light / heat confusion ?!?

[dadmccabe]

WOW, Thanks Don!..Makes sense. I have not felt confident w/ the 40W OR the UTH suggestions by pet store ppl. I will take your advice..

Quick questoin re: substrates: I have coco husk, and exo-terra's Moss Matt.. can't decide which to use. You mention "drainage layer" AND "the substrate" ...I don't see many ppl include BOTH layers in tank setups.. will coco husk serve as both layers? should I be using a combo??

[DonLisk]

Are you going to include live plants?
A drainage layer is use to allow excess water or over misting to drain through the soil, preferably Eco Earth or Plantation Soil, into the drainage layer made of gravel, or hydroballs, or a false bottom made from eggcrate (lighting louvers).

If the husk is chunks, then it is a potential impaction hazard to your frog. It is hard for the frog to remove things from its mouth once they bite it, so they swallow the materials. Eco Earth and Plantation Soil are easily digested and passed through the body but the chunks and bark type items are not.... as small stones are not.

Here, many people use a drainage layer but find ways to hide it. I don't have a tank that doesn't have a drainage layer of some sort. If you over mist you end up with soaking nasty soil. If the soil drains into a drainage layer, it will either collect or evaporate. If it collects you simply slide a small hose down into it once its deep enough and siphon it off.

If you decide on a drainage layer you will need to separate the drainage layer from the substrate with a piece of substrate screen or window screen.

Now, if your planning to upgrade the tank soon, then you can get away with the Moss Mat for now since it should hold moisture for keeping humidity.

Here is a pic of the 12x12x12 that I have set up with a basic stone drainage layer, plantation soil, and one plant that has tripled in the tank since set up. Note that this is not the ideal setup for a tree frog since there is little climbing vines and branches for the frog.
I only add water to the bottom and it maintains 50 percent humidity with a Reveal Bulb and a piece of plexi glass covering 3/4 of the top. This was when it was initially put together so the plants are more grown in now.

[dadmccabe]

that looks amazing. Wow.. I was going to add one or two small live plants, however thought they might stay potted. Again, I'm not quite sure how to clean an enclosure w/ "rooted" plant life.. I totally understand the drainage layer now - thanks! I will most likely use hydro balls / screen / plantation soil combo b/c I'm wary of water "sitting" on the glass below the eggcrate. Wait... I can siphon, right?? hmmm... what to do...

Anyway, back to the top... is your light sitting right on top of the clear plexi? It there a hole cut? will heat emit thru the acrylic like that? will the metal melt the plexi?? Are you using the 15w daylight 6500 ??

I would love to set mine up same way (I work w/ pvc, plexi, acrylic, etc all day long - so I have access to materials / machinery for cutting)

[DonLisk]

If your using compact florescent lighting then you can place the light right on top of the plexi. If the tank is getting to hot, then you just raise the light. My plexi warps slightly and occasionally I just flip it over to start the warping the other direction. If it is cut correctly to size then it shouldn't warp.

If you use too intense a bulb then you may cause plexi to melt but then use glass instead. The whole idea behind covering part of the top is to help keep the humidity in. An open top loses humidity fast and a light of any sort burns off the humidity too.

as for the plants and a tank like above, there is not real maintenance except cleaning glass and spot picking up droppings since the droppings you don't see will fertilize plants. If you use plants, then they must be rinsed off completely including the fertilized soil. You just replant into the plantation soil and use the 6500K daylight bulb for the plants.

I think your going to find your frog is going to grow out of that tank quickly. I had 4 WTFs in a 18x18x24H Zoo Med and it never seemed like enough for them since they were extremely active at night.

Here is a pic of that viv: