"Source" - Mantella Ebenaui Vivarium ver. 3.0

[DigitalPunk]

Gotta love a good asplenium species. Btw Paul, if I am correct, those 2 ferns are not only native to Madagascar, but endemic to the island as well. I don't believe they are found anywhere else.

Bill i believe you are right, it is so hard to get any really good information about it though :/ I am sure you have much better resources than i do for finding this stuff out. Thanks again for pointing me to a site that had them in stock!

[DigitalPunk]

Great build Paul! Hope that your frogs like the new habitat and aren't as stressed

Thanks! They seem to be taking to it a lot better than the last setup.. As much as I loved the last version of this tank and hated to take it apart. Just goes to show what we love as the builders is not always what is best for our frogs.

[MantellaGuy]

Bill i believe you are right, it is so hard to get any really good information about it though :/ I am sure you have much better resources than i do for finding this stuff out. Thanks again for pointing me to a site that had them in stock!

I have a few papers floating around about them and sources of information out in Madagascar. It is there, you just need to be in the right circles depending on what you are looking for.

[DigitalPunk]

My 5 Ebenaui seem to be liking their new home. They do hide some still (which is their nature) but have been seen several times out exploring and tormenting the springtails and fruit flies.

[Strider18]

My 5 Ebenaui seem to be liking their new home. They do hide some still (which is their nature) but have been seen several times out exploring and tormenting the springtails and fruit flies.

Yay! Hope they do well and I am glad that they are taking on those fruit flies and springtails!

[DigitalPunk]

Yay! Hope they do well and I am glad that they are taking on those fruit flies and springtails!

LoL Thanks! The giant orange Isopods must feel safe with these tiny Ebenaui running around. I saw one crawling within inches of a Mantella today and neither paid the other any attention lol.

[BCollie]

LoL Thanks! The giant orange Isopods must feel safe with these tiny Ebenaui running around. I saw one crawling within inches of a Mantella today and neither paid the other any attention lol.

I love the look of the Giant Orange Isopods, I really want some but you know...money. Haha!
Do your Mantella's try to eat them, or are they too big to be eaten?
Still can't get over how nice the tank looks. I'm glad your froggies seem to be enjoying it!

[DigitalPunk]

The Mantella would eat the babies if they happened across them. Frogs are opportunistic predators and will typically try to eat something they think they could fit down their throat lol. I like the Giant Orange Isopofs because as adults they tend to be to big for most Dart frogs which almost ensures a steady population in the tank

[BCollie]

I may have to look into getting some when I can afford it. You know, a year from now after I get my plants. *rolls eyes*. I wish money grew on trees...but don't we all?

Do you have any pictures of your Mantellas? I'd love to see them in their new home!

[DigitalPunk]

[Strider18]

I think that top pic is my favorite Very nice pictures Paul!

[LilyPad]

They are so cute! I'm happy they appear to be adjusting well so far, hopefully this works out well!

[DigitalPunk]

If you are also following along in the frog groom overhaul thread you will know I moved all my tanks. The other part of that is the Source must weigh 300 - 400 pounds and was impossible for me to carry up out of the basement. I was left with no other choice than to take the tank all the way apart and haul it upstairs and then put it back together. It did allow me do a bit of changing to the design. Over the week the Mantella were in there I saw things they seemed to like about the tank and things they didn't. So I took the opportunity to add more of the things they liked and remove the things they didn't. Here are some pictures of the tank.


Changes of note -

1. Right Side Cork Panel was bowing out a little. One Mantella was hiding up behind it so I removed it from the tank

2. Made the stream deeper

3. Removed some of the rounded large river rocks

4. Laid the slate pieces out differently so they overhand some lower land areas to add more hides the Mantella seem to love

[Tobiascole]

Looks amazing Paul!

[LisaGarcia]

Looks great!!

[DigitalPunk]

Cant wait for the Orchid to bloom! Assuming I don't kill it lol. Also very excited to see how this looks once all that beautiful moss grows in.

I have had the moss for a month or more. It has been in a ziplock bag under some grow lights while I was waiting to start the build. I misted it every 2 to 3 days and after misting would blow air into the back until it was full and then sealed it back up. It did pretty good living like this!

[LilyPad]

You should be able to get the orchid to blossom without a big frog to trample it. It looks really great, Paul! I love how some of the ferns grow new leaves, the way they start curled up. That's a good picture.

[DigitalPunk]

I am more worried about me killing it because of over watering or under watering or because plants seem to hate me from time to time lol.

Thanks for the compliments everyone! Means a lot to me

[Strider18]

Awesome Paul! Can't wait to see this thing grown in, even though it looks amazing right now

Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2

[jarteta97]

Looks amazing Paul I can't wait to see it grow in