Exo-Terra Background Issue

[DonLisk]

How close are yo to Portsmouth NH? Here is a link to a whites Tree Frog tank i did some time back.... http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...se-bottom.html
Fairly easy and inexpensive to do once you have the tank and they love the Brom for perching and sleeping in.

[HerpDerp]

How close are yo to Portsmouth NH? Here is a link to a whites Tree Frog tank i did some time back.... http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...se-bottom.html
Fairly easy and inexpensive to do once you have the tank and they love the Brom for perching and sleeping in.

That's too funny that you linked that. Someone else (don't remember who) linked that to me when I first got my exo-terra. I did end up doing a false bottom. I posted about it on here after I did it actually. I used that post as a guide, so thank you for that helpful post . And I do have a few plants, including a brom that they love perching on! And Portsmouth isn't too far from me actually... only about two hours. I have been known to occasionally smuggle pets from NH to Maine (certain aquatic inverts..) LOL.

And now for the pictures of the tank!


This is the back corner that he usually sits in during the day. That's where he's been accessing the back.

He really jams himself back there! Not sure how he manages to squeeze in. As you can see, the paper towel didn't do much! Also, don't mind the rogue cat hair... they seem to be everywhere!

And the whole enclosure! I really like the way the plants look in there... although that dracaena in the front doesn't look so good. The pothos is another story. That thing just wont stop growing! I'm hoping eventually that entire side of the tank will be lined with pothos. I can put some good suction cup hooks on the side to attach the vines to. So for tonight I've just pulled the top of the background forward a bit so he can get in and out easier. Better than getting stuck anyways. Thankfully Lrrr prefers sleeping in the dracaena in the back so I don't have to worry about him getting in there. I have some more fake plants that I could stick all over the back to make a makeshift background if need be. Ideas?

[Benedicta]

Hi michelle
I dun have those designed backgrounds from exoterra...i prefer the normal ones...makes my work easy though

Anyways...what i do with my newer setups is i just silicone the styro to the glass...and seal up all the holes i can find...
just so that theres no chances of bugs or frogs getting lost inside.
Not so big a problem as when u want to change your design later, u can just slice it off with a sharp blade...

Well for me that's not a big problem though...

[deranged chipmunk]

I think the Sphagnum is a capital idea, but i think tearing it down and building a "don lisk special" is the way to go, especially since you said you planned on changing background anyway i firmly believe that Glurmo is telling you the styrofoam has got to go!! Lol

Btw, Don, Portsmouth is a nifty little town. Well, at least the main drag is. I got to spend a week in Kittery a few years back when my brother in law was stationed up there. Cold though....wow!! Lol

Michelle, shame on you for smuggling!! I would never even dream of transporting shrimp over state lines....like i did friday....lol

[HerpDerp]

I've thought a lot about it and I'm just going to take the background out tonight. That will give me a good 2 inches of extra space anyways. And I'll stick the fake plants to the back wall for now and then possibly get the exo-terra tree fern background? Haven't decided yet. I don't really have a good secondary home for the frogs so I can do a foam background or anything so it has to be a quick thing. But if I made a drip wall it would keep the tree fern panels really damp so they would grow ferns and what not. I think it would look pretty nifty. And the left wall of the tank is well on its way to being covered by my pothos, not sure how well you can tell from the picture. It has roots that have pushed all the way through the false bottom seeking water! I've never seen pothos grow so well!

And Bill, It's so hard to resist smuggling when Maine's laws are so strict and NH is so close and so lenient with their exotic pets... My bamboo shrimp was the coolest addition to my aquarium! Really wish still had an aquarium!

[deranged chipmunk]

Tree fern panels and a drip wall will look cool i'm still a big fan of Don's method. What did you use to quarantine Lrrr in? Is it big enough to house them for a week?

I don't blame you at all. In my case, it's not laws, but availability. The only lfs around that has freshwater shrimp is across the bridge in jersey. Funny, we have some of the finest reef shops in the tri state area, but for planted folk? Pickin's are slim.

[HerpDerp]

I used a 10 gallon tank to quarantine Lrrr. I don't know if I would want to do that for a week. How long would the frogs need to stay in it if I used silicone to attach the tree fern panels? I'm also thinking I want to line the bottom of the tank with live moss too. I just love how it looks and it will help with humidity. I'm constantly battling with humidity. Thankfully I'm able to mist several times a a day.

My tank is a definite SLOW work in progress. When I'm ready for a rebuild I think I'll start a thread to get some good ideas. I already have a couple good ideas... but we'll see where it goes! I'm thinking I should get it totally planned out and figure out how I can do with as quickly as possible. Hopefully I can manage to only have my froggies in a separate tank for a few days!