# 18" Cube Exoterra Viv



## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

I figured if I was going to make a viv for some awesome-looking frogs, I might as well go all out and get an exoterra instead of using my (decent, but not awesome) DIY skills to build a shoddy viv. This is where I am at after a few hours of cutting egg-crate and siliconing things together and whatnot:










The driftwood is a stream, water comes out of it via a repti-pump under the false bottom.

Behind the wood is A LOT of moss [and home to a plant soon] where I hope springtails and isopods will make their home. I got the idea from reef tank refugiums. 

My plant order from frogtofall should be here by saturday, so I'm hoping to have it all planted this weekend and get some springtails next week.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Here is a crappy photo of the little pond that the driftwood stream runs into:


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Aaaaaand, planted!

Broms, peperoma, dischidia from FrogBroms ( frogtofall ) the pillow moss is from T&C Terrariums





























Plant list: 
Peperomia fosteri
Peperomia prostrata
N. Tiger Cub
N. Sara Head
N. Chiquita Linda
N. lilliputiana x (scribbly-hand-writing  x fireball )
Dishidia ruscifolia

-Mike


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Hey Mike, it looks great! Sorry for the chicken scratch, that one is called...

Neo. lilliputiana x (eltoniana x fireball) Its a brother of the bromeliad Neo. "Devin's Delight". Good for tads and you're my first customer to get it from me! Enjoy!


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Awesomeee! I put the stickers on the viv where the plants are incase any one asks, cause I know I'll forget 

I was a little worried when I saw how small the box was, then when I opened it I was like 'Uhhhh Wow. :shock: " Haha Thanks!


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Update: I have springtails. I don't think I've ever been so excited about an insect [except when I was little and my mom and I would raise luna moths] I was just looking into my viv [next to my computer, so I can keep a close eye on it] and I saw a few little white insects crawling around in the moss. I assume they are springtails they look like tiny amphipods [if you have a reef tank, you know what these are]

Wicked cool 8)


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## mystah (Jul 17, 2006)

*modification*

Did you modify the screens in both the top and under the front door?

can FF escape from here?

the viv looks great!!


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

I layed no-see-um netting over the screen, then layed glass over that to keep in the humidity. To seal off the front grate, I popped off the inside thing [3 little things you press to pop it out] then put no-see-um against the inside of that, held by electrical tape, so no flys or anything gets out through that.

I was also worried about the doors, even though they touched the sides [where the doors touch each other ws tight, I was just worried where they touch the side glass] I took electrical tape the lenght of the door, plus a centimeter or two, then folded the tape into a *d* shape. The longer line of the *d* shape sticks to the edge of the side glass, then the bump-part folds back into the tank, its all held in place by the doors [and a few drops of superglue on the outside]

Sorry if that is kind of confusing, but once it is done you can't even tell I did it because the silicone that they use to make the tanks is black, so it just looks like silicone.



I'm also begining to think that the coralife 2x9w light I have is far from enough, plus it's like the hottest CF light I've ever touched in my life. Any suggestions anyone?


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## mystah (Jul 17, 2006)

*thanks*

great suggestions!!! i will certinally make the proper mods!!!


did you put a layer of screen over your false bottom, to prevent dirt from getting in?


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Yea, I also made the false bottom 1/2 inch too small on purpose. I didn't have black silicone to 'blackout' the bottom, so I used aquarium gravel to hide it.

I put screen over the egg crate, then a little layer of gravel, then the DendroBedding [from black jungle] mixed with tree fern fiber [also from black jungle] as my substrate.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

All of the plants that Frogtofall selected for my viv are growing in pretty rapidly. The purple begonia already has many new leaves, the broms are making new roots, and the cuttings are starting to root into the wall. The springs took care of the little bit of mold that grew on the junglepod.

Time to get the froggies in a week or two


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2006)

i really like that dischidia! the tank looks great!


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Thanks, 2mnytnx. I totally forgot to checkup on my own viv thread! Oops  

Anyway, back to updates. Here is the viv as of around 10am this morning, after the upgrade to a 36w PC light that runs a lot cooler than the 2x18w PC fixture by Coralife

I decided to play around with the angle in this photo, it's taken just above the pond section, looking up into the tank as if you were a bathing frog 









Then around 12 I went and visted BlackJungle at the Philly Reptile Expo, and came home with....



























I forgot to mention, I attempted feeding them today already, just to see if I could get any kind of feeding response, well I went downstairs to feed myself, then came back to see both azureus gobbling down FFs already


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Here's two better shots, focused differently for each frog. I know they're young still, but if anyone wants to take bets on the sex of each, I'd appreciate it


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

From what I can see in the pics, I'd say you have two females.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Hmm. I was thinking the one in the foreground was a possible male based on what appear, to me, to be larger front toepads.

What else should I be looking for in the coming months. I usually see people going off toepads, but others saying they can sex off of bodyshape,, but I've yet to see anyone explain exactly how to. :shock:


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I'm going by the highly angular arch of the back, combined with how "deep" the belly is hanging.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Hmm... ok I see what you mean I think. They were skinnier when I got them. I just put a bit too many flies in last night :X

Any chance it will be a lot more obvious in the coming months, still froglets, or do you think it's pretty definite?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Any idea how old they are?
Cany you get an overhead close-up of the toe-pads?
Also, with my yellowhead tinc pair (azureus is a tinc morph), the female is way bigger than the male.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

I can't imagine they are much older than a few months out of the water, they were the biggest frogleta Black Jungle had at the Philly show this weekend. I'm going to email them or call them tomorrow to find out. In my excitement of actually getting them, I forgot to ask.  

I'm going to try to get some more photos of their toepads, shouldn't be hard, they come hopping to the camera


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Ok, here is what I assume to be the girl:









Based on the smaller pads


The size difference can sort of be seen more clearly in this one, but I'm still trying to get a better shot:


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## Frank H (Nov 3, 2005)

Wow. They look awesome in there.. 
I have no opinion on the sex though.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Thanks!  

I think i'm going to let them get bigger before I get serious about sexing them. 

I would like to breed them though..


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

I know I know I said I'd let them get bigger before seriously trying to sex them, but now I'm semi-obsessed with knowing.

Presumed female:









Presumed very-girly-male:


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Hahaha! 
Do you think he likes being called 'girly' or even 'very girly'? :lol: 

But anyway, nice frogs...they really have a nice blue color to them.

I also like your idea for the river log thing. I can just imagine the frogs sitting in there with the water running past them...


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Well, it's either a very-girly boy or a very-butch girl :lol:

They do sit in the log and let the water run past them, it's pretty cool to watch.


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## FrogOnMyToe (Jun 23, 2006)

Apparently Broms can be like townhouses:


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## dustin_grey (Mar 8, 2006)

Haha that picture is great! Azureus's rock my socks.


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