grow-in or faux-in?

[Surrealasm]

Hey y'all I have reached an impasse.

I have a 30 gallon which is to become an immenant home for at least one Whites Tree Frog. Now, these frogs have a penchant for plant destruction, however I have a fondness and a green thumb (I have 10+ orchids, a few bonsai, and my goldfish tank is furnished entirely with living plants.)

Now my dilemma is such, and thus I need some advice with from some experienced vivarium-growers... what would the time frame be to allow a pothos to grow into the habitat, to the point where it is more or less hardy enough to withstand my hypothetical tree frog molestations?

Obviously there are a lot of variables in this equation, so what I am thinking would be the most helpful would be anecdotes and learning lessons(errors). Also, how quickly does pothos grow in, and what fertilizers are most effective?

[JHansson514]

I'm impressed with the planted goldfish tank. I'm not an experienced vivarium grower, as I am working on my first one as well, but I would definitely let the plants grow for about a month before you put the frogs in so the roots can establish themselves. When buying the plants, usually pet stores have fairly small-sized plants for terrariums. I have found that Lowes/Home Depot have the same plants, but in a larger size, for a decent price. Starting with a larger plant will also give the plants the upper hand (at least initially). Obviously, just rinse all the dirt from the store off, and use your regular tank substrate. Plus, that month time frame allows any fertilizer that were used on the plant to dissipate. What to use to fertilize them once in the tank, I'm not sure. In addition to pythos, Bromeliads, Air Plants, Snake Plant, Ficus, and Creeping Fig are some other options that I have read members talk about frequently for White's. Black Jungle Terrarium Supply - The Natural Choice! is a good website to look at plants. I don't necessarily agree with all their recommendations, but it will show you what's available. With a planted tank it is a good idea to have either a false bottom or a drainage layer (with LECA being the recommendation). Hope that helps a bit. I'd love to see a picture when you're finished.

[dpal666]

I've had great luck using old fish water as fertilizer, all natural!
When you do a water change, just save some for the plants

[JHansson514]

That is an excellent idea! I've certainly got plenty of fish water. How often do you fertilize the vivarium?

[Surrealasm]

I've had great luck using old fish water as fertilizer, all natural!
When you do a water change, just save some for the plants

The thought has occured to me a couple times to try this out... I still haven't though because I keep goldfish, and I hear that they produce more ammonia than normal fish do. I'll have to try this out though, because if I can save and recycle my water like that it would make me super happy.

[Surrealasm]

I'm impressed with the planted goldfish tank. I'm not an experienced vivarium grower, as I am working on my first one as well, but I would definitely let the plants grow for about a month before you put the frogs in so the roots can establish themselves. When buying the plants, usually pet stores have fairly small-sized plants for terrariums. I have found that Lowes/Home Depot have the same plants, but in a larger size, for a decent price. Starting with a larger plant will also give the plants the upper hand (at least initially). Obviously, just rinse all the dirt from the store off, and use your regular tank substrate. Plus, that month time frame allows any fertilizer that were used on the plant to dissipate. What to use to fertilize them once in the tank, I'm not sure. In addition to pythos, Bromeliads, Air Plants, Snake Plant, Ficus, and Creeping Fig are some other options that I have read members talk about frequently for White's. Black Jungle Terrarium Supply - The Natural Choice! is a good website to look at plants. I don't necessarily agree with all their recommendations, but it will show you what's available. With a planted tank it is a good idea to have either a false bottom or a drainage layer (with LECA being the recommendation). Hope that helps a bit. I'd love to see a picture when you're finished.

Thanks for all the info, I had been reaching similar conclusions but you filled in a couple gaps in my research.

Of course I'll get some pictures up here when I'm done.