Okay ... whew, this is going to be fun... some thoughts... you asked for it

1) you mention bromeliads a few times as obvious choices for darts. From what i've read, and seen with my own azureus, bromeliads will be more for your enjoyment in this tank. not to say that you shouldn't use them, because they are beautiful and i have them in my viv, but typically, larger frogs like azureus, tincs, auratus, etc. won't lay eggs in a bromeliad. Ranitomeya, on the otherhand, love them. Also, my juvenile leucomelas climb in the broms all the time.

2) you asked about the benefits of having sphagnum moss in your tank. I always mix sphagnum in with my soil because its great at holding moisture, and it has a nice natural look. Also, i've read that it has antiseptic properties that can help resist against any nasties you might have growing in your viv.

3) wandering jew. be prepared to trim this stuff. I threw in a cutting that was about 4" long in a viv, and i cut FEET of it out of my viv all the time. (if anyone wants cuttings around socal, they're ALL YOURS).

4) for orchids, you should incorporate some kind of air flow into the tank. they (and all of the plants in my vivs) really seem to benefit from a little airflow. the easiest way to accomplish this is just get a little PC fan, wrap it in screen, and mount it up in the corner. there are all kinds of other ways to do it, but that's probably the most bang for your effort.

I know its used a lot, but my new fav orchid is macodes petola. it's a little jewel if you're not familiar and it has great foliage, which is nice if you're like me and you can't get anything to bloom. I planted this guy about 6 weeks ago and its got new leaves cropping up all the time

(top right orchid macodes petola, bottom left orchid, restrepia antennifora)


5) to reply on the bioseal GE silicone thing... I've searched and searched, it seems the consensus is that we probably don't think its a good thing, but no one has had a problem with it that we know about. many froggers have used it and had plenty of successful breeding in their tanks... i recently got in to clay backgrounds instead of the great stuff and silicone method... now that i'm in to clay, i don't mess w/ the stuff anymore and i couldn't be happier. i use pure aquarium silicone to hold stuff in place, and cover everything with clay where it needs to look good. if you want more info on how to do the clay thing, let me know, its a lot easier than foam/silicone, and in my opinion, more fun.

... i think that's enough for now ... wheeewwww....

-brett