Terrarium waterfall

[dani333]

I’m setting up a new terrarium for my red eye tree frog the size is 18x18x18 inches and i wanted to add a waterfall. I was thinking about the zoo med naturalistic waterfall that you create your self where the water runs threw hydro balls and they recommend a layer of eco earth on top. But I’m worried about cleanliness, how would I clean the terrarium and how often. Right now I’m using paper towels because it was a baby and clean up was easy. I have all fake plants now should i get live plants (what kind). or do you recommend a different waterfall set up. Also how many red eyes can I put in my set up. Thanks

[Kurt]

Two or three, maybe.

[hype28]

I have the same tank. Beware the natural waterfall kit! I followed the directions and ended up with brown water that turned black that fostered fungus. I am still working on a solution to the brown water issue!

Right now I have 1/4 of the tank with rocks, a divider and the rest with the hydroballs and substrate so there is a pond on one side. I have a 501 Zoomed Filter, but still brown water! (photo attached - before the water turned brown again)

My next bright idea? I am putting in the Trex Foam Log Landing for a 20 gallon aquarium Divider and *Filter between the pond and the other stuff, doing a very deep layer of rock on the opposite side, and am cutting out the coconut fiber altogether. I've not yet decided what I will replace it with, but probably larger coconut fiber pieces that can be better rinsed out. My hope is the rock on the opposite side will be so high that leaching will be far less likely!

If that does not work, I may try a revised version of another post and use a plastic sheet and silicon to make a water-tight seal between the sections. I don't want to do this, as it will be difficult to get that out if I ever want to change the layout again, but we shall see how succesfull my foam log divider idea is! The foam goes in Friday evening.

[Iceni]

I was thinking if i went the exo terra route of having the bottom of the tank drilled so i can use a sump tank like they use with a Reef setup.

The setup with a drilled tank would be pretty simple, Hole in the bottom of the tank with a sink plug fitting. Short tube out of the bottom of that with a sock of fine material to catch debris. All into a smaller slave tank with a high pressure pump in it.

Back in the main tank you would have to raise the Substrate on a fine mesh with a frame. Other than that you would be free to invent the interior without the need to make allowances for pumps.

As for the plastic divide idea I've done a few now. They work very very well, But make sure you use the correct silicone, and if your holding a large volume of water back then brace it correctly. To remove a plastic divide done in this way you twist the divide out then cut the silicone off the glass with a scalpel or stanley knife blade. The only hard part is getting silicone off the other silicone, but in most cases it should just pull away if your gentle. A word of warning, Cut the corners on the plastic divide so they avoid the tanks silicone seal all together, then Back fillt he hole with a good thickness bead of silicone. If you cut away at the tank silicone thinking you need them corners to be tight you may end up with a leaking tank!!!

[Tropicok]

I bought the zoo med waterfall kit but haven't used it yet. It's puzzling why the water is brown unless it's from the dark hydroballs included. There are clay colored ones which I know do not cause anything but clear water. Can't imagine the pump, tubing and elbow thingee would cause discoloration. And I'm like you, I don't like to make things permanent because I know I'll want to change it at some point. Looks like it's gonna be unavoidable tho'. It's that the fun of this hobby? Otherwise we'd be just staring at the same old plants and frog forever.

[Kurt]

The coconut bedding turns the water reddish brown. I have never know it to be a problem however.

[hype28]

It is definitely a problem with a waterfall. The brown/black water plus high humidity and splashing = a film of brown all over the glass and everything in the terrarium that looks awful. I do not know how the fungus come to play and it may have been a coincidence, but I can't help but believe that the filthy habitat was conducive to letting it grow. The hydroballs are supposed to act as a natural filter, so I gave it three months and it was unbearable. It has been going with the filtration system for three weeks and it is still growing darker, which is why I am up for a redesign!

[John]

The hydroballs act as a biological filter for nitrogenous waste - they don't filter the particulate matter in the water, which is what the red material is (from the coconut fibre). Whatever way you've set up your substrate is incorrect - if you do it right, the coconut fibre is not sitting in water, but above it. That way it's always moist but not soaking in water. The water in the base of my dartfrog terraria is only slightly tinted, and the older terraria have crystal clear, untinted water.

[SludgeMunkey]

Some of that coarse filter foam for aquariums can solve your issues. A block of this open celled foam in front of the intake keeps the coir from gumming up the works. A piece of it on the outtake disturbs the flow just enough to reduce or eliminate splashing. Another trick you can use specific to your enclosure is a wad of Java moss or a block of the filter foam in the water feature slightly above the surface placed so that the waterfall pours on to it will kill your splashes too.

Yet another trick you can employ is a bit of work with some more ledges in your waterfall to keep the water from dropping so far before hitting the surface, thus splashing.