First attempt at building a fake background.

[thadmy]

I'm planning on turning an empty 40 gallon tank into a functioning habitat with a pair of Dendropsophus sarayacuensis, a pair of Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis and maybe a pair of small Day Geckos if its possible. I plan on having a water fall that leads into a small pool on the bottom that is four inches deep that will contain a couple Tetras or some other small fish.


As this is my first time I will post pictures and any comments or help you can give me will be greatly appreciated

My empty tank
.

Thanks Thad

[DonLisk]

Sounds like a good plan but your going to find issue with combining species of frogs since the toxins between different species of frogs are going to slowly poison each other over time. The toxins are transmitted through the frogs soaking in water and the trace they leave behind and absorb as they travel and perch throughout the tank.

Sorry to be negative in your idea but you will find on all forums that keeping different species of frogs in the same tank is very frowned upon due to these issues.

You might also rethink water depth unless you provide plenty of escape routes for these frogs since they are not good swimmers and can drown in water they can't get their head out of.

A 40 gallon tank would be pretty awesome if built vertically for either of these frogs since they love to spend most of their time up high in a canopy and are rarely found on the substrate.

Don

[thadmy]

Yeah I had thought of turning the tank upright but I figured I would try doing a fake back and then for my next project turn the tank upright. I was talking to a breeder who said I should be able to keep a pair of clowns and a pair of Tiger strips together without and problems. I plan on doing 3/4 of the bottom of the tank as ground since I was told clowns will hunt and walk on the ground sometimes, I plan on placing that log in the water which should give the frogs a lot of ways to escape.

[thadmy]

If I was going to turn it upright I think I could set the log like this but how do I make a cover for it then and I have a canopy top would I be able to place that on the one side to put light on the plants or would that not work

[DonLisk]

Basicly you would have to make a glass or plexi-glass front and door.
there are kits to do it or you can measure out and have the glass or plexi cut for you. Then silicone the bottom in and use an aquarium glass top piano hinge to use for attaching the door.

Here is a link to one of my builds showing the front glass installation. Just use good glass or even better, nice plexi so you don't have the sharp edges.
At the end you will see how I added the top ventilation using window screen frame and screen material.

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...cal-build.html


As for lighting you would just have it enter through the top.

There are some good youtube videos of the installation of AAAFrogs front kits for some ideas on making a front too. AAAFrogs is not open currently but their fronts are nicely done.

[DonLisk]

Here is a pic of mine with lighting coming in from the top.

Note: these are for dart frogs but you just design so you have more tree frog related plants and such up high for their perches, places to sleep, and travels.

[thadmy]

So when I go to place the middle section of glass in I stick it to the bottom piece with an aquarium hinge and then the top of that glass piece sticks to the tank by using magnetic strips is there any other way to stick the top part of the glass to the tank. Also for the screen at the top all I do is silicon a small mesh screen across the gap.

[DonLisk]

You make a frame with window screen frame material, about 4 bucks at a hardware store. The screen is pushed into the grove of the frame with a rubber strip holding it in tightly. For tree frogs you would want more screen at the top than I used for the darts. You can be creative and even add in a screen section at the bottom for better air flow.

Here is a link to acrylic door parts for making lids and front. Other places sell this but Joshs is the first place I thought of.
Terrarium's Acrylic Lid Supplies | Josh's Frogs

Now, you don't have to go all out like this and just do the tank as you were going to originally but I like height over width for tree frogs.

[DonLisk]

Oh, forgot, you can use window screen fasteners to use a lock downs for the top of the door. You can see one in the top left corner or the below pic.

[thadmy]

How do those screen clips clip onto the tank

[DonLisk]

Screwed into the screens frame. I silicone the screen frame to the tank then add the clips afterwards.
They turn with to latch and unlatch the top of the door. You can use very short screws or use a nylon screw with a nut on the inside.

[DonLisk]

If you use the clips there is no need for the magnetic strips. Just have a clip on each side. My Geckos cage has the clips all the way around the tanks frame and then no hinge is used so the glass comes out with ease for cleaning.

[thadmy]

If I do screen at the bottom and at the top I might just just screen clips all around the glass to make it easy to take out to mist during the day

[DonLisk]

That would work well. There are a lot of nice handles to make it look pretty cool too. I like the plexi or lexan for the front over glass lately since its lighter and less likely to have sharp edges after cut.

Only thing with the plastics is easier to scratch and make hazy looking if you ever clean it with something abrasive.

[thadmy]

Won't a plastic get "floppy" as the length of it increases though. I figured doing like 1 1/2 inch screen on the top and bottom

[thadmy]

Tank is set-up how I want it some things changed for the better I think, GS is drying will upload pictures in the morning.

[DonLisk]

na, you can get pretty studry plexi or acrylic and the thicker the stiffer. Also the clearer the more expensive.

Before I forget, don't cut the door until you have installed the bottom section of glass and top and bottom screens. You just never know if your frames are slightly larger or smaller until make and installed.

Here is a great pic of how someone did the screens. Oh, I would do 1 1/2 inch at bottom and at least 4 inch of screen at top.
Bottom glass maybe 4 inches high.

[DonLisk]

Having the screen at the bottom help in airflow but also will help in reducing the humidity since the more closed the more humidity is retained. The ones pictured in my pics keep about 90 percent which would be to much for tree frogs.

[thadmy]

Yeah that's why I figured doing a screen at the bottom and at the top. So your saying I should do roughly 2 inch screen at the bottom and like 4 at the top

[DonLisk]

Yeah that's why I figured doing a screen at the bottom and at the top. So your saying I should do roughly 2 inch screen at the bottom and like 4 at the top

Yes. Air flows in and out easier and if ever needed, a fan can be aimed at the top or bottom to cool or create more airflow.