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Thread: Live plants or fake?

  1. #1
    HethaToxic
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    Default Live plants or fake?

    I'm designing a layout for my poison dart frogs tank (well future PDF) and I'm trying to figure out whether to do live or fake plants.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Live! Always.

    Live are helpful, and really quite necessary for darts. They help keep humidity up by transpiration and aid in creating the "vivarium" by breaking down animal waste. You can use something as simple as pothos from the store. Super cheap and easy to grow.
    Ranitomeya reticulata
    Epipedobates anthonyi "Zarayunga"
    Oophaga pumilio "Cayo Nancy"
    Ranitomeya benedicta
    Ranitomeya vanzolinii
    Ameerega pepperi
    "Abiseo"
    Epipedobates trivittatus "Baja Huallaga"
    Cruziohyla calcarifer
    Hylomantis lemur
    Dendrobates leucomelas

  4. #3
    100+ Post Member poison's Avatar
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Quote Originally Posted by tylototriton View Post
    Live! Always.

    Live are helpful, and really quite necessary for darts. They help keep humidity up by transpiration and aid in creating the "vivarium" by breaking down animal waste. You can use something as simple as pothos from the store. Super cheap and easy to grow.
    Hi, not to smart when it comes to plants but I'm curious as to how plants alone break down animal waste?

    I too would recommend live over fake as live helps provide much more cover in enclosures then fake and looks nice and as mentioned they help with humidity.

  5. #4
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    You're right! That statement is a vast oversimplification. What I actually meant was that they absorb nitrates and other chemicals that come from animal wastes. In this way they help to purify the water in the enclosure. Fake plants don't provide any such service.

    You bring up a good point though, live plants are only one part of a successful vivarium. All sorts of microfauna are needed too!


    Cheers!
    Alex
    Ranitomeya reticulata
    Epipedobates anthonyi "Zarayunga"
    Oophaga pumilio "Cayo Nancy"
    Ranitomeya benedicta
    Ranitomeya vanzolinii
    Ameerega pepperi
    "Abiseo"
    Epipedobates trivittatus "Baja Huallaga"
    Cruziohyla calcarifer
    Hylomantis lemur
    Dendrobates leucomelas

  6. 3 members thank tylototriton for this post:


  7. #5
    HethaToxic
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    I was going to have live moss in there, I just wasn't sure about plants. What plants would best thrive in a Dendrobates tinctorius vivarium ?

  8. #6
    HethaToxic
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Also with having the live plants would the humidity stay above 70% or would a fogger be essential as well ?

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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Moss is really fickle, but it's great if you can get it to grow. There really are so many plants to choose from. Maybe Bill can chime in with some suggestions. A fogger really isn't necessary. Cool looking, but not necessary. Just use a glass lid to keep the humidity up. Dart frogs really don't need ventilation.

    Cheers!
    Alex
    Ranitomeya reticulata
    Epipedobates anthonyi "Zarayunga"
    Oophaga pumilio "Cayo Nancy"
    Ranitomeya benedicta
    Ranitomeya vanzolinii
    Ameerega pepperi
    "Abiseo"
    Epipedobates trivittatus "Baja Huallaga"
    Cruziohyla calcarifer
    Hylomantis lemur
    Dendrobates leucomelas

  10. #8
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Hetha,

    I spent $40 on fake plants and then threw them away. I now have a Snake Plant. 2x Pothos, and some Bromeliads in my terrarium. On top of all the things Alex mentioned they really do add something extra special to the whole setup. and my frogs absolutely love climbing on the real plants. They never used the fave ones and the tank just looked kinds a cheap with them in it... in my opinion anyways.

    I bought my Snake Plant off Amazon and my Pothos as well. I bought my Bromeliads from Joshsfrogs.com simply because they grow them with use in terrariums in mind so I know they are chemical free when I get them. The snake plant and pothos I rinsed all the potting soil off and grew them in pots using ABG mix or coco fiber as the potting soil for 2 weeks and watered with treated tap water to make sure they were mostly clean before putting in the terrarium.

  11. #9
    Tongue Flicker
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    I'd also go with using live plants for additional humidity.

  12. #10
    Super Moderator flybyferns's Avatar
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Always live plants for darts

    I FINALLY got the moss thing down!
    But not before.....lots , and lots of wasted $$. I failed a thousand times.
    Moss..... It is kind of .....well....independent! Does it's own thing.
    If you try to get it to grow on , for example, a pc of wood ...it will need a constant water supply

    Some moss pics:
    Took these photos this morning:

    Tip: tuck it all around the enclosure -the against the glass...touching the glass and the soil
    It will grow ..and eventually adapt to the enclosure.

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    Needs good light!

    I'm using ( one over each enclosure) 13watt LED - They are about 4" above the top glass
    AND -
    75 watt Philips plant bulbs ( regular base)
    I remove the philips bulbs in the warmer months as the give off heat.

    My ceiling fixture.. in the area has 48" - plant- fluorescents. ( forget which one w/ out looking at the box)

    I have purchased 'tropical moss' from every supplier.
    IMO Black Jungle's is the best. I has a nice woody back and always seems to be well established to help you get a good start.

    A vine in the leuc enclosure-blooming sphagnum
    ( with a little unidentified 'volunteer' that sprouted up )

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    This is growing on fiberglass mesh screen /on the water:

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    In the water:

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    Random photos:

    It loves coconut hulls

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    Have a great day ! We are very cold here ! a foot-plus and 12 degrees
    Suffolk County , Long Island, NY ( western suffolk by the LI sound ) this AM:
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    Best , Lynn
    Current Collection
    Dendrobates leucomelas - standard morph
    Dendrobates auratus “Costa Rican Green Black"
    Dendrobates auratus "Pena Blanca"
    Dendrobates tinctorius “New River”
    Dendrobates tinctorius "Green Sipaliwini"
    Dendrobates tinctorius “Powder Blue"
    Dendrobates tinctorius "French Guiana Dwarf Cobalt"

    Phyllobates terribilis “Mint”
    Phyllobates terribilis "Orange"
    Phyllobates bicolor "Uraba"

    Oophaga pumilio "Black Jeans"
    Oophaga pumilio "Isla Popa"
    Oophaga pumilio "Bastimentos"
    Oophaga pumilio “Mimbitimbi”
    Oophaga pumilio "Rio Colubre"
    Oophaga pumilio "Red Frog Beach”
    Oophaga pumilio "Rio Branco"
    Oophaga pumilio “Valle del Rey”
    Oophaga pumilio "BriBri"
    Oophaga pumilio "El Dorado"
    Oophaga pumilio "Cristobal"
    Oophaga pumilio "Rambala"

    Oophaga “Vicentei” (blue)

    Oophaga sylvatica "Paru"
    Oophaga sylvatica "Pata Blanca"
    Oophaga histrionica “Redhead”
    Oophaga histrionica "Blue"
    Oophaga lehmanni "Red"
    Oophaga histrionica "Tado"

    Ranitomeya variabilis "Southern"
    Ranitomeya imitator "Varadero"
    Ranitomeya sirensis "Lower Ucayali"
    Ranitomeya vanzolinii

    http://www.fernsfrogs.com
    https://www.facebook.com/ferns.frogs

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  14. #11

    Default Live plants or fake?

    Being a plant geek, I am always going to say go with live plants. Invest in good lighting, it doesn't have to be expensive, make sure they get proper nutrition, like the frogs, and they will thrive. There are literally thousands of plants to choose from. Although, one must be careful when choosing plants for high humidity environments, like a PDF enclosure. Too much humidity will rot out plants like African violets.

    Moss is picky, but there is a key to buying moss. You need to buy TROPICAL moss. Or live sphagnum moss. Not the bundled up stuff in the gardening dept. there are a ridiculous amount of species of moss and most will grow in vivs well. Temperate moss, like that which grows in the temperate rainforests of Oregon and Washington state, won't do well in a PDF enclosure, it's too warm for it. Black jungle sells excellent tropical moss. I get it locally, but black jungle is the best I ran across online. A lot of vendors say their moss is tropical, but get it from suppliers in north/South Carolina. Hardly tropical, so beware lol
    1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
    0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
    0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
    0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
    0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
    0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
    0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
    0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
    1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
    0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
    0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
    0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
    0.2.0 Canines
    1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
    2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
    0.1.0 Bed Bully

  15. #12

    Default Live plants or fake?

    Oh, and don't be afraid if aquatic mosses in a PDF enclosure, they love it. Mosses like Java moss, Christmas moss, willow moss, rose moss, fissidens fontanus, weeping moss. I have grown all of those successfully in my vivs.
    1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
    0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
    0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
    0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
    0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
    0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
    0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
    0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
    1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
    0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
    0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
    0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
    0.2.0 Canines
    1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
    2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
    0.1.0 Bed Bully

  16. #13
    Tongue Flicker
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Quote Originally Posted by deranged chipmunk View Post
    Being a plant geek, I am always going to say go with live plants. Invest in good lighting, it doesn't have to be expensive, make sure they get proper nutrition, like the frogs, and they will thrive. There are literally thousands of plants to choose from. Although, one must be careful when choosing plants for high humidity environments, like a PDF enclosure. Too much humidity will rot out plants like African violets.
    Figured that much when i pitched in on the pitcher plant topic haha.

  17. #14
    Moderator Mentat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Nice thread with good info and pics !
    Remember to take care of the enclosure and it will take care of your frog !​

  18. #15
    Super Moderator Heatheranne's Avatar
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    Default Live plants or fake?

    Moss....yes, I too tried various methods with it and different mosses to no avail, until... Black Jungle came to my rescue. Java moss! Works great, has a nice vibrant green color, grows easily if kept moist, and will attach nicely to hygrolon . I spray it in the gallon baggie I bought it in, put the hygrolon under it, and put it about 6" under a plant light 6500K. Every week or so I dump out the old water. So easy. It's being prepared my a dart tank.

    Plants... Live, for sure . Get some springtails and small isopods to help keep the tank clean and they'll even eat the white fungus. They make the ecosystem within the tank thrive.

    Any certain tank look you're going for?
    https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203589094112277&id=1363241107&set =a.1434844115446.2055312.1363241107&source=11&ref= bookmark

  19. #16
    Geo
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    Default Re: Live plants or fake?

    Absolutely live as several people mentioned already. I have been focused on natural ground cover moreso then plants growing high in the tank as my mantellas seem focused on the ground rather then height which many other PDFs prefer. In their natural habitat leaf litter is very important to mantellas and that carries over to any enclosure that you have them kept in. I have leaf litter piles located throughout the tank. I am not certain if other species have a preference for leaf litter although I assume they might for protective coverage, a place to hang that is moist/dark, lay eggs, quiet isolation, etc. It has been a challenge to get moss to stabilize in the enclosure although it is there and growing at a very sloooooooow rate. As was pointed out already humidity affects the growth unless they are a tropical species. As Bill pointed out java moss is a great choice. As for other types of plants, as it has been expressed already, "tropical" is the way to go. I have several types in my enclosure and they are doing very well. I find myself having to give the enclosure a manicure every two weeks lol. I would love to find a miniature grass that would carpet the bottom to compliment the moss (if anyone knows of any).

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