# Mitch's 20H Verts



## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Hello,

This thread will be a "journal" for my two 20H vertical vivariums. They were fully constructed by me, besides the vertical conversion kits I bought from Jungle Box... the construction thread can be viewed here. Here are some details about the tanks:

*Substrate*: Bottom layer is hydroton, large size, with a smaller sized hydroton on top of it. Next there are two insect screen substrate dividers per tank with ABG mix on top. Leaf litter consists of Sand Oak and Indian Almond leaves. 
*Background*: Typical "Great Stuff"/Silicone/Coco Fiber background with Mopani wood incorporated into it. 
*Lighting*: Sunleaves Pioneer IV- 4 bulb T5 fixture placed on plastic cups (my home made ghetto stand ) 3" above the tanks. 
*Flora*: So far I have-
Ficus Pumila
Black Jungle tropical moss (not sure which species this is)

And now pictures:









Double tank shot









Left tank









Right tank

I have various Bromeliads arriving tomorrow from Tropiflora, I will post pictures once I get them in. Feel free to post any questions, comments, ect.


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## frog22 (Sep 8, 2010)

They look great. Where did you get your wood those are some nice pcs.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I actually got them at PetCo, they weren't very cheap though.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Nice stuff !

your gonna want to get some plastic squares cut to cover those top vents. I just use a little clear tape on the top section of the plastic panel and can flip it up at time for ventilation.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Philsuma said:


> Nice stuff !
> 
> your gonna want to get some plastic squares cut to cover those top vents. I just use a little clear tape on the top section of the plastic panel and can flip it up at time for ventilation.


Why cover them? Humidity seems to stay stable with daily misting.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Mitch said:


> Why cover them? Humidity seems to stay stable with daily misting.


My frog room is @ 50 % humidity and I misted close to daily and my vents are smaller than yours.

My viv humidity was way low with those vents uncovered. Give it try open though....ya never know. Just passin' on my experience.


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## DKOOISTRA (May 28, 2009)

I second what phil said. i covered my vents, the plants took off, and there was a noticeable change in my frogs behavior...
derek


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Philsuma said:


> My frog room is @ 50 % humidity and I misted close to daily and my vents are smaller than yours.
> 
> My viv humidity was way low with those vents uncovered. Give it try open though....ya never know. Just passin' on my experience.





DKOOISTRA said:


> I second what phil said. i covered my vents, the plants took off, and there was a noticeable change in my frogs behavior...
> derek


Thanks for the advice guys... Could I just place clear packaging tape on the screen instead of plexi glass?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

pretty nice, good job on those!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Julio said:


> pretty nice, good job on those!


Thanks Julio!


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Mitch,

I got my plastic sheeting at " Michaels" craft store - big chain.

Go there or any craft store and look for 8 1/2 by 11" paper and plastic craft sheets. They should have a thin, totally clear paper sized sheet that you can easily trim with sissors.....


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Good job on the tanks. they look good side by side


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

No need to cover the vents if the humidity in the viv is where it should be. Any bit of airflow will benefit the plants immensely. If you are misting daily then I could see leaving them open. The tanks look great. Can't wait to see them with bromeliads.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Frogtofall said:


> No need to cover the vents if the humidity in the viv is where it should be. Any bit of airflow will benefit the plants immensely. If you are misting daily then I could see leaving them open. The tanks look great. Can't wait to see them with bromeliads.


I just got the package... pictures to come later tonight!


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Frogtofall said:


> No need to cover the vents if the humidity in the viv is where it should be. Any bit of airflow will benefit the plants immensely. If you are misting daily then I could see leaving them open. The tanks look great. Can't wait to see them with bromeliads.


Agree. Just be prepared and have it in the back of your mind that those vents cause more loss of humidity that you would think....that's all. No right or wrong....


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Here's a quick sneak peek of what's to come:


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Philsuma said:


> Agree. Just be prepared and have it in the back of your mind that those vents cause more loss of humidity that you would think....that's all. No right or wrong....


I plan on going to Michael's this weekend to get those plastic sheets, but for now I will be monitoring the humidity closely...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Bromeliad species:
-Neoregelia 'Black Beauty'
-Neoregelia 'Bloodshot Eyes'
-Neoregelia 'Chiquita Linda'
-Neoregelia 'Green Apple' x 'Fireball'
-Neoregelia 'Mo Peppa Please'
-Neoregelia ampullacea 'Tigrina' x (ampullacea x 'Plutonis')

Pictures:









Left tank, full tank shot









Right tank, full tank shot



























Neoregelia 'Chiquita Linda' - This one is a true miniature, it's only about 3 inches tall and won't grow much more, I love it!









Right tank, full tank shot - Alternate view



























I mounted this brom to the glass with two small suction cups and fishing line tied between them to support the brom, it worked pretty well.










There are a few empty spaces, especially in the left viv, that I want to put mount some Tillies in... Can anyone recommend some easy species?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The full tank shots don't do these tanks much justice, I'll try to get better pictures sometime soon.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Quick Update:

The lights were still giving off too much heat so I made my own "ghetto" cooling system by twisty tying a fan to the book shelf next to the tank... It actually works well, both tanks stay at 76-78F rather than 82-86F. It may be a little loud, but it only costed a few bucks and works great. I also rearranged the broms in the right viv, it looks much less cluttered now. The ficus is growing like crazy, about an inch in just a few days.

Pictures: 








Cooling system


















Right tank









Ficus growth









Double tank shot

I also ordered Mixed Microfauna cultures from poison beauties, which I'll use to seed these tanks.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

very nice! keep an eye on the fan that it does not dry up the vivs too much.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I'm getting the plastic covers for the vents tomorrow, which I'll use to cover about 3/4 of the vent. Humidity has been a little low with the fan but not to a great extent. Also, say I wanted to simulate a dry season when I get the frogs, could I take the covers off completely and not mist much, and then keep them completely covered and mist much more for the wet season?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I would also be leery of the plastic cups holding up the hot lights. You might try to find something that doesn't have the potential to melt.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The actual fixture doesn't get hot at all, its just the bulbs. The cups stay perfectly cool but I do want replace them with a large diameter PVC that I can spray paint black to look nicer.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Great looking vivs.....


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Mitch said:


> The actual fixture doesn't get hot at all, its just the bulbs. The cups stay perfectly cool but I do want replace them with a large diameter PVC that I can spray paint black to look nicer.


That doesn't make sense to me. If they are transferring the heat to the viv, how are they not transferring any of that to the cups too?

I like the PVC idea though. Good thinking.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I changed the cups to PVC, thanks for the suggestion Antone.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Plants added:
- Dischidia nummularia
- Macodes petola
- Cryptocoryne sp.


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## ThePetFreak (Dec 29, 2007)

Nice tanks, love your "cooling system" I think I need to do something similar. Your Ficus pumila will fill in very well, mine did and I didn't even put one in the tank. It was a hitch hiker with my Cissus Discolor, didn't notice until it grew out, now I have to trim it all the time


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I ordered some Tillandsias:
- Ionantha X Stricta
- Ionantha 'fuego'
- Ionantha Mexican

I'll give you guys a picture update once I get those tillies in. I swear the Dischidia has already grown at least an inch since I got it, has anyone else seen such fast growth from it?


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## DCreptiles (Jan 26, 2009)

Philsuma said:


> My frog room is @ 50 % humidity and I misted close to daily and my vents are smaller than yours.
> 
> My viv humidity was way low with those vents uncovered. Give it try open though....ya never know. Just passin' on my experience.



if you do daily misting the vents dont become a problem... if you are someone like me where you dont want to mist daily.. then it does become a issue.. you can get away with misting daily.. 90% of my tanks are sealed 100% and i mist weekly and still maintain 99% humidity even after 7 days of not misting.. i guess it depends on your home the season ect... my frog collection is in my living room the humidity is like 27% lol...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Update: 
Here's some pictures I took today with the new plants in there...









Double Tank Shot









Left Tank









Right Tank









Some Rabbits Foot Fern cuttings. I pulled them off the "Rabbit Foot" and didn't know if they would survive, but they seem to be rooting.









Left tank, Alternate View









Something growing off of some hitch hiker moss, well see what it is soon









Brom roots









Dischidia Nummularia 









Ionantha X Stricta and Ionantha Mexican









Ionantha 'fuego 

Does anyone have some suggestions for frogs? I'd like to do thumbs in these tanks but I am open to anything. I'll like to get them in a month or two. Thanks!


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## Nate Mcfin (Sep 22, 2010)

Great looking tanks. I love the side by side shot.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I'm purchasing a group of 3 or 5 Nominal Imitators for one of these tanks . Which number would be a better group size? I was thinking 3, it could get a little cramped with 5. Suggestions?


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## laylow (Apr 6, 2009)

I LOVE the tanks! I especially like the left tank!


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## Vermfly (Jun 6, 2010)

Mitch said:


> I'm purchasing a group of 3 or 5 Nominal Imitators for one of these tanks . Which number would be a better group size? I was thinking 3, it could get a little cramped with 5. Suggestions?


In a 20 gallon, I would stick with a pair of imis. While they are small they also like to have their own space and according to some research imis may be monogamous and you should get better breeding with just a pair.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I took fleshfrombone's advice and added a few more broms to the tank that will be housing the Intermedius (I was offered a great deal on them and couldn't pass it up) so they will feel more secure and eventually breed if I'm lucky. I also tossed in a few film canisters. I was thinking though, could I take the caps of the film canisters and cut them in half and put them on the canisters for added security? Has anyone done this?

Here's a picture of the tank as it is now, suggestions and constructive criticism is welcome.


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## crzsnwbdr (Sep 23, 2010)

Mitch said:


> I also tossed in a few film canisters. I was thinking though, could I take the caps of the film canisters and cut them in half and put them on the canisters for added security? Has anyone done this?


Haha, I actually just read something about this the other day in the tips/tricks thread:



JJhuang said:


> 1. I have had great success with using film canisters with half of the cap on. Meaning i cut the cap in half and place half on so that it adds more seclusion if they want to deposit tads or eggs.


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## johnachilli (Feb 8, 2007)

Mitch,
Your tank looks great! the imitators should do great in there


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Getting the Intermedius tomorrow... I can't wait  I'll post pictures if I have time.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

I'm loving this. I'm jealous of your moss. I would love to have something like that growing between my orchids and background. Great choice on broms, they really tie it together and the more tad deposition sites the better.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

fleshfrombone said:


> I'm loving this. I'm jealous of your moss. I would love to have something like that growing between my orchids and background. Great choice on broms, they really tie it together and the more tad deposition sites the better.


Thanks! I got the moss here. Once its settled in it grows like crazy.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Here's a pic I snapped of one of the intermedius:








They are fairly bold but jump into hiding when I open their tank... I was lucky to get this pic before this guy hopped away. So far I'm loving them .


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The Imis are doing great and are very bold, almost as much as my Leucs. Here's a pic I got of one of them hanging out on some moss.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Great pic!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I will be getting 3 E. anthonyi 'Santa Isabela' soon... hopefully this weekend. They'll be going in the right tank. I also added some more broms to that tank and bought a few more for both tanks in addition. I'll be sure to post pictures when I get them.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Quick Update*

Plants added: Neoregelia Pink Stripe (to left tank), Cryptanthus 'Cafe au lait' (to the right tank)

Additions: I bought 3 E. Anthonyi 'Santa Isabela' from a member here today...they have all been munching on springs and one has been calling like mad! They're pretty bold too. 

Pictures- sorry for the bad quality, some were taken through the glass and some I was too lazy to just the settings...








Intermedius Tracks









Hanging in film canisters









Terrible through-the-glass shot









Ground shot of the right tank

Enjoy!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Forgot one... the belly shot


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Quick Update- Possible Breeding!*

I'm pretty excited about this as I've never bred darts before (I'm a noob, don't forget) but two of the Intermedius have been hanging out/following each other around for the past few days, so I'm definitely thinking they're a pair. I've yet to hear calling though. Also, the male S.I. has been calling to/following one of the females. They often enter the film canisters where the male will call and "rub her back" but I haven't found any eggs yet. Pretty excited about it though. I'll let you guys know what happens!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*A few shots from today*









Intermedius belly shot









Random Moss that popped up









Left tank shot - I'll be replacing that moss with Riccia in a few days 









Right tank shot


















Double Tank shot









My sunbathing frog


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update: First clutch of eggs*

I just found a clutch of about 20 eggs a film canister in the E. Anthonyi 'Santa Isabela' tank. I'll give them another day in there and then transfer them into a petri dish. This is my first ever clutch of eggs so I'm pretty nervous about keeping them alive. I already have my tad water ready- a few gallons of de-chlorinated/filtered water with a few Indian Almond leaves soaking in there to get some Tannins. Any other recommendations for me?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Congratulations! 

I'm a noob and I've pretty much just been winging it with Chris's eggs and tads.  

I add a little algae covered java moss to the tad cup. Just a pinch. And also a couple small pieces of Indian Almond leaves. This gives them something to nibble on and hide under. 

Don't know if that's the best way, but, the tads are doing well.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I was planning on doing that, thanks for the suggestion. As far as the eggs, they're in a petri dish and are about half covered in de-chlorinated tannin water. There are 11 and all seem to be half black / half tan at the moment. How long will it take them to develop into tads? Also, the S.I.'s are courting again... looks like I'll be overloaded with tads / eggs soon!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Uhh I guess I'm more noobish than I though . I pulled the S.I. eggs too early, before the male ever fertilized them, so now I'm left with a bunch of infertile eggs. Or does it take a while for them to develop? They all look the same as they did last update... but there seem to be more on the way, I'm seeing a lot of courting so maybe I'll get another try at this.


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## dendroman1234 (Dec 4, 2010)

Those plants have good coloring
What type of light fixture are you using?

Good luck With the eggs.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks, I'm using a Sunleaves Pioneer IV


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

As I type I'm sitting next to my the Santa Isabela tank watching the female lay eggs while the male is sitting right next to her. It's things like these that make this hobby amazing


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> As I type I'm sitting next to my the Santa Isabela tank watching the female lay eggs while the male is sitting right next to her. It's things like these that make this hobby amazing


They're getting real busy huh? Congrats.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> They're getting real busy huh? Congrats.


Thanks, they're definitely good practice for raising eggs/tads.


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## dendroman1234 (Dec 4, 2010)

Mitch said:


> As I type I'm sitting next to my the Santa Isabela tank watching the female lay eggs while the male is sitting right next to her. It's things like these that make this hobby amazing


You seem excited.
Congrats sir!!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I pulled the eggs earlier today. This clutch has 5 eggs and all of them seem to be good. I may finally get my own tads!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Grats! We need pics


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Sure...








The eggs are broken up from when I used a dropper to squirt them out of the canister.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Here's a Youtube video I uploaded. It's of the male Santa Isabela... he is motionless because he gets scared as crap when a camera gets in his face but he refuses to hop away for some reason. I'll eventually post a video of the tanks but this is just a test run... sorry for the crappy quality it was taken through the glass. I'll eventually try to get a video of him calling but its hard because he gets so scared.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Just got another clutch of about 15 eggs from the S.I.s again. I guess they're right, once the get going they just don't stop!


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## dendroman1234 (Dec 4, 2010)

Mitch said:


> Just got another clutch of about 15 eggs from the S.I.s again. I guess they're right, once the get going they just don't stop!


LOL.. I have heard that too!!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Love the video of your little frog statue


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## alex111683 (Sep 11, 2010)

How are your intermedius doing? Any eggs? Just wondering since it seems the SIs have taken the spotlight.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The intermedius are doing great. I haven't heard any calling yet though, hopefully they'll start calling soon and will down to business.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I got a video of the male S.I. calling, although the quality kind of sucks because I took it through the glass. Watch it in HD if you can...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Questions - Help Please!*

I pulled that last clutch of 11 eggs out not thinking about how I was leaving for vacation this friday. It looks like the tads developing from these eggs will be leaving the gel in the time frame of when I'm away. So, if I put the petri dish back in the tank next to the water bowl I'll be putting in for the vacation, will the frogs transport the tads into the water, even though they were out of the tank for a while?

The second clutch of eggs the frogs laid, the one I posted pictures of... the tads never left the gel, even after 5ish days of being covered in water. I put water in the petri dish when the tads looked fully developed and were wiggling around looking like they were trying to get out... but they never got out. Is there anything I should be doing to help them? I don't want to mess with them but this doesn't seem normal. 

Thanks for any help!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The tads left the gel today- I have 4 tads from that first good clutch. I'm pretty excited to be raising my first tads! I'll be feeding them the highest quality diet I can, New life spectrum pellets (NLS), cyclop-eeze and Micro blood worms. The color enhancers in the NLS and cyclop-eeze should make them nice and red when they morph out . As for my first question in the above post, I'm still searching for an answer. Any help would be appreciated.

The ingredients in the NLS pellets are top quality, and they make 1 mm pellets which seem to be perfect for tads. I suggest others try this pellet out to see how it works for them. 

Ingredients: Whole Antarctic krill meal, whole herring meal, wheat flour, squid meal, algae meal, soybean isolate, beta carotene, spirulina, garlic, vegetable and fruit extract (spinach, broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, tomato, pea, red and green cabbage, apple, apricot, mango, kiwi, papaya, peach, pear), vitamin a acetate, d-activated animal sterol (D3), vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine, DL alphatocophero (E), riboflavin supplement, folic acid, niacin, biotin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydro-chloride, l-ascorby-2-polyphosphate (stable C), choline chloride, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, cobalt sulfate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I just found another clutch of about 10 eggs from the S.I.s... I guess I'll let them transport these guys over the vacation along with the other clutch that I'll put back in. I'll leave a few water dishes in there for them to do it. Since I'll be away and they will get no misting/feeding I hope they'll take a hiatus from egg laying. I have way to many tads coming from them, I guess I'll have to start selling some soon to locals.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Mitch, grats on the tads!

Maybe make a post your questions in the breeding section so people who have already read your thread don't bypass it. Just saying!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

frogface said:


> Mitch, grats on the tads!
> 
> Maybe make a post your questions in the breeding section so people who have already read your thread don't bypass it. Just saying!


Thanks, I just posted threads for my two questions. Hopefully I'll get some input there. I guess it doesn't work to have a "master thread" where I can ask all my questions and stuff...


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Mitch said:


> Thanks, I just posted threads for my two questions. Hopefully I'll get some input there. I guess it doesn't work to have a "master thread" where I can ask all my questions and stuff...


Heh yea I have a couple 'master threads' too. Now it's mostly just me talking to myself.


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## GeorgiaB (Apr 23, 2009)

haha... happens to everyone. The tanks are great by the way! i wish i was as easy to get that plant selection up here! Congrats on the tads, i have my first couple too which is super exciting, im so scared im going to mess it up haha. good luck! 

Happy holidays,
Georgia


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

frogface said:


> Heh yea I have a couple 'master threads' too. Now it's mostly just me talking to myself.


Haha, yea 5 posts in a row of my talking a no one responding . I decided to take a hint eventually.



GeorgiaB said:


> haha... happens to everyone. The tanks are great by the way! i wish i was as easy to get that plant selection up here! Congrats on the tads, i have my first couple too which is super exciting, im so scared im going to mess it up haha. good luck!
> 
> Happy holidays,
> Georgia


Yea, its great. Good luck with the tads to you too!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Pictures from today:
I finally got a picture of the S.I.s courting! Also, one of the bromeliads is also begging to bloom, which has awesome flowers. Hopefully they'll stay around for a while.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The flowers today:


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## dendroman1234 (Dec 4, 2010)

Mitch said:


> The flowers today:


I like the brom's flowers!!!!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Quick Update*

I came back from my one week vacation to find everything doing great. All of the frogs were fat and were happy to get a heavy misting after the dry period. The SI's transported the clutch that I left in to god knows where - I've only found 2 of the 8ish tads from that clutch. I think I'll leave them in the tank and see what happens. I have way too many tads I'm caring for for them then I'd like. They also managed to lay another clutch today after the misting. Don't know what I'll do with that one. In terms of the Intermedius, I came to the conclusion that I have 3 females, being that they're 7-8 months old now and I haven't heard any calling. I'll wait another month or two just to make sure then I'll search for a male .


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> The flowers today:


Nice! What kind of brom is that? I have a couple of those flower recently and I never knew the name.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Nice! What kind of brom is that? I have a couple of those flower recently and I never knew the name.


Neoregelia ampullacea 'Tigrina' x (ampullacea x 'Plutonis'). It's supposed to have a yellow/red coloration but I keep it in a shady spot so it's just green . It does have nice flowers though.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

A few pictures from today 









Female SI









SI viv (top portion go cut out)









SI tank- some broms









Newest SI clutch- laid yesterday









Intermdeius viv... crappy shot









Broms in intermedius viv

Enjoy!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I put all my the tanks on a rack to make room for more tanks. Man this hobby is addicting... Now, what to put on the shelf above the tanks?


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## dendroman1234 (Dec 4, 2010)

Mitch said:


> I put all my the tanks on a rack to make room for more tanks. Man this hobby is addicting... Now, what to put on the shelf above the tanks?


loooookin good


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The SIs laid two clutches today, each with about 20 eggs. I haven't even misted in six days... Apparently they just do what they want. I also have a clutch of 17 eggs developing and 15+ tads, even after selling a bunch. It appears that the male mated with both females in one day. What a stud


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

How are the imis treating you?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

vivlover10 said:


> How are the imis treating you?


They're doing well. I suspect I have 3 females. At the white plains show I'll be trading several tads for a male. Then I'm hoping the magic will happen after that .


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

Ill be there with my varaderos if you want to see, maybe we will bump into each other.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

vivlover10 said:


> Ill be there with my varaderos if you want to see, maybe we will bump into each other.


Okay. I'll be there later in the day though. I have to trade those tads and sell others.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

The cryptanthus 'cafe au lait' decided to bloom today so I took a few shots of it. I guess the plants really like the light on these vivs. I also got a nice shot of one of the female SI's and tried to get some of the intermedius but they're just too shy. I barely ever see them anymore...









Not the best shot, but you see what the flower looks like. A bunch more look like they're about to bloom too. 










Enjoy!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Today at the white plains show I traded some SI tads to get two Intermedius's (intermedi?) from a member here. One is a male and has been calling like crazy. He's very happy to have 4 ladies around . Hopefully I'll see some breeding action from them. All the frogs are out and about and are no longer in hiding now that a male is present. Hopefully they will stay this bold!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

SPIDER FROG


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update 2/12/11*

Here's an update for you guys, as requested by LayLow. Lots of pics to share, so let's get going. 









Female SI on a brom leaf









Imi discovering his true identity...









Moss growth + emersed Crypt









Imi tracks

Brom pictures... if you want ID's please specify as to which one. I'm too lazy to post what they all are.








































































Imi tank FTS









SI tank









Si tank









Double tank shot, sorry about the reflection. I blurred my face out in case any of you are pedophiles...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update 2/12/11 (cont.)*

More pictures...









The rack, as it stands now. The two 18x18x18 ZooMeds are new, but not fully planted as of yet. When they are I'll post a thread for them.









Speak Peek of the new porbable pair of azureus I got, which are in the left ZooMed. You could say they were an impulse buy haha.









SI Tads, 32 are under my care as of now, and I left the last clutch in the tank for them to transport. They should do it any day now. I think I'll just leave them wherever they transport them (probably brom axils or film canisters). Leaving this clutch in the tank has slowed down their breeding tremendously which is nice. I've also sold quite a few...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Also, here's a YouTube video of the male intermedius calling:


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

I love all of them! The new imi looks awesome! I cant wait till my B-day so I can set up a rack and have new builds!
what is going in the other zoomed?
What rack is that? Where from?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

vivlover10 said:


> I love all of them! The new imi looks awesome! I cant wait till my B-day so I can set up a rack and have new builds!
> what is going in the other zoomed?
> What rack is that? Where from?


Thanks. I have no clue what's going in the other zoomed. Got any ideas? The rack is just a standard bakers rack. They're cheap and you can get them at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. I had to convince my parents to let me get it, but now all my tanks are in my room on the rack. It makes everything easier/more convenient too. Supplies/ff cultures on top, vivs on the middle two shelves, and tads on the bottom.


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

Thanks, maybe some vanzos, bakhuis, terribilis, powder blues, any tinc.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

vivlover10 said:


> Thanks, maybe some vanzos, bakhuis, terribilis, powder blues, any tinc.


Vanzos could be cool. I'll have to see how the tank turns out though, it's not fully planted yet.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I got pictures of the male (?) SI transporting tads today. Didn't have any time to post them though. He didn't drop the tads off all day which has me worried, so I put in a small water bowl so hopefully he can deposit them there. How long can they stay on its back for?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

20 verts are the perfect tank IMO. Yours look fantastic!

I have no personal experience but I seem to remember reading that some Epibatid frogs will hold tads on their back for days. So long as you have good humidity, I can't see why it would hurt too much. I am sure the parents know best and won't let them die.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Frogtofall said:


> 20 verts are the perfect tank IMO. Yours look fantastic!
> 
> I have no personal experience but I seem to remember reading that some Epibatid frogs will hold tads on their back for days. So long as you have good humidity, I can't see why it would hurt too much. I am sure the parents know best and won't let them die.


Thanks! These tanks really are a great size. As for the SI's, the frog didn't transport all day yesterday... he just sat there staring at me looking like a 'tard. I then placed a small water bowl in the tank late last night and when I arrived home today I found all 10 tads in the water bowl. I guess he's not so stupid after all. I couldn't get great pics, so this is the best I've got. Sorry it's so bad.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

INTERMEDIUS PARTY!









Once I opened the tank to get a better shot they scattered...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Quick Update*- No pictures...sorry!

Today I sold two of the intermedius females to a member here... now I have a 1.2. Hopefully I'll see some breeding soon. As for the SI's, there are 3 clutches in their tank developing, one of which should be hatching very soon for them to transport. Another clutch is in a brom axil... something they've never done before. 

One of my crptanthus (spelling?) has 3 pups on it already, since it flowered a few weeks ago. The neo that flowered looks like it'll be getting some pups soon too. 

That's all for now, I just wanted to update this to keep track of everything.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Here's a really crappy shot of the male SI depositing his tads into a water dish. I had to take it through the glass as to not scare him which made it so bad. I thought it was really cool to watch though!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Great News!*

I just check on the intermedius and found a lone egg in one of the film canisters in their viv. It probably won't make it but it's a start! Hopefully there will be more where that came from


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## bricespice (Jan 4, 2010)

Mitch- I got to love your tanks. There is so much depth into your verts that I just can't stop looking at the pics.
Do you mind if I ask where u get your plants (broms, ferns, moss, tillys).....do you have a misting system or do you hand mist?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

bricespice said:


> Mitch- I got to love your tanks. There is so much depth into your verts that I just can't stop looking at the pics.
> Do you mind if I ask where u get your plants (broms, ferns, moss, tillys).....do you have a misting system or do you hand mist?


Thanks! 

Here's where I got all the plants from: 
-Neoregelia 'Hot Pink'- Josh's frogs 
-Neoregelia 'Pink Stripe' - Josh's frogs
-Cryptanthus 'Cafe au lait' - Josh's frogs 
-Cryptocoryne sp. - Local Fish Store 
-Tropical moss: Black Jungle
-Neoregelia 'Ampullacea': Black Jungle 
-Tillies: New England Herpetoculture 
-Ficus Pumila: New England Herpetoculture
-Riccia: Aquabid.com
-Neoregelia 'Black Beauty' - Tropiflora 
-Neoregelia 'Bloodshot Eyes' - Tropiflora
-Neoregelia 'Chiquita Linda' - Tropiflora (this is my favorite brom but I've never gotten around to photographing it)
-Neoregelia 'Green Apple' x 'Fireball' - Tropiflora
-Neoregelia 'Mo Peppa Please' - Tropiflora 
-Neoregelia ampullacea 'Tigrina' x (ampullacea x 'Plutonis')- Tropiflora 

Pretty sure that's every plant I've got in there, besides some hitch hiker mosses. 

As for the depth... I have a "background" in planted aquaria so I learned a lot about depth from that. Look it up and you'll find tons of info on how to create a sense of depth in a small amount of space. I'm too lazy to go into it but if you want to know more then I'll explain... let me know. 

I hand mist but I wish I had a misting system on these...

Hope this helps!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update - 3/20/10 - SI's Only!*

I'm dedicating this update to my SI's. Well... maybe I just got too lazy to take pictures of the intermedius. They haven't laid any eggs since that first one, which went bad. Hopefully there will be more eggs to come. 

Here are today's pictures, taken with flash. They really show the red on these guys which doesn't get shown much because their viv is pretty dark where they like to hang out. Some were taken without flash too. 



























She thinks she's a pumilio feeding her tads... well I wish they would raise their own tads so I wouldn't have to raise this many.



























Upper reaches of their viv. You can kinda see the pups coming off of the cafe au lait










And last but not least a feeding + calling video of them, which I posted in another thread too. 






I went to Andy's meet today and had a blast. I got one of my favorite frogs there... iquitos vents. I'll definitely set up a journal thread for them along with my azureus soon.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Two pictures from today... 









The SI's doin' it, for lack of a better word. 









The Frog Rack as it stands today. The top two vivs are still works in progress... the left has a probable pair of azureus and the right has 3 juvie Iquitos vents.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

You have a gift!! BTW: What's that viv to the right of your twin 20H's? (as in a standard tank, exoterra, or what?)



NVM: It seems to be a 30 high once I looked at the thread


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Wallace Grover said:


> You have a gift!! BTW: What's that viv to the right of your twin 20H's? (as in a standard tank, exoterra, or what?)
> 
> 
> 
> NVM: It seems to be a 30 high once I looked at the thread


Yup. 30H... The ficus is branching out everywhere in that tank. I'm hoping within the next few months the entire background will just be a wall of ficus. That would look awesome!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Transport shot from today:


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## laylow (Apr 6, 2009)

I hope you post a link to your intermedius thread when it's started. I have a breeding trio plus one unrelated I'm waiting to get more so I'll have two unrelated groups. They are one of the best looking frogs I own! 

Shaw


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

laylow said:


> I hope you post a link to your intermedius thread when it's started. I have a breeding trio plus one unrelated I'm waiting to get more so I'll have two unrelated groups. They are one of the best looking frogs I own!
> 
> Shaw


The intermedius are a part of this thread! I just don't post about them often because they like to hide and don't do much . So far I've gotten one egg from them. Right now I'm drying them out... it's been a week since I've misted. Then I'll go mist-crazy for a few days and that'll hopefully get them going again. They are nice frogs and all but it would be nicer to see them out more often.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Found Intermedius Eggs!*

Good news... after constantly misting the intermedius four times a day for 3 days I got two eggs from them!  Hopefully these ones will be good. Also, the Neoregelia 'Pink Stripe' is pupping, my first ever brom to pup! I may have to cut the pup out soon since it's in an awkward spot where it might not do too great. Other than that everything is doing well. I had to trim the ficus in the SI tank because it was getting way overgrown and now it looks so sparse compared to what it was before... but it'll grow back in a few weeks.


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Congrats man! I love frogspawns, eggs all around!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Found Intermedius Transporting!*

Good news again... today I was staring into their tank when I saw the male inter with a tad hitching a ride on his back! I never even knew they laid eggs after that first clutch. So now they'll be caring for whatever tads were in that clutch on their own while I take care of the most recent clutch that was laid in a film can. I'm very excited!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*F***!*

I'm an idiot... I was opening the SI tank and I dropped the door and it swung under the tank, hit the rack, and shattered everywhere. I had to remove the SI's and I put them in the froglet grow out temporarily. Hopefully the froglets don't get too stressed out. I had to vacuum everywhere to get all the glass shards. Right now I have plastic wrap over the front of the tank and I'll either get a new piece cut locally or maybe get a new one from Dane. Just wanted to vent a little haha.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Aftermath:


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

Dude that sucks ass!! I'd just go get one cut for a few bucks


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## dtfleming (Dec 27, 2010)

Go to Ace hardware or Lowes and have a new piece cut today


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

freaky_tah said:


> Dude that sucks ass!! I'd just go get one cut for a few bucks





dtfleming said:


> Go to Ace hardware or Lowes and have a new piece cut today


I'm going to try to go to the glass shop tomorrow and get some cut.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*First SI Froglet*

Forgot to post this... my first SI froglet! No, he does not have SLS... his leg is just underneath him. He has very little color, but that should change soon . As you can see he has a nice buffet of springs he's already munching on.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update - 4/17/11*

Mostly pictures, and not much SI stuff for a change...









Intermedius viv FTS









Black Jungle Moss - Growing very well









Black Jungle Moss - Close up









Now it's popping up in a different place









Riccia, which isn't doing to well. I have found that it needs high light and humidity in order to thrive, and where it was placed it wasn't getting much light so I removed it. 



























Pup from Neoregelia 'Pink Stripe' in the corner









'Shroom that popped up in the SI tank... looks like a psilocybe to me! Yum.









SI froglet









SI clutch... this ones going to Jeremy Huff tomorrow at the White Plains show.

Sorry I don't have any pics of the intermedius, every time I open their viv they jump out of sight


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## ctenosaur (Mar 30, 2011)

Very nice!


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## Hub_Shark11 (Apr 19, 2011)

I'm new to this and was curious what you have placed inside the film canisters (the white plastic piece) for breeding? Just interested in what it was, thanks.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

ctenosaur said:


> Very nice!


Thanks!



Hub_Shark11 said:


> I'm new to this and was curious what you have placed inside the film canisters (the white plastic piece) for breeding? Just interested in what it was, thanks.


The white parts are half film cans placed inside a full film can. This way when the frogs lay eggs you can pull the eggs out much more easily without messing with them.


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## Hub_Shark11 (Apr 19, 2011)

Nice, thanks


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*A Few Pictures From Today - 4/24/11*









Male SI









The ever so elusive Intermedius (had to get this shot through the glass or else they'll hop away)









Hopping Away...

The intermedius laid 2 more eggs a few days ago... glad they're really going at it now!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Some more pictures...*

Sorry for the poor quality on the first 3 pics, I took them through the screen. 









Male calling to female, trying to get her to feed the tad(s)









Female









Both females together









Just showing how bold the SI's are... won't budge with my finger 2 inches from it









Neo. 'Mo' Pepper' foliage









Fern gametophytes that popped up out of nowhere... Sorry for poor quality









Awesome random liverwort growing in the leaf litter... Sorry for poor quality

Enjoy, and feel free to comment so I know I'm not the only one around here


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

The color on your broms is outstanding.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

fleshfrombone said:


> The color on your broms is outstanding.


Thanks. The 4 T5 bulbs really seem to do the trick. I'll never go back to any other lighting again...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update FTS's - 5/1/11:*









Right









Left









Both

Oh, and my first SI froglet!:









Also, I have some bad news. Recently, one of the female SI's decided to go carpet hopping... I quickly picked it up, misted it with RO/DI water, and then put it back in the viv. I haven't seen it since, though... It's been about 2 weeks with no sight of it. I'm really worried that it's dead somewhere in the viv. I'm just hopping maybe it's stressed and is deciding to hide for a while. I don't see why it should be dead just from leaving the viv for a minute... I hope she's okay.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

What kind of moss did you put back on the wood? Has it been doing ok? Also, sorry about that female SI, I hope she's just hiding out.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> What kind of moss did you put back on the wood? Has it been doing ok? Also, sorry about that female SI, I hope she's just hiding out.


The Moss is Christmas Moss. I took it out of the water and placed it there so I'm waiting for it to acclimate to terrestrial conditions before I see any real growth. And yea, I really hope the SI is okay.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> The Moss is Christmas Moss. I took it out of the water and placed it there so I'm waiting for it to acclimate to terrestrial conditions before I see any real growth. And yea, I really hope the SI is okay.


Cool... I used the christmas moss that I got from you and did the same thing... oh btw, I no longer have the 3 tads


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Cool... I used the christmas moss that I got from you and did the same thing... oh btw, I no longer have the 3 tads


Nice. IME it can take a month or two for the moss to acclimate but once it does it really takes off. Are you saying the tads are now froglets!?


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

Man these tanks are looking fantastic!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

VicSkimmr said:


> Man these tanks are looking fantastic!


Thanks! I thought they were looking a little messy/overgrown... so thanks for reassuring me! Also, now that I look at the pictures, why do the intermedius insist on crapping _only_ on the glass!? haha


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

I love the left tank. Awesome colours also! Im looking forward to seing if I can get the vibrant colours from the broms like yours. Im amazed at how similar your intermedius look to my buddies chazutas.

An additional note...I think there are some forum trolls going around good threads an giving them poor ratings. 5 stars from me though!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

GRIMM said:


> I love the left tank. Awesome colours also! Im looking forward to seing if I can get the vibrant colours from the broms like yours. Im amazed at how similar your intermedius look to my buddies chazutas.
> 
> An additional note...I think there are some forum trolls going around good threads an giving them poor ratings. 5 stars from me though!


Thanks! Your broms are gonna have some crazy color. MH _and_ T5 is guaranteed to do the trick. I don't know who it is but someone thinks it's funny to go around rating all my threads 1 star. It's not like I care but it's kind of weird haha


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Yeah Im hoping they get some crazy colour.

Thats what happends when you make people jealous, or just outsmart someone  ...Make enough friends and you are bound to make a few enemies along the way.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

GRIMM said:


> Yeah Im hoping they get some crazy colour.
> 
> Thats what happends when you make people jealous, or just outsmart someone  ...Make enough friends and you are bound to make a few enemies along the way.


Yea maybe they're just jealous 

If you guys want to give me 5 stars I'd appreciate it.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> Are you saying the tads are now froglets!?


lol.. yea. it was a lame attempt at a bad joke I guess... but yea, they're froglets now, 2 actually came ootw 2 weeks ago and a week later the other one followed, I just didn't want to jinx anything.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> lol.. yea. it was a lame attempt at a bad joke I guess... but yea, they're froglets now, 2 actually came ootw 2 weeks ago and a week later the other one followed, I just didn't want to jinx anything.


Haha, nice. Are you going to put them in a viv anytime soon? ... I want pics! Oh, and they should be eating Melo's right OOW. Well, mine were. Get them some Repashy Superpig if you don't have it already so they can color up faster  I have like 15 about to pop fronts... soon I'll have to be giving them away for free or something haha


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## pga7602 (Aug 31, 2010)

Mitch... I have been following your threads and am about to setup a 20H just like yours. Any pro-tips for me? Anything you would change if you did it all over again?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

pga7602 said:


> Mitch... I have been following your threads and am about to setup a 20H just like yours. Any pro-tips for me? Anything you would change if you did it all over again?


Okay, My first and foremost thing I'd like to say is to not skimp out on anything. If you put the money and time into it I think you'll be happier with what you did in the end. Here goes nothing...


Invest in good lighting from the start. With a single 20 vert an 18" T5 fixture with a few 6700K bulbs would be awesome for the plants. If you place the light front to back it should adequately light the entire viv and let the plants thrive. Here's what I have in mind: Current USA 18" Nova Extreme T-5 Fixture 2x20W 10K/460NM, (1136) - AquaCave

ABG mix is the best substrate out there IMO and it's pretty cheap. If you're getting hard-to-raise Pums then I'd suggest a clay mix, but that's a whole different ball game.

A good drainage layer with a drain is very important to keep the plants and microfauna thriving. I'd suggest a 2 or 3 inch hydroton layer with weed block on top.

Lots of leaf litter helps to maintain good microfauna populations and it looks nice too. Moss likes to grow on leaf litter in my experience too. Smaller sized leaves are better suited for smaller tanks. I like to use Sand Live oak. 

Creating a sense of depth is what makes or breaks the looks of a tank, IMO. Using smaller leaved plants near the front and larger leafed plants in the back helps to create the depth. Also, having driftwood branching out of the background creates a 3D sorta feel and looks great. The frogs will like to perch on it too and you can mount orchids and such on it. A nice piece of driftwood can also be a good focal point in the tank.

Fake vines (like the ones Grimm just made for his peninsula build) can look great if used in the right places. 

A water feature is just a waste of space IMO in a tank this size.

A bunch of film cans at various levels throughout the tank are great for frog breeding.

Nice broms go a long way in making a tank look great. Bright, red broms often complement the green foliage in a tank, which can look great.

Using just a few species of plants over a bunch looks much more natural then 30 crammed into 1 tank. Think about it, if you looked at just a small cut of forest, you only see a few different types of plants... Not 52.

Orchids can look great if you're into them. I find them to be very interesting.

Oh, this is very important. This is what I regret most about not doing in these vivs... internal air circulation. I'm not talking about having a vent, I'm talking about having a small computer fan in the viv to push the air around. It does wonders for ALL inhabitants of the viv: especially the plants and frogs. Again, think about it... in the wild air doesn't just sit there and become stagnant, there's generally a little air movement to provide fresh air to everyone. It does wonders for the plants and it can also keep the front glass clear, with no moisture on it. You may find your frogs to be more bold and your plants to be more healthy with a little internal air circulation. If you do a search on it you can get DIY's on how to do it.

"Sterilize" whatever you can before it goes in the viv. A mild bleach solution will do this trick on most plants, and will prevent you from getting slugs, snails, and nems... amongst other pests. I hate nems. Baking/Boiling leaves, wood, and soil will do the trick too.

Seed with springtails and isopods right when you set up the tank. They are the janitors of the viv, and are also a great source of food.

Use appropriate viv plants... using a bonsai tree WILL NOT work and looks horrible, IMO. That's just one example, but you see what I'm taking about.

Plant lightly in the beginning. You will be able to control growth better and your viv will look much nicer in the long run if you don't cram it with plants in the beginning. It takes time to get a nice, grown in viv. Don't try and get that look right away, because you can't.

A misting system is always nice to have but is not completely necessary, IMO. But, I wish I had drilled my tanks in the beginning so I could install one.

Mosses are great viv plants... but only use viv suitable mosses. That moss in your lawn will not work (unlesscyou live in the tropics). My favorite viv moss is Christmas Moss.

That's all I can think of now. Hope this helps... Most importantly, post construction pics of your viv and more pics every step of the way. That goes for you too, Grimm, if you're reading this. You've been slacking lately


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> Haha, nice. Are you going to put them in a viv anytime soon? ... I want pics! Oh, and they should be eating Melo's right OOW. Well, mine were. Get them some Repashy Superpig if you don't have it already so they can color up faster  I have like 15 about to pop fronts... soon I'll have to be giving them away for free or something haha


Yup... they're eating melos. And viv-wise, not yet, they're gona be doing some growing out for a few weeks until I get some supplies and some odds and ends at frog day. It's hard to take pics of them right now because of the foliage and hiding spots in the grow out tank, but I'll try and take some with my phone tonight.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Yup... they're eating melos. And viv-wise, not yet, they're gona be doing some growing out for a few weeks until I get some supplies and some odds and ends at frog day. It's hard to take pics of them right now because of the foliage and hiding spots in the grow out tank, but I'll try and take some with my phone tonight.


Good to hear you're keeping them. I sold tads to a few people who I know are just flipping them, but whatever. I wish I could go to frog day


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Flip them? Neh... what's the fun in that?
There's always spring break next year


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Flip them? Neh... what's the fun in that?
> There's always spring break next year


Uhh, away for that too. Going to the Bahamas!


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## miko12 (Mar 25, 2011)

Mitch said:


> Thanks. The 4 T5 bulbs really seem to do the trick. I'll never go back to any other lighting again...


Nice tanks mitch! Do you have 4 tubes over your tanks?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

miko12 said:


> Nice tanks mitch! Do you have 4 tubes over your tanks?


Actually just 3, now that you made me look. I think I took the 4th out when I first set the vivs up because they were getting too hot, but I forgot to put it back in once I got the fan to cool the lights. Maybe this weekend I'll put it back in.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> Uhh, away for that too. Going to the Bahamas!


Sweet! Whereabouts? It's fun over there.
Anyway, back to frog talk.... here's a thread of the recently morphed froglets:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/67669-si-froglets.html#post591906


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Sweet! Whereabouts? It's fun over there.
> Anyway, back to frog talk.... here's a thread of the recently morphed froglets:
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/67669-si-froglets.html#post591906


No clue... it'll be my senior year of high school and we go to the bahamas to some resort in Nassau. 

I comment in your thread, glad they're doing well!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

SI on the hunt:










By the way, I haven't seen the third SI. I'm getting nervous


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Just out of curiosity, anything you might wanna say to someone considering an imitator vs an intermedius?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Wallace Grover said:


> Just out of curiosity, anything you might wanna say to someone considering an imitator vs an intermedius?


Intermedius are imitators... but if I could have gotten something else it would have been tarapoto's or varadero's. Tarapoto's are my favorite imitator! All imi's are great though.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Aghhh, meant to say anthonyi vs imis


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Wallace Grover said:


> Aghhh, meant to say anthonyi vs imis


Ohhh. Well, I love both haha


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Here's a video of some SI tadpoles and froglets... enjoy! (and watch in HD)


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Could we get a better view of your tad rearing apparatus? You get those orchids planted yet?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

fleshfrombone said:


> Could we get a better view of your tad rearing apparatus? You get those orchids planted yet?


Yea, I planted the orchids... there are pics in my 18x18x18 Zoo Med thread. The orchids are doing great. 

The tad rearing container is a nice big storage container (sort of like a tackle box) with 12 compartments, each holding a good amount of water. I also drilled a bunch of holes between each compartment to allow for more water circulation. It's pretty simple and works great. I can keep a lot more tads in a smaller area without sacrificing water quality and such. The tads get fed NLS pellets, frozen bloodworms, and frozen cyclopeeze. I change the water every week with fresh RO/DI water. Temps are around 75 degrees. Keeping the tads like this gets them to morph out in about 12 weeks, which is awesome.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Where did you get the storage containers?


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Right on, just be advised that sharing a water source means one gets sick they all get sick.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Wallace Grover said:


> Where did you get the storage containers?


The container store. Don't know if there's one where you live though.



fleshfrombone said:


> Right on, just be advised that sharing a water source means one gets sick they all get sick.


Yea, I'm aware... but I hope good husbandry (perfect water parameters and such) should prevent anything bad from happening. I'm not introducing anything foreign into the system either.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Mitch said:


> Yea, I'm aware... but I hope good husbandry (perfect water parameters and such) should prevent anything bad from happening. I'm not introducing anything foreign into the system either.


Ok cool, I just thought I'd throw that out there. You should take pics of the exo.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

fleshfrombone said:


> Ok cool, I just thought I'd throw that out there. You should take pics of the exo.


Here's the thread... I've got a bunch of pics in it. 

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/66197-mitchs-18x18x18-zoo-meds.html


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

A transport shot from today: 









Most of the tads had been deposited before I got the picture, but a few still hung on for the ride. 









And a crappy shot of the frog rack I took recently... maybe I'll take a new one soon after I clean the front glass on all the vivs.

Enjoy, and feel free to comment!


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Wow... more tads! You're gonna have a whole army of 'em soon!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Wow... more tads! You're gonna have a whole army of 'em soon!


Yea, I have 8 froglets now and a bunch more on the way... and the tads are still coming!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*SI Froglets - Update*
Just some pics of them... 



















These guys are the oldest ones... I have 6 more that are more recently oow and many more on the way. I also have some new intermedius tads in the water now! 

I really want to sell some SI froglets soon... I'm saving up for my reef tank!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Still haven't seen that 3rd SI. I'm calling it a goner now unless some miracle happens. This is the first frog I've ever lost so I'm sorta pissed about it.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*A Few Shots from Today*









SI Transport - The tads had just grabbed on at this point









SI Transport 2 









The other SI, the female (I believe)









SI Froglet 

Enjoy, and most importantly feel free to comment!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Shots from Today*









Female intermedius belly shot









Another belly shot... you can see the male intermedius as an orange speck in the background









SI checking out a mushroom... this same type keeps popping up in the viv. Looks like an LBM. 

Again... feel free to comment. It's getting lonely in here.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)




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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Is there anyone out there?


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Man those SI's bring me back to the good 'ole days of the classic tricolors. Very glad to see these still around.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Shots from Today*

Just two, but cool ones IMO. 



















Enjoy!


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Dude....That's what I call a fully loaded backpack. Holy sh*t you must be swimming in tads from those guys.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Yea, and imagine getting clutches like that every week for a bunch of weeks in a row. Good thing people are willing to buy them or else I'd have like 100+ froglets right now haha.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Nice tadpack shot


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> Nice tadpack shot


Thanks Riko!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

They're still going at it...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Today was a very scary day... I come home today to find one of the intermedius on the floor of my bathroom... that's about 30 feet from the tank. It was covered in dust so it put it in a container and misted it with RO/DI water for a few minutes, and then placed it back in it's tank. The frog was looking dry until I misted it and it slowly hopped away once I put it back in the tank. Not the normal super sonic hopping speed it usually has when startled. I have no clue how it escaped. It must have shot past me when I opened the door to feed a couple of hours earlier. I really hope it makes it. I don't want to lose a second frog...


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## bgmike64 (Mar 16, 2008)

Man, that's happened to me all too frequently. Good luck with him....


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

bgmike64 said:


> Man, that's happened to me all too frequently. Good luck with him....


Thanks. I hope the frog lives. My intermedius just recently started breeding... I don't want to lose a breeding group for something so stupid.


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## johnyrocks (Jun 25, 2011)

Very nice. You're frogs are very good. The very first darts I got were phyllobates bicolor. I kept a pair in a 40g. They never bred. Never even attempted. So sad. Good luck! BTW i'm very surprised how well this thread is going! lol. All the way from early October to now! lol. GL!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

johnyrocks said:


> Very nice. You're frogs are very good. The very first darts I got were phyllobates bicolor. I kept a pair in a 40g. They never bred. Never even attempted. So sad. Good luck! BTW i'm very surprised how well this thread is going! lol. All the way from early October to now! lol. GL!


Thanks. I hear those frogs can take a while to get breeding so that may have been the issue. 

Yea, this thread is getting old. I plan to keep it going as long as these vivs are set up!


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

any update on the intermedius? I'm sure that has to be scary as hell dude.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

ryan10517 said:


> any update on the intermedius? I'm sure that has to be scary as hell dude.


Yes, he seem to be doing fine. I'm glad he's okay. I think it was the male that hopped out.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Awesome news! Today I went to feed the intermedius and I found a froglet! It was nice and plump, about dime sized. In other news, I'm currently sitting in an airport and have 5 more hours to go until my flight. My original flight got canceled for whatever reason...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

It's crazy to think that these vivs are almost a year old. I'll post a nice update soon!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

*Update - 8/23/11*


















The Intermedius froglet... getting big!













































FTS Left viv

I don't have a FTS of the right viv... my image uploader is acting funny. Sorry!


















Brom City

Enjoy, and please comment!


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Very nice. The froglet is lookin good.


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Wow Mitch, looks great. I wish my tank looked that good, all grown in. I'm so impatient!!! It would be nice to have a chemical (frog safe of course!) that will grow everything speedy fast. The ficus on the right wall looks great, and love that cool "cave" made from that chunk of wood and broms. I'm making a 29g and my dream would be a tank covered in focus pumila and full of broms and moss, which is what you have.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Neontra said:


> Wow Mitch, looks great. I wish my tank looked that good, all grown in. I'm so impatient!!! It would be nice to have a chemical (frog safe of course!) that will grow everything speedy fast. The ficus on the right wall looks great, and love that cool "cave" made from that chunk of wood and broms. I'm making a 29g and my dream would be a tank covered in focus pumila and full of broms and moss, which is what you have.


Thanks man! You've just gotta be patient I had the same mindset as you but eventually you just gain patience with time in this hobby. Let me know if you ever need any Ficus pumila, moss, or broms... I have plenty.


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## Dart66 (Aug 24, 2011)

look great


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Dart66 said:


> look great


Thank

.......


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Your hardscaping adds so much depth to the tank, I love it...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Wallace Grover said:


> Your hardscaping adds so much depth to the tank, I love it...


Thank you!


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## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

this tank almost makes me want frogs.


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## Zoomie (Jul 3, 2011)

Mitch, just read this entire thread. Fantastic job sir. I like that it is a journal of sorts. 

With reference to the escapes, 'respect' for writing about the good, the bad, and the ugly. My favorite froggers on this site are the ones that share both tragedies and triumphs. 

I had an Auratus froglet jump right over my shoulder one day and promptly hop under the tank rack. I can say that it is just as exciting as having a high dollar reef fish jump out of a tank and on to the carpet.

Rock on, sir and keep those pics coming.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Wow, thanks!

You're right about the frog escaping, and I've been through both experiences with reef fish and frogs.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Great news! I was just opened the intermedius viv to find the male transporting a tad. Woohoo! 

I'm trying to get pictures but the frog is now nowhere in sight.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Mitch said:


> Great news! I was just opened the intermedius viv to find the male transporting a tad. Woohoo!
> 
> I'm trying to get pictures but the frog is now nowhere in sight.


Sweet... congrats.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

WOOOOOO!!!

I just found another froglet in the intermedius viv. Between finding the male transporting a tad yesterday and now a new froglet today... I'm loving these guys! I was able to snap a really blurry, crappy picture before it hopped away. I'll post it later if I have time.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Here's some really crappy shots of the ever-so-elusive froglet I was talking about in the above post. 



















This froglet has much different patterning than the last one. It's pretty cool how varied they can be!


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

That first shot is nice, Mitch. Sorta looks like in situ


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

eos said:


> That first shot is nice, Mitch. Sorta looks like in situ


Thanks Eos. I guess the shot is kind of cool because the froglet is so hidden amongst the foliage.


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