# 200gal+ exhibit space at the Oklahoma Aquarium. Pic heavy



## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

Hi all,

I've been on this bored for a little over a year,and in that time I've posted two build threads. I'm ready to post another one! For those of you who don’t know me, I work at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks Oklahoma. A few months ago, they gave me and a buddy of mine who also works at the aquarium to build a PDF tank to go along with the new South American Extreme Fishes exhibit that is currently in progress. 

When we started the planning phases of this project, we decided to do it similar to the last viv I built for my house:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...hed-my-20l-vert-fake-rock-backround-pics.html

We started by getting our tank and a large stack of pink styro board. The tank is 90gal. We planned out the waterfalls and the general shape before we even started cutting the styro. There were to be 2 falls with a shallow pool at the bottom. As time went by, the plans changed a little bit (as you’ll see). We ended up with a running stream instead of a pool and 4 falls. After we had cut the foam for the bottom half we started applying concrete. It doesn’t hold to flat styro very well so we put acetone in a squirt bottle and roughened up the surface by spraying it on and allowing it to melt a little. 

This pic shows part of the concrete done with some drift wood in so we could get a feel for how everything was going to look.









Since this tank will be a show tank on exhibit we decided to add a canopy feature to the tank to allow for more space, more frogs, and hopefully a successful mix of a couple different species. We built the canopy out of 4 acrylic panels, angle bar on the corners, and fastened it all together with pop rivets:










The canopy has a door on the side for access to the exhibit:










With the canopy built we moved on to finish the rockwork. This pic is shown with the first coat completed. You can see in this pic where the falls we be as well. There are 3 seeps on the right side, and one fall on the left where a hollow log will go for the water to be directed to the hole at the bottom:










With all of these falls, we needed holes in the glass for independent control of each fall. The drilling took about 2 hours for 4 holes. We switched off every 10 min or so, that way we didn’t have to stand there forever. This is my buddy danny who was by partner for this build.










Each fall has its own valve for independent control:










When the rockwork was complete, we put the whole thing in a large tub with acid and water to leech it. When that was done we painted it with latex paint and put it in the tank for a temp set up to get a view of what the end product would provide. In this pic, all 4 falls were running as well.










I almost hate to say it, but this tank includes A LOT of great stuff foam to make up the sides and canopy. I think it turned out really well though. With the rockwork finally complete we moved on to the foam. All in all, I bet we used 20 cans of foam on this thing. Our higher ups wanted the entire rock insert removable so there is a 2” gap on either side of the rock. We filled it in and started on the coco fiber. We also hunted around town and found a TON of bark to use to look like trees are coming up out of the rock. Ultimately, this is what we came up with:










We added moss from another one of our exhibits and turned on the falls. These next few pics show detail of the tree fall and the running stream as well as the 3 seeps on the right.










































We added the bark with spray foam and hollowed out the top 6” so we can add hanging plants to them like planters. These are of the canopy:


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

With the vast majority of the tank done it was time to start fly proofing the tank and adding other external touches. We made a hinged lid with 2 vents in it. We also added a fogger. These pics show detail of the vents we found at the hardware store. They are adjustable and have 100 micron mesh on them. 

















































With that done it was time to start working on the inside. We added some pothos for temporary looks to show what the tank would eventually look like. We also added more moss. There are also a couple of pics here to show how we made the tree waterfall.

































































We left the tank like that for several days to show it off to the bosses. After that, it was off to the nursery. We bought several broms and a type of moss to put in the tank. We also added a couple of air lines pointed at the window and put on a metal halide for the plants. This is what the tank looked like right after planting. Since these pics were taken we have added a few more.










































































I will take more pics tomorrow to show how different it looks with a few more plants in it. I have a few more to share that are just random. I hope you guys like the tank. Any pointers on anything I missed, or advice on what frogs to do (keep in mind it’s an exhibit tank, so the bigger the frog the better) I’d greatly appreciate it!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Wow! That's awesome!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Ok that makes me mad because last year I interviewed for a job there and was turned down apparently based on not having any actual reef experience even though I've researched it quite a bit, have done fresh water tanks, had what was the largest dart and mantella collection in the state, showed them pictures of vivs that wow'd them, and even had small mammal experience owning 2 ferrets and a fox. Otter care was one of the positions they were considering putting me in.

Oh and my dad is a plumber so I have some experience plumbing stuff also which they were interested in. I ended up getting another job but am looking again and sent my resume to them a 2nd time, haven't heard anything ;( Grrr Jenks aquarium, my god what more do you want from me!!! Do I actually have to build a sw tank just to get a job there...is all the other habitat building and multiple fish, herp, and small mammal experience not enough!!! LOL...ok here ends the rant 

Nice work btw  ...Tell them to pull Dave Mark's application and check out the web links to my vivs again


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## edwing206 (Apr 9, 2008)

Reading about and doing are two very different things. Other than that though you sounds pretty well qualified.

Nice build BTW Siren!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

edwing206 said:


> Reading about and doing are two very different things. Other than that though you sounds pretty well qualified.
> 
> Nice build BTW Siren!


True  ...That stuff comes pretty easy to me though. I kinda figured already having basic knowledge of sw tanks and species + all the viv and fw aquarium experience and small animal experience would be enough and suggest that I could pick up the sw thing pretty easily...oh then the plant knowledge, knowledge of different environments and a huge base of knowledge about a large number of different animal types, and the plumbing exp  I really seemed to click with the 2 girls interviewing me also, we were laughing and cracking jokes...Never been so amazed that I didn't get a job. Oh well. 

Here are my flickr albums Siren if you're interested in taking a look at the stuff I've done...

Flickr: marksdl's Photostream
Flickr: dmarksvr's Photostream

Others are welcome to look too!


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

@dave

there are alot of factors that go into getting a job at the AQ, and what normally happens when someone qualified such as yourself doesn't get the job, is that there is someone that is more qualified that interviews for the same position. 

I like your tanks, I'd love to see them in person some time


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Anyways sorry for the slight derailment there. I saw you guys were planning multiple species possibly. Any ideas which yet?

Also I'm curious, I think I forgot to ask in my interview...You said trip to the nursery, will they let you order stuff online or are you restricted to what you can only get locally?


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

we've had a few suggestions, but we haven't made up our minds yet. The ones on the list are luecs, vents, aratus, galacs, and teribillis.

We are able to order online, not just local. Local is always better though.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I think the public would love auratus. I would love to see galacts in there though.


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## Tony (Oct 13, 2008)

Why not Azureus? They are by far the best known PDF among the general public.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

siren said:


> we've had a few suggestions, but we haven't made up our minds yet. The ones on the list are luecs, vents, aratus, galacs, and teribillis.
> 
> We are able to order online, not just local. Local is always better though.


Ya I think from what I heard it came down between me and another guy and he had a lot of reef experience so they went with him. If they haven't filled the recent positions they had available put in the good word for me  Check in with me in a few weeks and if my place is clean maybe we can work out a visit...it is a disaster right now  

On the species, Luecs, auratus and galacs have potential hybrid issues but vents and one of those species, or imis could work well...also the Teribillis and any of the other species you mentioned probably wouldn't present many problems. Ideally you wanna stick to a thumb/large frog combo, or do a dendro/phylo combination or something like that. Basically if you mix species from 2 genus you don't have the hybrid issues and going with good group frogs cuts down on the potential aggression issues. Galacts and another frog wouldn't be a bad choice probably, Galacts were reclassified I think and are distantly related enough as to probably not to offer much potential of hybrids though I'd have to look it up to be certain. I think they were in the dendro group so there may be some risk. 

Thats cool, I was hoping if I ever worked there they'd let us order online since the plant choices are really limited around here. Where do you guys go? Other then home depot/lowes and 1 or 2 other small shops I'm not aware of any good tropical plant vendors around here anymore...there was that place on 41s down from the petco and petsmart but it went under a few years ago ;( I only got around the jenks area much when I was working at Creek casino didn't explore it to much.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

southwoods nursery on 91st and lewis has some neat stuff in right now. And there was another place on 41st and harvard that we went to the other day but I can't remember the name of it right of hand. I think it might have been ted and debbys or somethin like that.

Whatever we get, I'm sold on luecs. I've had them at home before and they are by far my favorite frog that I have experience with.


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## Tony (Oct 13, 2008)

Dendro Dave said:


> Galacts were reclassified I think and are distantly related enough as to probably not to offer much potential of hybrids though I'd have to look it up to be certain. I think they were in the dendro group so there may be some risk.


They were reclassified as _Adelphobates galactonotus_. I have no idea if they are able to cross breed with _Dendrobates_ species or not.


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## JrayJ (Mar 11, 2010)

Bad assed!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

siren said:


> southwoods nursery on 91st and lewis has some neat stuff in right now. And there was another place on 41st and harvard that we went to the other day but I can't remember the name of it right of hand. I think it might have been ted and debbys or somethin like that.
> 
> Whatever we get, I'm sold on luecs. I've had them at home before and they are by far my favorite frog that I have experience with.


Rad, I'll have to check it out next time I'm in the area, come to think of it I think I've driven by there but didn't have a chance to stop in. Not sure I've been to the one on harvard. I know there is a place between Yale and memorial I think but they don't have much in the way of tropicals, a few things that will work and some aquatic pond plants though. Then like between 31st and 41st and yale or maybe it was harvard there is a lil place with a chain link fence and a small outside area with a privacy fence...maybe that is the one you are thinking of...I can't remember the name either. 

Luecs are cool, I had those before the Ice storm ;(, along with 11 or 12 other species and morphs and half a dozen mantella species...I'm a fan of red and blue though so most of the frogs I favor have those color, and I'll be sticking more to my favorites as I rebuild the collection. Though I like green auratus and others with green, and mints are sweet to...haven't owned mints yet, they are on my list


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

Tony said:


> Why not Azureus? They are by far the best known PDF among the general public.



We were thinking about azureus, but from what I've read, they are fairly aggressive towards other frogs.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

Dendro Dave said:


> Rad, I'll have to check it out next time I'm in the area, come to think of it I think I've driven by there but didn't have a chance to stop in. Not sure I've been to the one on harvard. I know there is a place between Yale and memorial I think but they don't have much in the way of tropicals, a few things that will work and some aquatic pond plants though. Then like between 31st and 41st and yale or maybe it was harvard there is a lil place with a chain link fence and a small outside area with a privacy fence...maybe that is the one you are thinking of...I can't remember the name either.
> 
> Luecs are cool, I had those before the Ice storm ;(, along with 11 or 12 other species and morphs and half a dozen mantella species...I'm a fan of red and blue though so most of the frogs I favor have those color, and I'll be sticking more to my favorites as I rebuild the collection. Though I like green auratus and others with green, and mints are sweet to...haven't owned mints yet, they are on my list


Yeah that ice storm was pretty ugly. Lucky I have a generator, otherwise I would have lost all my aquariums.


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

Very nice!
I don't think that Phal. orchid is going to like having its roots in the damp dirt like that though.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

siren said:


> Yeah that ice storm was pretty ugly. Lucky I have a generator, otherwise I would have lost all my aquariums.


Ya I almost got one but had never lost power for more then 48 hours in 25+ years living here...dumb move, Its on the agenda when the collection is big enough again to warrant the expense. 

On the Azureus, probably a good call. They may do ok with a thumbnail that sticks to the top of the tanks, but I think there is a chance for aggression otherwise. I've kept a male auratus and azuerus together with no sign of aggression for awhile. The males seem pretty tame usually if its just them and another male, even of another species...but females can be bullies and if there are 2 males and a female be ready for a no holds barred cage match. They were some extra frogs I didn't have a place for, for awhile. But I think if i would have dropped a female of either species in that tank all hell would have broken loose, probably best to avoid them.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

I took these today after we finished planting and moving things around. Dave, you should come by the aquarium and see the tank in person. I'd love any advice from you.


































































Before after shots:


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

What color are those halides you're using? They look like they have a bit of blue in them.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Love that purple brom. Is it really purple like that?


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

Its a 400w 10,000k MH bulb. So yeah, it has alot of blue in it. Its actually not that blue in person, I'm not sure why the pictures came out so blue. We had a 250w 6500k bulb on there but it wasn't near bright enough and the brown color of the light overpowered the colors of the plants and the whole tank just looked yellow. 

Yes, that brom is really that purple. I found it in a nursery here in town. Its huge too. The whole thing is about 2 feet across and about a foot tall. I couldn't get it as a single either. There were two of them in one pot so I just separated them and put that one in. I don't have any idea what to do with the second one. I wish there was room. I will probably put it in our electric eel tank or something.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Ya I'll try to get out there, maybe I can rustle up a date  Who should I ask for, I'm guessing I'll get funny looks if I ask for "Siren" 

From the pics looks pretty good, the only thing that I saw that I kinda wondered about were the holes on the waterfall...I couldn't tell exactly how large they were, or if any measures were needed to keep frogs from getting into the whole assembly...they can squeeze into some pretty tight places. Some mesh on the back side, inside the assembly would probably work to prevent that if it is a concern, a larger holed mesh should work and not disrupt the water flow much, no-seeum, or something might be to tight a weave to get good flow. Might not even be an issue though, like I said I couldn't tell for sure just from the pics.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

The holes continue back into the rockwork and are completely filled with water. The only issues would be if we lost power AND backup power. Then I guess they would be able to squeeze into the holes, but I don't think that will ever be an issue.

Ask for Richard, come on a saturday, that'd be the best.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Rad, no idea when I'll make it out there but I'll see what I can do


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

You need more viv friendly orchids in there. Luckily for you, you can get them from me


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

fleshfrombone said:


> You need more viv friendly orchids in there. Luckily for you, you can get them from me


I've actually had good success with mine, I just planted it in a small pile of ABG mix placed on top of the substrate, and I don't mist it directly. That way, the roots stay dry enough and it has done pretty well. It doesn't flower as much as most, but still does occasionally.. and the plant itself is in good shape.

Those guzmania broms are along the same lines, keep the bases as dry as possible and you might be able to pull them off. 

Great looking viv though, good luck!


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

Well its been awhile since I posted so I thought I'd post some updated pictures. 

The tank has changed a lot since it was initially planted. We've added more drift wood and added more misting nozzles as well. We also added a new air manifold to keep the window dry. It does an amazing job, but leaves hard water deposits on the glass. I'm thinking about changing the misting to RODI water in order to cut back on that.



















There has also been amazing growth in our plants. We added hanging plants to our bark planters up top that have easily grown 10X, and we are starting to see babies on all of our broms.

We also finally got our frogs! We were delayed several months because of weather related issues. But there was finally a window to ship them so we received them on Friday. As stated before, since this is a publicly viewed exhibit, we had to mix species in order to show the diversity of color we wanted. There was a little bit of aggression within the first hour of the frogs being in their new home, but we haven't seen any sign of more aggression since. From observations I've made, I think that the exhibit is large enough that aggression won't be a real issue.

With that being said, we got 6 imitators, 3 orange terribilis, 2 cobalts (they are still a few months too young for breeding behavior, but I believe that we received a male and a female. Fingers crossed), and a known breeding pair of Azureus. As I was counting everyone in the tank with a flash light yesterday I also stumbled across a patch of 3-4 eggs. Since the frogs just went in the tank a few days ago, I'm not real sure if they are fertilized or not. I hope they are, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Also since the eggs are stuffed back in a tiny Brom leaf, I don't know if the eggs belong to the Azureus or the Imitators. The male Azureus seems to have staked out a spot within 3" of the brom in question, but I have already heard and witnessed the imitators calling and I know they would fit in that leaf. If anyone can offer any insights it would be greatly appreciated. Here is a pic with the flashlight on the egss with the female hovering near by.










So far our frogs have been breaking all the rules too. Everything we read about the frogs that we ordered said that the Azureus, Cobalt, and the terribilis wouldn't climb above the bottom two feet of the tank. So far we've seen the terribilis and the Azureus all the way at the top of the exhibit, five feet up (we have since found on other websites saying that the Azureus and cobalts will utilize the height if provided, but still nothing on why the terribilis are climbing). At first that kind of irritated me since we picked them so they would stay on the floor and show well, but I can't really complain because of how active they are. The cobalts just kind of sit there. They make great exhibit animals because they are always visible. I haven't seen either move more than a few inches, but they eat like its going out of style. 

Neither of the cobalts wanted their pics taken yesterday so this is the best I was able to do. This took place right after I fed the tank. The Azureus was just passing by. Keep in mind that the Azureus pictured here is about 1.5" tall and about 2-2.5" from the anterior to posterior end. That should be a good reference to how big the purple brom is.



















So far I'd have to say that the imitators are probably my favorite. They are super active. I'm not sure what our male to female ratio is yet. Thus far they have utilized the entire exhibit space and shown me several spots that needed a quick touch up with foam. Its almost a full time job just keeping up with them. I was a little worried with aggression toward them since they are just barely larger than the crickets that we've been giving the terribilis. But that doesn't seem to be the case. No larger frogs in the tank seem to care that they are in there, and we have also observed the imitators riding on the backs of the Azureus. The only complaint I have about them is that sometimes you really have to search in order to find them. So far none have ever really hidden from me. They just blend in with everything.





































The terribilis have spent almost all of their time on the floor of the tank under the large brom. They stay visible at all times which is awesome. And since all of the flies that get in the water and go down our drain end up in that spot before they reach the drain, the are in a constant state of feeding. We have also fed them several small crickets, which they accept with much appreciation. The only exception we have to any of this is the smallest of the 3. It eats just like the other two, but it spends more of it's time hanging out in the leaves and climbing the back wall. I'm wondering if it's just the less dominant of the 3 or if its a difference in behavior because of gender. I haven't really thought too much into it yet though because the frogs are still new and I've assumed that it's just normal behavior for new arrivals. 

This is a pic of my climber:



















And the other 2:





































Like I said earlier, the male Azureus has staked out a spot about 2.5ft off the bottom of the tank where he spends the vast majority of his time. The female roams everywhere. She eats everything that moves practically, but has shown no signs of aggression since day 1. 









































































They really do like to get their pictures taken. 

Here are a few of the tank:














































We get to move the tank on display this afternoon. Hopefully its a hit!


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## heatfreakk3 (Oct 15, 2008)

Looks really good! I need to go to the aquarium again sometime. I haven't been there in FOREVER!


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

I wouldnt be too excited about any eggs found in the tank. The cobalts and Azureus are both D. tinctorius and will be able to interbreed. 

The tank looks great, im sure it will catch alot of peoples attention once it gets on display.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Can't say I'm a fan of mixing cobalts and azureus as there is a lot of potential for hybrids there. I'm willing to give institutions a little leeway mixing species for display purposes and to save space but I'd prefer not to see it with species that can hybridize, but otherwise glad to hear things seem to be going well. 

I'd keep a close eye on things though as you may be overpopulating the tank a bit especially given that it is a mixed species viv. I wouldn't be surprised if over the next year, maybe 2 if you see the original population thin out a bit. It may be replaced or even grow overall though if breeding occurs. It would be more ideal though if all or the majority of the original pop survived to near their average/max captive life spans. Only time will tell on that though. All things being equal and going with the very general guideline of 10gal per frog in the hobby you'd need a tank 130 gallons to meet what is basically the minimum standard in the hobby for single species tanks. Most would probably cut the population by 1/4th-1/3rd at least for more margin of error in a mixed species viv.

Part of the reason you are seeing more terrestrial species using more height then they might typically could be because they are forced to it given the numbers of frogs and a tank that is much taller then it is wide. To be fair though part of it could also be that the lights aren't so bright/hot as to discourage frogs from using the height, which is a good thing for them if not the plants lower in the tank(but those could still be doing fine, depends on type. Sounds like yours are doing fine.) BTW, I think RO water is a good idea too. 

Hope you don't mind a little constructive criticism. Not trying to get down on the Jenks aquarium or this viv at all, but from an ethical standpoint I wouldn't feel right if I didn't mention a few concerns. Best of luck, I'm still pestering HR with frequent resumes


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Don't be surprised by the climbing. This is actually pretty usual for the first several days to weeks after moving them into a new enclosure. The larger the enclosure the longer it can go on... the frogs were moved from a habitat to which they were accustomed and moved to this one. As a result the frogs are going to look for anything that could indicate a way to the area in which they lived prior to this. 

If the male azureus was guarding the eggs, then those are probably a clutch he fertilized... I would be careful of raising egg clutches are you have two frogs that crossbreed readily as they are just color variations of the same species and unless you have a policy in place to dispose of the intergraded froglets (and this may not be obvious until well after metamorphosis when patters set you could be stuck with a lot of crossbreds which have little display value.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Ed said:


> Don't be surprised by the climbing. This is actually pretty usual for the first several days to weeks after moving them into a new enclosure. The larger the enclosure the longer it can go on... the frogs were moved from a habitat to which they were accustomed and moved to this one. As a result the frogs are going to look for anything that could indicate a way to the area in which they lived prior to this.
> 
> If the male azureus was guarding the eggs, then those are probably a clutch he fertilized... I would be careful of raising egg clutches are you have two frogs that crossbreed readily as they are just color variations of the same species and unless you have a policy in place to dispose of the intergraded froglets (and this may not be obvious until well after metamorphosis when patters set you could be stuck with a lot of crossbreds which have little display value.


All good points, plus I forgot about frogs moving around alot when first moved to new enclosures.


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

I hope those little imi's are alright! they are up against some of the biggest frogs in the hobby.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

What was the motivation to mix two tinc species, knowing they could produce hybrids?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Mitch said:


> What was the motivation to mix two tinc species, knowing they could produce hybrids?


The aren't hybrids as they are within the same species... it would be cross breeds.. (look up cross bred). 

It is a display enclosure at a institution.... the poster wasn't thrilled (by thier own admission) but they are working with what they have to work with.... 


Ed


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Ed said:


> The aren't hybrids as they are within the same species... it would be cross breeds.. (look up cross bred).
> 
> It is a display enclosure at a institution.... the poster wasn't thrilled (by thier own admission) but they are working with what they have to work with....
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info Ed. Also I didn't realize this was at an Aquarium... I was just looking at the pictures. Sorry to the OP for judging too quick.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

To be honest, none of the frogs in this tank were my first choice. My hands were tied by the powers at be. My initial list of species actually came from the discussion here about which species would do well together, and tincs were not on the list. What eventually ended up happening was somewhere along the line someone heard "everyone wants to see a blue dart frog" and then I was unable to say or do anything to change that. I'm not thrilled about the possibility of cross breeding occurring. If it does happen I will act in accordance with any policy we have in place for such an event (to be honest I don't even know if we have one since we even exhibit hybrid bass). If not though, I personally (not necessarily the thoughts of the aquarium as a whole) think that they would make a neat individual tank (off exhibit of course). 

As for the imitators, I've had the same concerns about them being eaten or abused by the larger frogs, but so far they seem to be ignored completely. Hopefully that remains to be the case.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Not to sound harsh, but the policy for a mixed tank should be culling all eggs as they are discovered. 

The imitators may sneak some eggs and tads over time, but they cant produce hybrids with what is housed with them anyways. However I would not expect any imitator froglets to survive to adulthood in this tank.


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

siren said:


> I'm not thrilled about the possibility of cross breeding occurring. If it does happen I will act in accordance with any policy we have in place for such an event (to be honest I don't even know if we have one since we even exhibit hybrid bass).


yikes.....


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## bricespice (Jan 4, 2010)

Just want to say GREAT JOB to these enthusiastic young men! I went to the aquarium today and met with them and received a behind the scenes tour. The tank is really built well and they did an amazing job for this being the Oklahoma Aquarium's first dart build! I am sure more is to come and I look forward to their continued success.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

It's been almost a year since I posted an update for this tank so here goes:

Moss has started popping up all over the tank. I would assume it's growing from spores that have been spread in the last few months. We also have some ferns popping up. I'm not really sure why though since we never actually added them. They are a welcome addition though. 


















Our hanging plants have really taken off as well. The longest vine we have now is probably around 5 feel long. 










The entire tank has really exploded in growth. The frogs seem to be loving it.


























































































All the frogs had their backs turned on me when I took these photos.


























We also added an LED strip light in order to get better lighting on the bottom of the tank. It is mounted inside of the tank on the air bar. 










That's all for now. I am working on a new project now, so maybe I'll post more pics later.


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

its been almost a year since the various species/morphs were mixed. are all the origenal frogs still in there? have any tads been raised and if so are they mixed? have the frogs been spawning? this is a fairly unique mix here on this board and i was just wondering how its going. love the way it has grown in.


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

We lost a cobalt fairly early in the game to unknown circumstances. Other than that, everything is doing well together. As far as the imitators go, we only see a couple at any given time since the tank is so large so I'm not sure if all 6 are still alive or not. We haven't added any new frogs since the tank was set up.

I have raised a few babies but they have all been imitators. From what I've read, all the other species in the tank lay a black egg, so I knew what they were when I pulled them. I have yet to see any eggs or breeding behavior from any of the other frogs.


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## Dr Christopher McHale (Apr 3, 2014)

That is truly amazing.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Dr Christopher McHale said:


> That is truly amazing.


Ya I've gotta get out there to see it at some point, assuming it is still running. Still PO'd they didn't hire me when I applied months before they began that build  ...Oh well, guess I'll apply again if the casino job doesn't work out.


We need an update on this!


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks I'm glad you like it. I haven't seen it in over a year since I moved but I would imagine it's still up and running. This is a quick picture of what it looked like last time I saw it. By the time I took this photo, I was no longer taking care of the tank so it was headed a different direction but it was still very nice. I'll snap some photos of it when I'm back there next week.









Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


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## tyler (Feb 23, 2006)

Awesome work. Is it possible to get a shot from a distance of the full view? Looks awesome guys


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## siren (Feb 22, 2009)

As promised, here are some updated pics of the tank from when I was home for vacation. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics. Tyler, the first pic is pretty much the entire viewing space unless you get right up to the tank and look straight up (which is what the second pic is).





I'm not really happy with the direction the tank is going but its still thriving and continues to be a "fan favorite" for all the visitors to the Aquarium so I guess I can't complain too much.


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