# 24x18x24 Exo Terra Journal



## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Well I decided to start a little journal as I go along with this tank. Not much has been done so far but I shall show you some progress soon! So far this is the list of things I have and what i will be getting as soon as they arrive!

Have,

24x18x24 Exo Terra Tank
3 GS foam cans
3 GE black silicon II tubes
2 cans of black spray paint
1 Eggcrate
Mesh screening
1.5" Black PVC Pipe
3 bricks of Eco Earth Coco Fiber
3 pieces of driftwood
3 4" black planting pots

Waiting for,

Mistking W/ Deluxe Nozzles (3 Nozzles)
24" 65w PC lighting

As of now I have sprayed the back of the tank and the left side (which will be facing the wall) as well as the bottom part to hide the false bottom).
Tomorrow when its dry I will doing my GS background. As for whats going into the tank i am thinking of Dendrobates leucomelas, or Dendrobates azureus. Pictures to follow coming soon!

~Inspired by bellerophon


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## bellerophon (Sep 18, 2006)

Mikee said:


> ~Inspired by bellerophon


lol  

cant wait to see the progress. why did you go the paint route rather than using the silicone? I'm sure I don't need to ask but you did paint the exterior of the tank right?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

pics please!!


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I didn't go with the silicon route because.. i hate silicon  haha. Yes I painted the exterior just like others do for their reef/freshwater tanks. Even though it is non-toxic paint i still painted the ext. I forgot to mention that i finished foaming by GS background yesterday..it should be cured by now so ready for silicon and my coco fiber. As of right now my coco fiber sits in a bucket with water..should be done expanding..just waiting impatiently for it to dry now :lol: . Pictures will come shortly (camera is dead atm). By the way, whenever 
using GS foam always wear gloves.. (I was ignorant and decided that i didnt need any) now since its all nice and dry all i can do is wait for it to wear off


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Oh I forgot to add that maybe this thread should be moved to 'parts & construction' (sorry i was not paying attn)


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Well after the long search I finally found my camera cable! Sorry for the long wait. Keep in mind this is my first viv so be nice! . Any suggestions would be appreciated because theres always room for improvement! I apologize 
for the picture quality (not the greatest camera) planning on getting a Nikon D80 w/ macro lens in the next couple of weeks.. well, here they are ,

Here it is after I finished my GS background



















After the coco fiber was put on aswell as a few plants  




























This is it after I installed my Mistking and planted a few (not yet sure on the placement). The top is just covered with plastic right now until I find a glass cutter to cut my a top but for now it does fine 



















1 of my Broms










Another 










Cant quite remember the name of this plant it starts with a S i think?










The top middle fern 










Anubias and Java after i transported them from my 2ft planted tank. They dont seem to be doing that well.. I am keeping the humidity up in the 80's-90's just hoping for the best.



















My water feature. Not to sure about it yet maybe someone can give me a better idea on what to change with it.










Well, thats it for now. I hope it doesn't look that bad  but i sure had alot of fun building it anyways and the fun is not over yet! still plenty of rearranging and little changes to do until i can finally sit back, relax and enjoy :wink:.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Oh, and the Ficus Pumila is there temporarily until i find a place for it to grow on my background. The Fern in the middle to the right i will probably be putting in the bottom right corner..not quite sure any suggestions?


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Looks great! Your plantings are very nicely done. I think kicking back and just "watching the viv grow" is very relaxing.  

I think the plant that starts with an S is Selaginella kraussiana (maybe the "gold tips" variety). I've had mine for a few months - it seems easy to care for with good lighting and moisture - and grows like a weed!

Maybe a few rocks around/in it and/or a piece of wood sloping in might jazz up the pond and give the frogs something else to play around on.

Mike


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## skronkykong (Jan 1, 2007)

Drape some spagnum moss into pond from the land area and the riccia will grow up/down it faster. That's what I did to mine and it looks a lot more natural. Was the anubias in the water before you transfered it?


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks for the compliment rox! . I think your idea with the pond is great I will give the wood sloping in the pond a try. Ah yes Selaginella kraussiana thats the name! (I have a hard time remembering the names from all these different kind of plants ). I was told its a type of fern? correct me if I am wrong.

Skronky, I dont have any riccia I think what your seeing is my duck weed maybe? I like your idea do you have a picture of yours? And yes the anubias was in water before in my 2ft planted tank for about a year.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

Mikee, it's my understanding that club/spike moss, like your S. kraussiana, actually fall between a moss and a fern; as they have no "true" roots, but are more complex than moss. So, I don't really know if they hang in limbo between moss and ferns taxinomically or if they belong to a unique group. I could be way off too. Hopefully, one of the plant people here will be able to clarify - I'd be interested to know, as well. :wink: 

Mike


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Today I picked up a couple more plants. Not sure of their names but hopefully you guys can help me with that  and if they should be in a viv or not.

Here they are,


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

Middle looks like Nephrolepsis exaltata "Suzi Wong", and I'm not sure the scientific name of the last one, but I dont think it will do well in a viv...


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

I wish I could bring mysef to spend as Much Money on my Tanks and Quit being so Lazy and do something like this.

Turning out absolutely Fantastic.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Conman, will the Nephrolepsis exaltata "Suzi Wong" do well in a viv? I searched it and on blackjungle website says it does very well in medium to high humidity but it does not quite look the same in the picture as mine :?.

thanks jpstod, im sure your tanks look fantastic :wink:. This is my first viv so i'm still learning. I just take things slow and try to do them right..sometimes its a bit costly but in the end it pays off.

Anyone else know what the plants in the first and last picture called? im wondering if they are okay or not. I kind of wanted a bigger leafed plant such as the 1 in the first pic so im hoping its okay if not any suggestions on others that i should take a look at?


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

Whether or not it's a suzi wong, I'd assume that plant will do very well in a viv.

I cant help you with the other two, but if you're looking for large-leafed plants, you could try a jewel orchid or perhaps even pothos.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I was thinking about getting a orchid actually. The plant in the first picture just doesn't feel 'right' in my tank. The leafs are just to big and as for the last picture i like it but will it do well? I don't want to put it in and have it die . Anyone one else know? . I wish they would identify the plants! instead of writing 'tropical plants' on them


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Update finally! This is how my 44g viv is currently still not sure on placement.. i seem to be changing plants around alot..i guess im never satisfied! lol. My moss has finally started to grow which is great aswell as all my ferns..so far im pretty happy with the fast growth. On to the pictures! sadly i still have not got that Nikon D80 i want but soon! 

right side









left side









and the back wall 









I still dont have dart frogs in there..any ideas on what kind would be best to put in? Right now i have 7 or more fruit fly cultures going on a few of which are doing very well so I am ready for dart frogs as soon as the snow is gone!  Any suggestions on how to improve the look would be appreciated too .


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## dartboy2 (Aug 22, 2007)

Wow that is amazing! I suggest leucs and you might want to add some leaf litter.


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## Amphiman (Nov 8, 2007)

Cover that thing with broms...and put a bunch of Imi's in it. Or vents! Or Retics!!? Or any thumbnail.....my suggestion.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Gorgeous tank! I love it.

Retics came to mind for me too... although make sure if you do, in that bare spot on the ground to the right, put a thick layer of leaf litter as retics use both the ground and the upper areas. ALthough, if these are your first darts, I wouldnt suggest retics as care of offspring can be tricky.

OTherwise... if you added a couple more bromes, imitator would love that too.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks everyone . I hope that moss grows quicker but im sure thats going to take quite a while until it covers the right side aswell. I will try some leaf littler. Where could i fit more broms? not sure on placement where the frogs like to go if say i were to go with imitator or retics.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

How about these spots? Antone has some wonderful bromes, he can hook you up. 










Antone's Site


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks housevibe! Whats the best method for mounting them?


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

I thought that creeping fig was only temporary :wink: 

With broms, you can mount them with wire, wood skewers, whatever you need to do to attach them. My favorite thing to do is just find a little nook in the background I can stick them into. If they're pups, they usually root before they get too big.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

I agree with conner. The stoloniferous bromes you can just poke a hole in your GS with a pencil or something a hair larger in diameter. If they have a larger stolon, they will stick in just fine with nothing else to hold them. Otherwise, you can use sticks to prop them up in the hole until they root (like I did with my tank) or you can use the wooden sticks to form a pseudo platform, with them Xing over the front of the brome, holding them tight against the background.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks Connor and Sarah I will give it a try. I love your tank Sarah! you did an awesome job on it. I love making these tanks so much that i may just setup my spare 50g (36"18"18") in the spring time.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Thanks


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Well after seeing retics from other ppl's viv ive really fallen in love with them! 
Who,where,when could i make an order for these? also what type of broms do you think i should add? should i wait awhile for winter to pass? and last i notice how plain the left wall side looks..would it be possible to grow moss there somehow? or maybe wait till the creeping fig makes it way over there? thanks


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Okay, so I picked up a few more broms so after i get them in the viv i will take a few more pictures to see what you guys think. I have been researching on what darts i wanted to keep in the viv and have come to 3 that i was thinking of trying. 

Dendrobates Reticulatus being my first choice
Dendrobates ventrimaculatus second
Dendrobates leucomelas third

I was mainly looking for a small-medium sized dart that are attractive, terrestrial but like to climb into the upper reaches of the tank and ones that are not shy once adult. Also one thats a bit of challenge with breeding..i love challenges :wink:. 

Retics or vents is what i was really looking at..the leucomelas i just loved because of their beautiful call. I actually let my dad hear their call and asked him what he thought it sounded like and he thought it was a canary hahaha. He was shocked when i told him what it really was. Having canaries and hearing their call i understand why he thought that. At first he thought one of his canaries got out of the cage downstairs and was in my room :lol:. 

Anyways..I will let the more experienced vote and the one with the most votes i shall get.


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## Quaz (Nov 13, 2005)

That is looking great. your frogs are going to have some fun.

here's a thought. Something I've been doing lately. Get a box of plain wood tooth picks and a bunch of tropical or temperate turf moss. break the tooth picks in half and pin pieces of moss to the walls with bare spots. With your mist nozzles the moss will look really good! give it a shot.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks ill give it a try!


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Update!

Woohoo, i got my first frogs! and also got a springtail culture aswell. I will be adding some leaf litter soon to cover the small dry area. My moss has been growing rapidly in the past few days so im hoping in a couple months that it will cover up the rest. I only could get one actual decent shot since my camera is crap. I wont say what kind you'll just have to see :wink: although my sig gives it away pretty much haha. 










Here is one of my little guy/girl's  they are so cute!

I threw in a bunch of springtails last night and today i put in some FF's but they have not ate yet from what ive seen. Hopefully they do soon . I got these 3 from Understory enterprises and must say they are awesome to do business with! quick replies, awesome packaging and fast shipping! I would definitely do business with them again overall A+ thanks!


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## angelfrg9 (Dec 30, 2007)

*id of first pic?*

I worked in a plant nursery last summer, and the plant in the first pic of the three reminds me of a Acanthaceae, not sure though. I am by no means an expert. I believe if it is they get very large. The ones we had were Acanthaceae sanchezia; they were over 3.5 feet tall! Common names of other Acanthaceae are nerve plant, fittonia, etc. I didn't see it in the pics you posted, so I am guessing you opted not to place in the viv? Beautiful frogs you got. I am hoping to some day get my own.... but will do soooo much more research before that day. Good luck.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks for the comment angel. No i decided to leave that plant outside my viv  it didnt really fit anywhere the leaves were far to large so i figured it would outgrow my tank fast.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Frogs calling already? could that be possible? these guys are maybe 6 months old but ive been hearing calling all morning and still going as i type this.


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

Vents mature pretty dang fast, it's entirely possible for them to be calling at 6 months.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

wow way to soon, lol. This one guy hasnt stopped yet. Okay lesson learned never setup new cultures in a room. I was not thinking and put 30 flies about in each culture to find out i did not drill the holes in the lids yet so i panicked and knocked over 1 of the old cultures and well now i have about 100 flies running around in my room, lol. Next time - outside and maybe using a funnel or something so i dont lose that many. Any better ideas that i might want to try for next time? lol just curious what the best method is.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I was wondering if everyone dusts the FF's with calcium for every day feeding?


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

> I was wondering if everyone dusts the FF's with calcium for every day feeding?


It's my standard method- calcium/vits/Naturose with every feeding.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks!


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## bmasar (Dec 13, 2007)

What do you use for your lighting?


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Hey Bmsar, I use 24" 65w PC lighting that i got from jlaquatics.com 

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/stor ... c-alf24065


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Update of my tank..nothing great really still trying to find right placement for everything to do well. Baby tears is yet again doing poorly which ive been trying hard to keep alive..i posted a pic of it in the plant section hopefully someone can help . I have also been trying to grow Selaginella kraussiana on the left side there..not sure yet if ill keep it there or what to do. I always like to hear what people have to say on what i could do to improve on it. Oh and i recently added a 1 1/2" vent at the top front keeping my humidity in the high 80's and temp between 70-80F hoping this will help. Well anyways here are the 2 shots i got.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

New shot









I finally just stopped touching my tank and let it be.. i cut it back a little not long ago.. and this is how it looks now.. i am missing something on the left side though... i cant remember the names of any of these plants anymore.. its been awhile since i last posted..but the creeping fig? i think i got that one right has been doing very well.. most plants i have in there now are growing quite well. I tried many different plants but some just dont survive i really love the baby tears but for some reason no matter what it will just die in my tank..doesnt even matter where i put it..i think ive finally given up on that plant after about 3-4 tries. Any suggestions for a plant on the right side wall would be appreciated . I will also try to get some shots of the frogs tommorow .


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## Leucs2008 (Mar 8, 2008)

It looks beautiful!! How are your frogs doing? They are beautiful as well. Have you thought of more broms on the left side? Or something that hangs down would be pretty too.


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## m_wells (May 18, 2008)

i know it probably doesn't matter any more but the plant in the first picture is a Zebra Plant the 2 one is a Plumosa Fern and the last one is a Parlor palm. and that is an awesome looking viv. :shock:


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks for the compliments . I think broms would look great there thanks for the idea!

These guys are so hard to get a shot of.. as soon as i open the doors to my tank they hop away lol.
Every morning i see them at the front of the tank near the pond..i took these shots through the glass so it was very difficult to get a clear picture but this is the best i got.


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## Marko (Oct 23, 2007)

Nice pics mikee ;-) I'll fix mine up still haha i just need new plants for the bottom half and maybe a glass cutter to put a bulkhead in at the back...Time for a rescape for me!


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## kevin575 (May 7, 2012)

Awesome tank! 

Got a few questions though, how often do you change the water? I figured it would get stagnant without a water flow. 

Did you put a water heater in the bottom for a backup heater?


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

kevin575 said:


> Awesome tank!
> 
> Got a few questions though, how often do you change the water? I figured it would get stagnant without a water flow.
> 
> Did you put a water heater in the bottom for a backup heater?


I dont think the OP is on dendroboard. This thread is pretty old.


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## kevin575 (May 7, 2012)

Yeah, I figured I would just be lucky to get a responce. But this build inspired me. 
I like the pond, and I originally ordered some grape vine to make a somewhat close but different, build. Well, I found out grape vine decomposes. Soo, now i got a cork bark build going. I haven't seen a build like it, but yet not quite epic, lol. Will use peices of the grape vine, for the springtails. Since it decomposes. That's the game plan (I'm still new and learning), plus I got $30 worth of sticks sitting, why not.
Whether this guy is active or not, I'm still giveing him credit for the build (pond). Even if he isn't the original. Granted I got an idea on how to hold up more substrate. Hopefully it works.


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