New vivarium - Crowdsourcing on Frog Forum

[clownonfire]

Any fern will do really, there's old school viv's that have things like orcihd, african violet, or even viola(seed) or called violets. They will take over and need to be thinned. Orchid a an air plant, plant in original pot. No need to transplant just pritz . Also good moisture lovers are japanese sweet flag, chinese evergreen, and peace lily. I'm sure going on black jungles web site might have more ideas for u also, and they sell the plants also.

GingerLee, thank you. I spoke to my wife who worked for a long time as a florist and a horticulturist, and she says they are great choices. He said that the Chinese Evergreen don't like to be over wet, but that in a warmer terrarium, it would probably be ok. She also says that both the Chinese Evergreen and the Peace Lily can get quite big. She thinks the Peace Lily could nonetheless be great as they are great air purifiers.

We also have two orchids at home which we will plant. Currently, these orchids have no flower, just the leaves, but if the conditions are right, she said they might bloom again.

Any other suggestions? Sara (my wife) will also give us a few by tomorrow...

As for Black Jungle, I'll take a look at their website. We are in Montreal, so we'll find something closer to home for the purchases.

[John]

Eric asked me to look and contribute so here goes.

Species choice, I have never been crazy about Azureus (yes, I'm that one person). I would choose a tinctorius, probably Powder Blue. Auratus are a nice but if you do choose one, go for one of the "fluorescent" kinds like the Panamanian kind that Josh's Frogs sells - I know you're in Canada so you can't get them from him, but at least you can see what I mean from his web site.

Silicone: I'm actually a chemist. From everything I've read, I believe Bioseal is a bad thing to have around frogs. However, I think we can get away with it well in a thumbnail vivarium because the nasties end up in the drainage layer, which most people will siphon off every now and then. There is no recycling of any chemical residue into the tank, and tadpoles are not raised in it. This is more of a concern in the case of larger frogs that might deposit eggs in a built-in pond which uses the drainage layer water. I have no evidence to give you on whether or not bioseal is harmful, but I have only ever used it in the thumbnail situation and I've not noticed any issues with the frogs.

Plants: I'm really not an expert on plants, but I do have preferences for certain situations. Do you have specific niches left to fill?

[clownonfire]

Eric asked me to look and contribute so here goes.

Species choice, I have never been crazy about Azureus (yes, I'm that one person). I would choose a tinctorius, probably Powder Blue. Auratus are a nice but if you do choose one, go for one of the "fluorescent" kinds like the Panamanian kind that Josh's Frogs sells - I know you're in Canada so you can't get them from him, but at least you can see what I mean from his web site.

Silicone: I'm actually a chemist. From everything I've read, I believe Bioseal is a bad thing to have around frogs. However, I think we can get away with it well in a thumbnail vivarium because the nasties end up in the drainage layer, which most people will siphon off every now and then. There is no recycling of any chemical residue into the tank, and tadpoles are not raised in it. This is more of a concern in the case of larger frogs that might deposit eggs in a built-in pond which uses the drainage layer water. I have no evidence to give you on whether or not bioseal is harmful, but I have only ever used it in the thumbnail situation and I've not noticed any issues with the frogs.

Plants: I'm really not an expert on plants, but I do have preferences for certain situations. Do you have specific niches left to fill?

John, thanks for taking time to participate and giving us your feedback. For the silicone, we won’t be using a lot, but I will follow your lead on your terrariums “how to build” threads you have and will use the GE II Silicone.

As for plants, we are still in the process of selection, nothing is set in stone yet. I know broms are always a clear choice for darts. And we do have orchids home, which we would like to use. But we have lots of space to fill. So please, I would be curious to see which plants you would prefer… It’s a collective effort, after all!

I’m pretty certain we will go with the Azureus. We could still be swayed towards the Powder Blue… We will be getting them from Understory Enterprises this Summer during Mark Pepper’s trip to Montreal. We still have a month or two to make a clear choice.