My first vivarium build

[deranged chipmunk]

Which brings me to all of my questions:

1. Is waiting and growing plants in a "trial" terrarium a good idea, and will i have any problems transplanting them into a new larger tank once I have it prepared?

a trial terrarium is an awesome idea. it gives you the time to work out the kinks in the system, but remember, every tank is different and the bigger tank will have a separate set of issues that you will need to tweak on. as far as transplanting, as long as conditions are extremely similar to each other, the plants will have zero acclimation time. but if not you may see some die off and regrowth. transplanting from one viv to the other is not like taking a plant from the supplier and sticking it into a high humidity environment, unless it's going from on extreme to another, like 60% humidity to 90% humidity.

2. If I am planning on waiting a little bit to put the frog into the terrarium anyway, would it be better to get one now and just quarantine it until I am sure the tank is at the perfect settings?

i wait to get my frogs until i finish their PERMANENT home. then give them 30 days in quarantine while i tweak the viv out. putting them in quarantine now and them putting them in the smaller tank until you move them to the bigger tank will just cause unneeded stress on them with the second move. you can always purchase now and quarantine until the permanent home is ready. 30 days is just a guideline. they can be in the quarantine tank longer, provided their needs are properly met in it.

1. As far as springtails go, since they are like a "janitor" should I get them now in the tank without the frogs or wait until the frogs are available as well so the population of springtail is kept under control?

2. if this is not their permanent home, i wouldn't bother with springtails in it., unless you want to go through the extra step to remove the substrate and soak it in water to remove the springtails (they float) and transfer them to the permanent frog home. i would seed the permanent home for 30 days to let them get established, and keep a culture ongoing at all times. tha way, when the frogs devour the ones in the viv, you can add more.

3. What is the best way to create a pond within the terrarium and is it even worth it for the aesthetic effect?

   ponds are easy to create and can be accomplished in a multitude of ways. they can be as complex or as simple as you are comfortable with. they do create more maintenance. only you can decide if it is worth it for the aesthetic effect. i love a naturalistic looking viv, so all my tanks have water in them.