Building Dart Frog Terrariums / Tropical Terrarium Construction

[John]

In response to JSG:

1. It could work, provided it can hold the weight of the material above it.
2. I generally prune everything when it starts to get out of control. This varies from tank to tank but these ones usually only get a prune every 2-3 months.
3. The soil does not need replacing. Provided it doesn't get water-logged, it's a self sustaining system. The plants don't need to be fed because many are epiphytes, and those that do get their nutrients from soil are generally fed by the animal waste and the decay of dead fruit flies.
4. Springtails are useful food for young thumbnails and a supplementary part of an adult thumbnail's diet. They have no impact on the terrarium other than to keep fungus from getting out of control in the soil. I do not introduce things like earthworms.

For further questions, please start a thread.

[killerecho]

Good tutorial John. How do you/do you need to move or change the water in such a build? Surely some type of powerhead would be needed even if you're not going for a waterfall? Or do the hydroballs act as an effective mechanical/bio filter by themselves?

[Froggiestyle]

i have adrainage layer like you said john after i re read it haha, but i have a tap for my drainage layer which when it gets full i just empty it (got some pictures) and john you helped me out alot and since i have done that and shown other australians there doing the same now haha.

getting another tank also to keep white lipped tree frogs/giasnt tree frog (dont know what they are called where you guys are) and thats also having a drainage layer with a tap. so should be exciting and good and there for wouldnt have to clean it out nearly every week.

[JSG]

Thanks a lot, regarding question 4 (earthworms), why not include them - because they may cause damage to the plants? Or do they pose some problem to the frogs? this the reason why I have asked, if you do not include earthworms, what the reason for this move would be? Don't some frogs eat earthworms? Ok Darts are small frogs, but then again earthworms do not start their lifes as adults either.

[FroggyWV]

Great build thread. Just a suggestion for those that could not find the Leca balls. I couldn't find them either, so you can use lava rock in place of them. Rinse VERY well. Also, if you are worried about the weight of leca or lava rock, you can create a false bottom by using the egg crate stuff (plastic grid found at lowes or any hardware store, used in drop-type ceilings). Cut it to size and use close-cell styrofoam pieces to support it. I have a couple tanks and have done both. I actually prefer the egg crate, however the leca/lava is a LOT easier to work with.

[John]

Good tutorial John. How do you/do you need to move or change the water in such a build? Surely some type of powerhead would be needed even if you're not going for a waterfall? Or do the hydroballs act as an effective mechanical/bio filter by themselves?

I wouldn't drink the water, but provided you don't let it rise to the substrate's level, it'll be perfectly fine. No other equipment necessary.

john you helped me out alot.

Great!

Thanks a lot, regarding question 4 (earthworms), why not include them - because they may cause damage to the plants? Or do they pose some problem to the frogs? this the reason why I have asked, if you do not include earthworms, what the reason for this move would be? Don't some frogs eat earthworms? Ok Darts are small frogs, but then again earthworms do not start their lifes as adults either.

Earthworms live in the earth, key word. None of what I described would be suitable for traditional earthworms. Most earthworm species won't last long in that terrarium unless they're of tropical origin.

[rach]

Hey John, this is cool! I've been wondering about how to get a false/draining bottom to co-incide with a pond without silicone-ing anything permanently in place. I didn't want to have to scrape it all out again if I decided to change it in the future. I posted a thread but alas no-one answered it. I guess looking around pays off. Figures that I'd find it in the most obvious place lol. I think the Dart frog part at the beginning of the title lead me to believe it wouldn't be so versatile. I was wrong YAY! Now all I have to do is find a long enough piece of bark that can withstand water.........

[IrishRonin]

This article was really helpful, though I have build many terrariums this is still a great article. Anyway i though I'd post some pics of a few I've done. Let me know what you think.