Dart Frog/Crested Gecko Room

[thercman]

Hey all... I figured I should share my upcoming project. Currently I have 4 pairs of darts, D. auratus, D.leucomelus, D. tinctorias, and D.azureus. I have been keeping them for only a few years now and have decided to start the breeding process. With that said I am looking for two other species to add to the collection one being P. terribilis and the other Oophaga pumilio (bluejeans). A local breeder got hers to breed and I am in line for the offspring. Anyway, my current frogs are in 10 gallon tanks and one pair in a 18x18x18 terrarium. This upcoming weekend the local pet store is having their $1 per gallon sale on tanks. So the plan is to get six 15 gallon tanks, set them up similarly to the 10's but with petri dishes etc for breeding purposes. I also have a MistKing system that I will be using to promote breeding (rainy season) and connecting flexwatt heat tape on all the tanks controlled with rheostats (ie light switch dimmers). Attached is a pic of the room I just finished painting. Oh, I will be adding another shelf and an incubator soon. I have two really nice power strips attached to the rear shelves, one is always on and the other is timed and controls the lights. The Lights are going to get a quick coat of semigloss black to help give it a more professional appearance. Since the shelves are go to be for display the new tanks will sit side by side. The 15 gallon tanks will fill the shelves width and as mentioned there will be six tanks to make three shelves total. The bottom will be for the currently active fly cultures and other accessories. Another thing I am planning to do with the shelves is add a 1/4" piece of painted plywood just to add a bit of support since the wire bends a bit. Hope this will give you an idea of where I am going with this. If anyone has any suggestions please throw them out there... Thanks for reading..

Just for giggles the second pic is a 75 gallon tank turned on its side. It has a false bottom and is intended for two pairs of darts for display purposes. Currently there is a seep in the front so I haven't added any frogs yet.

[bshmerlie]

Wow looks like you're going to be doing a lot of tank builds. Why don't you post some pics of how you do them. We would love to see what you do.

[thercman]

Yes I sure am.... Planning to get the tanks in the morning. If all goes well I should be able to get the egg crate for the false bottoms cut and start zip tying them together before I head to work. I'll take pictures as I go.

[clownonfire]

Good luck with the breeding and I'm looking forward to reading how it's going. And the process of your new tanks too.

And your room looks great! Congrats.

Eric

[bshmerlie]

Yes I sure am.... Planning to get the tanks in the morning. If all goes well I should be able to get the egg crate for the false bottoms cut and start zip tying them together before I head to work. I'll take pictures as I go.

Check out our Most Informative Thread contest in the vivarium section. I would love for you to participate.

[thercman]

Hey Everyone...

Made some progress today on the tanks and the shelving unit. I am working on a build thread but for now I thought I should let you see what I am up to....

[thercman]

Here are some more pics... Just a brief description.

Shelfs needed support, cut 3/8" ply to fit, painted for looks.

Cut egg crate to fit.

Cut pvc piping to raise egg crate 1 1/8"

Laid screen on egg crate.

Put small aquarium stones on screen to prevent coco fiber from falling through.

Placed in some rock and other stones to make a small shallow pond...

The last layer will be all coco fiber.... the frogs do not like the "forest floor" stuff but I believe it acts as a good mulch..

Oh, tomorrow I will take the painted wood and install it on the shelves and adjust everything into position. I also need to go buy more coco fiber and stone....

[bshmerlie]

Wow...I hope you got them at the dollar sale. Im definately looking forward to this project. Keep us posted.