[MattTele]

Hey!
I have my viv done and the frogs are in, Im still looking for leaf litter with no avail, no one ships "live" stuff to Canada anymore, but I'll find some (also working on micro fauna,thats a freaking chore too!). Im looking for opinions on my D.Azureus tank, I wanna know what I'm doing right and wrong. I plan to add a few plants I THINK (wandering jew, a common vine, and a polka dot plant). The frogs seem to love it, and I think it looks great but Id still love some opinions.

Its a 20 gal with a false bottom and coco fiber substrate covered in exo terra moss.
Thanks in advance!
-Matt

 

[james67]

now i really hate to say this, but the sansevieria isnt going to work in your tank. actually the orchid probably wont either. it may seem like a pain in the @ss but getting the right plants from the start is important since you'll soon be dealing with rotting plants or growth that pushes the lid of of your tank and allows for the frogs escape.

if your looking for an easy hardy plants there are many, but most will grow rapidly.
some commonly available examples are philodenderons (pothos) and gesneriads like violets or episcia.

wandering jew will do alright but will get large and leggy in a tank that size, and the polka dot plant (hypoestes) will get much too large as well.

check your canadian frog supply retailers or post an wanted ad on the canadian classifieds here!

leaf litter should be easy to collect and treat for parasites yourself.

you also shouldnt need a water bowl as the frogs will do fine w/o it.

keep it up and welcome. tank building can be one of the most addicting aspects o the hobby

james

 

[31drew31]

Lots of people have leaf litter in Canada, no need to order it from the US. Join canadart.org and post a wanted ad. It's the Canadian dart forum. Also understory has lots of viv plants and have no problems shipping.

 

[MattTele]

So what would be your opinion then? pull the sans.? Whats wrong with the orchid? Is everything else ok, what did I do right?
I feel like I failed haha, I was kind of shoved into the hobby by a friend of mine who gifted the frogs to me, so looking for proper plants was short noticed.
-Matt

 

[james67]

dont feel bad. text is a hard way to describe a tone and i certainly didnt intend to come of as nonconstructive or rude. your on the right track and i can tell that you want to provide the best living conditions for your animals, by your post which asked for opinions on the tank. im simply trying to give some helpful advice. the plants you currently have in the tank are just not suited for the tank's size or conditions. the orchid will very likely rot away in the high humidity. and the snake plant gets very big.

as i suggested posting a wanted ad in the canadian classifieds may be an easy way to score some viv friendly plants for a low price or even free. hell, if it wasnt clearly illegal i'd offer you some cuttings for postage, and i have to imagine someone in canada would do the same (without the legal hassle )

do you have a drainage layer? like gravel underneath the coco and moss? what are your temps like? is the tank "sealed" or vented?

james

 

[MattTele]

I really appreciate it man, thank you

Im really confused bout the orchid though, because I see what you mean, but theres been SO much new green growth on it that it cant not be doing well...weird, I'll let it run its course then pull it. Im going to grab some new plants then i'll pull everything that doesnt work. Im a member on canadart and i'll put a post out thanks for that advice. And yes with the drainage, temps are 72-78, its vented a TINY bit because there are holes for filters n' stuff in the lid.
-Matt

 

[james67]

nice!
gotta try and get the temps down a little (low 70s is perfect). what lighting are you using?

james

 

[MattTele]

Im using the fluorescent lighting that came with the tank hood. I just reset the thermometer because it was reading 80, and Im 100% positive it wasnt 80, Im using the exo terra dial ones so I might be reading a bit high, or not right at all.
-Matt

 

[Tony]

Dendrobium orchids are epiphytic or lithophytic, they need airflow around the roots and a chance to dry out between waterings. Planting it in the substrate will keep the roots too wet, it is only a matter of time before they rot and the plant goes into a slow decline.

 

[Pumilo]

Try mounting the orchid to that piece of cork bark to get the roots out of the wet substrate.

 

[Tony]

Even mounted I doubt it would do well, there just isn't enough air circulation or light in the viv. I am an expert Dendrobium killer, I know all the tricks to make them drop.

 

[mordoria]

Talk to GRIMM on these boards. He canadian and has some amazing tanks. He will know where to get the good stuff

 

[MattTele]

Hey All,
I did some remodelling!

I got rid of one of the snakeplants, and the orchid is now mounted on cork bark to keep it dryer, I added a BUNCH clippings from a friends tank (no idea what each is but they looked great in his tank!), added a drainage area for me, got a brom for the wood, and Im waiting on ANOTHER bigger brom to replace the big snakeplant in the back.
What do you think? Better?
-Matt