Large Exoterra build for RETFs

[tinkgirl77]

Hello everyone! I purchased a super sized 36 x 36 x 18 exo terra about a year ago for my 5 agalychnis callidryas. They are my little gems and I would love to be able to display them in a beautiful vivarum! This will be my second build, but drastically larger then my first. The tank has sat empty due to lack of inspiration. Im counting on the wonderful FF community to help get me going abd find my inspiration again!

In this journal I plan to include lots of pictures and posts about my progress. I would also love to hear your feedback and ideas through the build. It will be a slow process but I will post as I move along! Thanks in advance for any assistance yall can offer!

[DigitalPunk]

Hey Lisa! Just posting to get subscribed to the thread. I will do my best to answer any questions you have as you move forward in your build . My wife and I have 5 Red Eyes and absolutely love them!

[tinkgirl77]

First off, I would like to introduce y'all to the viv tenants... Wall-E , Eva, Felix Felicis, Mike & Sully.

Wall-E


Eva


Felix Felicis , our little rescue


Mike Wazowski


Sully


Currently, wall-e , eva & felix reside together since I ve had them for over a year. Mike & Sully are my new additions and I've only had them since March. They have been in quarantine but they are ready to meet their new friends in their new home.


So on to the ideas...
Currently there viv is a standard exo background with monkey ladders and manzanita branches. Pothos, an "african mask" and I think it's fittonia? Will post pics tomorrow. They are hugeeee fans of the mask plant so I would like to include one of those in their new home. It has an eggcrate bottom/window mesh with coco fiber and abg. It has a moat in the front filled with larger rocks for them to sit on. They also have a reptifilter in the back left corner that flows into a half cork tube stream that connects to the moat. This is their favorite spot to sit. They really love the running water. So I would like to incorporate that into the new build as well.

So in the new viv my inspiration has been a gorgeous piece of ghostwood from NE HERP. It looks like a wood nymph tree or an old druid tree. Im now worried that it's too big. I also would love to include some imagery of what I call the "gem cave". I would love to include some natural crystal clusters or cut glass gemstones emerging from some of the background. Maybe illuminated by multicolored leds. I would also love to have a cascading waterfall. Water flowing into little drip pools that cascade into the next one.
Ok so that's the thoughts I have.

Below I have posted pics of the piece of ghostwood in the tank in different positions. Please let me know what though all think about these possible hardscapes.

1


2


3


4


5


Thanks for the help!
Lisa

[LilyPad]

I don't think that piece is too big at all. It will give your frogs plenty of places to perch in the viv. I like it exactly as you have it in the first pic. Your frogs are adorable and I love their names

[DigitalPunk]

Lisa,

That piece of wood is amazing and is in now way to big for that tank. Your Reds will Love it! I am with Amy, I like it the way you have it in the first viv standing up like a tree. Super awesome. I am going to have to reach out to Jessica at NeHerp and see if they have any more like that

Are you planning on keeping the eco back ground? Just asking because I dislike them. Crickets notoriously climb in behind it and die there. I like the crystal/glass idea with the lights on them. That will be unique.

As for the water feature. Those are tricky things to get right. My best advice is to get a good idea what you would like to achieve and then mock build that idea up outside the tank so you can test it and look for potential flaws or issues before you start setting it in stone in the Vivarium.

Keep the ideas and pics coming!

[deranged chipmunk]

lisa, lisa, lisa, i love that piece of wood, but i really think it is too small to be the only piece of wood in the hardscape. maybe adding another large branch with some heft to it to provide some contrast? i wish i could see your vision for the gems and crystals. but i am sure i'll get it as you go along.

in an effort to help restore your inspiration, i decided to post a few pics of where your retf's really live. high up in the canopy, with broms and ferns and other epiphytes. now, one of the pics is a disney artist rendering but i think you get the idea. i hope these inspire you and give you a few ideas.

[tinkgirl77]

Good morning everyone, I hope everyone had a happy 4th! I spent mine under the sun on our boat sketching ideas!

Thanks so much guys for the help. I didn't realize the piece was an appropriate size. So I played with it a bit more.
Bill thanks for helping get me inspired!

First of all, I removed the exo background since it will not be used in the final build. The final build will have a custom background.
So I took a pic of my new wood placement. I stl have the ghostwood but I also have a manzanita branch too. On the upper left corner there will likely be a vine/monkey ladder. The monkey ladder will likely extend across the empty back left corner. Please tell me what y'all think...




Also included a look at the room and space that will house the viv. The room is really cool and it has an 'apothecary' look to it. With animal skins, cellared wine... its pretty cool. The large viv will be on the left and a smaller exo on the right will house dendrobates tinctorius 'green sips'. So as soon as this tank is done, the build for that one will start.

[tinkgirl77]

So what y'all think about the wood placement?

[deranged chipmunk]

It looks good. I still think it's so small (thin) that it gets overwhelmed by the size of the tank. I guess a lot depends on the rest of the hardscape.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[DigitalPunk]

I agree with Bill. The Reds will use every inch of space in that tank. I would get a couple more maybe 3 (depending on the size) pieces of wood to reach all over the tank.

Sorry for the way delayed response. I am not sure how I missed your post Lisa. I do LOVE that ghost wood in the bottom of the tank.

You could look at siliconing several pieces of wood together using clear silicone to make it all look like one big branch. What are your plans for the background and sides?

[LilyPad]

I think I need one of those giant tanks...can do so much more with it than I can in the tanks I have LOL

[deranged chipmunk]

The downside to a big tank, if filling it. Lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[LilyPad]

The downside to a big tank, if filling it. Lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

I don't see that as much of a downside other than $$$. I have trouble NOT filling my tanks to the point of brimming. I always add way too much and then have to take stuff back out and find other places for them.

I think I may just need to get more tanks eventually LOL, there are so many different things I want to incorporate or try and just not enough space to do it between my two tanks.

[deranged chipmunk]

It's the $$ that kills you. My 125 had close to $800 in plants alone lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[LilyPad]

It's the $$ that kills you. My 125 had close to $800 in plants alone lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Oy, I've found some pretty good deals for this last one, but I still don't want to know what it actually added up to.

[tinkgirl77]

Hey Bill, thanks for your input. It's still a work in progress, but as long as I'm heading in a good direction.

As the the overrall theme, I think I'm going with maybe avatar!

Inspiration coming from these... http://www.glowstones.com/#!buy-glow/c15uw.

What yall think?

[deranged chipmunk]

I had thought about doing a pandora tank for a while. It can definitely be done. I had a talk with heather about it a while back. One of you girls is going to beat me to the punch on that one lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[deranged chipmunk]

So how are we coming along with the new game plan Lisa??


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[tinkgirl77]

Hey bill, im dying over this avatar tank now! Getting motivated again! Thanks for helping revive my spark! I ordered a sample from the glowstone company and I'm going to do a trial run on with my lighting to test if they rely work. If they do I will be ordering them next. Getting ready to place my supply order with neherp tomorrow hopefully. Probably will order an extra ghost wood branch just in case. Also decided on general layout and shape of landscape. Working on eggcrate tonight and water tested tank last night!

[deranged chipmunk]

Excellent!! You know, we need pics or it didn't happen


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela