[booboo]

Ha ha haa i got an idea!

I have a tru vu 55 gallon that i got for free from my neighbor with stand canopy and other aquarium equipment. I was going to make a reef tank but lighting is soooo expensive. So i thought VIVARIUM. What could i keep in that?how many frogs?How do you feed large tanks?

I said before but i realy like that low cloud effect and was wondering(searches proved ultrasonic foggers have some problems) how i could diy a humidifier to the tank?

 

[Guest]

Ha haa, im sorry, but i got a free 110 gallon tank with 2 canister filters 4 hang on filters and a ton of ballasts and plastic plants, ect. I know, its bragging but i cant hold it in. Sadly, its a saltwater tank... because its my brothers tank because i have more tanks than him. Good luck!
Id reccomend auratus, or tincs. And dont forget a waterfall, stream, then going to pond, really cool.
-Paul

 

[Schism]

Don't start with a 55....
Assuming your new to PDF's don't go that big, its too big for a beginner. Start with a 10 or 20, plus if your worried about lights your probably going to go cheap which is never a good idea. Not that this hobby is as expensive as reefkeeping, but it is not cheap. DIY humidifiers are simple, but seriously go much much smaller than a 55. How bout a bearded dragon for the 55?

Frogkid: Hang on filters on a 110??? Are you serious??? Canister filters (ie nitrate factories)???

Poor fish

 

[Dunner97074]

Now we can go back and forth on small -vs- larger tanks. I would consider a 55 the largerest to start with. I understand the concerns on using a larger tank but there are also benefits. A 55 allows for more artistic variation and allows for more forgiveness on conditions. Ideally I believe you should start with a smaller tank but if you have a 55 why not use it. Just take your time to tweak the tank's environment before adding frogs. Plan everything before you just dive in.

Just my 2 cents,

Mike

 

[Guest]

I know, but im not the one who had them on the fishtank! They just came with the tank.

 

[Schism]

True, but you could unplug them. :wink: I ran my reef with enormous success for 4 years with absolutely zero filtration. Keep enough oxygen and they'll be good. Bad to the thread, sorry for the temp hijack, but your welcome for the bump!

 

[Guest]

Um... yea. But i didnt know they were in the tank. Some doctor told my dad he had a tank he didnt want and we come in, and boom, tank full of water with unpluged filters and full of water. ( i knever knew what was in the tank before other than a failed reef tank and pirahanas) :shock:
So, thats the story.

 

[sirfugu]

First things first you'll need to know some basics of building these tanks. I'd use a false bottom with that size tank unless you have all that extra gravel to fill it with like I did. Basically all this is is lighting grid cut to the size of the bottom of the tank that acts as a space for the extra water to pool/drain. Also there are many different backgorunds you will want to choose from like coir, greatstuff, or cocos panels. As far as frogs go I'd start off with only a few, that way if for any reason there is a problem you wouldn't be out as much money and greif. 2-3 auratus or leucs would be a good start. Feeding large tanks can either be done using springtails or lots of flies and other foods if you choose. The best advice I can give you would be to do a search on everything you think you'll need and atleast spend a few weeks if not months gathering information before you start. Good luck on your tank!

 

[booboo]

Thanks for the help ( i think ) although some of it was off topic.

I think i will try the 55gal (When i have time)

Some Qs
1.CAn i start a springtail culture in the tank substrate before i buy any frogs?
2.What about those caly pellets black jungle sells for a false bottom?
3.Whats a good book?
4.Where did you buy your supplies?
5.Could someone direct me to some diy projects?(especially the humidifier thing so i could have that low cloudy effect)


And a question for Frogkid
1.What kind of ballasts did you get with that 110 any MH i am willing to buy from you?

 

[Darks!de]

1. You can, but it is generally done with very large tanks so that the springtails have somewhere to hide from the frogs and reproduce. It would be much easier for you to just cultrure them in cups.

2. They are called LECA, hydroton, Hydrokorrels depending on where you look. You need them (or gravel) to create a drainage layer for plants.

3. Lots of good books, but about different things. Are you looking for a book about caring for frogs? or building a tank? or culturing food?

4. Black jungle, hydroponic shop by my house, home depot, plant nurseries...etc

5. http://www.gifkikkerportaal.nl/Gifkikke ... ?tabid=197
http://www.trix.com/binx/mister/
http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html

Good luck.

Luke

 

[booboo]

Ok kool I think i will go ahead and buy a book and try the 55.

I was wondering more of a humidifier diy setup i have seen them mentioned but no actual sites of diy. Will good misters give me that cool dense cloudy look?

If i let the springtails culture themselves for a week or two before i bought the frogs would they have eenough time to have established some good colony spread around the tank?

Whats a good book for Caring for frogs?

 

[Darks!de]

You would need to get a ultrasonic humidifier and plumb it with some PVC into the tank.

I would advise that you spend a lot of time reading posts and articles on this board and in books before you go out a get frogs though...there is a lot of information you need to know to keep your frogs healthy and happy...don't rush into it, take your time and you will be rewarded in the end.

 

[Jeffey_Kasparek]

Speaking from Experience

Its not a bad idea to go ahead and get the books, but try to make sure all of your information is compatible and fully accurate. On the other hand, nothing can really beat experience, which is why I would say experiment a tad with some smaller tanks so that you know exactly what works and what doesn't and what to expect. I tried a forty gallon tank using cork bark as a backing with silcon as an adhesive and filled in the cracks with great stuff foam sealant. The false bottom on the tank turned out fine. One site in particular that I would interesting showed how to create a room sized vivaria. The author mixed coco fiber and peat moss with a bonding adhesive called flevopol, which exists only in the UK. When it dried, it cracked and look like artificial bark, which gave the backing a nice touch. I found on a couple of site that flevopol could be substituted with Ace Hardware Concrete Primer and Bonding Additive. What I didn't learn was that a water fall could not be used off of the false backing as running water makes the Primer dissolve. To make a long story short, I awoke one morning to find the tank filling with suds and bubbles. Thankfully no frogs were in the tank at that point, but I still had to scrap that whole tank, meaning I wasted all that money but more importantly my time. I experimented a couple more times on small projects and found that marine epoxy can serve a similar function (though it wasn't mixed with the coco fiber or peat moss) and won't leach into the tank. So just becareful and read up carefully on things without making assumptions, or it could cost you. In any event, best of luck and happy hunting.

 

[booboo]

Any one in California(best locations bay area san fransisco sacramento near there napa valley etc) I live about 20 min form sac and an 1 hr and 30 min from SF. I would want just two tads to expirement and raise in a 5.5gal then transfer to a 10 then mybe ti the 55 or i could have two tanks!!!

If anyone is near any of those places where do you shop locally? I know there is a huge viv shop in berkley but is ther e any other?

WHAT BOOK?