New project, HELP!!

[John61510]

Hello my name is john and i have 2 D. Aratus that I got about two weeks ago, after looking at everyones projects on here, I want to start my own.I haven't decided whether or not to do some type of waterfall/flow or to do a corner of water with fish. Any suggestions will help! What things will I need? What small pump is best? Anything? And what is the plastic stuff ppl are using for false bottoms that has the squares(they put it on top of PVC)? Thanks hope I get some help and tips and anything lol

[Sunshine]

Hello John! Welcome to the forum! I am new at keeping frogs myself but I will see if I can be of any help. What kind of setup do you have right now? Pics would help if you have any. Ok here goes... I believe Auratus is a terrestrial species, no? You will need a setup that has more floor space than height. The plastic used for false bottoms is egg crate used for lighting fixtures. It is sold at most home improvement stores. It is used as a drainage layer so the substrate does not stay too wet. I think that for a first vivarium it would be easier to use a drainage layer of LECA or hydroton, although these are harder to obtain. Can you tell me a little more about what you are looking for in your viv?

[Mentat]

Have not done a frog set-up yet; but agree the white squared material is found in the lighting area at both Lowe's or Home Depot and is called "Egg Crate Lighting Panel."



IRT pumps you want to get one that has the required flow and "water head" combination you will need. Many pumps will have a rated flow at it's output. That flow will be affected as the pump has to work against gravity and lift the fluid from the tanks water level to the output above the waterfall. Also make sure the pump you get can operate at the water level you plan to have in the enclosure, some need just an in. and others require deeper water. Good luck!

[John61510]

thanks a lot for the help, im still debating on what to do, im leaning twords a pool of water in the corner over some rocks but how would i keep the substrate out of it? right now i have them in a 10 gallon tank with marbles as my "Hydroballs" a plastic mesh divider and coconut husk as my substrate, 1 bromeliad and 1 coconut

[Mentat]

thanks a lot for the help, im still debating on what to do, im leaning twords a pool of water in the corner over some rocks but how would i keep the substrate out of it? right now i have them in a 10 gallon tank with marbles as my "Hydroballs" a plastic mesh divider and coconut husk as my substrate, 1 bromeliad and 1 coconut

In this section there are many vivariums threads that can get you ideas. I'm planning to use a piece of glass glued with silicone to enclosure walls and bottom panes. That will create a dam; separating the dry and wet sections of the tank.

The hydro balls can still be used under the dry section substrate. BTW, marbles or similar provide little surface area to grow beneficial bacteria to support the nitrogen cycle. Since the hydro balls are porous clay; they do substantially better in that respect.

[John61510]

i didnt go with the hydroballs because i didnt know about them, i thought they would fall apart, or i didnt know how long they would last but next i will, how often do you need to clean a dart frog tank? i think im going to go with a corner of water maybe with some bubbles

[DonLisk]

I'll pass on a few of my builds and hopefully some of the info will help in your decisions during your build. There are also many more build journals in the vivarium area too.

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...d-journal.html

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...se-bottom.html

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

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...pic-heavy.html

Have fun :-)

[MikeM670]

Since this is your first setup I would recommend using a simple method for your first attempt. Either use the foam and peat moss method or the kitty litter background. Hydro balls are simple and easy to use and you can always reuse them in another setup after you clean and sterilize them.

Water features are a whole other story. They take planning and more maintenance.

What size tank are you planning on using for your two darts? They also may help you decide which method is best to use. Currently I'm using a combination of foam/peat for plant locations and kitty litter on the backgrounds. I just finished a new 40 vertical using this method. Sorry no build article or pictures and the photographs I have are not very good due to the lights being so bright near the top and washing out the image. Just haven't taken the time to get better images.

Best advice I could recommend would be to look over all the different builds, decide what you want to try and ask more questions until you are comfortable with the method(s) you want to try. Gather up all the needed materials and just take the plunge.

[John61510]

they are in a 10 gallon tank, i kinda got a plan about the corner water source with the bubbles, i think ima just have to take plunge like you said, what can it hurt right? i have been looking at a lot of different build that are really intense and this is what i think i can handle, any more input/advice?

[MikeM670]

John,

10 Gallons is probably a bit small for D. Aratus. The recommendations in the past have been 5 gallons per frog but consensus seems to be moving towards a bit more space as a standard. I would recommend a 20 gallon if you can swing it. Also with a 10 gallon you really don't have much room with a background unless its very flat and with the addition of a water feature your really limiting your available space for the frogs to move around.