29 Gallon Long PDF Build <My Sons Tank>

[deranged chipmunk]

That's gonna look sweet!!!

[DigitalPunk]

While my Son was gone tonight I went to Home Depot and bought the poor mans tank stand and moved his tank up to his room.




Here is one where you can see the cheap stand. 6 Cinder blocks and some MDF cut to size. I had the scrap pieces of MDF cut to fit under the Cinder blocks so they didn't chew up the floor.



When he got home he put in the substrate and leaf litter. We boiled some river rocks and he put them in the water.



Here is the finished product. He is out of money so now he is saving to buy a couple plants to put in there and then we will get him a couple of frogs. We also adjusted the light after this picture so it was more centered on the tank.



Now we wait and watch the moss grow. Hopefully the waterfall/cliff thing will hold up in the long run, only time will tell.

[Laserwolf52]

That looks awesome! Totally cool to see you helping your son along with a project like this! My dad and I just finished a vivarium today for some red eyed tree frogs and its definitely a good bonding experience!

[DigitalPunk]

Thanks Nikko! We had a blast working on it together. I am kinda sad it is finished lol. We spent about an hour plant shopping online last night so he could start figuring out what plants he wants to buy. He will most likely stick with a couple Brooms and a vine plant... Maybe a small fern.

[deranged chipmunk]

Very cool! You guys did a great job with it. When one of my tanks needs a trim (soon for the white's tank) he'll have plenty of plants for that tank

[DigitalPunk]

Sweet bill! Can't wait

[DigitalPunk]

Well My dad called tonight and said he is going to order him 2 frogs this coming week for my sons tank. I tried to talk him into waiting a bit longer, but he said no lol. So here shortly my son will be the proud owner of 2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Azureus'.


I put a couple plants in his tank today and some of the left over moss from my other build.

[DigitalPunk]

Weather has finally warmed up enough for the frogs to ship. Josh's frogs just called and said we will have the 2 Azureus in hand by noon tomorrow

[deranged chipmunk]

Yay!!

[DigitalPunk]

So here it is with a few plants in it. Also the cork bark piece we were using for a hide has been replaced with a rather large split seed pod.

[ukfan1976]

I am just now seeing this thread! This looks awesome! If the frogs fall in the water how will they get out? That was one big dilemma I had building my Viv and putting the running creek in it. I ended up making the pool smaller and shallower. I will say he seems to love it when he does come out for a stroll I usually find him sitting in the middle of the creek haha.

Have you added your frogs yet? It looks awesome!

[DigitalPunk]

Frogs will be here this morning. I operate under the assumption that the frogs way deep down in their subconscious actually want to live so if they fall in the water I am betting they do everything possible to escape

The side of the tank and the rock feature are well with in reach from any place in the water. If it looks like it is going to be an issue I will put a stick or something in the eater to keep them from drowning.


I'll add pictures of the frogs once they arrive

[deranged chipmunk]

Frogs will be here this morning. I operate under the assumption that the frogs way deep down in their subconscious actually want to live so if they fall in the water I am betting they do everything possible to escape

The side of the tank and the rock feature are well with in reach from any place in the water. If it looks like it is going to be an issue I will put a stick or something in the eater to keep them from drowning.


I'll add pictures of the frogs once they arrive

They don't require survival instincts, they're amphibians. Water is not a big issue. I did a LOT of research before I built my 125 paludarium because I was going to have a foot of water in it. I could not find one first hand account of a frog drowning. Not one single account. It was always "I heard that they can drown", but never someone who actually had it happen. Both my white's and my mantellas would happily go for a swim in their tanks. Oddly enough, none drowned lol

[DigitalPunk]

Here are a couple pictures of my Sons Azureus. They look very healthy and are very active. They are working on decimating the springtail population of the tank as I type. I will wait for my son to get home from school before they are fed for the first time officially. They are gorgeous! The pictures really don't do them justice.






They are tiny! The Mantella's are bigger than these little froglets are I bet they are under 1/2 inch.

[deranged chipmunk]

Awesome!! Congrats to you and your boy!!

[DigitalPunk]

Thanks Bill! I can't wait for him to get home and see them He has been excited for the past 2 weeks since they were ordered. Now I want more Dart frogs..... Is there some kind of support class for this addiction or is the only cure to keep buying more frogs? lol

[ukfan1976]

They are super cute! He's gonna love them. What is that leaf litter you're using? Live oak?

[DigitalPunk]

Yeah it is live Oak. Chose it because it is smaller and gives them more options to hide under if they choose. Plus it is easier to cover the terrarium floor with the smaller leafs

[ukfan1976]

Cool I need to order some. Did u get them from Josh's Frogs? I looked at some on their website the other day

[deranged chipmunk]

Thanks Bill! I can't wait for him to get home and see them He has been excited for the past 2 weeks since they were ordered. Now I want more Dart frogs..... Is there some kind of support class for this addiction or is the only cure to keep buying more frogs? lol

The only fix is to build more tanks and get more frogs