First attempt at building a fake background.

Its taken me awhile, but here is my finished tank. Now just to get the temp and humidity stable and get my frogs in the upcoming months. Hopefully they'll have them at my reptile show in two weeks.

Finished tank


one of the plants


The next plant I choose


The final plant


Small pool area with a log ramp

Very pretty! Looks fun to climb in .

I can't seem to get my plants to take root, since i turned the tank up on its side I don't have space for a Fluorescent bulb so I got a compact fluorescent light bulb.

I'm using the Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 Compact Fluorescent Lamp, but my plants after about a month have yet to take hold in the Eco Earth I have them in. I spray them down once a day but have seen little growth in any of the plants. They aren't wilting so I'm not super concerned I just wondered if anyone has tried theses bulbs out with success.

Since there are no stones or anything similar for them to grab onto they will slowly just extend through the soil. Eventually they will make their way down to the screen and through or into it.

Stuff on the background will slowly root to the background also but takes a long time. Are your CFL bulbs 6500K color temp?

So should I add some small rocks into the Eco Earth in the cups that are on the GS wall or just leave it to fill in naturally...

As for the bulb all I can find is that it is Full Spectrum and has a 10% UVB and 30% UVA output. It said on the box that it would stimulate plant growth, I found it at Petsmart.

I would leave the plants be.

As for the bulb, its probably 5500K or higher then.
How many watts is the bulb? Does the light look white or yellowish in the tank when lit?

I buy the Reveal bulbs by GE at Walmart at 24 watts and shows 6500K on the packaging. Think the are about 5 bucks a piece.
Yours should be fine and if your plants are looking healthy then I would let be and let it grow on its own. Don't want to ruch anything since the sooner they overgrow the tank the soon you'll be either trimming back or replacing :-)

This is my first build so I guess I'm just trying to make the tank perfect for my clowns which I hope to get in a couple weeks. These are the first frogs I've owned and I don't want them to be stressed. I've kept everything befroe from venomous reptiles to snakes and hedge hogs and I tried plants in their tanks but the snakes always got to large and crushed the plants while hunting.

Thanks again Thad

O.k. so have another problem with my plants, the Golden Pothos that is planted in the GS wall is in a plastic party cup that I poked holes in the bottom to release extra water from is turning brown and wilting. I don't have the light directly on it since I know it is a low light level plant. I was thinking of taking it off the GS wall and planting it in the substrate and then putting a cutting of a Boston Fern where the Pothos was would that work?

Also my Snake Plant hasn't started growing roots yet and I was thinking of cutting the cup it is in completely out of the GS and then replanting the Snake plant directly into the GS so that it was softer to grow into.

My Brom is growing great it has started sending roots out of the bottom and the leaves are growing into the side of the GS, my Philodendron is growing like a weed as well.