Agalychnis callidryas setup

[ViperJr]

Hello everyone!
Just became a member here and wanted to share my setup for our frogs (which will hopefully arrive in the middle of June)! It's an Exo-terra 60*45*60 with a homemade terrarium table. All of the plants are real ones.

The waterfall in the background is not currently running, because the frogs aren't actually there living in there yet.


http://www.frogforum.net/members/vip...ront-table.jpg

http://www.frogforum.net/members/vip...8284-front.jpg

http://www.frogforum.net/members/vip...289-plants.jpg

http://www.frogforum.net/members/vip...-left-side.jpg


There are a few more pictures in my album, along with our other animals. I will be updating it as we take some better pictures (it's my fiancé that's the real photographer here, that's why these pictures that I took are sooo bad).

[bshmerlie]

Viper, this is by far the best Red Eye tank that I have seen. Great use of the vertical space and its densely planted. They are going to love it and feel right at home. I think people under estimate just how important it is to really make the frogs feel secure. Your plants are large and you are going to have to trim it a lot but no biggie. What are you using as a substrate? Its hard to tell on my cell phone. Just be careful of stuff the crickets can get lost in or stuff the frogs can accidentally eat when they lunge at their food. Anyway great tank....I will now direct all people to you when they ask how they should set up their Red Eye tank.

[clownonfire]

Once again, great set-up. Well-thought of for RETF.

Eric

[ViperJr]

Oh wow, thanks alot for the kind words! I didn't thought it was that nice, seeing everybody else's tanks here in the albums, it felt kind of "meh"...

Yeah, the Epipremnum aureum (I think that's the latin word... "Gullranka" in swedish, anyway) grows like crazy, so I'm ready to trim it when it starts to claim the tank as its own.

The substrate are constructed of three layers:
1. Gravel (as drainage)
2. Exo-terra's Coco husk
3. Spaghnum moss
And underneath it is a under tank heater from Zoo med, that covers about half of the bottom area (not the waterfall).

[bshmerlie]

Hate to break the bad news but the under the tank heat mat will need to be moved to the side of the tank. It will be ineffective under the substrate. Not sure how heavy the tank is but maybe you can get a few people to lift it up just enough to get it out. Don't worry about how elaborate a setup is. Look at tank from the frogs perspective. How do they like to live? What will make them feel the most secure and comfortable? Observe their behaviors when you get them. Notice how they move about the tank and you'll see why I like your setup. If I were you I would use cricket bowls. Otherwise the crickets will hide in the moss and you'll be picking it out of your frogs mouths..

[ViperJr]

Ah, I should have explain the setup more clearly:
I use the UTH to heat the substrates, and therefore creating a more stable humid environment. The fogger is great, but to substain the overall humidity, it's needed (at least in this specific setup). This is the primary feature of the UTH.
For additional heating, I have the two heatlamps(set on a dimmer, to control it) on top of the terrarium (if think you can see it on one of the pictures). So the temperature and humidity stays at good levels. The terrarium itself is also positioned in that way that the sun can't shine directly at it, so it stays stable. Of course, I have thermometers and hygrometers to monitor everything.

Also, I have an additional thermo/hygrometer with built-in memory, which is later connected to the computer to see how the temperature and humudity was for several weeks.


And the cricket bowl, yes, I will use something like that. It's not in there because the frogs have not arrived yet. I'm sorry, I should have said that before.

I'm not trying to "prove you wrong", just thought I should explain how it's setuped

[bshmerlie]

Just be careful of the heatlamp. I have heard far too many stories of people burning the frogs or getting dry patches on the frogs from them sitting under the heatlamp. Try putting a thermometer directly under the heatlamp right at the top to see what the temp is. It shouldn't be any hotter than the top recommended heat for your frog. Also be careful on which type of heat bulbs you use. I'm not personally into the different types of heatbulbs so maybe someone else will chime in. I know Kisa had a problem with a certain type of heat bulb and her frogs eyes were damaged because he slept right under it.

[ViperJr]

Thanks for the heads up!
They are always on a dimmer on a maximum of half power, and testing with the data logger thermo/hygrometer show that the temperature never exceeds 29 degress directly under the lamp.And there a none/very few leaves directly under the lamp, so I think it will be ok. But I will definitely keep an eye on it!
Thanks again!


Just a thought... I saw the Exo-terra Vivicator ( Exo Terra : Vivicator / Vibrating Feeding Dish ) and just started thinking. Do you think it will work with the red eyed? I'm a little bit sceptic because they are easily stressed, but the idea semse good. The plan is to feed with live food, of course. Just curious on what what people think of it

[Tony]

I've never tried the vibrating dish, but I suspect you are right about it being more likely to stress them than to induce feeding. Male red eyes are known to use vibration as an aggressive signal to each other during territorial disputes.

[bshmerlie]

Yeah...vibrations would probably not work with them. Stick with the live food.

[Kisa]

Cheri is right, I did come across a problem with my White's Tree Frog when I had the lights too close to his eyes.

I used a blue daylight bulb from Zoo Med I believe in combination with an Infrared bulb from Exo Terra, both fifty watts. Unfortunately my White's (who is in otherwise perfect condition) eyes were damaged because I had set them directly on top of the tank, which at the time was about 12" tall. After a trip to the vet I was asked to raise the lights up above the tank about six inches and since I have a new frog in that tank now I have seen no problems, so if you are using these bulbs I recommend you keep them a little higher above your tank to save your frog's eyes, I know Red Eyes have more sensitive eyes than White's, so keeping the lights 6" or more above the tank would be the safest way to go.

Great setup otherwise though, love the plants.

[ViperJr]

Hmm, now I'm getting worried. Is it the heat emitted or the light that caused the problem? The temperature is not above 29 directly under the lamp, so it feels like the temperature won't cause any problems.
The lamps are exo-terra nightlamps, so they emitt very little light, especially since it's only at max 50% power. I really appriciate all the help and comments I'm getting