[Tydis]

Hey guys,
I’m totally new to frogs. I’ve kept a chameleon for a little over two years now and I’ve always been envious of how pretty the Dart terrarium at my local pet store is.

Being new to frogs I decided darts were a bit too complex to start off with, not to mention I live in a fairly arid region so humidity can be an issue.

I’ve settled on White Tree Frogs, the permanent smile they have just draws me in.

(Note, I realize this is a primarily Dart frog based forum but you folk seem quite knowledgeable about frogs in general)

Anywho, enough about me I’ve done quite a bit of research and think I am ready to start going to work putting together the vivarium. Before I do I figured I’d post my shopping list up here and see if you guys can recommend anything to me? Have I missed anything, overlooked some things not working well together? Impart your experience on me!

* · Exo Terra 18x18x24
* · Hydroballs
* · ABG Mix
* · Sphagnum Moss
* · Leaf Litter
* · Temperature and Humidity gauges
* · Josh’s frogs 18x18x24 Tree frog plant kit*
* · Lighting System**
* · Various branches; drift wood etc.
* · Water dish

*Josh’s frogs 18x18x24 Tree frog plant kit contains 2 bromeliads, 2 pothos cuttings, and 2 "viving plants"

**Note on the lighting, I’m debating between CFL’s and LED’s. I’m hesitant with the CFL’s because when I first started with my chameleon they were deemed very dangerous for chameleons. I’m guessing this isn’t the case with frogs or that the CFL’s are made differently now.
Also with the lighting, due to my job I’m usually awake and at home from 1-5am so I’m wanting to get some sort of ‘Night Light’ that lets me see the frogs but doesn’t disturb their natural day & night cycle. Any recommendations?


Anyways, sorry for the long post and thanks in advance,
-Tydis

 

[El Saptio Joyas]

Welcome to the community

There is a current thread on LED vs CFL ques thats easy to find. In general my advice would be to spend a few weeks just reading and browsing this website on build threads and other areas of interest. There is just too much info to get what you need by someone answering your post.

- the PDF viv lighting needs are based on the plants not the frogs, since PDFs generally live 98% in canopy shade etc... we also supplement calcium via bug dusting. I know there are people who keep other frogs on this board, so they can tell you more about your species of preference.

Take care

 

[deboardfam]

Unfortunately, dont know much about the species.

Can answer a lighting question though.. some people run opposite light times.. so their "day" will be your night. They adjust and wont have an issue with it. At least with darts. It is actually better this way for most as it is much easier to keep the vivs cool during the actual day with the lights off.

 

[fieldnstream]

Some things to keep in mind with whites:
Plants need to be sturdy because the frogs will be quite heavy when they are fully grown. Some great plants for whites are pothos, aglanoema, and even some of the more water-tolerant sanseveria.
They will need some strong perches, branches wide enough for them to rest comfortably are the best.
Leaf litter is not necessary, but may be beneficial for encouraging tank "janitors".
Whites can be messy, so don't go too crazy making a picture-perfect viv.
I used CFL's with my whites without any issues...the lights are mainly for the plants anyway.
You really can't go wrong with whites as your first frog, they are hardy and have tons of personality.
Keep us updated and Good Luck!

 

[Tydis]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.

 

[oneshot]

you can also check out: Frog Forum tons of species on there...

 

[Tydis]

Hey guys,

I've gotten some decent work on my background. I'm wanting to use silicone to attach the cocofiber to the background. Like Zoomie did in his twin build thread.

I understand the soil needs to be 100% dry in order for the silicone to bond.

My soil has been sitting out in a thin layer under a fan for about 8 hours now and still isn't anywhere near dry.

Anyone have tips to speed this process up?

 

[fieldnstream]

I put mine in the oven at low temp (about 200) with the door ajar. It helped it dry more quickly but smelled pretty bad. I have used coco that isn't totally dry and it has stuck fine, though not quite as well as really dry stuff. You may want to add some sphag, fir bark, or fine peat to give the background more texture/color.

 

[Tydis]

I'll put a couple handfuls in the oven and see how much that speeds it up.

 

[Tydis]

The oven tip worked great, the key to the whole thing was leaving the door slightly ajar.

One more silly noob question for you guys. If I'm wanting to attach one end of the driftwood to the side of my terrarium would gorilla glue or silicone work better? Or something else?


In case the text above wasn't clear here is a picture.

The piece of the far left in the picture obviously isn't secure. How should I go about fixing that?

 

[Zoomie]

I would secure that high end piece with a minimal amount of brown or clear silicone. Don't glob it on. Use just enough to lock it up.

One of the hard things for me was finding ways to secure things in manner that allowed you remove something if necessary.

Looks great so far ! Continue to take your time until you are satisfied with the results. Only introduce your frog once you're done. I had to change so many thiings around. This would have been an almost impossible task with tank inhabitants.

 

[Tydis]

Got my lights from Todd over at lightyourreptiles.com yesterday.
I decided to go with a 25 Watt Indoor Sunshine and a 14 Watt Day LED.
These things are BRIGHT!

The plants will love them.

It's hard to tell just how bright they are in that picture but they light up my room. The color of the light looks just like sun shining through the windows.
I put a little fake plant in there to give some idea of how plants will look under these lights.

These things are awesome.


Now I'm just waiting on the ABG mix and the plants from Josh's Frogs.

Once I get the substrate all set up and have the plants in hand I should be able to better visualize how I want to set-up my drift wood.

 

[johnyrocks]

Lookin good, can't wait until it's planted and cleaned up.

 

[Tydis]

Got my plants in the mail today.

I was really worried that they would be entirely dried up when I got home from work considering the temperature got up to 106 today!
Luckily the people over at Josh's Frogs are amazing.

Everything was still very moist when I opened the package earlier today.

I took a couple quick picks I'll share with you guys. They are pretty bad so when I get some more time I'll be sure and take better ones.

I Ordered the Exo Terra 18x18x24 Tree Frog Plant Kit.
It comes with two Pothos cuttings, two Brom's and two "Vining plants."

First thing in the package greeting me was a big bag of Creeping Jew cuttings.
They all look super healthy with tons of leaves. The cuttings range anywhere from half and inch to three inches. There is around 15 cuttings.

Second thing I found was the bag filled with two Pothos cuttings. These two look great! Awesome color in the leaves, each cutting is about 6 inches long.

Third thing was the Friendship Pilea. They took special care to remove almost all the dirt from the root system the plant has growing, and tightly wrapped the roots in moist paper towel. I'm super excited for this plant to start growing and getting the vibrant foliage they are famous for!

Last thing I unwrapped was the two Bromeliads. They were tightly wrapped in semi moist newspaper. They are in great shape! I'm not sure what type they are.

I put all my various house plants around my cage, and my biggest Brom inside it, they all get great light around it. I will probably keep them around the cage even when everything is all set up and the eventual frog is living inside. It makes the stand really pop in my room and I can use the lights on either side of the cage to create a sort of sunset effect by turning them off one at a time in 45 minute intervals or something along those lines.

I should be getting my ABG mix and leaf litter from Josh's Frogs on Wednesday, then I can really get this thing going.

 

[varanoid]

You are definately on a roll!

 

[Tydis]

Hey guys, soil came a day early!

I planted everything today.
I'm pretty pleased with the results even though I'm about 99% sure I've over planted or will be moving things around, in and out, as the plants grow.

Here's a quick cell phone picture. It's a weird angle that makes everything look compressed.



The flowered bromeliad bloomed about two weeks ago so I'm not sure how much longer it will live.


Any tips, suggestions, comments you guys have about anything thus far?
This is my first vivarium so I'm sure I've over looked something or planted the plants in sections they will get too much or not enough light. Let me know!

 

[fieldnstream]

Dude, great job for your first viv. The only thing I would do would be to cover the sides with black contact paper or something similar. It helps prevent stress and makes the whole viv visually pop. This is not a must, just something that I have found to make everything look nicer. Again, great job!