The Rainforest Exhibit VLOG: Follow our BIG VIVARIUM BUILD!

[The Rainforest Exhibit]

I love what you said. Yes less animals = more natural setups. I feel the same way. I have a 125 gallon and feel around 4-6 animals is plenty. So for your large enclosure yes I believe that's a very smart move.

I believe that instead of searching for animals I think right now that you should look at animals that you can see in your envisioned Rain Forest. So think of a Max number of species and a Max number per species. Then decide what animals are locked in and the species you are committed to like the dart frogs. Then if you have a list of animals you would be interested in having but it's not as big of a deal then you could have voting from your followers on what animals they want to see. This way the animals you really want to have are in and an animal or animals the followers want to see will be there also. It's a win for everybody!

I can't wait to share with you my two big projects for 2019-2020. For native species amphibians. I hope it will interest you because there are some things I have planned nobody has done on YouTube yet. No spoilers yet I don't even have a thread on here talking about it yet lol

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Great ideas! Thank you!

I will post my thoughts on what I want, like you said, and then I would love feedback!

Here is my preliminary list. Note: there are three "rules" (couldn't think what else to call it), one is the Golden Poison Frog is the main Poison Frog in this enclosure, that cannot change.
Second, all animals must be originally from Central and/or South America (not wild caught but native). This is a New World enclosure, exception being on the Mourning Geckos who are an invasive species, but have not been
destructive, but have thrived(like the Burmese Python in Florida).
Third, except for fish, all animals must be captive bred. I would prefer captive bred, but I understand the situation on many of these.

1. Phyllobates Terribilis - Golden Poison Frog
This is the main frog that I have designed this exhibit (terrestrial flat land)....more details later. The quantity that I am considering is 5 to 7.

2. Agalychnis Callidryas - Red-Eyed Tree Frogs
I really love this tree frog and it is definitely one I would like for the enclosure. That being said, I would consider other species.

3. Lepidodactylus Lugubris - Mourning Gecko
After seeing these, I think they would be interesting to keep in the enclosure (plus I plan to have some school classes involved online, and this would make for interesting discussions, the introduction of animals not native to a region/invasive species). another reason for having these is, I wanted to see if housing a reptile in this enclosure was feasible.

4. There are some other animals I am interested in, but nothing set in stone. I really like Ember Tetras after my friend's son introduced me to the species. The water area will be around 55 to 60 gallons total (60" long x 8" to 9"deep x 18" wide but fluctuates) but there will be a lot of vegetation and rocks, so I want only very small fish. Newts or salamanders are interesting, as long as they meet fit the "rules". Obviously there will be Springtails and Isopods, but I would love to have a large peaceful insect in the enclosure, but this is not a priority.


I think that just about does it. Feel free to post your advice or comments!

[Larry Wardog]

Great ideas! Thank you!

I will post my thoughts on what I want, like you said, and then I would love feedback!

Here is my preliminary list. Note: there are three "rules" (couldn't think what else to call it), one is the Golden Poison Frog is the main Poison Frog in this enclosure, that cannot change.
Second, all animals must be originally from Central and/or South America (not wild caught but native). This is a New World enclosure, exception being on the Mourning Geckos who are an invasive species, but have not been
destructive, but have thrived(like the Burmese Python in Florida).
Third, except for fish, all animals must be captive bred. I would prefer captive bred, but I understand the situation on many of these.

1. Phyllobates Terribilis - Golden Poison Frog
This is the main frog that I have designed this exhibit (terrestrial flat land)....more details later. The quantity that I am considering is 5 to 7.

2. Agalychnis Callidryas - Red-Eyed Tree Frogs
I really love this tree frog and it is definitely one I would like for the enclosure. That being said, I would consider other species.

3. Lepidodactylus Lugubris - Mourning Gecko
After seeing these, I think they would be interesting to keep in the enclosure (plus I plan to have some school classes involved online, and this would make for interesting discussions, the introduction of animals not native to a region/invasive species). another reason for having these is, I wanted to see if housing a reptile in this enclosure was feasible.

4. There are some other animals I am interested in, but nothing set in stone. I really like Ember Tetras after my friend's son introduced me to the species. The water area will be around 55 to 60 gallons total (60" long x 8" to 9"deep x 18" wide but fluctuates) but there will be a lot of vegetation and rocks, so I want only very small fish. Newts or salamanders are interesting, as long as they meet fit the "rules". Obviously there will be Springtails and Isopods, but I would love to have a large peaceful insect in the enclosure, but this is not a priority.


I think that just about does it. Feel free to post your advice or comments!

I think the three animals would do very well. I think it would be a bad idea to add newts or salamanders because they will potentially pollute the water because salamanders are very toxic as a whole.

The fish would be interesting. Would the frogs breed in the water? If they will then you might want to see if fish being in the water will be a problem.

I love your explanation of the Mourning Gecko. That's a really cool way to look at it. There are Hawaiian Mourning Geckos and regular Mourning Geckos so idk if that would be interesting to you to have a subspecies or not. My vote is for the 3 animals you want and for some large inverts. Specifically to help your clean up crew. Large Millipedes, Large Snails and Isopods are peaceful and really fun. The snails have a curious personality and my snails always hangout with my Squirrel Tree Frog. They might hangout with your other animals which could be fun to document for you.

If you go with maybe 3-4 species of animal and a couple inverts that would help the various species take whatever territory they want in the tank.

Just my opinion lol

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[The Rainforest Exhibit]

I think the three animals would do very well. I think it would be a bad idea to add newts or salamanders because they will potentially pollute the water because salamanders are very toxic as a whole.

The fish would be interesting. Would the frogs breed in the water? If they will then you might want to see if fish being in the water will be a problem.

I love your explanation of the Mourning Gecko. That's a really cool way to look at it. There are Hawaiian Mourning Geckos and regular Mourning Geckos so idk if that would be interesting to you to have a subspecies or not. My vote is for the 3 animals you want and for some large inverts. Specifically to help your clean up crew. Large Millipedes, Large Snails and Isopods are peaceful and really fun. The snails have a curious personality and my snails always hangout with my Squirrel Tree Frog. They might hangout with your other animals which could be fun to document for you.

If you go with maybe 3-4 species of animal and a couple inverts that would help the various species take whatever territory they want in the tank.

Just my opinion lol

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I am not sure if they will breed in the water. I will say that breeding them is not a focus for me. BUT, I will play it by ear as time progresses.

I am not too worried about the water, my sump filtration, UV sterilizer, two pumps, most likely a refugium, is overkill. My system could handle pretty much anything.

Well, any inverts or anything outside my list will have to be compatible, plus not destroy my bromeliads. So a lot of thought will have to go into the choices.

Thanks for the great feedback!!!