18" Cube Exoterra Viv

[FrogOnMyToe]

I figured if I was going to make a viv for some awesome-looking frogs, I might as well go all out and get an exoterra instead of using my (decent, but not awesome) DIY skills to build a shoddy viv. This is where I am at after a few hours of cutting egg-crate and siliconing things together and whatnot:



The driftwood is a stream, water comes out of it via a repti-pump under the false bottom.

Behind the wood is A LOT of moss [and home to a plant soon] where I hope springtails and isopods will make their home. I got the idea from reef tank refugiums.

My plant order from frogtofall should be here by saturday, so I'm hoping to have it all planted this weekend and get some springtails next week.

[FrogOnMyToe]

Here is a crappy photo of the little pond that the driftwood stream runs into:

[FrogOnMyToe]

Aaaaaand, planted!

Broms, peperoma, dischidia from FrogBroms ( frogtofall ) the pillow moss is from T&C Terrariums








Plant list:
Peperomia fosteri
Peperomia prostrata
N. Tiger Cub
N. Sara Head
N. Chiquita Linda
N. lilliputiana x (scribbly-hand-writing x fireball )
Dishidia ruscifolia

-Mike

[Frogtofall]

Hey Mike, it looks great! Sorry for the chicken scratch, that one is called...

Neo. lilliputiana x (eltoniana x fireball) Its a brother of the bromeliad Neo. "Devin's Delight". Good for tads and you're my first customer to get it from me! Enjoy!

[FrogOnMyToe]

Awesomeee! I put the stickers on the viv where the plants are incase any one asks, cause I know I'll forget :P

I was a little worried when I saw how small the box was, then when I opened it I was like 'Uhhhh Wow. :shock: " Haha Thanks!

[FrogOnMyToe]

Update: I have springtails. I don't think I've ever been so excited about an insect [except when I was little and my mom and I would raise luna moths] I was just looking into my viv [next to my computer, so I can keep a close eye on it] and I saw a few little white insects crawling around in the moss. I assume they are springtails they look like tiny amphipods [if you have a reef tank, you know what these are]

Wicked cool 8)

[mystah]

Did you modify the screens in both the top and under the front door?

can FF escape from here?

the viv looks great!!

[FrogOnMyToe]

I layed no-see-um netting over the screen, then layed glass over that to keep in the humidity. To seal off the front grate, I popped off the inside thing [3 little things you press to pop it out] then put no-see-um against the inside of that, held by electrical tape, so no flys or anything gets out through that.

I was also worried about the doors, even though they touched the sides [where the doors touch each other ws tight, I was just worried where they touch the side glass] I took electrical tape the lenght of the door, plus a centimeter or two, then folded the tape into a d shape. The longer line of the d shape sticks to the edge of the side glass, then the bump-part folds back into the tank, its all held in place by the doors [and a few drops of superglue on the outside]

Sorry if that is kind of confusing, but once it is done you can't even tell I did it because the silicone that they use to make the tanks is black, so it just looks like silicone.



I'm also begining to think that the coralife 2x9w light I have is far from enough, plus it's like the hottest CF light I've ever touched in my life. Any suggestions anyone?

[mystah]

great suggestions!!! i will certinally make the proper mods!!!


did you put a layer of screen over your false bottom, to prevent dirt from getting in?

[FrogOnMyToe]

Yea, I also made the false bottom 1/2 inch too small on purpose. I didn't have black silicone to 'blackout' the bottom, so I used aquarium gravel to hide it.

I put screen over the egg crate, then a little layer of gravel, then the DendroBedding [from black jungle] mixed with tree fern fiber [also from black jungle] as my substrate.