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Thread: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

  1. #1
    newrkv
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    Question 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    Hey all, I have been reading up a lot on this forum and getting some input on a few things in regards to one of my Viv's, but am wanting to know the best way to monitor and maintain the 2 Viv's.


    Viv 1 : Whites Tree Frogs

    18x18x24 Exo Terra
    Coco substrate
    Styrofoam background that was included in the terrarium on purchase
    12x18 Zoo-Med Corkboard
    4 fake plants for hiding spots
    2 Grapewood pieces for climbing and aesthetics
    Sphagnum moss
    2 small water dishes with dechlorinated water
    Screen top with half covered by plastic wrap
    2 domes on top, one with a 60W Blue day bulb and a 60W Red nightlight (for heat and viewing)
    2 small 10-20 Gallon range heating pads on side

    The two domes on top are set on a timer at 12/12
    One heating pad stays on all day and the other only comes on for 12 hours during the day to raise the daytime temps

    I have successfully managed and maintained the temperature in the Viv to be around 72 at night and around 83-85 during the day

    I am having trouble with my humidity though. What are the suggested percentages for humidity for a healthy happy WTF? How do you maintain that level throughout the day and night? Right now I mist a couple of times during the day, but if I am at work or during the night when I am asleep and not able to mist right then it drops very low. The lowest I have seen it drop overnight or while I am at work is down to 20%, which I know is not good for them. Any and all suggestions on this Viv are very much appreciated! Thank you in advance.


    Viv 2 : Powder Blues

    12x12x18 Zoo-Med
    Gravel base layer, Jungle Mix mid layer, Repti Bark top layer
    Sphagnum moss
    2 Live plants
    1 piece of sterilized driftwood (bought from an aquatics/reptile store)
    1 Small water dish with dechlorinated water
    2 12" Zoo-Med fitted hoods. One with a daytime 5.0 UVB bulb and one with a nighttime red 60W bulb

    The two hoods are set on a timer at 12/12
    The temp in the Viv stays around 70-73 throughout the day and night

    The humidity in the Viv is also a battle. I thought that keeping the gravel layer on the very bottom would have helped maintain the humidity in this Viv, but it too drops if it goes sharply unmisted for a few hours. Not nearly as sharply as the WTF VIV above, but enough where it goes below the suggested 70%-100% humidity levels preferred by tincs. Since there are two hoods on the top of the Viv that cover the entire screen top, how do I keep a decent humidity level throughout the day without having to mist every couple of hours since I'm at work some of the day and asleep at night?


    Any and all help with these two setups is much appreciated. I have read a lot of info on this forum, and it is a little overwhelming with the differences depending on the thread you read as to what the best way to go about a Viv is, but I would love any help given. I just want to make sure my little guys/gals stay happy and healthy. Side note, the tincs seem to be doing very well. They feed on their fruit flies like velociraptors and hop around sporadically during the day and night. The tree frogs seem to stick to their normal MO by sleeping all day and then coming down to bath at night.

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  3. #2
    newrkv
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

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    Pic one is the Tincs Viv and pic two is the WTF Viv

  4. #3
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    Ok First you need to ditch the analog Temp/Humidity gauge. Those ware wildly inaccurate. You can get a digital temp/humidity gauge for $20 on amazon or your local pet store. Here is the one I have in my Mantella tank.

    Humidity - Nearly all light bulbs will kill humidity in a tank. A few tricks to try are as follows. ---- The red night light is a heat source and will drain the humidity fast overnight. It is best to keep the lights out when you sleep

    1. Cover 50% or more of the top with either a damp towel or plastic wrap. This will lock in more heat and humidity
    2. Add Sphagnum moss on top of the substrate. The moss can hold a lot of water and will help keep humidity up as it dries
    3. Leaf litter. Adding leaf litter will also help with humidity. Place leaf litter over the top of the moss
    4. Switch to LED lights. They are great for live plants and do not effect humidity at all. I switched to an LED light on my RETF tank and ended up having to cut back on mistings by half because the humidity just doesn't drop anymore. The LED system I bought has blue LED lights built into it to simulate moon light, though my RETF HATE any light on at night lol

    The one thing to keep in mind is there is no one way that is 100% right.

    A thing for you to keep in mind and watch for is the Grapewood. It will mold quickly in high humidity, and it will be a gray mold that is extremely bad for your frogs. It is best to replace this wood with either Malaysian Driftwood, Ghostwood, or Manzanita.

    - Frog Forum - White's Tree Frog Care - Litoria caerulea is a great read and full of useful information.

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  6. #4
    newrkv
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    I have turned off the red light for tonight and replaced it with a damp towel. The heating pad is still on. I am going to try and monitor it over the next couple of hours while I am still up and see if I can notice a positive difference. I will be taking the grapewood out tomorrow and replacing it with something else from the aquatics/reptile store up here in Providence. I have ordered the digital therm too. I should get it in a couple of days from amazon (thank god for prime! lol).

    How much are the LED light setups?

  7. #5
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    Prime is amazing

    LED Aquarium Lighting has good pricing on LED lighting. I bought mine from Petco on sale for $50ish for an 18x18x24. I love it

    They are a bit pricey, but when compared to buying a hood and bulbs + replacing the bulbs every 3 months or so it will pay for itself in short order.

  8. #6
    newrkv
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    I tried leaving the light off all night last night and just the heating pad... It worked! I woke up to normal temperatures and humidity at a good level! The lights were sucking up all the moisture right out of there! half was covered by plastic wrap, a third was covered by a damp towel, and one third was left open for ventilation.

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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    Awesome! Glad that worked out for you.

    Another tip besides using plastic is to go buy a couple cheap picture frames (under $4 each) and use the glass to cover the top.

    You can also get a glass shop to cut you some 1/8" thick glass for next to nothing. I got enough glass to cover the 36" x 18X mantella tank I have and it was about $15

  10. #8

    Default 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    Replacing the screen with glass or plexi glass is really the way to go though, if you can swing it. The screen will eventually rust and get nasty from all the humidity.

    Those led's Paul directed you to are good for cheapies. I have been using them about 4 months and I like them. They could have a better color spectrum, IMHO.

    Just a note on Paul's comment. Incandescent and some cfl's will drain the tank of humidity, but true florescents won't. The lights don't throw off much heat, maybe a few degrees. The red heating bulb will definitely heat the air up and kill off humidity.
    1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
    0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
    0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
    0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
    0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
    0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
    0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
    0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
    1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
    0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
    0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
    0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
    0.2.0 Canines
    1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
    2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
    0.1.0 Bed Bully

  11. #9
    newrkv
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    OK, new problem arising. I thought I had the humidity level and heat levels managed properly in my smaller viv that houses my two tincs. I noticed the light is also sucking up all the humidity during the night. How can I heat a smaller tinc viv without the red bulb at night? I know heating pads are bad for the tincs becuase they are so sensitive and could burn easily if they jump on that part of the viv, so im trying to figure out options. i looked into the LED lights, but I cant seem to find one that heats the viv. id prefer no lights at night since i am trying to maintain the 12/12 cycle. during the day i need a light because of the plants in that viv.

  12. #10
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    Default Re: 2 New Viv's for WTF's and Powder Blues

    No LED light will produce enough heat to heat a Viv. Look into getting a Ceramic heat Emitter and a thermostat to control it. I use the ZooMed HydroTherm (search for that on Amazon). I love that thing, but I only use it to control the temperature. Switching to LED will stop the humidity from being dried up by the lights and switching to CHE will allow you to heat the ViV 24/7 (CHE do not produce light while they heat).

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