# my first viv



## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

hi guys

i just finished my first dartforg viv. measures: 100x50x70cm, i think thats about 40x20x28 inches. the background/mountain and stream is made of polystyrene, covered with silicone and turf, and some xaxim.
in january i will add some azureus, cant wait to get them!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

that is one sweet first vivarium!!!


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## Yidso (Mar 16, 2007)

Looks good, but just curious is that Styrofoam?

-Yidso


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

thx for the comments - and yes, its styrofoam, covered in silicone and peat


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## Z_Ruby1212 (Oct 12, 2007)

AWESOME VIV!!!!!


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Wow, looks great man...

I saw the first two pics and thought "Well, this will be pretty cool.." and then I saw the third one and "HOLY CRAP" :lol:


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## ian (Dec 25, 2006)

Well I didn't say it but I thought #%#^&#%#%^%&^%. So according to the Catholic Church, if I thought it, I said it. That is so cool! How long did it take for the silicone to dry on the styrofoam? any complications with that? What did you use to hold the styrofoam together? What kind of lights? And lastly, where did you get your plants?

Nice, keep us updated.

Ian


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Very nice!

Any info on how you built the tank itself?


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## dartboy2 (Aug 22, 2007)

Wow, that is one of the best first vivs I've ever seen!


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Holy Moly
:shock: 

Thats a "FIRST" Viv
:shock: 

Looks fantastic.
Pleae Please Please Keep us updated as I grows in.


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## Fenrir (Jul 30, 2007)

if thats a first i dont wanna see a second... it would be able to melt eyes at a single glance...


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

thanks guys, i'm really happy with it too - it took us days to complete it...

To answer some of the questions: 
The silicone dried within about 2 days. we just didnt manage to cover the styrofoam completly and leak proof. Some water always got through tiny holes, but as the viv has got a double glass bottom, that isnt a problem.
The styrofoam is held together by silicone too.
Light: 3 fluoresent tubes (two 4000K and one 6500K)
The plants: dont think this will help you a lot, most of it is from a terrarium online shop in switzerland ( http://www.terrarientechnik.ch ) and the orchids: a friend got us those frome guinea
The tank was made on our orders by a young local carpenter, who started his own business as terrarium maker. and he really makes very nice ones! As mentioned above, it is a special dendrobates terrarium with the inclined bottom.

As soon as its a bit more overgrown and i got the azureus i will post some more pics

barbara


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

Wow, that is highly exceptional. I agree with some of the posts above... if this is a first, then the second will be a knockout. Hopefully others will take clues from your designs...


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## jeffreyvmd (Oct 16, 2004)

*tank*

I agree, incredible for a first or 50th tank. Great job. Thanks for the pictures and info.


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

here are some pics of how the viv is built. 


















its a different size from mine, but built the same way by the same guy. he really can build you any viv you desire, he's done some incredible stuff already
have a look, if you're interested... 
http://www.terrarienbau.ch/Spezialanferigungen.htm


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Ok, I thought I'd do a little update:
The plants are growing in nicely, temperature and humidity were ok, the tank was seeded with springtails and isopods, so it was time for the frogs. We got 5 juvenile azareus, 3 to 6 months old. By the time we can sex them, we will only keep 2.1 or 1.1 and trade the others. Here are some shots of the youngest (and skinniest, some of the others are already quite a bit bigger, with big bellies too...), he's the boldest and easiest to photograph.


















and I love those broms!


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## meatslim (Jun 6, 2007)

that is some ridiculous photography.. and very nice broms and viv


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## NickBoudin (Nov 3, 2007)

Amazing, Great work.


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

WOW! when i looked at this my soul cought on fire 8)


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks! And today I finally managed to get a shot of the "big" fat one...


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

man thats a great picture! i wish my camera was that good  

keep the pictires comin


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

what camera are you using?


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## dendrodave (Mar 16, 2007)

wow that is one nice viv I hope my next atempt is that nice. do you have any water movement at all and is there a misting system


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## dendrodave (Mar 16, 2007)

I was looking at the pics of how the viv was made and was wondering what is the perpous of the 90 degree piece of glass at the front for


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Mikee: Its a Olympus C5050, a camera a bit bigger than the normal point and shoot camera, already a couple of years old

dendrodave: its got a misting system with 2 nozzles and a water feature down the styrofoam mountain, seen on the picture after the broms. From the little pond the water will run into the "moat" in the front of the viv (I don't know the proper word for that). There its got a drain into an external filter tank below the viv.

As for the 90 degree piece of glass at the front:










Its for air circulation. There is a 2" gap ath the bottom of the front glass and on top (horizontally) is a metal gauze. underneath you see the end of a cupper tube. Wound around it is a 25W heating "cable". It gives good air cirulation and helps me get the temps up - and prevents the front glas from fogging up very effectively!


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## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

That tank is really amazing. It has really expanded what I though possible. I might have to try a styrofoam mountain like that.


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## HappyHippos1 (May 7, 2007)

Do you have any fans for air circulation or is it needed because of the euro style viv building?


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

No, there is no fan or other active air circulation. The fresh air coming in through the front gap gets heated up and rises, and old air gets pushed out of the viv at the top through the second gauze near the back. That way you get a slow constant air circulation, and the plants are doing fine that way. You do loose a bit of temperature and air humidity, but so far they have always been high enough.


Barbara


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## Jens (Feb 16, 2007)

Very nice looking, Barbara. BTW, what are good web resources in the "deutschsprachigen Raum" for frogs?


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Well, there are a few dart forums, but there is NOWHERE near as much going on as here - thats why I ended up here! Just by reading those hundreds of good threads you can learn so much.
But if you're interested:

http://www.pfeilgift-frosch.de
http://www.dartfrog-world.de

An Online-Shop
http://www.terrarientechnik.de

And of course Dendrobase, which is a dart database, but you might already know that one, as ther is also an english version of the site (you need to register there to get to the contents)
http://www.dendrobase.de

Do you originally come from Germany, Jens?


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## Jens (Feb 16, 2007)

Yes, I moved 6 years ago to the US. I got the same feeling, information are rather limited. I was rather surprised as I expected more based on the hype about euro vivs. Too bad I can't read Dutch.


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## hopalong (Sep 19, 2005)

What other suggestion for air movement do you have for someone who doesn't have copper heating wire hanging around. The design is beautiful. The whole thing... :shock: Very impressive!!


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks hopalong! Well, it depends on the design of the viv i suppose. If its a similar build to mine you could just put a pc fan on the top, and let it suck out some air a few minutes every hour. But if you got an aquarium style viv i cant help you, i haven't got any experience with those.


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## hopalong (Sep 19, 2005)

So, I'm just curious. In Switzerland is molding acrylic really popular, as in you can find someone who does it within a 4 hour drive. Or is everyone just efficient in making them on their own? Aren't they rather expensive?!

They are gorgeous! I like the uniformity that they offer on a rack system. Do you have other tanks?! What's the moat for?

Welcome to the board, I'm glad you found us!!


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks for the welcome! Well, a 4 hour drive in switzerland is almost a world tour...  you'll end up in italy or france or germany.
I had to drive about 45min to get to the guy who makes the vivs, the standard ones from the online-shop you have to pick up about an hours drive from here... distances are just different around here.
Buy the way, they are not acrylic, but 6mm glass.

The moat: the water feature ends in the moat, and at the bottom of it, its got a drain to the external filter under the viv. And you won't have any frogs crawling out of the viv when you open the front glass :wink:


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## hopalong (Sep 19, 2005)

Please forgive my geographic ignorance.  

Glass?! So, its a bit heavy then... Siliconed the edges together? What's going on under the slanted floor? Is that a false bottom kinda thing? Is there water under it? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just inquisitive. And the tank is very desirable.

Cheers!


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

No problem, i dont mind you asking at all.
It is quite heavy because it is big, true, and its siliconed together. Along the edges you got aluminum to make it look nicer and protect the edges.
The slanted floor is an other version of the false bottom, thats right. The water flows down into the moat from there. Maybe have a look at that recent thread:
http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=35642&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15
And there is no water under it, just air


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## hopalong (Sep 19, 2005)

So your soil is your drainage layer? Doesn't that stay too wet? And how high is the moat? Is there any reason the moat is that sized? Or is that just what you wanted. 

Where do you put your pump for you water feature? Can I get a side shot? I'm just trying to understand... I think it looks better than the false bottoms.


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

ok, where shall i start...  
1. yes, there is no special drainage layer. The ground is just peat brick (about 1") and leaf litter
2. no, it doesnt get very wet
3. the moat is about 2.5" deep, and it was just standardly done that way. It's my first viv, and this is a size the builder normally makes. In my opinion, it's a bit to deep, we filled half of it with pebbles, and you loose a bit too much hight that way.
4. the pump for the water feature is underneath the viv. The water goes down the drain (you see it in the last picture, with the steel mesh around, so no frog falls in...) and into a small aquarium in the closet under the viv, which serves as a three chamber filter. In the last chamber there is a small pump which pumps the water back up. At the top back of the viv there is a small hole in the glass, for the water tube and the feeler gauge to go in. There is no point showing you a side shot, because there is absolutly nothing to see there really. Or what is it exactly you would like to see?


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## Amphiman (Nov 8, 2007)

I know it seems rather cliche....but that viv is fantastic....it's really very roomy and i love the moat thing in the front.


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## HappyHippos1 (May 7, 2007)

Ever have any drownings in the moat? I see how the viv works but am curious about the moat concept and what keeps the frogs out of it?


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

No, not until now anyway...
One jumped once in accidently, but was out again in a sec. Its filled with gravel on once side and then sloping down towards the other side. And there are some waterplants (frogbite) which would carry them, so i dont see a problem there. Normally they stay away from the moat.


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## firefishbrain (Jan 20, 2008)

well, not to be an echo, Simply astounding viv!!! I was curious, however, as to what the silicone is, is it found in a spray form? I'm inspired to use your idea for my first setup, if and when I get it going. did you glue the styro to the back wall of the viv? I'm really excited now to get a viv up, and could you list some of the plant names in your tank, I really like some of those striped and red broms... thanks so much, for any info and the great pics!


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

The silicone comes in the normal cardridges, the same ones you use for the kitchen or the bathroom, just that its aquarium silicone, without the mold inhibitor. the application on the styrofoam is a bit of a nuisance though (which is an understatment...) - and it takes a lot! i used up at least 8 cartridges. I also used silicone to glue the styro and the tree fern panels to the glass.

Broms: I've got a lot of different ones in the viv:
vriesea marnier lapostollei (the dark green/redish)
Vriesea fosteriana (the one with the red stripes)
Vriesea fenestralis 
Vriesea saundersii (the silvery one)
Neoregelia tarapotiensis
Neoregelia schultesiana - Fireball
Neoregelia liliputiana

other plants include: 
Begonia schulzei 
Ficus pumila
Marcgravia spec.
Davalia bulata
Pyrrosia longifolia
java moss
and various plants from the local hardware store

Good luck with your viv!

Barbara


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## firefishbrain (Jan 20, 2008)

thanks, that's clears alot up... and now I got a few more ideas...


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## holidayhanson (Apr 25, 2007)

Great idea with the styrofoam! After my first viv with great stuff and silicone ($$$ + big stinky mess) i want to try a different approach. Maybe use the styrofoam and tile grout to build a rock BG. 

Thanks for the great sequence of pics.


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## doogs (Feb 4, 2008)

hi there barbarO

i was just wondering if u'd mind posting some photos of the aluminium angle used for the sliding doors and also the other end of your hot copper vent system as im in the process of making a l1000mmxw1000xh900 quater hex unit and im looking for the most minaully seen front access system
and yours looks quite nice!

many thanks.
ps nice work of course.


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Hi doogs
I'm not really sure what details you want to see or know more about. So i just post a few pictures of the viv front and then you can ask away:










































....................................
barbara


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## doogs (Feb 4, 2008)

BarbarO you could'nt have done better thats exactly what i was after thank you greatly!  
and im so gelious of your frogs as well, what id do for not only dendros but that mossy uhhhhahhhhh....... they've got to be one of the finest examples of evolution and camoflarge mixed with beauty in the animal kingdom. you see im in australia and we have huge restrictions on whats allowed  
There is just one other question is that hot wire a product you can buy or is it something you've made yourself and if so HOW? coz i have heaps of old aquarium heaters if thats prehaps how.

thanks again.


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

You're welcome, glad you got the information you needed out of the photos.

The green cable is a standard 25W heating cable (i don't know if that is the proper term in english) you use in vivs. It is often used underneath the substrate, mainly for desert vivs or so, not that often in tropical vivs. I just wound it around a cupper tube because it is the easiest way to fit 3 meters of cable underneath the ventilation strip along the whole viv without the cable touching itself anywhere, which you should avoid. Cupper because it conducts the heat very well (but never use cupper inside a viv! That's poisonous).

..........................
barbara


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## jdogfunk99 (Oct 16, 2007)

I am truly impressed.

Regarding the very first pic, where did you get your styrofoam, or what type is it?


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

The styrofoam is just standard stuff from the harware store round the corner (the light sort, not the dense and heavier one), but i don't think it'll help you much if I tell you the name of the store as i live in switzerland... :wink:


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

So this viv is up and running for about 8 months now - and it has grown in quite a bit! So I thought I post some recent pictures (just taken after some major trimming...)















































.............................................
barbara


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## Amphiman (Nov 8, 2007)

Having a rainforest must be fun !


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

That tank looks really nice.
Candy


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## CHuempfner (Apr 27, 2008)

WOW! I wish you would ship your terrarium builder friend over here for a few weeks! And your planting skills! That viv is gorgeous!
Crystal


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## knuckles4696 (Jun 23, 2008)

breath taking .... great job its like looking at fine art! those frogs must love it in there


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## barbar0 (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks for your comments!
It is actually not that difficult to build a glass viv like that from scratch. It just needs some patience and a steady hand to silicone the glass together. We just copied the style of this one (but without the "double glass floor") to build a second viv for some imis and soon it is ready for planting. I will post a little construction journal once that one is done with the planting.


.................................
barbara


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