Hi all! My name is Adri, I just joined here. I will warn you in advanced, this post may be a bit(or very - yes, probably very) long.
A bit about myself...
I'm 19 years old, attending college, and I'm obsessed with Border Collies. I've fostered 32 of them, though I'm now fostering cats due to being in school & not having the time that foster dogs need. I own one dog, 10 chickens(with more in the incubator), and 1 snake. I live in my parents guest house. When I move off their property it'll just be my dog, snake and I - my parents will be keeping the chickens.
My dog:
My snake, just got him yesterday! He's a baby High White California King Snake.
And, his enclosure. I decided to go with fake everything. Fake plants, fake hide-outs, etc. just because it's easy. I think it still looks pretty dang good, considering the only natural things in there are wood and rock. It would look 100 times better if I hadn't used aspen shavings, but that's what most of the snake experts recommended so that's what I used
Enough about me. Let's get on to what I'm here for...my 100 gallon tank.
I am big on making enclosures/habitats look pretty and natural. Here is my 100 gallon 7 months ago. Only changes since then are that the fish and plants have grown. The plants have grown A LOT. A certain type of plant reached the top of the tank, so I cut it back and replanted the trimmings, and those trimmings have reached halfway up the tank now.
As of today, I have decided to get out of the fishkeeping hobby. I have grown tired of it, in fact grown to resent it a bit because I hate having to do water changes every week. Hauling heavy hoses around is the only way for me to do water changes, and it drives me insane. Not how I want to spend the little free time that I have now that I'm a college student.
Now, I am thinking that I want to do a vivarium for Poison Dart Frogs, or some similar looking frogs. I want frogs where I can buy enough of them that you'll always be able to see a few of them even when the rest are hiding, if that makes sense. I also want pretty frogs, of course! Colors! BUT, I am not rich, I don't think I can afford to stock a 100 gallon tank with frogs when they're 30-40+ dollars a piece. I get 40 dollars a month from my parents. I have about $100 saved up and estimate I'll get about $150-$250 from selling all my fish, plants, and FX5/6 filter. So let's put my budget at $300. NOT much, right? But, I am a penny pincherI find sales, I save up, and - I'll admit it - I'm cheap. HOWEVER, I will not compromise on quality for things such as plants and whatever else I need, or the health of the animals that I buy.
I am trading in all my fish to a local fish store this weekend, if all goes as planned. I may end up trading in my large plants but I'm trying to sell them myself so that I can get maybe $50 to put towards my new viv. I can always throw them in my 20 gallon no-maintenance shrimp tank until they're sold.
Anyways, I'm thinking out loud here.
I have a few ideas for a vivarium. All I know right now is that I want a waterfall...pothos vines, if they're safe for frogs...lots of plants, but not so many that the frogs are never seen. Tall plants in the background...and I know the frogs will be the very last thing added to the vivarium. This will be a display tank.
I have never done a vivarium before, only aquariums. This is all a bit overwhelming, esp. considering my small budget. This may be a long process simply because of the small budget...but the budget can be increased as time goes on(more "allowance" from my parents) and as I book photoshoots.
So...where do I start?!