18x18x24 Vivarium Inhabitants

[Tobiascole]

I have a 28 gal. exo terra tall vivarium that I want filled. It has a tropical/semi tropical setup and can and will be modified and changed if it seems fit. I have sphagnum moss and jade and some weed from my yard that I am unsure of. There is a water feature with a waterfall and an upper area with a hide. Criticize and comment as much as you want. I have had reptiles/amphibians for almost a year now and am feeling confident in my skills.

This is an overview of the tank. Not very good. all pics were taken in the middle of the night.



Right side. Here you can see some of my wood and the big jade I have in there. also in the corner by the succulent with pointy leaves are the little weeds I found in my yard.



Left side. Here you can see small jade cuttings and sphagnum moss in the corner of the tank. High up is a little hide I made out of a hollowed out jade trunk. It dries out and shrivels up a little after it is first made but works great.



This is the soon to be water section. When setting this up I completely forgot to cover up the waterfall with rocks but when I realized I just left it. It looks rather ugly now but when it has water in it I think it won't look so bad. there are little stones at the bottom of the waterfall to stimulate what would actually be at the bottom of a waterfall. I plan on putting in aquatic plants but am unsure what to put in. This is a new field to me and I was hoping you guys could help me on that. water level will be in between 4.5 and 5.5 inches.





I was wondering what you think could go in here. Whether it be plant or creature, it does not matter. I wish to have a new creature/s added to my collection and am wanting something that might climb but is also aquatic. Thank you.

[ColleenT]

well i know that mossy frogs like water and climbing but they are hard to find and expensive. Most tree frogs would enjoy a setup with water and limbs. looks good.

[LilyPad]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news...you cannot make that into a tropical or semi tropical environment, all of your plants will die. You would either need to change out the plants, or have heavy circulation and a species of animal that tolerates a dry environment. You also have to look at the toxin factor in the jade plant. It's toxic to cats and dogs, I am not sure about frogs, you will have to look into that. It's a beautiful jade plant though and would look nice on a shelf in your house if you want to transition to tropical plants.

[Tobiascole]

Thank you Amy but I have had some experience with succulents and jade in a terrarium. It was used for my anoles for many months and they had no problem with it. My FBTs have no problem with it so I thought they seemed to be a good addition. The reason I chose succulents is because they are a group of plants that are very tolerant to a lot of things. I have done multiple experiments with them and they have proven their worth. Succulents can be ripped in half and planted again and there is still a chance they can grow again. Most succulents come from dry and arid conditions but there are many tropical succulents as well. But Amy, if you had any other plants in mind could you please tell me so I can use them in absence of what I have.

[Tobiascole]

ColleenT, I was looking into gray tree frogs and if I switch out some of the plants and do a little rearranging, I could make it work for some tree frogs. Thank you for your input.

[LilyPad]

The levels of humidity required for the care of most tree frogs and the care of those plants differ greatly. You are compromising the health of one or the other by putting them together. I can tell you with certainty also, that grey tree frogs would kill most of those plants. I have issues keeping the heartiest plants in one piece with my grey tree frogs. And again, you have the toxicity factor to take into consideration...I'm not sure if a tree frog would be adversely affected if a cricket chewed on the jade plant and then was eaten by the frog. There are a plethora of plants that would thrive in a tropical-subtropical vivarium though. In my grey tree frog viv, I have ficus pumila, pothos, dracaenas, caladium, and 2 different mosses. That's what I have grown successfully while caring for a bulldozer of a frog like greys. If you want a tropical viv, you would have to go with a more tropical frog.

I would recommend reading this - Frog Forum - Choosing a Frog and from there read specific care sheets and ask questions about the frogs you're interested in

[Tobiascole]

Thank you. I just got some new plants from the store and am ready to rearrange everything. I'm going to take away the water feature and instead have a large bowl. There will be plants everywhere.

[Tobiascole]

These are the plants I bought at the store. There is Ivy and a palm relative and a bromeliad relative. Unsure of the other 2. Water feature is taken away. Replaced with a bowl. I think this might be good for darts. I will research more about the care requirements and such.

[LilyPad]

Lovely! You may want to check out this thread - http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...ion-101-a.html It will give you a lot of ideas on how to jazz up your viv and care for the plants within it. You're on the right track! Anyone who does research before buying is awesome in my book .

I believe the plant in the back that looks like a bromeliad is a pineapple dracaena. It's lighter colored than mine, but looks the same.

[Tobiascole]

Thank you! Your the best!

[Tobiascole]

Ive decided against dart frogs, as they are a bit over my budget. I was just wondering if 2 AGTFs could go in the tank. Thank you for any answers

[ColleenT]

i would think that size would be ok for 2 of them.

[DigitalPunk]

Yes 18x18x24 will house to of the AGTF. But Darts! Really think about your frog purchase. You will have them as pets for 10-20 yrs if you take good care of them. Tree frogs sleep during the day mostly so viewing them is not a option unless you go shining a light on them at night.

Pick a frog you want and research, save, and plan (not in that order). Get the frog you want not the one you can afford right now.

[Tobiascole]

But Paul I want them all! I could never decide on just the one. Over the past year I have slowly been expanding my collection and I think that when I'm older I will have quite the collection. I just got in touch with one of my dad's friends. He's a former reptile seller that still breeds reptiles but does not sell them. I almost got a tortoise from him once. But I've asked him for advice about the care of what I have and tips for how to care for them. I will certInly take your advice on the save plan research, and over the next few weeks I could sAve up for 2-4 darts. Thank you!