[jbherpin]

I think it is much easier to convert a tank that is of a horizontal orientation to benefit/contain Dart Frogs. An example being, you cannot take a tank and stand it upright as a vertical and place a screen top sealed with Saran Wrap over the front as you could with a horizontal viv. This is in no way an attempt to suggest all species should/could/etc be kept in a "short" enclosure. In fact I have no dislike for vertical vivs at all... I just prefer species that are much less arboreal as they suit my shortcut viv design.

So which style do you prefer, and why? All my thanks!

JBear

 

[frogparty]

Hexagon vivs are my favorite.

 

[epiphytes etc.]

Too bad hexs are so space consuming. I'd love a nice cylinder. 360 views.

 

[fieldnstream]

I love the sense of depth from Bowfronts (for purely aesthetic reasons). Unfortunately I only have one...but its my favorite tank. For utilitarian uses, front-opening tanks are great.

 

[sports_doc]

front opening....anytime, any day

S

 

[Bokfan1]

front opening for racks, bowfronts for display....

 

[frogparty]

Too bad hexs are so space consuming. I'd love a nice cylinder. 360 views.

Yeah my hexs are no background with a central driftwood tree where I mount orchids and broms so you can see a 360 view

 

[Neontra]

Front opening cubes, my fav

 

[mattolsen]

For function and species preference, front opening tanks all the way. I had top opening tanks in the beginning and found them to be a pain in the butt for maintenance and egg pulling.

For a show/display tank I like the bowfront for looks but am thinking about converting a 90 gal into a vert show tank.

 

[Dizzle21]

Yeah my hexs are no background with a central driftwood tree where I mount orchids and broms so you can see a 360 view

have any pics? I need some inspiration, Im planning on doing a display hex soon, just trying to find a tall one

 

[WeeNe858]

Corner tanks have so much potential for depth. I also like columns and special dimensions tanks. Never had an open front but would love one!

 

[GRIMM]

I like rectangular aquariums that open from the top, for esthetic reasons. Nothing looks cleaner then 4 panes of glass. Obviously if I had +10 tanks id like front opening to keep maintenance easier.

Never been a fan of bow fronts or hex tanks. They distort light to much and make it hard to get a good picture. Plus they make me dizzy looking at them lol.

 

[frogparty]

My next vivs will be front opening. Want a 24x18x24 and 36x18x24 for my next projects

 

[fishman9809]

I love really tall vivs with fairly small footprints because I love making artificial treestumps. An additional plus is that if it's a square footprint it can be viewable 360 degrees. Obviously not ideal for frogs though.

 

[B-NICE]

I`m still with standard fish tanks. I havent grown to like the exo`s and ZM`s yet. They are more costly, with all of these dollar per gallon sales going on. When I get a rack, I'm going to throw some front opening tanks on the rack where they need be fitted. If I ever wanted to build a very very big viv, I would go with a front opener.

 

[karl47]

I've got all sorts of Vivs: Horizontal (5, 20, 2- 29s, 37, 50 & 55g), 3- 20g (conversion kits) vertical, and 2- 12x12x18 Exos, but I love my 55 horizontal the best. I do 2-1/4" false bottom/filtered with ponds to raise my tads in and have a lot of success with them (got 7 Leuc & Panamanian tads growing in them right now). My 9 adult Leucs, in the 55g, don't even move when I feed them (daily) from above and mate on a regular basis. So maybe the whole "danger comes from above" philosophy only holds true in the wild (?).

 

[Ed]

Over the last several decades where I have had to take care of large numbers of enclosures oriented normally on racks (institutional), I've learned to greatly appreciate front (or back or both) opening enclosures. You don't have to make them into verticle style enclosures as there are a number of brands out there that make front access enclosures that are perfect for the frogs but nothing beats being able to reach straight into the enclosure as opposed to having to work down and inside a tank, particularly a large or deep enclosure. Keep in mind that this also means you don't have to remove the top and figure out a place to set it down, and then worry about frogs going up and out the opposite end from where you are working or having to balance a lid on one end...

Ed

 

[epiphytes etc.]

I'm still waiting for front opening horizontal kits. Perfect for a 40b.

 

[Zoomie]

Front opening is a must have for me. My 50 is a giant pain as it is on a rack. So are the grow-out tanks.

The seam for the doors does not bother me a bit.

For display, I really like big hexes with a centerpiece.