to landscaping.

It is a pepperomia. I have ordered a 4th spray nozzle for the mist system - the wood on the right hand side is very inconvenient for spray coverage, so I need an extra one to cover all the bits I want, particularly the tree fern panels. I will maybe move the pepperomia over to the left side of the tank directly under the nozzles on that side when I re-do it.


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## Fraservet (Feb 19, 2012)

Hi, changed some bits and pieces in the viv, and frogs now in.
All very active and feeding well.

Viv 










Frogs


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

biggie01 said:


> it does look awsome.. im thinking about filling my tree frogs with live plants but can anyone give me some good tips like do i plant them directly into the eco earth and moss and bark chippings i have on floor or do i pot them up ??


 Either. If you plant them into the soil, you are really better off with a drainage system- there are lots of variations, but a simple one is a layer of leca (expanded clay granules) or gravel, separated from the soil by a sheet of permiable material (weed mat, net curtain). This stops the soil getting soggy. If you don't want to do that, just sink pots into the soil. I sometimes start plants off in a pot in a viv, and only decant them when I'm sure the light/heat/humidity suits them and they are likely to take. If they peg it in the pot, they are easy to hoik out and replace, without messing up everything else.


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## Vermillon (Jan 9, 2010)

Simply stunning viv. I will be using yours as a guideline for my next build


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## Cornish-J (Sep 4, 2011)

Can't quite make it out from the pics (viewing on a phone).

Have you got a false bottom built in? i.e. somewhere for the excess water to drain?

Viv looks very good btw


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## MantellaMan (Feb 3, 2012)

Cornish-J said:


> Can't quite make it out from the pics (viewing on a phone).
> 
> Have you got a false bottom built in? i.e. somewhere for the excess water to drain?
> 
> Viv looks very good btw


I had to zoom in myself but there's a Clay ball bottom there, which reminds me..... I need some more clay balls for the T.kweichowensis! lol


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## Fraservet (Feb 19, 2012)

Vermillon said:


> Simply stunning viv. I will be using yours as a guideline for my next build


Thanks, the plants are really starting to grow now, particularly the orange brom on the left and the pepperomia.
I think I need an extra light at the front right though, as those plants aren't getting much due to the big piece of wood.
Also the red sphagnum moss is sprouting new shoots all over the place!

Yes, there is a fairly deep layer of leca balls at the bottom for drainage and for the waterfall.
If I had to do it again, I would have a drainage hole and an external pump to power it, returning to another hole at the back of the tank, as the leca takes up a lot of depth and it makes the tank very heavy, but other than that it is working very well.

I periodically stick a jug under the waterfall to remove some of the old water as the mist system slowly adds water to the system.

I have also converted the lid to 3 optiwhite glass panels, and 1 fruitfly proof mesh one.


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## beaniebopps (Oct 4, 2009)

Fraservet said:


> Thanks, the plants are really starting to grow now, particularly the orange brom on the left and the pepperomia.
> I think I need an extra light at the front right though, as those plants aren't getting much due to the big piece of wood.
> Also the red sphagnum moss is sprouting new shoots all over the place!
> 
> ...


That is exactly what I do too - I also stick a bowl under my waterfall and drain the water until theres only just enough depth for the pump to work and then over the course of the next 10 days or so the regular misting slowly fills it back up.

It always amazes me just how clean the water is when I collect it. It is a slightly peaty colour - but no 'bits' or anything floating around and doesn't look at all scummy.


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## Fraservet (Feb 19, 2012)

beaniebopps said:


> That is exactly what I do too - I also stick a bowl under my waterfall and drain the water until theres only just enough depth for the pump to work and then over the course of the next 10 days or so the regular misting slowly fills it back up.
> 
> It always amazes me just how clean the water is when I collect it. It is a slightly peaty colour - but no 'bits' or anything floating around and doesn't look at all scummy.


My water is very tannin coloured from the wood at the moment, but otherwise nice and clean.
The leca acts as a huge mechanical filter to trap particles, and also as a bacterial filter to break down organics.
I do also have a pump with a small filter cartridge as well.


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## beaniebopps (Oct 4, 2009)

Fraservet said:


> My water is very tannin coloured from the wood at the moment, but otherwise nice and clean.
> The leca acts as a huge mechanical filter to trap particles, and also as a bacterial filter to break down organics.
> I do also have a pump with a small filter cartridge as well.


Yeah the lecca is a much better filter than I thought it would be. My waterfall also falls into a sort of shallow pond and then runs down through Eheim filtration media before reaching the layer of lecca at the bottom, rather than really running through the substrate at all.


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