# Bamboo in a dart Frog Vivarium



## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

So what does everyone think about bamboo in a viv? Is it good, bad, ugly? The reason is because I don't see many people with it.


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## Fantastica (May 5, 2013)

I think it's unrealistic, since it's doesn't look like a tropical rainforest plant at all. I won't be using it in my vivs.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

From what I understand bambo grows really big and is hard to control. And ends up popping up everywhere.


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## vivlover10 (Oct 10, 2010)

Like the light tan dead bamboo logs that NeHerp sells. I don't think that grows at all.


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## KC3 (Sep 12, 2012)

Mine always ended up getting pretty funky when I used it, so I took it out.


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## Lifeguard (Jun 30, 2011)

Usually gets a bit tall and spreads all over. Even the clumping kind will spread a bit. How big of a tank are you looking to put it in? If it's not 4 feet tall I wouldn't bother with it.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

If it's alive and you put it in a dart frog viv it will die.

If you put dry canes in a humid viv they will start to rot pretty quick.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

There are some smaller varieties that may be sutible only if kept WELL pruned. There are plenty of species that are tropical as well. I worked for a large greenhouse that propogated and grew several minature bamboos for around ponds that were all grown hydroponically. Check out Stokes Tropicals, they may still sell some.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

I have a tank that a Azureus and a few Lygodactlyus williamsi geckos share. There are bamboo poles with holes and sloths cut into them placed for the geckos to bask and as laying sites. My geckos sleep on the glass and the dart sleeps inn the bamboo. The frog even uses it as a highway hunting fruit flies . So, I'd say it may not look natural, but it sure is functional to this frog.


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

This is the tank in question. (Bottom one ). 





This is another tank I did with bamboo. There were some Painted mantellas in here at one point.


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

If were talking dead bamboo sticks I'm a fan. They provide favorable hides and while they do get funky in high humidity, they take a long time to actually break down. Even as they break down they provide areas that microfauna seem to thrive. 

Not 100% authentic if you're looking for a South American biome, but still pretty useful.

Live Bamboo I've never tried but seems like it would be troublesome.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

Boondoggle said:


> Not 100% authentic if you're looking for a South American biome, but still pretty useful.


If you wanted to recreate an accurate biotope using bamboo, you could do it with Mantella laevigata.


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Boondoggle said:


> Not 100% authentic if you're looking for a South American biome, but still pretty useful.
> 
> Live Bamboo I've never tried but seems like it would be troublesome.


Couldn't disagree more. Some morphotypes of R. imitator have been known to use bamboo for breeding in. Check out the imitator section on Dendrobates.org

Here's a paper on bamboo in the neotropics:
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/abb/v4n1/v4n1a09.pdf


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

bamboo is native to south and central america. my suggestion is that if you like the look of it put it in. i have some in my big viv but plan on taking it out.


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