20 long D. leucomelas journal

[JimO]

One possibility is that as the foam expands and then develops a skin, the gas pressure might build up and push it away from the gas. Periodically after the foam has begun to dry, I poke a bunch of holes with a needle. If uncured foam seeps out of these holes, then pressure is definitely building up within the foam. This is particularly an issue with thicker applications. The holes are small enough that you'll never see them and it will allow the foam to cure more quickly.

[Voltage]

Wow JimO, never thought of that. Next time I do foam i'll have to try that. As for the last poster, The only time it was exposed to sun was when I was taking it into my greenhouse and out, so 45 seconds of uv ex poser max. It wasn't hot in there (75 ish) so I don't know. I'd try what Jim said, that sounds very plausible.

[Voltage]

Hey guys. I'm getting my frogs tomorrow and here are some pictures of the tank as it is. I'm currently shoving tree fern stuff in all the cracks so nothing can get behind there.

Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12


Shot at 2011-08-12

I obviously missed some more spots with silicone/peat but I don't really care, it'll get covered in plants anyways lol

[MikeM670]

Looking good and your right when the plants grow in those bare spots will only add character.

[Voltage]

Thanks. I think the reason this happened is I didn't peel off the skin (I tried it and it would of taken me hours) and some came off in places when I rubbed against it during planting. I'm glad you like it.

[Lacibeth]

DOW's Greatstuff website says discoloration when exposed to UV, and misting between applications will cure the speeding process. Interesting.

Has anyone emailed them to see if they have an explanation for the shrinkage? I know that temps can have an impact on spray foam installation in houses. I wonder if the heat caused condensation along the glass as it was curing and that "broke the seal".

[Voltage]

Hello guys! I'm so excited. I just went to the reptile show here and there was only 2 dart sellers and they were selling about ~10 species at each booth and they were selling tanks. I was tempted to buy an 18x18x24 full set up for 150$ lol. So since there was so many people there and only 2 dart booths, they sold out on luecs pretty quickly, but i managed to snag a turquoise auratus for 40$ and a producing FF culture for 10$ The auratus is very bold but is only a froglet, so it's very tiny! I'll post pics soon.

[Voltage]

Here's the pictures
It's already finding a way to get past the tree fern fiber to get behind the background...


Fruit flies!


Thanks frogs with altitude for the healthy froglet and FF's


Container frog came in

[Voltage]

Hey guys I just had to snap a better picture, it's hard because there's a lot of condensation on the glass so no good close ups
Here's a non zoomed picture of it. You can get an idea of the size. The leaf it's on is about 2 1/2 inches long and the frog is ~1/2


The plant it's on is on the very far left, near the front. It's kind of shaded.

[Voltage]

Finally a good picture... And my new profile pic

[DonLisk]

Nice :-) Like a new proud dad.... I love that feeling.

[Voltage]

Nice :-) Like a new proud dad.... I love that feeling.

Yeah I really love the frog. Going to bed soon, lets hope he doesn't go for a latenight party behind the background lol. I had to shove more tree fern fiber back there because I didn't know froglets would be so small and he almost got back there, thankfully I had a few thousand FFs on hand to get him out and fix the problem. A bit off topic, but do you also need vitamins to dust the FFs? I only have calcium powder at the moment but might be able to get some vits if needed.

[bshmerlie]

I think it actually recommends poking holes in it right on the can. Read the directions. Also leave it flat on its back overnight before standing it up so its completely dry.

[Voltage]

Hey guys, the frog didn't find his way back there last night But I was very tired (I still am) and didn't see him right in front of my face and ripped all the plants out, stopping a few minutes later when I saw it's beady little eyes staring at me saying to himself "what the hell is he doing?" I felt so releaved to see his little face

[SludgeMunkey]

Aye, the foam shrinkage is pretty common in large areas like is being done here. After the initial cure sets, it is best to poke the thick parts with a wet meat skewer to allow the core to cure and out gas.


I suspect what happened here is that the ambient temperature was a tad higher when the foam initially cured than it was later on. With the gasses in the foam being trapped under a cured crust, they contracted a bit. You can try lancing the crust any way and increasing the ambient temperature for a few days in the tank to try and help stabilize the foam.

I find the Gorilla Glue works best for sticking foam back where it it belongs. It works really well for vivaria as it is a water activated urethane glue.

[Voltage]

Aww. Should of thought of that Johnny! (My names johnny too ) Before I made this tank, I tried just about every background method you can, excluding cork and Epiweb. I never thought of using gorillia glue to re attach it. Infact, I was thinking of using gorilla glue as the background, but I had a HUGE issue getting peat to stick to the glue. I don't know if I did it right (I put the glue on a broken 10 gallon test tank, then after a bit I sprinkled a lot of peat moss onto the glue, and misted it heavily). Sadly I already set the tank up, I think it would be too stressful for my auratus and the plants. If I were to re do this vivarium, there is many thinking I would change (Spend more time working on the tank, Add driftwood, poke holes in the GS, make a bigger drainage layer (mines only 1/4 of an inxch, but the substrate is semi moist, and kinda dry near the bottom), more plants, and the list goes on). Thanks guys for clearing the GS detaching issue. The first time I tried GS, the tank was near my outside dinner table, and I dropped a knife into the GS after it's dried a bit on accident, and it didn't shrink, which is why I was so confused on this tank.

[Voltage]

Hello guys. My birthday is early november and that's when i'll make my new tank. This tank I was palnning since may and it didn't turn out too great imo, so the moreplanning the better. Don inspired me with his new 20H vert he's working on.I plan on doing a better false bottom, implanting lots of cork, mopani, and other wood into the background. I will do heavy silicone/peat layers on the foam, and I will poke holes in the foam to see if that helps with the shrink issue.