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First Viv, With pictures and questions

2K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  boabab95 
#1 ·
Hey Dendroboard.

My name is Paul, I've been a member for about a year and a half but this is my first post. After doing a lot of research i constructed an 18x18x24 vivarium in the hopes of housing a trio of azureus, or some type of tinc(i like the look of new river and oyopok).
A few construction pictures:

I didn't use a background on this viv because i previous project from 1 year ago is still sitting in my closet, covered in gs foam and half covered in coir. but thats a story for another post. I used cork tile to create a second level in the viv which I later reinforced due to the weight of the plants. After a few plantings, and some leaf litter, I am happy with the look of the tank.
Pictures of planted viv:

Now for the questions. I'm hoping first of all this size will be able to handle 3, is 3 okay? more? less?

Next, i've read that i should be using ro water only in my tank. ive been using spring water in mine, should i drain it and flush with ro water?

For lighting i have a dual compact exo terra with 2 13w regular house bulbs on 12 hours/day. this keeps the temp between 69-78 day to night. I know the frogs dont require specific lighting but would the plants benifit if i switched out 1 bulb for a uv bulb?

Lastly, I would like to introduce some springtails into the tank to take care of any mold(i already see some on the leaves), from what ive read i can just dump half a culture into my tank, mix it in and they should reproduce in the tank, as long as i toss in some mushroom once and a while, is this correct?

Thats about all the questions i have right now, im sure ill have more later. if anyone could help me with these or give any comments or suggestions on the vivs being frog ready, i would really appreciate it. Thanks dendroboard.
 
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#2 ·
Spring water is fine. I use spring, distilled, aged and dechlorinated tap, whatever is on hand at the time.

Springtail plan sounds good.

Don't know about the lighting.

I think that size would be fine for 3, although I have heard that azureus and tincs are better in pairs. Get a second opinion on this. :D
 
#4 ·
Hey!
Thanks for the responses. I've also heard pair is better, but 2.1 male female would also work. since im getting unsexed frogs i thought getting a trio would be good to start, and then if i get two females i can split them up, just hoping to not get three females.

I also noticed the thumbnails i posted dont expand to larger pictures, heres a video of the viv for now until i can figure out pictures.



thanks again, any other comments/suggestions would be appreciated.
 
#6 ·
Hey Paul, A little percentage info for you. If you purchase 2 frogs your chances of getting a pair are 50%. If you get the Trio that you are considering, your chances are 75%. If you get Four, your chances are 88%. If you get five, your chances go up to 94%. Many of my frog breeding friends pick up either 4 or 5 froglets if we are really serious about making sure we get a pair the first time. As a more casual hobbiest, 3 is probably a good starting point, BUT, keep in mind that as they get older and more territorial, you will need to find a home for the odd man out. Both Tincs and Azureus will do best as a pair. Also, Viv looks nice, I love the double level. You may want to consider more leaf litter or some moss, either live, sphagnum, or both. I don't like to leave any open dirt space in my systems. Reason is, frogs will eat a fly and possibly ingest some dirt. Too much dirt can actually prove fatal sometimes. Enjoy the hobby!
 
#7 ·
Looks good.

Make sure you have a glass lid covering at least 90-100% of the top.....looks a little dry in there right now.

You can also pour a gallon of water into the water feature drainage area and then it will allow you to quickly gauge how much water is in "false botom or leca - you want some water down there constantly as it will help with humidity. You tiered layout, position of the drainage / water features are very good.

Nice first viv.
 
#8 ·
hey guys,

Thanks again for the replies.

To Pumilo: Thanks a lot for the numbers and the clarifacation. i was under the impression 2 male 1 female would have been fine. seperation shouldnt be a problem tho, when it comes to that. i have a spare 20gal and a gf who is now interested in getting a pdf ffor herself. building another viv shouldnt be a problem (that was the funnest part!) Also i do have some small pieces of moss and moss like plants in there i was hoping theyd take over most of the exposed soil areas. Not moving as fast as i thought tho, ill add some more leaf litter. will this cut down the spread of my moss tho?

To Philsuma: I took your advice and filled the false bottom about 3/4 full of water. I was also worried about humidity, even tho my exoterra digi-hygro reads 99 most of the time, maybe the fog is saturating the sensor. for the lid, i have the stock exoterra mesh top, with some glass pieces just resting on top, covering about 95%, but with no seal. the first video there was taken just as the fogger was coming on tho, so probably at its driest point. heres another vid after the fogger ran for about 20 minutes. its on for 30 mins every 2 hours during the day, and once for 30 mins at midnightish. about 11 times daily
I also have the vents under the door sealed with some tape to try and keep humidity in.

Thanks for your time and replies guys. If you have any other comments/suggestions please write, everything is appreciated. im hoping my viv is frog ready, or can be within the next few days. i've located a vendor/breeder close to my area(toronto,canada) and am planing on picking up SOMEthing this friday. also, i havent fully decided on the tincs/azureus. if any one else could suggest another type of pdf that would be happy in here i would be happy to hear ur suggestions. also please add how many of said type could by happy in a viv of this size(18x18x24) Thanks again guys, look forward to future replies
 
#9 ·
I say go with mints or galacts if you have the money ^^ Mints will be fine in a 30 if you add more branches/driftwood and plants... and you wouldn't have to separate =P... I am getting a 2.1 prob in april or may =P
 
#11 ·
Nice first viv! Love the double level, I might have to steal that idea when I build the 40 gal breeder. :)

Have you started your fruit fly cultures yet? They are a pain, but have them ready and know what your doing before you get your frogs.

Good luck, and post lots of pics! :)
 
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