Well, here we go...100 gallons. Walk me through it?!

[UncleChester]

Ahh, if I had a spare tank I would do this. Maybe I can use my 15 gallon tank once my snake moves to his permanent enclosure(today or tomorrow)
Questions...how do you make your own ABG? What kind of leaves work for leaf litter?

Here's a good thread on ABG mix at dendroboard: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/par...quivalent.html

I use magnolia leaves for leaf litter, live oak is also popular. Look at what's commercially available and go find your own. Make sure it's from a chemical free area and the leaves should be processed to keep from introducing a bunch of wild insects. There was a recent thread with more info http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...af-litter.html

[BCollie]

Here's a good thread on ABG mix at dendroboard: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/par...quivalent.html

I use magnolia leaves for leaf litter, live oak is also popular. Look at what's commercially available and go find your own. Make sure it's from a chemical free area and the leaves should be processed to keep from introducing a bunch of wild insects. There was a recent thread with more info http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...af-litter.html

We have a ton of Oak Trees where I live, can I just collect the leaves the fall onto my lawn? Are there different types of Oak trees and if so, does it matter what kind of Oak leaves I collect?
I checked out that link and it seems like it would be cheaper to make my own "AGB" mix. However I cannot find Tree Fern Fiber ANYWHERE. I've looked at 3 different sites for the big city where my mom goes for work, and called one, and none of them have it. It looks like I'm going to have to order it online, anyone know of a good website to order from?

[BCollie]

Here's the leaves on the ground at my school. They look like Oak leaves but are these the right kind?

[DigitalPunk]

Yeah those look good. If your town sprays insecticide around or if you don't know with 100% certainty than do not use them.


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[BCollie]

Yeah those look good. If your town sprays insecticide around or if you don't know with 100% certainty than do not use them.


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I do not know if they do that at the college or not so I will not take those leaves. I do have an Oak tree in my front yard, I'll post pictures of it in a bit.

I don't think my question about plants was answered...what all needs to be done to take care of the plants? Watering? Trimming?

[DigitalPunk]

A 3-D background would be nice but I'm afraid it would look bad, because I'm not artsy in that sense.

You don't need to be artsy to do a foam background you do need to poses a rare ability in the world these days called "being Patient" Each layer or application of foam should be kept roughly 1" thick or so. Then let that layer dry for 24 hours before adding more. Once you have a shape you like then you can do to town with Silicon and pressing peat moss, coco fiber, or anything really that will hold up to high humidity and is non toxic to amphibians.

Instead of silicon you can use Titebond 3 wood glue in place of the silicone (it absolutely must be the 3 version). You can use acrylic paint to tint the glue or leave it the default color. All of this is covered in the Vivarium 101 thread and I also have some videos on my you tube channel. that show how I apply foam and then appling the Titebond glue.

Speaking of plants - what do they entail in terms of care? Do they need to be watered even though they're in a high humidity aquarium with what I assume will be damp soil?

All plants are different, but the very basics of Vivarium plants is that the misting that is done to keep the humidity up also keeps the plants happy. Your soil should be setting on top of a drainage layer (covered in the Vivarium 101 thread) or on top of a false bottom (also covered in the Vivarium 101 thread). This will allow the excess water to drain away from the soil and keep you from having a nasty swampy boggy mess that will kill your plants, breed bacteria, and possibly make your frogs sick. Prune the plants as desired and enjoy

[BCollie]

I did read the Vivarium 101 thread yesterday...at least, I read the first post. I need to finish reading it!
So the plants don't generally have to be watered, just misted?

[jarteta97]

I have an adjustable hand mister, and about once every 1-2 weeks I'll directly water the soil around the plants. But mostly, yeah, misting will do it all for you.

[deranged chipmunk]

I checked out that link and it seems like it would be cheaper to make my own "AGB" mix. However I cannot find Tree Fern Fiber ANYWHERE. I've looked at 3 different sites for the big city where my mom goes for work, and called one, and none of them have it. It looks like I'm going to have to order it online, anyone know of a good website to order from?

you can substitute fir bark for tree fern fiber. i use zoomed's reptibark as a replacement. petco carries it, i believe

[deranged chipmunk]

re: plant care. a lot really depends on the genus/species of the plant really. some require more maintenance than others. part is also dependent on plant placement and conditions. some plants will thrive in one area of the tank, yet will die off in another part of the same tank, no matter what you do. a good rule of thumb, provided you are working with good soil, is mist daily, water once/week. manual misting with a large tank, as you know, can be trying at best at times. i use a pump handled garden sprayer for my 125g. the big ones that hold about 3 gallons of water and has a spray wand on a hose. makes life so much easier because i can just crack the lid and stick the wand in and get everywhere i need to.

the only other thing you need is good lighting, which, since you are growing aquatics, i assume you have a minimum of t5ho's with 6700k bulbs, which are perfect. one thing to keep in mind, since you came from planted tanks, like i did, and this is the hardest part for most aquascapers. the growth of terrestrial plants is much slower than that of aquatics, by about 3:1. about 10:1 when running high light, EI Dosing and co2 supplementation.

[BCollie]

Today marks the end of a long chapter in my book, and the start of a new one. I sold all of my fish to my local fish store for $50, leaving me with $167.58 in my bank account. I think my starting budget is going to be over $300, especially if my aquarium plants sell soon. My budget all depends on what I sell and when. Right now I have the $167 to work with. I hope to sell my filter within a few weeks at most, and hope to get $200 for it.
The first thing on my to-do list is to clean the glass. It has a thin film of algae covering it, and it's stuck on very well. So, I took a razor blade to it and it's coming off with a little work. My arms are tired! Here's the progress I've made so far...




You can easily see the area I've finished so far...


Now I need to figure out what to do with the sand. I want to sell it, but I don't know what to do with it in the meantime. Any ideas?

[BCollie]

Okay, I am done for the night, and I'm exhausted. I've been up doing stuff since I woke up this morning.
I have finished 85% of the front glass panel. The rest of it will be done after I:
1. Get all the sand out
2. Drain and dry the tank
3. Buy new razor blades!

I have gone through 5!! razor blades. They dull SO quickly. Good thing a scraper with a 6 pack of blades is less than $2. I'm going to buy 2 or 3 more of them so that I have 12-18 blades to use to finish the tank. The dirty glass you're seeing in the picture below is the back panel. Notice the front, center, bottom of the tank. You can see a small section of dirty glass, which shows how spotless most of the front glass panel is! Woohoo! I'd say I'm about 1/3 done with scraping the tank glass clean. I still need to finish the front panel, and do all of the sides and back. It's going to be a several hour chore, and is going to leave me with very tired arms!


I am going to ask my mom to pick up Fir Bark for me, and maybe the other stuff too...since she's in Sacramento, the closest big city to us. I need to figure this out by tomorrow morning so that I can ask her to get it before she comes home. Otherwise I'll be waiting a week with nothing to do on my project.
Okay, so I will need:
2 part Fir Bark
1 part Peat
1 part charcoal
1 part Sphagnum Moss
2 part Orchid Bark

I'm checking out a website for a "local"(Sacramento) company. Well, I think they're in Sac. Google Maps says they're in Riverside but their website says they've moved to Sac.
Potting Media

I have found Fir Bark:
Fir Bark

Charcoal:
Charcoal

Sphagnum Moss:
AAA Premier New Zealand Sphagnum Moss

I still need to find: Orchid Bark(Would this be either "orchid mix" or "orchiata"?) and peat

Okay, so help me out here please...
Questions:
1. How much is a CF???
2. Do I want COARSE charcoal or MEDIUM charcoal?
3. FINE fur bark or MEDIUM fir bark?
4. How much of each should I buy? For example, 2 CF Fir Bark, 1 CF Peat, etc... Or 1 CF Fir Bark, 1/2 CF Peat, etc...
5. Approximately how much will it cost me to buy everything I need for the AGB substitute mix?

This is all so overwhelming! I don't think I've said yet that I really appreciate your guys help!! It is invaluable.

EDIT: Is Fir Bark and Orchid Bark the same thing?

[deranged chipmunk]

1. A CF is a cubic foot. That would be enough material to fill a box 12x12x12"

2. Either will work.

3. Either will work

4. No clue, you have to play that by ear. It all depends on how deep you are planning to have your substrate and how much of the floor you are covering.

5. No clue, prices vary by state, county, store.


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

[deranged chipmunk]

No, orchid bark and fir bark are not the same. And orchid mix is acceptable as orchid bark.


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

[deranged chipmunk]

Not Necessarily, The fogger will work provided the tanks has the proper substrate , live plants , a canopy of sorts and a waterfall or decent sized water pond and glass heater in a jar .

I have done it before without a fogger or or monsoon with a 150 gallon tank .

Just having the 70 gallons of water with the Eheim as a water fall allowed for evaporation and humidifying . The canopy caught it and even dropped dew back into the tank. I did mist form time to time .

My heat back in those days was a simple jar with a aquarium heater in it . that added a lot of humidity as well as heat .

The heater in glass trick works good for adding humidity and its cheap but you have to keep an eye on the water level as they drop quickly as the water evaporates. Attachment 74132

" Impossible only means someone has not done it with success yet " Quote by me winks

I speak from experience in saying that a mini ultrasonic fogger like the one posted will not work to keep humidity levels up in that size tank. That particular version is good for aesthetics only in that size tank. The mist will creep along the substrate and dissipate. For that size tank, a modified ultrasonic home humidifier would be the very minimum I would use.


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

[deranged chipmunk]

That heater in a glass is the most unsafe thing you could put in a dart frog tank. Even with a small neck, frogs can find their way inside and touch a hot heater. This is especially dangerous if thee happen to be any froglets inside the tank. And we don't even want to touch on the fact that that is the most unsightly item to ever be considered inside a show vivarium. Smh


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

[BCollie]

Thanks, Bill So...Would 1CF Fir Barn and 1/2 CF Charcoal be enough to cover the entire bottom of the tank (5ftx16") at an appropriate depth when combined with the other ingredients? And how many grams or kilograms of the AAA Premier New Zealand Sphagnum Moss should I buy? It comes in grams, not CF, which means I have no idea how much to buy to fit the recipe.
Or should I pick up 2CF Fir Bark and 1 CF Charcoal? I just need to know how much I need to cover the entire bottom of the tank at an appropriate depth.
What's the difference between Orchid Mix(1 CF Fine Orchid Mix) and Orchiata(http://www.calwesttropical.com/index...ine-orchiata)? You say I want the Orchid Mix, NOT the Orchiata?

[BCollie]

OKAY. I called a hardware store and they said they have: a variety of Orchid Mixes(how do I know which one is safe?), Sphagnum Moss, Charcoal, and may or may not have fir bark or Tree Fern Fiber...
I called a hardware store in my town and they have Orchid Bark and Charcoal.
So I'm going to ask my mom to go to the hardware store in Sac and get Fir Bark OR Tree Fern Fiber IF they have it and sphagnum moss. How much should I tell her to get? I'm not sure if it comes in CF, G, or quarts...aahh, this is all so confusing!

[deranged chipmunk]

The orchiata looks to be a new high end product for strict orchid growing, which is fabulous (I'll be ordering some for some of my orchids) but probably over kill. A standard orchid mix will suffice. As far as safety, they "should" all be safe. I have yet to run across an orchid mix that had ferts in it, but I am sure they exist. Depending on how you use the long fibered sphagnum (some people layer it, some mix, I mix it in) you could use up to 2 or 3 bags. As far as the quantities, the only thing I buy in cubic feet is peat moss and I buy it in 3 cf bags (weighs about 70 lbs). I get most of my stuff at Home Depot, but you probably don't have one close to you.


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

[BCollie]

Oh boy...please no drama on my thread. This thread is strictly for the nice people here helping me figure out what I need to do to get my vivarium up and running.

Okay, I have most of this figured out.
Fir Bark, Peat: Ace Hardware in Redding
Charcoal/Orchid Bark/Orchid Mix: Orchard Supply Hardware in Redding
Sphagnum Moss: Emigh Hardware in Sacramento
Now I just need to know...how much do I buy of each?!