Terrarium builds

[clownonfire]

I don't know if forums actually compete with one another for members, I suppose they do. But anyway, dendroboard has all the infomation one needs to build a fantastic viv...and has for years. You don't even have to be a member...just lurk.

I understand totally what your friend felt, clown. Trying to be sugar sweet is nice, but accomplishes nothing when you mean no harm and just want to help someone and others.

For the benefit of our animals and those that visit our homes and view our vivs, we should try to set them up as natural as possible, shouldn't we?

I've amassed below some major viv points, I hope they help someone.

1. Plastic plants are pointless and benefit a vivarium in no way, shape, or form. They also get hit with splash (from water features) and fade under UV light, evenually becoming even uglier than they were the day they were purchased.

Don't be afraid to try live plants, stuff like Strawberry begonia is bulletproof in the high humidity environ of the viv...and will probably even grow in gravel, though I have not tried it. Scindapsis and Philodendron scandens will grow in water.

2. False bottoms are useful for drainage if one is dead set on using soil as substrate. Most viv plant species will root and grow fine in sphagnum moss, so why the false bottom? Just use 4-5 inches of BB sized gravel and top it with sphag. The water flow turns the gravel into a big biological filter.

Wrap your pump in a couple layers of black fiberglass screen, using a small zip tie to secure the screen around the outgoing tubing. Set the pump all the way on the bottom in a back corner and you can route the tubing anywhere you want to make a water fall. Be mindful of flowlog placement regarding splash, cause it will cover your glass in no time. If your RO water (which you really should use) has any mineral content at all you will get wtaer spots.

3. Buy a good light for the sake of your plants. They are getting more affordable all the time, and moon lights are freakin awesome. Unless you are using a 20 long, which is real short, a single T12 flourescent bulb might not be sufficient to support good plant growth.

4. Your background will be the labor intensive part of your tank, whether you go Great Stuff and coco or sodium bentonite (kitty litter)...it is a lot of work...but since you don't have to jump through all those false bottom hoops...it kinda evens out...and with a nice background, your tank will look amazing. Just remember to install the water fall tube first. Your background is the one thing you have to get right...without it, your tank won't stop folks in their tracks, unless, that is, you do one of those big cubes that is designed to be viewed from all sides. Some of those are amazing as well...

5. Contrary to a previous comment, designing a viv for a specific species is the easiest way to design, and really the only way it should be approached. Why designing for more than one species would be easier is lost on me.

6. Always use a glass canopy. Cut as much of the center out of the plastic strip on the back that you can and glue or silicone screen over it. This will offer enough ventilation for most vivs. You can prop the front lid of the canopy up if you wish.

I may think of more, but for now this is it.

Smashtoad.... NICE... Add this to what can be found on dendroboard, or closer to me, on canadart.org, and even here, and you have amazing resources to build the appropriate setup for your frog.

Reading something like what you just wrote actually is what the beginner needs... And I think it's one of the points Cheri was trying to make. Yes, it is easy to build the perfect vivarium for your frog, but the information and the comfort level of all is the not same. My point was definitely more in the tone that some comments are written. I'm not a frog expert, I'm a new enthusiast, and slowly learning about the hobby. What I am though is a web and social media expert, and communication and tone are of the essence. It can be discouraging, and sometimes, humiliating if a response is harsh. Someone who does not create the perfect viv for his frog is not necessarily careless about his frog. Like with everything else, some take more time to adjust, or to learn. Being negative/sarcastic can easily achieve the opposite: frustration, shyness, and discouragement.

Eric