The Build

[Meefloaf]

hey guys, been pestering you for awhile now, got almost everything i need to get started, so on sunday i did. It's an exo terra 60x45x60

I'm still between milk frogs and whites tree frogs, 90%milk frogs, depending on their availability when i get to that stage, i've had a look around and their requirments from an enclosure are fairly similar. I've changed my enclosure idea, i've been advised that whites dont care too much for tree fern/coco backgrounds and will spend most of their time on glass leaves or branches and try to avoid the tree fern/coco, so i have bought myself five pieces of cork bark to cover most of the back and sides (get discount so only cost me £5 for each large section and they are massive). I'll be using expanding foam on top of the silicone, placing my bark, sumba veined vines and plant pots into the foam, for the foam thats in the gaps i will be rockoflex'n and then plastidip'n the foam before adding tree fern to make it look nice. Side note, the plant pots will have aquarium tubing siliconed onto the base to help them drain into the drainage layer, this is where the question comes in, should i run a 6mm aquarium tube up the back of the tank so i can siphon the water from the drainage layer, or do i stick a bit of 1/2 inch pond flexi hose in the corner at the front with a cap on it and turkey baster the water out should it rise too much. here's a few pics of the cork bark and my siliconed tank, missed the top corners, going to finish them when the next tube arrives, you may also notice one side is less siliconed, thats the side i'll be putting my heat matt on







and here's an example of the 2 bits of wood i've bought to be used for the guys to climb, its gorgeous, cant find ghostwood over here tho really wanted that too

[DartfrogDan]

good luck,i need a couple more things before i can start mine

[tglynn]

looks good, I'll be following. I can say that my milkies are ALWAYS on my background, love to climb it.

[Meefloaf]

any advice on the siphon tube ? should i run it up the back behind the background or should i put it in the front with a cap on ?

[DartEd]

Designers preference. Put where you feel it's most convenient and easy to hide. . Good luck with the build

[Meefloaf]

just playing round with the layout today





going to possibly stick a plant pot where the vertical piece of wood is and a trailing one at the edge of the horizontal vine

[Mentat]

any advice on the siphon tube ? should i run it up the back behind the background or should i put it in the front with a cap on ?

Not sure if you are done with siphon tube already, but would set a long 1 in. clear riser tube (like one's in undergravel filters) on back corner to 1 in. from top and capped to prevent bugs getting in. Also, would set the lower end into a piece of foam (similar to aquarium foam filters) to prevent clogging. Then you can easily remove cap and insert a 6mm. or even bigger aquarium tube when draining water is required. Good luck !

[maxQ]

Oh I love Milk Frogs, they are one of my favorites but tier availability out my way is scarse. I have ordering on line, I like to hand pick but I keep looking. I cant wait to see your finnished product.

[Meefloaf]

did a bit of foaming just now to get the vine in place, ended up forgetting to put the tube up the back d'oh, but should be able to get away with it on the back left side. thank you for the advice my good man

as for milkies, can mail order but i'd prefer to see them in person and i definitely want to get them young so i can see them grow up aha

[Meefloaf]

[Meefloaf]

right, been a very tiring work week, got a week off now so got the 'rockoflex' done today, it's a german product similar to grout but gives the expanding foam a great look before being sealed etc, also great for making fake rocks and ponds etc.

[deranged chipmunk]

very cool. it's coming along nicely! can't wait to see it planted. what kind of fern is going on there?

[Meefloaf]

Dunno yet, I'll be honest, plants arnt my greatest strength. Been looking at a few, Boston fern keeps popping up, any recommendations for one for milk frogs?

[deranged chipmunk]

boston ferns grow huge. but are pretty ferns. i have a soft spot for maidenhair ferns, but some of them get large as well. check out Nephrolepis exaltata 'suzi wong". it's a sweet little fern that stays pretty small. if you want something with a bit of color, a japanese painted fern is nice and with proper pruning, can be trained to stay small. all will be suitable for milk frogs. in fact, as far as ferns go, the frogs won't really care...lol

[Meefloaf]

Awesome, thanks for the advice man, much appreciated

[Meefloaf]

here's one place i'm looking at getting plants from they are highly recommended over here Houseplant, terrarium items in Terra World Tropicals store on eBay!

[deranged chipmunk]

they have some nice stuff. one of the few ebay vendors that i have seen that carry lithops. cool little plant for a desert viv. i can't say whether their prices are reasonable or not since i don't know the current conversion rate.

[Meefloaf]

well most places sell plants for under a fiver really. if you buy proper houseplants from the store its gonna be 15+ depending on what you buy, so they are reasonable

[deranged chipmunk]

if their prices are reasonable, then i say go for it. find a few plants you like and order til your wallet can't take anymore....lol

[Meefloaf]

I can't wait to make it pretty