New viv construction

[bogalog]

I all, I have some questions about creating my viv for leucs.

I have bought most of the items I need, but I have some questions:

1. I bought silicone sealant (unibond brand "hygienic kitchen sealant") because it says it is not mould resistant and doesnt have a fungicide. Is there more that I need to worry about it containing?

2. I'm struggling to get hold of a fan that I can use in the top of my viv - I can find 12v pc fans without a way to power them, or 230v mains fans with bare (!) connectors. What do you guys use?

3. I'm trying to decide on the best way to get the plants planted off the floor of the viv. The best way I've seen this done is using expanded foam, but I'm worried about getting this wrong. Any suggestions?

4. If I do go the expanded foam route, should I be using it to add to the exo-terra background that I already have? or is it better to start from scratch?

Just so you have an idea of what I have - its an 18x18x24" tank (exo-terra brand) I have a large hollow log of cork with a bend in it that has already been baked, and the following plants:

a bromeliad I found in a diy shop
Neoregelia olens
Ficus pumila
philodendron scandens
tropical pillow moss
java moss
and Im considering getting a peace lily, maybe an orchid or a mimosa pudica.

Thanks for the advice!

[bshmerlie]

I can't really help with the fan issue because I've never used them before but I'm sure someone will pipe in. As far as the silicone...just make sure it is 100% silicone. If you're using it for your background get the black or brown. If you are using expanding foam for a background just remove your Exo Terra background and start on the glass. I spread a thin layer of silicone on the glass before I did the foam just to black it out. Once the foam has completely cured then cover with silicone and mash on your choice of substrate. Just remember with silicone the substrate has to be dry to stick. Then vacuum off the excess and your done. Check out Johns article on how to build a Viv and he talks about this. With this you can carve out places for your plants on your background.

[bogalog]

I bought black silicone and made sure it had no fungicides or mould resistance, so I'm pretty sure it is plain silicone. Everything else seemed to have fungicides etc. in it, I was lucky to get suitable silicone in black

I am using a coconut based substrate, and from what i've seen it is sticking ok (have covered my pvc drainage pipe in it). I expect I will use the same for the background once that is made.

I have bought a big can of expanding foam, supoosedly covers up to 40l, so should be more than enough for the background. I was planning on leaving the sides more or less clear anyway, and using plants to cover them.

I am following John's viv tutorial, it is very helpful. I've decided not to go for a pond area, since leucs arent good swimmers.

I do have one more question, the hollow log of cork I have - I am worried that it will mold in the middle, should I try and use the foam to block off access to the middle? should i purposefully let the frogs into the log as a hidey hole? It's certainly big enough for them not to get stuck inside it.

Thanks for your help

[bogalog]

OK, seeing as I cant seem to edit my post...

I bought some new wood - mopani wood which is much more interesting, so i may not use the cork at all. I have also decided seeing as it is my first tank, to use the exo-terra backdrop with some modifications to reduce the risk of failure :|

I've already siliconed the polystyrene in place in the back of the tank to prevent the fruit flies from getting behind, and to help hide the back I've bought a weeping fig and a prayer plant, both fairly large.

Will update with photos when I get some better light.

[John]

1. I bought silicone sealant (unibond brand "hygienic kitchen sealant") because it says it is not mould resistant and doesnt have a fungicide. Is there more that I need to worry about it containing?

You really need to make sure it's 100% silicone. I can't comment on that individual product.

2. I'm struggling to get hold of a fan that I can use in the top of my viv - I can find 12v pc fans without a way to power them, or 230v mains fans with bare (!) connectors. What do you guys use?

Right now I don't use any fans in any terrariums. They're good for large terrariums to give circulation for plant growth and to keep moisture off a surface or two. Some frogs (pumilio) seem to appreciate air flow too, and epiphytes should grow better because they get most of their nutrients from the air. There are some great threads on dendroboard.com about making a fan for a terrarium. Here's one link:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/par...tml#post480402

3. I'm trying to decide on the best way to get the plants planted off the floor of the viv. The best way I've seen this done is using expanded foam, but I'm worried about getting this wrong. Any suggestions?

Depending on the kind of plant, affixing it using tooth picks may be sufficient - many plants, particularly epiphytes, will attach themselves to the surface of whatever they're pinned to. Some people put film canisters or small pond plant pots in the foam when they are putting the background together - they then place plants into these containers.

4. If I do go the expanded foam route, should I be using it to add to the exo-terra background that I already have? or is it better to start from scratch?

Definitely start from scratch - don't put one background over another. You may have more success (and no chemicals) if you use the clay background method rather than foam.

Just so you have an idea of what I have - its an 18x18x24" tank (exo-terra brand) I have a large hollow log of cork with a bend in it that has already been baked, and the following plants:

You asked in another post about putting foam in the cork - I would do that but only to stop frogs getting trapped in there. Cork lasts a fair amount of time in terrariums but not half as long as mopani.

a bromeliad I found in a Do It Yourself shop
Neoregelia olens
Ficus pumila
philodendron scandens
tropical pillow moss
java moss
and Im considering getting a peace lily, maybe an orchid or a mimosa pudica.

That's some DIY shop. If memory serves, Neo. olens is quite large though? I may be wrong.

[bogalog]

Heh, I meant I found the bromeliad in B&Q, and its also where I found the weeping fig and prayer plant today :P the rest are coming from dartfrog.co.uk, hopefully tomorrow.
I'm going to get it planted, mist as if i had the frogs then keep an eye on the conditions, see if a fan is required or not.
Due to the numbers of plants I've bought (and the size) I have decided to stick to the original background without modifications, as the mopani wood I bought has a couple of knooks that I can place plants easily to have them up the background. I may use a small amount of foam to help secure the heavy wood, but I'm not going to be using it extensively to modify the background.
The silicone I used to block the little gaps around the tank should have cured by tomorrow, so I'm going to put down the false bottom (following your excellent guide) and then start looking at substrate layers etc.

It's all coming together, and I'm excited! Also, I found a couple of cobalt tincs in the local shop which I am sorely tempted by - going to talk to the shop owners tomorrow to see where they came from, if they are sexed etc.

[John]

My fingers are crossed for your success .

[bogalog]

Thanks John, i realise I've been a pain in the *** asking all these questions, and I definitely couldn't have got this far without everyone that has given me advice and tips. I will try and pay you all back by taking pictures of how it goes

[Tom Highum]

A complete build log would be awesome, also dont apologize thats what they are here for, they enjoy helping people.

[bshmerlie]

A complete build log would be awesome if you have the pics...if not lets just see the final product.

[John]

thats what they are here for, they enjoy helping people.

Exactly.

[bogalog]

Well, I have some pics to upload, not overly interesting atm, and I cant find my proper camera so they are from my phone:

Siliconed all of the holes shut, and any gaps i could see around the background


Covered the pvc drainage pipe in silicone and stuck fine coco substrate to it


Put the pipe roughly in place and put in the hydroleca



Roughly cut the weed control mat to size - couldnt get hold of fiberglass mesh, but this should do (obviously no rigidity, which could be a pain, but at least it is permeable)


Trimmed the mat to fit down the sides etc.


I'm just working out the best way to hold the pipe in place at the moment, I want a gap at the top as I'm planning to hold some weed mat over the top with an elastic band to prevent bugs.
I might just use some wire to hold it to the background so it wont fall over and hurt my froggies.

I called the reptile shop where i found the tincs and they still have them - they are not sure of the gender, but says they have had them for a while and they havent started fighting. Will pop through in the next couple of days and see if i can sex them - larger females and larger toe-pads for males are the easiest ways as far as i have read.

[bogalog]

Found pics of the frogs I'm looking at:
Reptiles Plus's Photos - Livestock 24/07/2010 | Facebook
Reptiles Plus's Photos - Livestock 24/07/2010 | Facebook

Now by the looks of it, the frog in those pictures is male, but by my best judgement its the same frog in both pictures, what do you guys think?

[bogalog]

Ok! Well my delivery from dartfrog.co.uk came today (no thanks to TNT, it should have come yesterday!)
I've setup the tank to my liking, and i've sprayed it down, going to take a gander at the humidity tomorrow. If it's too low even after sorting the water level in the tank I'll see whether I need to put plastic across the other half of the screen top.

Without further adieu, here are some pics of my progress!

The coarse orchid bark layer to wick away moisture from the top substrate layers



The dendrosoil I ordered, originally saw quite a few bugs, I'm hoping they're just hiding now. Either I killed them or they are hiding, havent seen any since setting up the tank!


I put the weeping fig in the corner to help hide the pipe, it is rather big, but does a good job. Also put my mopani wood in the middle


My 2 bromeliads in place as well as my java moss scattered (hand not included in final tank design)


Heart-leaf philondendron sorted - not a large amount of roots, so not sure how this one will take


Leaves scattered


Creeping fig in place, hidden in the bottom right corner, and tropical pillow moss in place


The final setup, sprayed down, and looking alright in my opinion!


And - the conditions in the tank at time of writing - near 1 AM, about an hour after spraying


I know the humidity needs to go up, but there needs to be more water in the tank yet, going to have a play tomorrow.

Definitely coming together now

[Greenlove]

Your setup looks very nice