Planning a new vivarium...

[DirtyBird]

Hey guys!
So I am planing on making another viv , and had a question. I want to adhere river-stone to some plexiglass, and some flourescent light difuser to the glass of the tank. I have heard some people using hot-glue to adhere stuff in their vivs.

Is hot-glue safe for my FBTs setup? (the toads themselves, the plants, moss, inverts, fish)

Is it safe in an 'underwater' setting? (ie leeching, chemical secretions etc.)

Or would aquarium sealant be a better choice?

Is aquarium sealant strong enough to hold the stones?

I will sketch up a drawing soon to show what my plan is.
Thanks!

[milky85]

i made a tank up for golden geckos a couple of years ago, if i can dig out some pics i'll put one up.

Basically it was a horizontal tank that i customised to be used for arboreal creatures. The light i secured with aquarium, sealant... i was worried about the heat of the tube softening this, but never had any issues. Again the stones at the base i used sealant for, but it was awkward, some secured fine, some dropped off, in the end i gave up and stacked them lol.

I don't know about hot glue, but for the light sealant will be fine

look forward to seeing some pics

[milky85]

This is what it turned out like, used all aquarium sealant

[John]

Is hot-glue safe for my FBTs setup? (the toads themselves, the plants, moss, inverts, fish)

From what I recall, it's not perfectly safe but it's not usually a problem in terrariums. I wouldn't put it in water though. However, it doesn't stick well in moist environments, and even if applied while the objects are dry, moisture will usually cause it to unstick after a few weeks/months.

Is it safe in an 'underwater' setting? (ie leeching, chemical secretions etc.)

Don't put it in water - it won't stay sticky and it will leech some minor nasties.

Or would aquarium sealant be a better choice?

Always.

Is aquarium sealant strong enough to hold the stones?

Absolutely.

[DirtyBird]

Thank you! Very helpful! Much appreciated

[DirtyBird]

ok so here are my plans for a new viv. Let me know what you think!

here we have a plaxiglass ramp, about 4in above the gravel on the bottom, and the square light diffuser as a base about 6in up. There is also a 3x3in hole in the front corner with a ramp, going straight into the 'water.'


Here I put river-stone along the edges.


Here I have the river stone on the ramps as well, in order to help hold the substraight and moss back, and aid in getting out of the water. In the grid, you can see the blue LED light I will have lighting the water under the structure.



Here I have the landscaping fabric, and Eco-earth substraight on top of the grid. and started with the gravel.

I have finished the gravel (white and flourescent orange) under the structure, and riverstone in the open.

Here I added the Mondo grass and the fake stone cave.

Here I've added the frogg moss in.

Water filter and circulation pump.

Fake rock 'stand' and fake hollow log.

Exo-terra Mandarin and Apollo hanging plants, and anacharis, and a couple aquatic broadleaf plants.

Added the vine.

Final product. jungle vine in front.

[DirtyBird]

Bump.... Any thoughts? Flaws? Concerns?

[DirtyBird]

So in this new tank, I plan on trying to get them to breed.... of the 6 FBTs I have, I know for sure I have 2 males, and 2 female... unsure of the other two. Is this an adequite setup for breeding? And just for housing in general? Is 5 inches of water good? There will be plenty of places for them to rest or 'purch' in the water. Plenty of anacharis (Spelling?) plants for eggs to attatch....
Sorry for the loads of pictures and questions, I just want to make this right! Thank you guys for all your help!