Hello from Tarzana, CA

[atlanteum]

Okay, here are some shots from yesterday, but these are already out of date! He's gone through so many decorating changes in the last 24 hours, you'd swear he's on Trading Spaces.

First up [assuming the pictures display in the same order I loaded them] is a shot of his grimy little temporary housing. As you can see, he started trying to pick the lock the moment he was placed inside.

Next up is the 29 gallon I picked up at Petco yesterday afternoon. Everything's been either bleached, baked, boiled, microwaved, soaked, washed or otherwise prepared for introduction into the tank, but I'll spare you those photos. I left the plants in their containers because this was just an initial placement to see how the space will start to fill up [fast, apparently, is the answer].

Frog seems to enjoy the new surroundings a little better, however, judging by his relaxed grin as he wades into the pool.

All of this, however, has already all been undone!

I found a pet shop earlier today called Exotic Life Fish & Reptiles. For those of you near the San Fernando Valley here in Southern California, they are located at 9919 Topanga Cyn. North, Chatsworth, 91311, and their number is 818.341.1007. I'm happily posting all this information because there is a guy there named Rusty who really knows his stuff. He grilled me for about ten minutes about what I wanted to do and how involved I wanted to get, then finally said, "Follow me."

We went to another part of the shop where he had built an enormous habitat - anywhere from 6 - 8 feet long and about 3 feet high! It looks like something dragged out of the dense dark middle of an Amazonian rain forest and was housing a dozen or so Darts [down from the original 90 as they were sold off]. Gorgeous.

Anyway, once it was clear I was in very capable hands, and once he knew I wanted more than a plastic plant with a bowl of water for a habitat, we started making up a proper list of supplies to bring home, which I will start to incorporate tomorrow, like the clay balls, a submersible heater and a pump/filtration system.

Of course... now that I realize how long it can take to build up some of these detailed environments, I decided that frog needed yet another temporary home to live in while I worked the 29 gallon. So... back to Petco for a 10 gallon tank. I used spray foam to build up a dam to create a pond, and when that cures by tomorrow morning, I'll drop in the clay balls, mesh, Eco-Earth and some more plants and whatnot. Then he'll live in there while I tackle a proper landscape design for the bigger tank.

Whew! A week ago, I couldn't even have told a frog from a toad, and now... I'm starting to fancy crickets for a snack. How quickly things can change. More later -

[Leefrogs]

well dispite it being a crash course, u are doing fine. Jumping into it just like a frog. I'm glad u posted Picts like I asked. This encourages people to go farther with their setup. Some get as far as u did and call it good. I haven't posted my Picts yet. I need a vote on if it's too crowded. The main thing is changes cause stress, got a new hide for mine and they get weird for a while. But u seem to have a real happy tame frog. He looks warm, full, and loved. Congratulations, froggie gods have smiled on u.

[atlanteum]

An engineering mishap occurred last night, as construction workers discovered a leak in the new dam this morning. "We're not sure what happened exactly, but a sliver of masking tape used to hold a form in place against the glass is suspected," the lead forefrog on the project commented.

The leak is very small, but would gradually allow water to soak from the pond to the hydroball side of the tank. "We could blast our way down and fill it from the inside. First, though, we'll try hot glue from the dry side to see if that will close it off. There's a good chance that will work."

Workers here at the site seem optimistic, and with some even expecting that repairs may be complete within a few hours.

[Leefrogs]

I finally got Picts up in alblum, and you've built a dam. LOL if ur hand are clean check my alblum, tell me what u think, to crowded. Looks it, exept runway shot with frog vision shows the room.

[atlanteum]

What a great set up you've got! That little home looks sweet, and you've made me realize how much I really need to pack mine [his] with more plants for privacy as well as aesthetics.

The dam repairs were [literally] a bust, so I had to go out and get some aquarium safe silicone to patch things up. Now he won't be in the temp tank for another day at least while the silicone cures.

grrrr...

one does learn patience with these things.

[Leefrogs]

ya, I can imagine. I might do some water feature in a few years. That's allot of work man!! I made mine kinda extra private because I have a loft and it's all open here. No quiet room to put them in. So I wanted alllot of hiding for my two verry shy frogs. Yours is green and hanging out in the open. Mine are more wild even though u got yours from the wild. Weird!

[atlanteum]

Well, as I said, those photos were outdated almost by the end of the same day I took them. The inclusion of the water filter/pump and heater render frog's tank a opaque cube of humidity which I can barely see inside of because of the condensation. The 29 also now has a nice big branch spanning the length of the tank that he can climb onto.

He has been snoozing on the leaf of a plant all day. The little submersible heater is, I think, proving to be insufficient to warm the entire tank - probably because there is so little water that heating the water does little to raise the overall ambient temperature. I'm guessing the low temperature is why he is so inactive, because he certainly perks up when I'm holding him. Back to the drawing board to figure out the heating solution.

The smaller tank is re-spray-foamed and now securely siliconed. It should have cured enough by tonight [Wednesday] that I can safely throw in the hydroballs and some substrate, then fill the little pond and transfer the pump and heater over. Hopefully, the smaller tank will heat more evenly -


b