# My first attempt



## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Tank Exo Terra 18x18x24
Background combination of cork, cypress knees and moss
Future Residents Imitator varadero


Concept: I plan on using pumilo's 75 vivarium build as inspiration for the background while using cut cypress knees to make horizontial platforms for the frogs to hang out on. 








Execution: this is what I plan on siliconing. 








We will see how close I came to the plan later today. 

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Cool, should look great! Don't forget to come by for some free plant cuttings when you're ready.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

While not true to my mockup I do like the results. I am debating adding another piece of cork to the right side but am unsure as I kinda like the look and I hated working with the silicon. 

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I will try and take some pictures in better light and with my dslr later today or tomorrow.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Here is the final background layout minus the moss, which will go in tomorrow or the next day. The tooth picks are for areas where the distance between the cork bark is greater than 1 inch. 
Front tank center Shots
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cx83AoDh65k/T4JSUGnso3I/AAAAAAAAA_g/E8VE0nzWpiE/s1280/IMG_2681.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WlRLD29c790/T4JSkB073dI/AAAAAAAAA_o/1WIKiAvDh4A/s1280/IMG_2682.JPG
Right side tank shot
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9_0fHg5tncc/T4JSxljP5ZI/AAAAAAAAA_w/0KFLQZXNGSI/s1280/IMG_2683.JPG
Toothpick scaffolding 
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-__576fyu-tA/T4JTPgNbCOI/AAAAAAAABAA/mDDRL6gC7Vg/s1280/IMG_2685.JPG

Front tank viewing from top
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GzAYzhqVxRg/T4JTga-gWzI/AAAAAAAABAI/o3ts1cCiSfg/s1280/IMG_2686.JPG\
Front tank viewing from bottom
vhttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Lx0FabvaqS8/T4JTzaTN37I/AAAAAAAABAQ/Hu7rgUsGItk/s1280/IMG_2687.JPG


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Looking good, but I don't think the toothpicks will help. You have to stuff that sphagnum in there like crazy. If the distance is too great for the spagnum to fill in, you need to silicone a piece of cork bark scrap in there. 
Need some scrap? We'd be glad to give you some.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

I couldn't sleep after my son woke up and I added some more cork offshoots to the background and one to the left side. I can't wait to start packing the moss but how long should I wait? If I can't smell the curing agent does that mean I can start packing it or should I wait a few days from applying it. 

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Cure time is dependent on several things such as how thick the bead is, temperature of the room, and free air exchange (if the lid is on it will take longer to cure). I generally like to wait 48 hours.


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## frogigi (Mar 15, 2012)

why not use GS to fill up those gaps? alternatively u can use a short piece of tube to connect btw e cork then silicon n coconut husk or peat moss e tubes.

kb


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

They're are doing the cork mosaic style background where u have small pieces of cork siliconed to the back and sphagnum stuffed in between. This helps moss and various epiphytes grow


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

frogigi said:


> why not use GS to fill up those gaps? alternatively u can use a short piece of tube to connect btw e cork then silicon n coconut husk or peat moss e tubes.
> 
> kb





goof901 said:


> They're are doing the cork mosaic style background where u have small pieces of cork siliconed to the back and sphagnum stuffed in between. This helps moss and various epiphytes grow


True, but the neat thing about this method is it's flexibility. You can put a piece of tree fern panel, a rock, or some cypress knees in here and there. Filling in a couple of spots here and there with sore great stuff, "painted" with silicone and coco fiber would certainly be an option.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

It's finished.


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

looks great!! are you gonna addd anymore plants?


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Haha see what sleep deprivation does. I was click link and thinking of image and asking myself why isn't it working. 

Yes I plan on adding a lot more plants. I am debating leaving the center free and moving the plants to the sides and having an open space with heavy leaf litter. I decided not to use my grape wood log because I liked the look of the open front and all the vertical space i put into the background, I also have 6 ft of unused vines I may add at some point. Also the grave wood stick I put into the background almost disintegrated when I watered the tank for the first time. My plan is to heavily plant the cork board with epiphytes. The plants in there now are as follows; pep hawaii, pep hope, pep orba variegatem, pep orba cupio, callisia, pilea,begonia manaus, fittonia mini red and fittonia mini. They are from Therizman2, he had some small cutting available and I wanted to try them out. 
Pumilo has invited me over to do some window plant shopping, which I intend to take him up on.

Also I used a sphagnum and sheet moss mixture for the stuffing between the cracks.


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

the grape wood will rot in your viv, some people use it because as it rots, it gives food to your microfauna.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Looking good! It really starts to come to life once you get that sphagnum in doesn't it?


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

now i wish i did my viv like that...


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Wow. First viv? That's really nice.

Jake


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

A month ago I was going to do a frogfish tank then I stumbled upon vicskimer's viv thread and then met Pumilo....it was a blast making it now i want to make another but my budget is blown.

It is also crawling now with springtails, dwarf white isopods and 4 adult orange isopods and about 6 juveniles. 

Doug,

Those orange isopods rock they are really taking off i see babies everywhere...they love mushrooms, trying watermelon now.


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## frogigi (Mar 15, 2012)

u have beautifully joined e mosaic of barks! awesome work!
A bromeliad at a corner n some bulb orchid on e bark wall will be great! not forgetting to provide a hiding place (film container or coconut husk) or two for e little one. or get some short pvc piping wif peat glued on it.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Went to the local nursery and got myself 2 air plants, disinfected them and added them.


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## carnold (Aug 7, 2011)

the tank is looking good. You should definitely go with your idea to plant around the edges and leave the open with the leaf litter. My first tank I didnt leave much open space for the frogs to come out and would have to wait for them to come out of hiding into the small opening, my second tank of course bigger than my first I decided to leave a bigger open area where the frogs could come out to feed and hang out and that you would not have to search for them.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Kierik said:


> A month ago I was going to do a frogfish tank then I stumbled upon vicskimer's viv thread and then met Pumilo....it was a blast making it now i want to make another but my budget is blown.
> 
> It is also crawling now with springtails, dwarf white isopods and 4 adult orange isopods and about 6 juveniles.
> 
> ...


Lots of good stuff you can throw in your viv for them. Just don't throw too much in at once. The seem to love squash and pumpkin. Come Halloween you should chop up your jack o lantern and freeze it for your bugs. A chunk of raw potato is good, really we've been known to use whatever veggie scraps my wife is throwing out.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

I remember in ecology class using potato to culture isopods. We used halfs and they would bore into them, was really cool to watch.

I did end up moving around some of the plants and planting the air plants away from the sphagnum and slightly to fully inverted, to prevent rotting. Anyone know a good resource to find what plant species are good for vivariums that you might find at the nursery? I've done some searching but I was hoping for a static resource, like a website/all inclusive post.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Got some unknow plant sprouting from some treated leaf litter.








Let's see what it turns out to be. 

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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

I also ordered a t5 lighting setup to hopefully add more heat into the tank as its daytime high is 67 with a low of 63 and about 80 to 85% humidity. We will see if this fixes it. 

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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

my springtail population is booming and the tank literally crawls now. It is so much fun to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ey9UigUGOk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Added some plants from NEHERPand moved stuff around. About 2 weeks ago I added a 4x18w T5 fixture and its kept the tank temp up. I now have 78F during the day in the tank center and the coldest is 65 at night. 

tillandsia
Ionatha 'fuego'
Ionantha mexican
Ionantha X Stricta

Ferns
Selaginella Kraussiana

Others
Carnival Columnea
Columnea unknown species
Columnea 'goldfish'
pilea aquamarine
Variegated Creeping Fig
Ficus Pumila (removed to see how it grows potted first)
Neoregela pup (looks like a 'nonis')


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

That's going to look great once it starts growing in! Where is your glass top and screen? I thought someone was making one for you? Man! That guy must be a SLACKER!


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

looks great!! i would probably not use the sphagnum around the bromeliad as it might cause the bromeliad to root. what frogs are you going to put in there?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

goof901 said:


> looks great!! i would probably not use the sphagnum around the bromeliad as it might cause the bromeliad to root. what frogs are you going to put in there?


Missed that. I agree, I don't use any sphagnum around my broms.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

I moved a few things around and removed the sphagnum from around the brom. I also found out it is a neoregeula 'midget' at first I assumed that was just describing the size. I also moved the tank to its permanent home in the basement and started populating my cabinets(nothing special just a modified tv cabinet and night table) with my supplies. 

Its very fun to peek into the tank around noontime and see everything just crawling with springtails. They now inhabit every square inch of the place. 

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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

*And Thus one became two*

So I learned how to propagate
One









Becomes two








Currently it is a plant grow out tank but lets see how that works out... plans are already in motion. I also started to see some sphagnum sprouts
















I also have some sprouts from out of the sphagnum mix that I am unsure of what they are. First maybe a clover of some sort, they other looks interesting. It is just now starting to have its first non-sprout foliage. 
















My son and I also stopped off at Doug's (Pumilo) house and ended up bringin home 4 plants and some turkish gliders. 
This is I think Dischidia ruscifolia








Lemon button fern








Rainbow Club Moss








and oak leaf creeping fig









Also Full tank shot. 









Getting my varadero group Monday...can't wait.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I think they are going to love it in there! Especially when that starts to grow in.


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

shouldn't the lemon button fern go in the substrate?


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Its rhyzome is enbedded in sphagnum and trails down to some soil in moss. it has shown some growth with a section of the rhyzome sprouting. It sits in a area of the tank that gets upto 85 but the 2nd fronds sit at a 78 zone and the substrate sits at 72. 

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

goof901 said:


> shouldn't the lemon button fern go in the substrate?


It is actually a terrestrial plant, but he saw one at my house that I planted up in a piece of ghost wood in a clump of sphagnum. It's been doing great there and has sent rhizomes and new plants out all over the place.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

And we have frogs. 

























One even found itself a nice cave to hang out. The temp here during the day is 78F.


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## Jeremy305 (Nov 25, 2009)

your off to a good start.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Day 3 and 3 of the 4 are bold. They like to hang out in plain sight most of the day. One is a tad more shy. He is here in this photo I will see if anyone spots him.









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## mrfrogdude (Jun 26, 2011)

I see him : ) awesome frogs and setup by the way!

Mark

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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

Hey, Viv looks gorgeous, are you sure your a novice?????  I've done up a 24 x 18 x 36 exo terra here. I love the double doors. Had the same glass expert do my top.


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## Zoomie (Jul 3, 2011)

Viv looks Fantastic. Can't wait to see it once it grows in a bit.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Update
Its been about a month and here is some eye candy. 
So i have 4 frogs I call them Bronze (high orange), Evil eye, 2 spot and 3 spot. 
Here are two of them hanging out, evil eye and 2 spot i think.








3 spot was not invited to this party. 








Of course the full tank shot 








A unintended hiding place. 








Evil eye








Bronze
















2 spot 
















Some moss growth








Soon to be my first flowers.








My future Eepidendrum paniculatum








My future Dendrobium kingianum








Grow out front tank shot 








more pictures can be found here https://picasaweb.google.com/MichaelsReef/06Jun12?authkey=Gv1sRgCKycmpWY2vuHiAE


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## karag (May 12, 2005)

Looks pretty good.


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

great looking viv especially for your first. beautiful frogs too


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Kierik said:


> Update
> Its been about a month and here is some eye candy.
> So i have 4 frogs I call them Bronze (high orange), Evil eye, 2 spot and 3 spot.


*NEVER* say the words High Orange. It will launch a witch hunt. You and I know they are just words, but too many people will assume that means that somebody is selectively breeding for a High Orange designer morph of Varadero. I'm going to kill that witch hunt right now. These frogs came from me. They are NOT selectively bred. If you work with Varadero, you know that sometimes you get lucky and get a froglet with a lot of orange. That is what little Bronze happens to be. I repeat, Kierik is NOT selectively breeding for a high orange line. I am NOT selectively breeding for a high orange line. In fact, I had two Varadero with a lot of orange to them. I only included one of them in Kierik's group to prevent any selective breeding, whether it be accidental or otherwise.

I want to see a closeup of Evil Eye sometime, along with an explanation of why you named him Evil Eye. I'm intrigued.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Evil eye is the right one.








He kinda looks like he has a unibrow and so I named him evil eye. The names are mostly so i can distinguish them apart when looking. At first I could usually spot all 4 at one sitting but with all the moss growth it has become difficult. Most days I can spot 3 of the 4 with either bronze or evil eye alternating hiding. 

And yes Pumilo is right I have no intentions to breed bronze for the trait, in fact I actually like the look of the other varaderos better but I like the personality of bronze, though he/she likes to poop on my front glass.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

So here are some pictures as of this morning. I added a Mistking system to the tank on the 4th and it is amazing. I also fear that I lost my bronze frog as i have not seen it since a few days after my last posting. I moved a few nodes of each of my orchids to the tank and they are doing great. 









Begonia flower
















Some cap mushrooms that sprouted a few days ago.
















FTS
























Orchids


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

beautiful frogs, a very well put together viv that is looking great, and you plant selection is perfect. i love looking at threads where everything looks so nice. dont worry too much about not seeing one of the frogs for a while. even in my small viv i have been sure i have lost a couple frogs only to see them reappear weeks later.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

skanderson said:


> beautiful frogs, a very well put together viv that is looking great, and you plant selection is perfect. i love looking at threads where everything looks so nice. dont worry too much about not seeing one of the frogs for a while. even in my small viv i have been sure i have lost a couple frogs only to see them reappear weeks later.


Thank is my hope. The other three are very visible and have their favorite hangouts. No signs of calling yet but they are getting big.


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## Chirkk (Aug 12, 2012)

NICE BUILD! I love that background!


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

skanderson said:


> beautiful frogs, a very well put together viv that is looking great, and you plant selection is perfect. i love looking at threads where everything looks so nice. dont worry too much about not seeing one of the frogs for a while. even in my small viv i have been sure i have lost a couple frogs only to see them reappear weeks later.


Yes, one of my male escudo disappeared for several months. Yesterday he was staring me down about 8" from my face!

Your mosses are growing in great!


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Tank looks stunning.....Varadero are my first as well...You will love them one of my all time favorite frogs. Hard to beat the hot rod color pattern. 

Congrats on the great looking viv.


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## Kierik (Mar 16, 2012)

Only a few more weeks and I can start to plan future expansions. On the 5th we are closing on our first house in Johnstown, co. I have a nice corner of the basement planned out for my hobbies. 

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