Madagascar Mantella Paludarium

[NatureLady]

Seriously amazing! Your plants all look so healthy and happy. Of course, I'm sure your frogs are very happy too

[firebelliedtoadz]

Looks amazing!!! If i did something similar with foam and silicone, would i be able to use a razor blade and get it off, if i wanted to use the tank for fish again??

[deranged chipmunk]

thanksand absolutely

[Mentat]

Hello Bill; that is one awesome paludarium ! Just finished reading through the whole thread . Very well written and documented, thanks for sharing your secrets !

[deranged chipmunk]

thanks for the kind words carlos. i tried to make it informative, but all the while keeping it light hearted

[deranged chipmunk]

this thread gets a bump, because i got updates!! as some people know, due to housing issues, i was unable to keep this tank in my possession for 6 months. luckily, a friend stepped up and offered to care for the tank and it's inhabitants for me until i could keep them again. unfortunately, he is a turtle guy, and not a frog/plant guy, so there were some mishaps. i lost 4 of my mantellas, but still have 5 left

when i picked the tank up this past weekend, it looked like this:




mold and algae had taken over the tank, mainly due to zero ventilation. my friend was afraid of having fruit flies get out, so he had basically sealed the tank shut.

i cleaned a few things and removed the tubing vines for the rain system and had this to deal with:




yanked a bunch of plants out and sent them to a very good friend and this was what was left:


sad, huh? since i knew i was getting this tank back, i had ordered a new plant package that i was keepong alive in a mini greenhouse from ikea (love that thing!)



planted all those into the tank, added a small fern and a variegated schefflera, and this is where we are now:






















the mantellas look very happy now. they weren't quite fed properly, so they are getting fed heavily now, and should fatten up in no time. now i can sit back and watch this tank grow in while i build a new tank for my white's