# Exo Terra Vivarium Photos



## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

I recently put this together for some new frogs. Originally, I was hoping to find more dark foliage that I like to offset the green frogs, but I'm not a nut for reds and purples in large quantities. The dimensions are 18x18x24"H. The lighting is two energy saving 6,500K bulbs, but I can't recall the wattage (fairly low though). The bg is simple; just cork bark and some mahala drift wood. I still have to add some leaf litter at some point. The substrate is ABG mix that I purchased from Josh's Frogs because I've been too busy [lazy] to make my own, but I know this mix is great for growing most plants and even some epiphytes. I'll try to post some pics in a few months, once the smaller plants have grown in a little.




























I just added the Cayo De Agua together a few days ago, but already they are very bold and have been courting. The current ratio is 3.1 (I think), but I'm working on making it 1.1.



















They seem to like the big pleuro leaves for laying thus far, but I had to replace an egg that one of them removed today. Not sure why it was moved.









Mike


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Oh, silly me - this tank is actually a zoo med, in case you didn't notice in the first photo.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

really nice, there's no fighting in there? i'm starting to suspect my cayos are 0.2 but i'm gonna wait a little longer to see if i see(hear) anything out of them -


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

ChrisK said:


> really nice, there's no fighting in there? i'm starting to suspect my cayos are 0.2 but i'm gonna wait a little longer to see if i see(hear) anything out of them -


Well, these frogs (the three suspected males) lived together in a group before I got them, so I assume they quickly reestablished the old pecking order, as there hasn't been any fighting since the calling session the first day they were introduced in this tank. However, I've got my eye on them!  Fortunately, they are different 'sizes' so I know which ones to watch.

Let me know if you don't hear anything, Chris. 

Mike


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## Bruno (Oct 14, 2008)

That looks awesome, I'm actually setting up the same exact cage for a trio of pumilios I have. They've been kept in a smaller cage for a while now and the eggs keep coming, so I've decided to go big!


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Bruno said:


> That looks awesome, I'm actually setting up the same exact cage for a trio of pumilios I have. They've been kept in a smaller cage for a while now and the eggs keep coming, so I've decided to go big!


Thanks, I think this is a great tank size for a pair or trio of pumilio - I had a trio in a well-planted 30gal (similar footprint, but shorter) for quite a while and they raised a number of offspring. Now I've reduced to just a pair in that tank, but they are still producing like clockwork. Good luck on your next tank and don't forget to post some shots! 

Mike


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## DenZ0r (Oct 19, 2007)

Hey man,

Nice Tank and Frogs!!

I really like your floor! Could you give me the names of the plants on the floor?

I personally think I have some good tanks too but my floors are just plain leaf litter, and I want to make some nicer floors so I you could? Please...

Grtz

Dennis


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

roxrgneiss said:


> Well, these frogs (the three suspected males) lived together in a group before I got them, so I assume they quickly reestablished the old pecking order, as there hasn't been any fighting since the calling session the first day they were introduced in this tank. However, I've got my eye on them!  Fortunately, they are different 'sizes' so I know which ones to watch.
> 
> Let me know if you don't hear anything, Chris.
> 
> Mike


Absolutely, might take a while though


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## Pescador (Oct 10, 2008)

Nice, I hope mine looks half as nice when it grows in.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

DenZ0r said:


> Hey man,
> 
> Nice Tank and Frogs!!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the compliments guys. 

Here's a floor shot:









The largest plant is Pleurothallis rowleei (purple form) - it wouldn't normally grow quite this way, but it was in a pot for years.

The palm-like plant is a biophytum sp.

The plant to the left of that is a Codonanthe sp.

In front of that and the rock is Agloanema costatum.

There is Selaginella palescences, a Macodes petola cutting, and some vines in the front that need to perk up a little and grow in for a few months.

And there are also a few mini ferns that might find permanent homes elsewhere in the tank - Lemmaphyllum microphyllum & Davallia heterophylla.

There is also a Blechnum sp native to Hawaii that I can't recall the name of in front of the vine (in front of the Pleuro). And there are a few other little things that aren't visible in photos.

I think part of the trick is finding plants that are a decent size to begin with that won't grow large quickly. 

I hope that helps. If you want to know anything else, just shoot me a PM.

Mike


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

they look sweet!! great variety of plants


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: Exo Terra Vivarium (1 DOZEN EGGS!)*

Well, the first three eggs didn't look so hot and maybe that's why they repeatedly moved them around and eventually removed one all together.
The males still tends them though:









To my surprise a few minutes ago, I noticed a monster clutch! These Cayos really seem to enjoy the Pleuro leaves. This is more than double any clutch I have seen from my Bastimentos. The best part is, I think these eggs look pretty good! This female is going to be very busy soon!









I'll update with more pics if they start developing.

Cheers,
Mike


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

What a cool selection of plants! Maybe just add a little more leaf litter to fill in the bottom. That P. rowleei has got to be one of the nicest looking specimens I've ever seen, you definately do well with the miniture orchids..... I didn't know you had cayo's Mike.


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## Amphiman (Nov 8, 2007)

Great tank! You may have already answered this, but what is the plant in the bottom right corner with the green leaves (the bigger plant)?


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## PacMan (Oct 9, 2008)

wow, looks awesome man, Love the greenery in there..Plus mini orchids are awesome!!!

What kinda are they?


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

JoshH said:


> What a cool selection of plants! Maybe just add a little more leaf litter to fill in the bottom. That P. rowleei has got to be one of the nicest looking specimens I've ever seen, you definately do well with the miniture orchids..... I didn't know you had cayo's Mike.


Yeah, I'm working on getting some litter in there soon, I know the frogs will appreciate it and should sharpen things up some too.

I have to admit, though I wish I could take all the credit , the rowleei came from a pleurothallid grower this fall. I agree that it is an exceptional specimen. 

I got the Cayos fairly recently; I was made a good offer and couldn't refuse. 



Amphiman said:


> Great tank! You may have already answered this, but what is the plant in the bottom right corner with the green leaves (the bigger plant)?


That is most likely the _Pleurothallis rowleei_ 'purple' (sometimes called 'dark').
Here is some general info about the plant: IOSPE PHOTOS

Best of all is that it supports the frogs well and they have been using it for breeding.



PacMan said:


> wow, looks awesome man, Love the greenery in there..Plus mini orchids are awesome!!!
> 
> What kinda are they?


There are several small orchids in this tank, so I'll mention what I can think of off the top of my head:
Mounted:
Bulobphyllum gracillimum
Bulbo flavidiflorum
Bulbo 'Daisy Chain'
Bulbo pardalotum
Bulbo lasiochilum
Shoenorchis fragrans
Haraella retrocalla (odorata)
Dendrobium loddigesii
Restrepia sp

Terrestrial:
Pleurothallis rowleei
Macodes petola

I think that's all, but I'll probably add more things over time. 

Glad ya'll like the tank. 

Mike


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## SMenigoz (Feb 17, 2004)

roxrgneiss said:


> I got the Cayos fairly recently; I was made a good offer and couldn't refuse.


Glad to see the production! Looks like the frogs are adapting well to your orchidarium.


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## loogielv (Nov 28, 2008)

any updates on the eggs?


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

SMenigoz said:


> Glad to see the production! Looks like the frogs are adapting well to your orchidarium.


Me too! They are making themselves right at home. I hope all goes well, I wonder how much pressure 12 tads would put on a female. Thanks again, Scott.

I couldn't call this tank an orchidarium. You should post some shots of your orchidarium(s), especially the 36" exo - that one has too many goodies to name!



loogielv said:


> any updates on the eggs?


The eggs (all of them) are looking good! Thanks for asking.  I hope to see some transporting soon. I might add a few extra film cans just to be sure I have the bases covered.










Taken today:









Mike


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## AlexD (Sep 19, 2007)

Those are nice! Great orchid selection, too. While it looks like the frogs are happy, a little leaf litter would probably be a good addition.


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## loogielv (Nov 28, 2008)

totally awesome. great quality pics and an awesome setup.

yup, you pretty much suck all the way around to me


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

AlexD said:


> Those are nice! Great orchid selection, too. While it looks like the frogs are happy, a little leaf litter would probably be a good addition.


Yeah, the leaf litter was already discussed in this thread, but thanks for the suggestion. I added some litter about a week ago. It wasn't part of the first round of shots because they were taken about two or three days after the tank was planted in... sometimes getting all the materials in place for a photo shoot can be difficult!! 

taken today:









Also from today, there are only about 6 or 8 left on the leaf out of a dozen:










Lots of plant growth already - some ferns, Bulbos, and the large Pleuro have made or are in the process of making new growths. And of course, the rhaphidophoras are preparing a take over already! 

Mike


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## AlexD (Sep 19, 2007)

Wow. Totally gorgeous. Remember me when you are up to your eyeballs in froglets.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

AlexD said:


> Wow. Totally gorgeous. Remember me when you are up to your eyeballs in froglets.


You got it, Alex, I just hope the female can handle the load!

Later,
Mike


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Man, I feel pretty lucky! I was able to see almost the entire transport process this evening, plus I managed to get a couple shots!!!   I guess this has turned into a reproductive journal to some extent.

With the first shot, I tried to get as intimate as possible without bothering them too much:









This is just about the only other still picture I could get, but it worked out ok too:










I'm not much good with the video features of my point and shoot, but here's a snip, larva wiggling and all:


Cheers,
Mike


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Looks like you're having alot of success with these guys.... Its pretty cool to be able to watch the whole process and record it with photos too. They are such pretty frogs, you are going to have bables everywhere soon!


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Thanks, Josh, I feel pretty good about them at this point. They have been very interesting to watch, and their courting/reproductive behaviour is something I never catch with my Bastimentos (not this much detail), so it's been a real treat. The male calling to the female while she moves tadpoles is too cool. I've added more film cans, but I have a hard time believing I could possibly see a dozen froglets in two months. I'll try to feed heavier in this tank, just in case.

Apparently I'm having trouble with links too - the last image was supposed to be a short video. I'll try just a link to photobucket:

Video of Cayo transport - December, 04 08 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Mike


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Well, time for a quick update - plants are doing well for the most part; growing blooming, couple dieing, but I like the way it's turning out so far. I've moved a few things around, probably will continue to for a while. The only big plant issue is the slugs that found their way into the tank with some of the plants... the dastardly buggers are always one step ahead of me!!!  They love the orchid roots and growing tips of my fav aroids. Also, the upper levels are a little dry, even with several mistings (by hand) every day. On a happier note, the Pleurothallis rowelii has done really well and made around a dozen new growths. I think the Biophytum sp is outgrowing this tank, so it'll probably be replaced soon.

The Cayos have been breeding every two weeks or so, just as the eggs become tads, they mate again.. female rarely transports and doesn't care for the larvae when she does. Not sure if it's the individuals or tank conditions. Maybe the change in seasons will help?

Anyway, here's a shot I took today:










Mike


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

tank still looks gorgeous!


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Sweet looking viv!

Where'd you get the biophytum?


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

zBrinks said:


> Sweet looking viv!
> 
> Where'd you get the biophytum?


Thanks guys! The biophytum came from BJ - they had it on their site for a while, but I got that one (which had two plants in the pot) at MARS in Sept. Really cool plant, but it looks like the spread is around 12". I might try growing it as a house plant with a self-watering pot I picked up; biophytums love moisture and wilt fast if they dry out.

Mike


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Hi Mike,

Very nice vivarium as always.

You don't have any of Biophytum that I sent you awhile back? That one usually doesn't get more than 6" across. I have 2 new ones (no seedlings yet) one that is about 4" with white stripes and one that is very short and about 2.5" across with a red stem. I think they will be popular, if I can get seed.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Manuran said:


> Hi Mike,
> 
> Very nice vivarium as always.
> 
> You don't have any of Biophytum that I sent you awhile back? That one usually doesn't get more than 6" across. I have 2 new ones (no seedlings yet) one that is about 4" with white stripes and one that is very short and about 2.5" across with a red stem. I think they will be popular, if I can get seed.


Thanks, Chuck!  I still have the Bio you sent Dec before last... the original plant grew pretty tall and then grew a second terminal growing! Haha I topped it recently and it has since grown four new shoots from the topped stem, very cool.  It has produced a good number of seedlings too - I've been funneling them out here and there. I tried to save the seed for half a year and then found that it has a relatively short shelf life - moisture?

I'm excited to see some new biophytums! Pics! 

Cheers,
Mike


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

Hey Mike! Looking GREAT!

What is this plant?


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

melas said:


> Hey Mike! Looking GREAT!
> 
> What is this plant?


Hey Matt,

Thanks for the comp.  That is the Biophytum sp Zack was asking about. This one hasn't flowered and gone to seed yet, but when they do, there are usually lots of seedlings. 

Mike


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

roxrgneiss said:


> Hey Matt,
> 
> Thanks for the comp.  That is the Biophytum sp Zack was asking about. This one hasn't flowered and gone to seed yet, but when they do, there are usually lots of seedlings.
> 
> Mike


Ah yes . . . I may know a guy . . .


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Hey Mike,
Here is one of the new ones. It still isn't fully grown. The crown of leaves become full and makes a nice even whorl. The reddish color becomes a lot brighter and even the stem becomes a dark red. Very pretty. The two other things that makes it even better is the small size and the fact that it is from South America. The other species isn't large enough to get a good photo.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Manuran said:


> Hey Mike,
> Here is one of the new ones. It still isn't fully grown. The crown of leaves become full and makes a nice even whorl. The reddish color becomes a lot brighter and even the stem becomes a dark red. Very pretty. The two other things that makes it even better is the small size and the fact that it is from South America. The other species isn't large enough to get a good photo.


Very nice man, thanks for the pic. It is pretty red, very interesting. I was doing a little searching about Bios today and was surprised to see that there are dozens of species.  I didn't know that there are so many African varieties too. 

I'll have to post a shot of my soon to be four-headed plant in a little while.

Nothing says cool like a mini palmtree-looking plant in a dart frog terrarium. 

Mike


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Here's the Biophytum stem I cut about a month or so ago:



















Pretty cool that it's able to generate new leads that way. I'm thinking of letting them all get a few more inches tall, then cutting back two or three to see if those stems (leaving one or two to grow taller) will produce leads - it could end up like those Dracaena you see at some greenhouses. 

Here's my little field of Biophytum: 










There are always seedlings coming up and I try to start one or two in peat pots when I think of it. The big plant in back has two heads now, so it looks a little funny, but once they both grow out a little, I think it will look pretty nice. Thanks again for turning me on to the plant, Chuck, it's been a lot of fun growing it. 

Mike


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Hey Mike,
Here's a photo of the other Biophytum I mentioned. It is still just a small plant and not developed to it's fullest, but you can finally see the nice white pattern.


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Mike, everything looking great. Can we see the tree trunk now ? it's been a few months!

p.s. are you coming to the next MADS meeting ?


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

Yeah we need more tree!


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Corpus Callosum said:


> Mike, everything looking great. Can we see the tree trunk now ? it's been a few months!
> 
> p.s. are you coming to the next MADS meeting ?


Sorry, I was out of town all weekend... Dave Matthews concert. 

I'll show you mine, if you show me yours! haha Might have to resurrect the cork tree thread.  Well, I'm closer to having it done now guys, but still not there....  I'm not much of a painter and I want it to look good, so I'm having a little 'painter's block' I guess. I promise to post once it's ready. 

I'm not sure if I'll be at the meeting, but I'll come if I can. Lots of projects going on this time of year... Hopefully, I'll be there.

Later,
Mike


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