# Neotropical Amphibians in... Kansas



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Hey guys,

I've been on this forum for quite some time but it's always nice to post pictures of frogs and vivs so I can go back and see how my tanks and collection has changed over time. I just got done moving to a new place so I figured now is a great time to do so. I'm finishing up school so my free time is limited, but you bet your ass I spend it in the frog room or at the lake when I have it!

I'll start with some frog shots and follow it up with a few viv pics. All shots are through the glass, some good, others not so much. I'm going to try to convince my roommate to get some pictures with his camera, as he's a digital arts major at KSU and they get to play with more fun electronic toys than I do in the biology dept.

A few of my Phyllobates terribilis 'mint' 




























Oophaga pumilio 'bastimentos'














































Epipedobates anthonyi 'salvias'














































A few random



















That's all for now. I'll get some higher quality images in the future but this will have to suffice for now.


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## johnc (Oct 9, 2009)

Great photos and beautiful terrariums.


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

I really like this tank! What's the bright green bushy plant on the right of this pic that looks like a big clump of live sphagnum moss with a stem coming out the bottom?


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## cschub13 (Apr 27, 2011)

Great looking frogs and some really wonderful setups you got there!


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## SuspensefulSteve (Oct 28, 2010)

Great tanks and your Mints look awesome.


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## morg (Jul 28, 2012)

The large twisting piece of Wood in the first pics is tremendous. Either you found a great piece or you placed it well. Nice Vivs


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Thanks for the compliments guys, the tanks have been growing in for some time now.

You're right, it's my zz top sphagnum moss beard! The plant stem under it is a Lusidia discolor, I believe, that grew very tall so I trained it's stem under the moss so it's bloom wouldn't smash on the top.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Very nice! Great looking tanks and frogs!


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## JasonE (Feb 7, 2011)

Nice man. I'm going to get you to plant my next viv. Those are spectacular.


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## goku (Nov 11, 2009)

beautifull tanks!!


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Thanks for the compliments fellas. I figure i'll just use this thread as a place to post new pictures of stuff I have floating around the frog/bed room.

Got these for my up and coming vivarium for Phyllomedusa sauvagei. They are Lithops!


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Few more room shots





































Anubias nana 'petite'


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## *Self_DeFenCe* (Jun 12, 2010)

Your tanks looks amazing, that black stand for the hex is neat too.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Here's a few shots of the latest face lift on one of my 65 gallon vivs, it's the bottom left one on the rack pictures above. I just started planting it and plan to keep adding to it as I find fitting plants. It will be for a pair of tincs or a group of smaller frogs.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Found the first clutch from the Epipedobates anthonyi 'salvias', too bad it's not fertilized...


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

Derek Benson said:


> Thanks for the compliments fellas. I figure i'll just use this thread as a place to post new pictures of stuff I have floating around the frog/bed room.
> 
> Got these for my up and coming vivarium for Phyllomedusa sauvagei. They are Lithops!


oh lithops, what a genus! home to such majestic plants as the "Bushman's buttocks" and the great "living stones".


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

love all of the vivs by the way. very well done!


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Glad someone else can recognize an awesome succulent! The nursery I got them from referrred to them as "little butts". If that's the case, these should have brown blooms right?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Very nice vivs Derek. They have so much depth. They look like cliff faces to me. Good work!


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Got a pretty large Cryptanthus for my empty 65 gallon at a local nursery, hope it retains most of it's red coloration.










Also added a bit of life to my desk while I'm staring at my lap top.










Red Cherry Shrimp


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## JasonE (Feb 7, 2011)

Derek, which nursery are you going to? I haven't been able to find too many suitable plants locally.


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## OrangeTyrant (May 12, 2011)

I've been having trouble finding local plants here too, just about ready to make an online plant order, I'd love to know where you go!


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

I usually go to all of the nurseries in town and pick and choose. Almost all of them have enormous house plants but occasionally there's some smaller stuff. Horticultural services on highway 24 has been getting better and acknowledge the fact that people keep frogs in glass boxes and need smaller plants. There's also blueville nursery, eastside market, westside market, and home depot. It's really slim pickings and ordering online is the best bet at getting true miniatures and what you want exactly.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Tads in the salvias pond


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

A few growth shots from today.

I got a pretty large (about cantaloupe size) Anubias from a friend of mine when he took apart his piranha aquarium. After a thorough cleaning, it's in my future Mantella aurantiaca vivarium










Some sphagnum moss in my terribilis viv.










Bromeliad bloom, somewhat resembles colored pencils hah



















Found this plasmodial slime mold the other day in the morning. One of the largest that I've had pop up in my tanks. A few of my friends had some in their tanks around the same time, wonder if this reproductive cycle could be spurred by a barometric pressure change? Hmm...


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)




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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Halloween froglet!



















Brom bloom


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

My ever growing colony of lithops and an unknown identity succulent










Picked up a younger pair of Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus' from a local frogger, JasonE. They look great and have been settling in and feeding very well.


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## Jellyman (Mar 6, 2006)

Derek Benson said:


> My ever growing colony of lithops and an unknown identity succulent
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What is on the backwall of the viv behind the azureus?


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

I use clay backgrounds and mix in long fiber sphagnum moss that eventually turn into a moss wall. Also put fern spores, riccia and others in there, but the LFS really loves the clay. It looks like a concrete wall for the first few months but if you're patient it turns out very nicely.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

A few shots from around the room today. Picked up some younger mints to grow up and add to my group.




























Bastis hunting the leaves










Azureus pair settling into their new viv



















Desert Viv for Phyllomedusa sauvagei woodwork



















Here's my new fluval spec 5 gallon aquarium for Cherry shrimp, upgrade from the previous 2 gallon evolve tank.


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## papafrogger (Oct 21, 2012)

What type of moss is that is the azureus tank? I love that driftwood in the desert tank, where did you find it?


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## JasonE (Feb 7, 2011)

Glad you're enjoying those azureus. They look like they're loving life.


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## froggies3 (Feb 1, 2011)

papajuggalo said:


> What type of moss is that is the azureus tank? I love that driftwood in the desert tank, where did you find it?


That is Sphagnum moss that grew out of his clay background.


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## papafrogger (Oct 21, 2012)

froggies3 said:


> That is Sphagnum moss that grew out of his clay background.


Thats pretty damn nifty. Im jealous haha


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Nice shrimp tank! How do you like that fluval spec? I was thinking of getting it for the same reason.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Correct on the sphagnum moss guys, it grows vert well on a clay based substrate.

So far I'm pretty pleased with the Spec V, pretty good water flow, nice filter with a large sponge, ceramic rings and active carbon, and I like that it's all glass. It's very quiet and capable, great desktop tank and has been popping up on sale recently in chain pet stores. The LED light leaves a bit to be desired, it's my dimmest tank in the room, the other lights being 2x t5 HO. I chose plants accordingly, lower light requirement species like Anubias, java fern, java moss, Cryptocoryne.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

JasonE said:


> Glad you're enjoying those azureus. They look like they're loving life.


Thanks again, they are a great looking pair and pretty bold in the tank so far.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Derek Benson said:


> So far I'm pretty pleased with the Spec V, pretty good water flow, nice filter with a large sponge, ceramic rings and active carbon, and I like that it's all glass. It's very quiet and capable, great desktop tank and has been popping up on sale recently in chain pet stores. The LED light leaves a bit to be desired, it's my dimmest tank in the room, the other lights being 2x t5 HO. I chose plants accordingly, lower light requirement species like Anubias, java fern, java moss, Cryptocoryne.


Good to know. I've seen it on sale a bunch of times at some local shops too. Thanks.


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