Under The Leaf Litter

[BigC]

Here follows my step by step journal, cataloguing my first tentative steps into the art of keeping and hopefully breeding PDF's. With the help of others on this forum I hope to show how a complete novice can aspire to great things by listening and acting upon ideas and information provided by the membership of Dendroboard. I hope I can do this build justice........so here goes....




A South American Endemic Rainforest Paludarium Build
inc. Dendrobates & Killifish
by
BigC
(Dendro Newbie)

1) Planning and Research

(18/03/2010)...Spawned from an idea I have been harbouring for quite a few years now, I have decided I would like to try my hand at building and stocking a Paludarium, which would eventually become home to both Poisonous Dart-frogs (Dendrobatidae) & my beloved Killifish. Building a natural looking environment to accommodate both natural occurring land and aquatic species and all that entails would surely lead to a stunning visual display, once complete.
It is envisaged that I will use my original wood cabinet as a stand for the Paludarium and a new custom made glass tank would have to be constructed to remain within the constraints of its footprint. I'm planning on building a 625 x 312 x 610 (LWH) tank. complete with land and water segments.
Wishing to keep this as natural as possible (modelled on a South American Rainforest biotope), I hope to include some hard landscaping to include, tree roots, branches and exotic planting.
Whilst needing to do a lot of research on this project surrounding the frogs themselves and also the flora is something that I'm sure I'll enjoy.
Please follow as I proceed with this venture, join in with your comments and suggestions as I make this journey into the semi unknown.


Potential Paludarium...minus a new, taller tank (under construction)


(19/03/2010)...After much consultation and dialogue with many frog enthusiasts, it seems that the most idiot proof PDF species (within reason) is the Yellow-banded Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas)...see pic below



Whilst not the most colourful species in the world but it has become apparent that they present less demands upon their owners and may be more suited to the environment I have in mind. Another worrying factor to all this is the fact that PDF's do not swim exceptionally well, so provisions will have to be made on that score to minimise accidents. Admittedly, I haven't given this aspect much thought to date but it needs to be addressed as I intend to keep a few gallons of water within the eventual set-up.

I look forward to having you on-board for the ride.
Regards
BigC

[akraemer2]

BigC-

I look forward to seeing your progress through this! I can't speak for the rest of Dendroboard, but I imagine most people are very interested as well! If the rest of your posts are anything like the first, this thread will become a classic.

Cheers - and good luck,
Andy

[BigC]

Cheers akraemer2,
I like producing journals and cataloguing things. probably an old throw-back from breeding Killifish. That way you can look back on certain aspects of your projects and replicate them hopefully without the pitfalls you'd experienced first time around.
By starting this initial journal, I myself am a complete novice to the world of PDF's. I hope to gain knowledge from the folks around me on this forum and through reading as much literature as I can which should allow me to progress in this fascinating subject. This piece of work (once complete) will, I hope, help others at some point in time as they too embark on their own personal projects.
Regards
C

[chinoanoah]

Keep it up. I hope to breed my leucomelas as well.