# 'EuroMadagascar' viv



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

For the past 6 months or so, I've been working on a vivarium to house 1.1 Phelsuma klemmeri, 0.0.6 Heterixalis madagascariensis, and some species of cb mantella. 

I started with a 24x18x36 'Marty Made' glass terrarium. I siliconed in a slanted piece of glass, in order to create a front water feature.









I then positioned the peat bricks in place, cutting them to fit, using a wood saw.









I then siliconed peat bricks to disguise the glass.









And pressed peat into the crevices, to make it seem as if the 'bank' was a solid slope:









Followed by a quick vacuum to clean up any extras:









Success!


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I decided to go with a tree fern background, as I had local access to plenty of the material, and I had not used it in this scale before. I attached it to the glass with gorilla glue, letting one side dry before turning the tank and doing another side:









I then squirted gorilla glue in between the panels, to make them more secure, and to fill in the gaps:









Followed by a layer of peat pressed into the cracks, followed by a quick vacuum:









I then allowed everything to dry, before turning the tank upright:









For the hardscape, I decided to work with tambora, a solid, durable branchy wood sometimes used in aquariums. It will mold initially, but quickly clears up and should last a long time. I positioned the pieces in several different formations before selecting a final layout, then gorilla glued them in place:


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I ended up using pool filter sand as a substrate for the water feature, and your typical (hydroton, weed block, ABG mix, sphagnum, leaf litter) substrate layers for the back, land portion. After these were in place, I added some plants:

















And the inhabitants:
1.1 Phelsuma klemmeri - currently breeding








0.0.6 Heterixalis madagascariensis








I have not yet added the mantellas - I am waiting to see what the temperatures will do seasonally before introducing any.

After several months of growth, and some new plants added:









































So far, everything seems to be doing very well. I have a very nice temperature gradient (95F in a spot at the top, 80F top to 70F during the day, with the temperature dropping about 10 degrees over the night. UVB is provided for the geckos, and the reed frogs seem to enjoy basking under both the heat and UVB bulbs.


----------



## Caden (Jan 9, 2010)

Oh wow. That looks absolutely amazing. What tillandsia species do you have dominating the tank?


----------



## Tony (Oct 13, 2008)

Amazing viv! I do have to ask though, how did all those bromeliads make their way to Madagascar?


----------



## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

I'm curious how people secure broms to tree fern panels. Looks great zach!


----------



## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Honestly, one of the most well designed enclosures I've seen, bravo! Def. inspiration to finally get the ball rolling on the big office tank. As for CB mantella, after seeing the tank, I would add a small group of goldens and a small group of laevigata. Likelihood of breeding is slim and both would use the full tank.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Very nice job, interesting technique...Don't think I've seen the peat brick/tree fern combo, at least not like that. One question though, wont the peat bricks on the glass dam for the pond expand and with large portions basically flaking off into the water?


----------



## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

Hey Zach, when are you coming to NEW JERSEY to teach me a thing or two? 

I don't know what I like best: the glass/boulder-wall waterscape, the wood skeleton-plant phenomenon, or the inhabitants!!! The level of detail and care really is telling here, thanks for sharing!  (seeing an enclosure featuring some P. klemmeri without bamboo sticks is a treat as well!)


Alex


----------



## Arizona Tropicals (Feb 15, 2010)

A very very nice tank, one of the best I've seen ... simply stunning!


----------



## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Dendro Dave said:


> Very nice job, interesting technique...Don't think I've seen the peat brick/tree fern combo, at least not like that. One question though, wont the peat bricks on the glass dam for the pond expand and with large portions basically flaking off into the water?


I think the peat brinks he used are similar to the peat some use in Europe/Japan. Here when someone says "peat brick" we think the coco-fiber expanding brick. This is the real peat brick, probably cut from a peat bog.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

stevenhman said:


> I think the peat brinks he used are similar to the peat some use in Europe/Japan. Here when someone says "peat brick" we think the coco-fiber expanding brick. This is the real peat brick, probably cut from a peat bog.


Thats kinda what I'm wondering. I've used actual compressed peat, not coco-fiber but I honestly don't remember if it came like that in the bag or became compressed from sitting on my porch for the last 2+ years. That it came in a bag suggest that it may have mostly been loose peat when I got it. Though I think it was fairly hard..it was like a big hay bale wrapped in plastic if I remember right rather then a bag of loose dirt. The plastic has just become bag like I think. 

LOL all I know is that it was very hard, like the consistency/hardness/compression of a coco-fiber brick. I'm just unclear if that is basically the form he was working with or if it differs in some way. Maybe its just under such a high degree of compression its is substantially more solid and not prone to expanding and/or breaking apart like the peat and coco bricks or highly compressed chunks I had.


----------



## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

The viv looks stunning! Thanks for posting.


----------



## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

Whow, looks great. Lovely choice of animals. I guess you will have a lowland Mantella species in there?


----------



## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

That is definitley something! Where can I get wood like that? Its great for attaching things it appears


----------



## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Mmm, very nice. Not quite a true biotope I guess but who cares when it looks that beautiful!


----------



## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

When can I move in?


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Feb 26, 2009)

Wow wow wow! Would love something like that for my _Boophis Rappiodes_

Any chance for some close up pics of the water section?


----------



## stevenhman (Feb 19, 2008)

Dendro Dave said:


> Thats kinda what I'm wondering. I've used actual compressed peat, not coco-fiber but I honestly don't remember if it came like that in the bag or became compressed from sitting on my porch for the last 2+ years. That it came in a bag suggest that it may have mostly been loose peat when I got it. Though I think it was fairly hard..it was like a big hay bale wrapped in plastic if I remember right rather then a bag of loose dirt. The plastic has just become bag like I think.


If it came in a bag it might have been "peat moss"




Dendro Dave said:


> LOL all I know is that it was very hard, like the consistency/hardness/compression of a coco-fiber brick. I'm just unclear if that is basically the form he was working with or if it differs in some way. Maybe its just under such a high degree of compression its is substantially more solid and not prone to expanding and/or breaking apart like the peat and coco bricks or highly compressed chunks I had.



I have been scouring the internet looking for the "real" peat bricks. A lot of what is offered for sale is the compressed peat bricks used for burning. 

Vivaria Projects - gettting started - Has a picture of the peat bricks I have seen used.

Glendoick - Glendoick policy on peat use - UK site that sells bulk peat bricks, scroll to bottom of the page but, sold out 

Zach, mind sharing your source for peat with the masses? 


**edit**
http://www.rainforeststationpets.co...in_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=356 - Peat bricks!


----------



## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

great looking viv!


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Hey All,

Thanks for the compliments! I love this tank - it seems to look better every time I walk by.

I decided to plant it to my tastes, and not limit it to Madagascar native flora, after looking what I had available to work with. I really wanted that 'European' feel to the planting, and I didn't think I could pull it off. 

@Caden:
I really don't tend to keep track of plant names, but I chose tillies that were 'greener', rather than 'silverish' - these tend to hold up better in more humid conditions. I also mounted them upside down initially, so that any water misted on them would drip away from them, and not cause rot. I lost a few, but most seem to be doing well.

@ Tony:
Being that Madagascar is an island, the bromeliads either flew or swam there, or possibly floated on a vegetation raft, thus colonizing the island. 

@Fleshfrombone:
I just stuck the bromeliads stolon-first into the treefern, either directly into the panel, or wedged into the gap between them. I tend to lightly wrap a bit of LFS around the stolon before pushing it into the treefern - they seem to root faster this way.

@Stemcellular:
Do you think introducing both species would be alright? I was thinking of sticking to a terrestrial species, such as goldens, but have heard the laevigata do tend to climb. Being a mixed tank, the focus was not to have animals breeding, but I have been told that the reed frogs have a good chance of it, and the female klemmeri already seems to be carrying eggs.

@Dendro Dave:
I used peat bricks, as in the very dense, heavy ones, left as they are harvested - not peat that was later compacted. They are a challenge to find, but well worth it. I do not believe they can be brought into the US anymore without a big hassle.
They do expand a small amount when they absorb water, but not much.

@stevehman:
The last website you listed is where I got them from. Luckily for me, Jim is only an hour away, and I see him a few times a month at reptile shows.

@spottedcircus:
I got the wood (called forest branch) from Josh at JoshsFrogs.com, as well as the subtrate, leaf litter, LFS, and tree fern panel. I don't see the forest branch on his website (being a natural product, it's really variable, and a pain to ship), but if you shoot me a pm, I'll see about shipping some to you.

@Morgan Freeman:
I'll try to get a close-up of the water feature next time I have the camera down in the frog room. The water plants are not growing quite as well as I'd like (I'm thinking about upgrading the lighting), and I still have a dwarf variety of parrot feather and water lettuce to try.


----------



## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Zach, do the breeding differences in laevigata (small single or few egg clutches deposited in phyllum) vs. aurantiaca (big clutches under leaf litter, moss, cork, etc) I can't really see successful cross breeding. However, with all the other species, it may warrant sticking to one mantella sp. Laevigata would use the whole tank and breed EVERYWHERE. Goldens will climb but will mostly use the bottom part, however, they will pop in the color scheme. Your call. Temps should be fine.


----------



## nick65 (Mar 7, 2005)

hi Zach, very nice tank !
plants seem to be doing very well..how long has it been going and what sort of lighting are you using? thanks Nick


----------



## Willowalker (Sep 8, 2009)

Amazing tank. You spent 6 months planning this piece of jungle and it shows!


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Just thought I'd post an update. I've upgraded the tank to a 4 x 24'' T5HO system, as well as put the vivarium on it's own 5 nozzle Mistking system. I think I'll probably end up plumbing an ultrasonic humidifier into the tank, but so far, I'm very happy with it.


----------



## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

amazing! interesting how that plants under the canopy wiht low light are doing well.


----------



## Eric Walker (Aug 22, 2009)

awsome zack, awsome.

Is that a cattleya orchid in the center top up in the light that looks like it sticks out like a sore thumb. prob. from joshs as well.

It looks like the one I got at the feb tinley park show.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Julio, it's actually a lot brighter 'under the canopy' than the the photo looks. I limited the plant selection to more low-light tolerant plants - even then, some of them are making a beeline for the upper portions of the tank. Gives it a cool appearance, though.


----------



## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

zBrinks this is one of the most luscious vivs I've ever seen! Is your lighting a Sunleaves Pioneer IV? If it is, does the fixture get hot?


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

That is a mini Catt.

Yah, that's the fixture I'm using - it really runs pretty cool for the light it produces. I do have it suspended a few inches above the tank, but that's more to insure the vivarium gets airflow - it has a full screen top.


----------



## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

Did you decide on a mantella(or two) species you're going to be putting in there Zach? Any more pictures of the water feature? 



Alex


----------



## nathan (Jul 24, 2009)

HOLY AMAZING ! Very Nice , Love it


----------



## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

wow man you obviously did your homework on that one, you even have the water plants beneath that are only native to the african region anubias. For that size tank you did a great job on it. im sure your animals thankyou for it


----------



## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

zBrinks said:


> it has a full screen top.


Interesting. I'm working on the big work tank and would love to be able to avoid a glass top. How frequently is the misting system running to keep up the humidity?


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Right now, the mister is going off every 3 hours for 15 seconds. The plants in the upper part of the tank seem to dry out in about half an hour, and the humidity at the bottom is always around 80-90% with the new misting regimen.


----------



## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Thanks, Zack. I might try this approach.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I think the humidity gradient is probably due to the relatively small top surface area to volume ratio. If your viv is more rectangular, I'm not sure how well this would work, at least without more frequent misting.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Time for an update, as I just introduced a 2.1.3 group of golden mantellas and some more H. madagascarensis (I'm pretty sure the initial group was all females).









For some reason, the tank looks a lot darker in the picture than it really is.









The water section, that runs along the entire front of the tank.









An adult pair out of the group.


















2 of the 3 subadults are very red.

I also replaced the 2 sliding doors of the MartyMade with one large panel, that I remove with a suction cup handle (the kind used in bathrooms for people with mobility problems). It looks much better.


----------



## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

I stil get a kick out of your tank, I've never had mantellas before but seeing your makes me want to try them. I love your layout


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

dendrothusiast said:


> I stil get a kick out of your tank, I've never had mantellas before but seeing your makes me want to try them. I love your layout


 Thanks, I really appreciate it. So far, I'm very happy with how the vivarium is turning out. I am going to add an ultrasonic humidifier soon, to help keep the humidity at the bottom up, and be better able to create dry/wet seasons in the tank. I think I'll be adding an LED moonlight, as well.


----------



## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

This looks better with every update. Keep 'em coming!


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

eos said:


> This looks better with every update. Keep 'em coming!


 Thanks, next update should be by the end of the week, after I get the ultrasonic humidifier and LED moonlight hooked up. Then, I hesitate to say, I'll probably be largely done tinkering with the vivarium.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I just uploaded a video of this vivarium. I'll have to take another one earlier in the day, when the mantellas are active.


----------



## tachikoma (Apr 16, 2009)

This viv is epic! What are your misting times for this tank?


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I have the basic 'Mistking' kit pump, with 5 nozzles, going for 15 seconds every 3 hours (the top is completely screen). This really does not do anything for the plants at the bottom, as they just get the occasional drip from the misting, so I added an ultrasonic humidifier that goes off for 10 minutes twice a day - I'm hoping this will keep some of the emergent plant growth from drying out.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Update:


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Finally caught a picture of some of the klemmeri born in the vivarium:


















Also found a clutch of reed frog eggs, but they appear to have not developed.


----------



## HunterB (Apr 28, 2009)

Gotta love those klemmeri, never look bad


----------



## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

This viv is stunning Zach.

Have you ever posted pics your frog room before? I don't remember seeing it.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

frogfreak said:


> This viv is stunning Zach.
> 
> Have you ever posted pics your frog room before? I don't remember seeing it.


 I've posted some pics in the past. Right now, I'm in the process of switching over to new rack systems, t5 lighting, and upgrading some tinc groups to larger cages, as well as building completely new vivs for the growing Uroplatus collection. I'll post pics/vid when everything is done - hopefully by January.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)




----------



## rcteem (Mar 24, 2009)

Amazing tank...thanks for the photos!!!!


----------



## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

Very impressed Zach. Fine work indeed. Who knew?


----------



## JimO (May 14, 2010)

All I can say is "WOW". It's great to see a properly planned and successful mixed species arrangement. Very impressive.


----------



## Colleen53 (Jan 19, 2009)

Would enjoy to see how your tank looks like. I am amazed at how well the critters do in the tank. Please upload another video for us!!!


----------



## Phyllobates (Dec 12, 2008)

Very nice looking- VERY inspirational.

What kinds of tillandsia did you use and how did you attach them?


----------



## SutorS (Feb 20, 2011)

Breath-taking viv. Madagascar themed viv, upcoming Uroplatus collection,... got a love for Madagascar's herps?


----------

