Gray Tree Frog Vivarium Suggestions?

[kmichael55]

Working on (researching and planning) a vertical vivarium for my Gray tree frog. Can't wait to start building.

I'm planning on using an upright 10G (is this enough room? would a 20G Long be better? I have access to one but kind of want to leave it open for something else) like the vertical poison dart frog enclosures but with the front door mainly made of screen.

I'm planning on using bamboo, fake vines made of vinyl tubing and a pretty awesome fake (rattling) antler as a "tree." For live plants I want to use Pothos or Philodendron and moss on the bottom, maybe a bromeliad? (is this a good idea?) I want as many plants as possible, good sturdy ones that she can hang out on. What would you suggest?

I'm planning on doing a black Pond & Stone Great Stuff/silicone background. Can I paint the great stuff before siliconing??

I'm going to leave part of the background un-great stuffed and paint the back side of the glass to create a "sky" (Thanks for the ideas, Heatheranne and flybyferns!)

I was going to section off a bottom of the tank with another piece of siliconed in glass to create a half water/half land environment and I really wanted to do a waterfall/trickle down the background but can't really figure out how to do it easily/cheaply.

Phew, many questions sorry! Thanks for any advice you can give!!

[nos187]

Working on (researching and planning) a vertical vivarium for my Gray tree frog. Can't wait to start building.

I'm planning on using an upright 10G (is this enough room? would a 20G Long be better? I have access to one but kind of want to leave it open for something else) like the vertical poison dart frog enclosures but with the front door mainly made of screen.

I am not to familiar with the size or habits of the grey tree frog but IMO 10gal is small for any frog. I would recommend the 20g long and use the 10gal for future growout tanks. You could put some plants in there to grow while you construct your vivariums. Just an idea, i think 10gal may be to small though. My .02

I'm planning on using bamboo, fake vines made of vinyl tubing and a pretty awesome fake (rattling) antler as a "tree." For live plants I want to use Pothos or Philodendron and moss on the bottom, maybe a bromeliad? (is this a good idea?) I want as many plants as possible, good sturdy ones that she can hang out on. What would you suggest?

I agree, philodendron and porthos would definitely be a good idea for them. And yes you may consider some bromeliads as well. They seem to be pretty sturdy. I think the key thing here for tree frogs would be branchy wood features. Lots of sticks for climbing, it will help you use all the dead space in the tank. You can go to a local forest where they do not spray pesticides and find a few nice pieces. Make sure to treat the wood by baking or bleach. I am sure there is a thread about that somewhere on this forum. Try the search function.

I'm planning on doing a black Pond & Stone Great Stuff/silicone background. Can I paint the great stuff before siliconing??

I am not sure why you would paint the greatstuff before siliconing. Generally speaking, after you apply the great stuff and it cures you will chizzle out all the big blobs and carve some areas how you like. Then apply the silicone to an area. Add coco fiber over the silicone and allow to cure.

I'm going to leave part of the background un-great stuffed and paint the back side of the glass to create a "sky" (Thanks for the ideas, Heatheranne and flybyferns!)

I want pictures =) Could be cool!

I was going to section off a bottom of the tank with another piece of siliconed in glass to create a half water/half land environment and I really wanted to do a waterfall/trickle down the background but can't really figure out how to do it easily/cheaply.

I really wouldnt recommend doing a water feature. They take up to much space, end up breaking within a few months, and its a huge hassel for little reward. Plus i am pretty sure tree frogs have no need for them. IMO

Phew, many questions sorry! Thanks for any advice you can give!!

Hope this helped some. Be sure to take your time and do everything right the first time. I would recommend starting a build thread and posting pictures between steps so you can get support and ideas. It really helped my first build.

More questions? Feel free.
Cant wait to see the build! Enjoy!

[Rae]

I have 3 Greys...a 10gallon is ok for 1 but too small for 2, however this only applies if it is a 10 gallon tall. Tree frogs need height and 24" is recommended...

Rule of thumb is 1 frog per 10gallons but larger breeds might need more. Like Whites tree frogs should have a bigger home.

[kmichael55]

Check this out:
How to make a waterfall (rainforest edition)

The guy has a ton of really cool tank feature ideas/instructions. This waterfall especially is what makes me want to paint the great stuff.

[nos187]

Hey,

I've seen that video before. His waterfall turned out amazing.
Actually, i was in the exact same predicament you are in about 1 year ago.
I tried duplicating this video and it was not so hot lol. I ended up scratching everything
because the water wouldnt flow right and it kept leaking and was just a huge pain
in the BUTT! lol.

I really do like the way his rocks came out though. Although, i am not sure how
well you could paint greatstuff. You would have to experiment with it.
Possibly take a piece of cardboard and spray some great stuff on it and
test painting it on there. But remember you have to seal all the painting stuff
with silicone. Otherwise, it will bleed into your frogs environment. If you
do try this.. POST PICTURES - I want to see lol.

If you want a rocky background, you could always silicone the rocks onto
great stuff instead of the coco fiber. A mix between rock, cork bark, and
cocofiber could lead to a very interesting background. Something i am starting
to notice with my background is that after a year or so... you dont even
see the background anymore. It is so covered in plants that i feel like i
wasted so much time to not even see it anymore.

As for the tank, yeah you could probably get away with a 10gal. But
bigger is always better. Just remember, you may have 20" but after
you put in a false bottom and soil.. you may only have 14"-16"
depending.

Fuel for thought =)

-Kevin

[kmichael55]

That waterfall is waaaay more than I want to attempt or would have room for in a 10 gallon.

Does anyone else who keeps grays have any input on a water dish/water area? They don't need all that much humidity apparently, and if I do include one I want to make it "permanent" rather than an afterthought.

I think I will use real rocks in combination with trying to paint, moss, coco fiber, whatever else I decide to stick in there... I'm making another (not vertical, flipped so the 20 X 12 side is the bottom/footprint) for my Tomato frog so there's even more room for variety (I want them to have different looks/feels)

If the paint works out I'll use many coats of silicone like that guy did on his waterfall for extra VOC sealage.

Speaking of, whats the best way to spread it? On the tube it says to smooth it with a spoon dipped in soapy water, any other tips? I never would have thought of that one on my own.

Definitely going to document the process, the Pond & Stone Great Stuff says 'expect one time use' and it is 11.50 a can, so I want to have everything thoroughly planned before I open it. I'm getting pretty antsy to get started though.

[kmichael55]

Kevin- Thanks for all the advice, I have been reading so much on here and it's hard to resist asking questions about my tank in someone else's thread, so I made my own.

I'm thinking about painting to add dimension, probably gray to make the black great stuff look like rocks. I've seen some areas in backgrounds without the coco fiber and it looks like shiny/wet rock... I also want to press moss into the silicone. (Probably going to use more coco fiber in my false tomato viv)

Yeah, the 10G would give her 20" and the 20G long 30" ... it's more for ease of fitting into my stands but I'm also wondering how sturdy the tank would be like that, if my cat would knock it over trying to sit on top and etc. I really can't decide... I could always get her a mate if I made it bigger and would have more room for plants, but I would need a new stand.

[Heatheranne]

Here is the rest of his web site. I love his ideas! I found this site last year. You can pretty much make any design you want with his technique .

http://www.lizard-landscapes.com/

You could create a waterfall down your wall and paint it like he does. Instead of having a water reservoir as part of the waterfall, allow the water to run down into the bottom of the tank into larger rocks. Lay fiberglass screening across a layer between the rocks to keep any substrate out. Make a corner eggcrate area to house the filter/waterfall pump. (this is my next plan for mine . You can also create a false bottom instead of rocks. Here are a couple pictures I found to show you.

[kmichael55]

Thanks! I've got this build bookmarked on dendroboard (not sure if both are from the same thread, I recognize the second pic)
Which is also where I found this link:
New England Herpetoculture LLC - Custom Backgrounds

I think I'm scrapping the idea of a waterfall in either viv, and will probably just settle on an airstone in the tomato frog's water dish.

Do you think I should scrap the water feature altogether in the gray viv? Perhaps I'll foam in the piece of tubing and just manually trickle water down it when I want to lol. Pumps are expensive and I want to get foaming!

I've got another realllly cool idea but it's also kind of complicated. Perhaps I'll unveil it if I decide to actually go through with it.



OK, can't resist...LED "stars" somehow for twilight lighting!!

[nos187]

Thanks! I've got this build bookmarked on dendroboard (not sure if both are from the same thread, I recognize the second pic)
Which is also where I found this link:
New England Herpetoculture LLC - Custom Backgrounds

I think I'm scrapping the idea of a waterfall in either viv, and will probably just settle on an airstone in the tomato frog's water dish.

Do you think I should scrap the water feature altogether in the gray viv? Perhaps I'll foam in the piece of tubing and just manually trickle water down it when I want to lol. Pumps are expensive and I want to get foaming!

I've got another realllly cool idea but it's also kind of complicated. Perhaps I'll unveil it if I decide to actually go through with it.



OK, can't resist...LED "stars" somehow for twilight lighting!!

I wouldnt bother with a waterfall unless you really know what your doing.
They never seem to work right in my experience.

Oh and it seems you have been bitten by the bug =)
Welcome to the addiction.
-Kevin

[kmichael55]

Oh and it seems you have been bitten by the bug =)
Welcome to the addiction.
-Kevin

Ha. there's a frog joke in there somewhere...but yes you are absolutely correct.
Last night I completely missed the movie we were watching because although I appeared to be watching, my mind was 100% on vivarium possibilites, lol.

I have a waterfall in my tiny (less than 50G) outdoor pond for my Red Eared Slider, but it's a lot easier when you have the whole backyard and aren't working inside a glass box.

[deranged chipmunk]

great stuff, silicone, cocoa fiber and a wee bit of planning and voila, you have a waterfall. as far as cost, i spent $8 more than i would have without doing it.

if you decide on keeping the idea of a water feature, might as well go for the pond as well. i mean, we build the upper part of the tank for them, and they rarely use the bottom, i just look at it as the bottom of the tank is for me to look at.

[Heatheranne]

Looking good .

(I'll be making a waterfall in my next build. I'll post a thread as I go.)

[kmichael55]

Here's after the second can of G.S. (gaps and cracks this time) It expanded WAY more. Going to have to carve quite a bit out of the vertical/upright one.

[kmichael55]

First experiment with cocofiber/silicone. I didn't have much time but have been reeeeallly anxious to get started. (PS I guess I forgot about the fact that silicone won't stick to cured silicone so hopefully I'll be easily able to cover the bare spots :\)




Here's my first attempt at a vinyl tubing vine (again with the non-full coverage of silicone...darn it.) Harder and messier than I thought it would be:

[kmichael55]

Too bad I already bought 3 extra tubes of silicone, I would probably try with black or brown because of this.

I still want to paint the "rocks" going up the side black/gray (after some more research/practice on carving G.S.) and the background as sky. Getting paint from work today so I can do it tomorrow on my day off.

[deranged chipmunk]

You can try using titebond iii wood glue to cover up bald spots. I have recently had success with it on top of silicone in my paludarium build

[Kellbri]

I just wanted to let you know that i just converted my 20 gallon long tank into an upright tank for my white tree frog and i have only had her in it for just over 3 weeks, I love it but i had the heat lamp up off the glass about 3-4 inches just like i was told and the glass is now cracked. I am so made cause i have payed all the money and time to do this and now i am putting her back into a small tank until i can figure something out.

[deranged chipmunk]

I just wanted to let you know that i just converted my 20 gallon long tank into an upright tank for my white tree frog and i have only had her in it for just over 3 weeks, I love it but i had the heat lamp up off the glass about 3-4 inches just like i was told and the glass is now cracked. I am so made cause i have payed all the money and time to do this and now i am putting her back into a small tank until i can figure something out.

actually, the thought of putting a heat source up above the tank where nice, cold condensation forms from the humidity in the tank doesn't really sound too smart to me. i would have put an uth on the back about midway up the tank. it would probably not have cracked that way, unless you have a water feature running down the back in which case put the uth on the side. i've seen more cracked tanks in the fish forums due to heaters than anything else. i always tell people than when planning where to put your heater, think about whether or not you would throw boiling hot water on your frozen windshield to thaw the ice off, then reverse the situation (hot windshield, cold water) and that is what you are doing to your tank when that heater kicks in.

[Kellbri]

ok so what should i do for the heat? What is a uth? All i was ever told is to use a heat lamp. Do you have a better idea for heat cause i am working on getting another conversion once i get another 20 long and i don't want to crack another tank. I do not have any type of water feature in the tanks just a water dish.