[Socratic Monologue]

I got some great advice about a feature of this viv recently, so I'd like to document the build in gratitude.

I had a few things I wanted to accomplish.

1) Maximize interior space overall. Our vivs are so small, I feel the need to not waste any space.
2) Install a sloped bottom, in support of (1) since a sloped bottom can be made shorter than a false bottom, but also because there have been a couple comments here asking for info on doing so.
3) Maximize floor space for lots of luscious leaf litter.
4) Make a decent enclosure for...well...

...I've said some harsh things about tincs here, and I feel like I need to make it up to the species:

I'd rather have one thumbnail than a whole bucketful of Tincs.

If I had a pair of tincs in a viv, I'd last about six months, tops, before I "need to find someone to give these the attention they deserve."

So I have five Dendrobates tinctorius 'Bakhuis' purchased and waiting on good shipping weather (Edit: one pair from that group will be selected to be housed in this viv).

That is a tinc trying its best to look like a Ranitomeya, anyway:

photo by Ruud Schouten at tinctorius.ch/index.php?id=15 (posted under fair use for educational purposes)

Next page: the build.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

So the first step was to drill a hole for the bulkhead. I used a 3/8" bulkhead I got from Amazon.

The hole -- bottom of the viv, front and center (view is from the bottom):

The viv will sit on a shelf that has a hole for the tubing to go through (a la reef tank drains); a bottom drain will not work without a pass-through under the bulkhead.

Next is inserting the bulkhead and siliconing in the sloped bottom. The vertical wall of the drainage channel is 17 1/8" x 2" x 3/16" tempered. Were I to do this again, I would have that cut 1 1/2"instead of 2" high -- it doesn't need 2" of height. Condiment cups and tape hold it while it cures. The pic doesn't show the lower bead of silicone, which I applied after the photo:

The sloped bottom is 17 1/8 x 15" x 3/16" tempered. First I cut a piece of scrap glass to support the back edge:

and then siliconed in the sloping bottom. Yes, that is a coffee-drinker's shaky-hand silicone job:

Next, the hardscape, substrate and planting.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

The hardscape design was inspired by ground level branches formed by tree fall, as mentioned here:

From habitat use to social behavior: natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius

Descriptive studies of natural history have always been a source of knowledge on which experimental work and scientific progress rely. Poison frogs are a well-studied group of small Neotropical frogs with diverse parental behaviors, distinct calls, and bright colors that warn predators about...

peerj.com

In the interest of maximizing usable space, I attempted to provide distinct space preferred by each of the frogs in a pair: females tend to use leaf litter and males tend toward branches and other hardscape (from the cited article).

First, I drilled the back glass to bolt on the ghostwood branches:

Then, to attach this:

I drilled the wood, threaded stainless bolts through the back glass:

And fastened it together:

Substrate is about 1/2"of ABG, and a couple inches of live oak leaves (not done with leaf litter in this photo). The hardscape does not touch the substrate, maximizing floor space:

And after the initial planting:

 

[Kmc]

Applying a slope also imparts some pleasant exertion to inhabitants, and on the way down steeper aspects exercises proprioception experiences.

Any opportunity to depart from uniformity of terrain. Enabling them to use their physicality. Letting them use their gifts.

 

[fishingguy12345]

I love how this terrarium looks. Love it.

One question: you reference ordering 5 tinctorius, they're not all for this tank right?

 

[Kribensis]

That looks great! Love the placement of the brom. I'm sure it will look even better when fully grown in! Great frog choice as well! fishingguy12345 brings up a good question though.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I love how this terrarium looks. Love it.

One question: you reference ordering 5 tinctorius, they're not all for this tank right?

Thanks!

Oh, I forgot to mention: I ordered five that will QT in another viv (or vivs), and I will pull a pair to house in here. The other three will likely find another keeper. Thanks for making me clarify. I edited above.

 

[Kmc]

Ah. Yes that was certainly worth the work.

Gorgeous.

 

[Fahad]

This is really nice work. I've spent the last 3 days messing with a new build but I draw the line at drilling glass! 😬

 

[fishingguy12345]

I'd still add more leaf litter (just kidding, my friend)

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I'd still add more leaf litter (just kidding, my friend)

I'm thinking about it. I have dreams sometimes about one big, happy frog sitting on an automobile-sized pile of leaf litter...ahhh.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

This is really nice work. I've spent the last 3 days messing with a new build but I draw the line at drilling glass! 😬

Thank you.

Drilling glass is super simple -- truly. Do consider trying it, even just on a scrap piece of glass, or some old fish tank someone is giving away. The bits are cheap, and it is quite satisfying work.

 

[Kribensis]

I'm thinking about it. I have dreams sometimes about one big, happy frog sitting on an automobile-sized pile of leaf litter...ahhh.

Sounds like a happy frog

 

[Fahad]

Thank you.

Drilling glass is super simple -- truly. Do consider trying it, even just on a scrap piece of glass, or some old fish tank someone is giving away. The bits are cheap, and it is quite satisfying work.

I'm no stranger to tools, I think it just freaks me out because the big Exo's I've got back into the hobby with really aren't cheap. It looks like I'll be building my own 48" x 24" x 30" vivaria (somewhere near those dimensions anyway) later this year, so maybe I'll finally give it a shot then.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I'll be building my own 48" x 24" x 30" vivaria

Anyone who sincerely utters such a statement has no business being intimidated by a little drilling. You saw my miserable silicone bead -- there is no way I would try to assemble a four foot long viv.

 

[Fahad]

Anyone who sincerely utters such a statement has no business being intimidated by a little drilling. You saw my miserable silicone bead -- there is no way I would try to assemble a four foot long viv.

LOL...we'll see how it turns out.

 

[kennyb123]

I have a couple questions for you:

1) Are you planning to keep the back and the sides uncovered? Have you found that your darts find the same level of comfort with a clear pane of glass at their back as they would a covered pane (even if it was just colored paper behind it)?

3) Did you place leaf litter directly over the sponge/foam you have over your bulkhead? I was curious if you have to put some substrate over it before placing leaf litter or if you can place it directly over the sponge itself.

I would also love to hear an update when you have some anecdotal evidence of how your frogs like the two distinct microhabitats you create with the hard scape and open areas of leaf litter!

 

[Louis]

This looks great and it's especially interesting to me as I've been sorely tempted to do something similar with pieces of wood in order to create better basking spots for some of my geckos. I'm grateful that you risked an exo terra for this experiment so I didn't have to! I have a few questions.
Obviously one of the advantages of what you've created here is that it can be relatively easily replaced but how long do you hope the wood will last before it decays to a point that the fixtures no longer support the weight and how confident are you in the ability of the glass to bear the load? By not having it in contact with the substrate you avoid a lot of wicking but are you worried that the wood will absorb moisture and become significantly heavier?
That looks like grapevine to me which is nice and lightweight but also absorbs much more water than something like mopani, I was stunned recently when I sawed through a piece of mopani that had been submerged in an aquarium for 6 years but was still apparently bone dry a few millimeters beneath the surface. One of the nice things about what you've done here is that you can experiment with different wood I suppose.
Did you consider and discard other options for affixing the wood? Prior to seeing this thread I had decided to try this but using 'nails' made out of silicone by drilling into the wood, filling the cavity from the drill with silicone until it's slightly overflowing and then pressing the bead against the glass walls. The siicone 'nails' seems to be sufficiently strong and apparently help to usefully spread the load.

 

[Fahad]

[...] Have you found that your darts find the same level of comfort with a clear pane of glass at their back as they would a covered pane (even if it was just colored paper behind it)?

I'm sure Socratic Monologue will answer the question posed to him, but I can add my experiences to this question: over the years I've probably done more tanks without backgrounds than with. I haven't noticed an appreciable difference in the behaviour of P. terribilis, D. tinctorius, D. leucomelas, O. pumilio, or D. auratus -- all species I've kept at one time or another in the past (these days I pretty much specialize in terribilis, except for the unsavoury group of leucomelas loitering in the frog room).

But they have tons of cover from overhanging wood, plants and large amounts of leaf litter, so they never have cause to feel permanently exposed to either observers or tankmates. All tanks are against a wall.

No idea how other species may act, but I'm hoping other keepers will add their input. Good question.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I have a couple questions for you:

1) Are you planning to keep the back and the sides uncovered? Have you found that your darts find the same level of comfort with a clear pane of glass at their back as they would a covered pane (even if it was just colored paper behind it)?

3) Did you place leaf litter directly over the sponge/foam you have over your bulkhead? I was curious if you have to put some substrate over it before placing leaf litter or if you can place it directly over the sponge itself.

I would also love to hear an update when you have some anecdotal evidence of how your frogs like the two distinct microhabitats you create with the hard scape and open areas of leaf litter!

1) The back pane has black contact paper/shelf liner on the outside, so is opaque. I'll black out the sides only if I need to -- I have done so in the past between adjacent thumbnail vivs (males bickered through the glass) but this one is between a PVC crested gecko viv and a transparent-sided R. sirensis viv, which I don't anticipate being a territorial issue. I haven't noticed any difference with darts (except when they can see other frogs, as I mentioned), though I am very familiar with the phenomenon with other herps. With many snakes, for example, we don't keep them in enclosures that are large enough to stake out distinct areas like we do in frog vivs; the snakes are essentially living in a hide, so they tend to need it opaque-sided.

2) Mmm... a mystery question. I'll have to think about this one.

3) I forgot to describe what I did in the drain channel. As you noticed, I cut a piece of aquarium foam and laid it in the channel tight. I put ABG only on the glass bottom part, so only leaf litter is on top of the foam. If it clogs or something in the future, I have a lot more foam left and can rethink it, but I think it'll be ok.

Will do on updates. I'm hoping to notice the male/female habitat preferences, though an experiment where N=2 isn't too valid.