[Guest]

I posted a few days ago with some questions, and finally just decided to dive in and build my first viv. It's a 10G tank, and even though I know I really didn't need to, I built a false bottom because I wanted to figure out how to make one for when I eventually turn my 20L into a frog tank . . . I put a layer of gravel over that because I really didn't like the look of the plain FB and I also wanted to have a shallow drainage pond on the right side of the tank, which I made out of flat slate stones, gravel, and river rock.

I used a cocofiber background for this one, but I don't think I'd use it again--it's kinda sticky and not terribly attractive, but I had a bunch of it lying around and wanted to make use of it.

I took a couple of hunks of cork bark curls and siliconed one to the left side of the tank (it's kind of hidden by the plants i the pictures) and there's one siliconed to the back of the tank against the cocofiber, too. Up on the right-hand side, I have a little piece of cork curl that looked like it might make a nice planter for a hanging plant, so I siliconed that in as well, and I'm hoping to find something nice and lush to plant in it.

Well, here's my unplanted tank . . . more pics when it actually gets some greenery! If anyone has any good plant recommendations, I'm all ears.

I dry fit it with the driftwood and a couple of potted plants I picked up at Lowe's to get an idea what it'd look likw with some greenery, but the finished product ended up totally different than I thought it would.

Now I just need to get some plants . . . I placed an order for mosses and a couple of creeping plants and broms . . . for a first shot, I'm fairly pleased. I wish I'd figured a way to better use the vertical space in the tank, but none of the wood I have burls the right way for that. Maybe I'll go out shopping for wood again this weekend.

Looking up from the "pond" area.

 

[elmoisfive]

Looks like a good start. I think it will look very nice after it is planted. Keep us posted. What kind of PDFs are you planning to go with?

Bill

 

[unbrokenchain42]

by the looks of it, your substrate seems a bit shallow. this will mean constantly saturated soil, which will be detremental to many plants. that was one lesson i learned the hard way in my first couple tanks. otherwise it looks cool, i like the rocks around the water area. best of luck

 

[Guest]

by the looks of it, your substrate seems a bit shallow. this will mean constantly saturated soil, which will be detremental to many plants. that was one lesson i learned the hard way in my first couple tanks. otherwise it looks cool, i like the rocks around the water area. best of luck

I was actually wondering about that. It wouldn't take much for me to build up the little slate wall by the water area and just add more substrate. The drainage area is about 2.5-3 inches, but the substrate itself is only about 1.5 to 2 inches deep. I guess if I doubled that, I'd probably have a better base to work with.

As for what kind of frogs will go into the tank, I'm still trying to figure that out. I was thinking of starting with juvenile leucs or G&B auratus, but I still have some research to do before I decide. I also want to get my 20G started so it's ready to go when they are sizing out this 10G tank . . .

 

[dmartin72]

I love your background...what did you make it out of?

 

[Guest]

It's just a flat layer of cocohusk fiber that I had in a box of old reptile supplies, and I siliconed it flat to the back of the tank. One nice thing about it is that it's very easy stuff to work with!

 

[Guest]

The background looks like the cocomats you can buy at the petstore (often called "climbing background" for hermit crabs).

I've used it in a few tanks by far the most inexpensive backgroudn material available (that I've found at least).

My only issue was it got moldy (white mold), which went away after a few months. Now I have large mushrooms growing out of it from time to time.


-Tad

 

[Guest]

The background looks like the cocomats you can buy at the petstore (often called "climbing background" for hermit crabs).

That's the stuff!

 

[unbrokenchain42]

I was actually wondering about that. It wouldn't take much for me to build up the little slate wall by the water area and just add more substrate. The drainage area is about 2.5-3 inches, but the substrate itself is only about 1.5 to 2 inches deep. I guess if I doubled that, I'd probably have a better base to work with.

yeah, moist is fine, but soaked is not, and at the present depth of the substrate, it will most likely be soaked. espescially if the water in the leca is making contact with the substrate itself. One thing I do, since its not a good idea to push the substrate down and compact it, since you will be limiting the air that the roots have access to, you can add a few inches of soil every month or so as the old batch settles into place. it will still get more and more compact, but not nearly as bad as when you push it down with brute force.

 

[unbrokenchain42]

ok, i see its gravel and not leca, but the same applies.

also, you may not want to build up the slate any higher, since the soil will settle around it, and look more natural.

 

[DaFrogMan]

Looks great so far. Be careful how much water you put in there though. If it gets up to the point that the water touches the substrate, you'll get rotting, stinky, water logged soil real quick and most of the plants won't really like it. Also, that fern in the back looks good, those work well for vivs (if it's what I think it is.) I'm not sure if I would use that ficus though. When ficus plants get moved and their environment changes they drop all of their leaves and grow new ones (usually not as thick.) I'd take that ficus back (if it is a ficus) and get some pothos instead.

 

[Guest]

Also, that fern in the back looks good, those work well for vivs (if it's what I think it is.) I'm not sure if I would use that ficus though. When ficus plants get moved and their environment changes they drop all of their leaves and grow new ones (usually not as thick.) I'd take that ficus back (if it is a ficus) and get some pothos instead.

Thanks for that tip. The fern is a lemon fern, and I'm glad it'll be a good fit ofr a viv. Poor ficus, I'll have to find something else to plant it in and just grow it as a house plant. I do have some pothos cuttings from a larger plant that I'm rooting already. I'll try those in the tank and see how they look.

 

[kyle1745]

Good start, did you silicone the background down? If not you will want to or make sure there is no space for the frogs to get behind it.