# First dart frog viv, tree fern fibre build :)



## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

As above, my first dart frog build. Initially it was going to be a 30x30x45 exo but found this nice 30x30x60 for £40.
A more comfortable size aswell, only problem is the lid is on the top, so working on the background is an awkward pain in the ass 

Here's the tank as it was.










Seeing as it was my first build, and i didnt want to obstruct floor space (plus i thought i would run out of materials) i decided to just do the back glass for now, here it is siliconed (i could only find clear). Been searching for the stuff for a while now and couldnt find a single shop which sold some safe stuff, all had mold inhibitors or other added stuff, even then i only managed to get 2 tubs of the stuff for £22. I know i could have got it online but thought the postage would be dear, should have just ordered some though -_-










Here's the final arrangement o bogwood a day later, wanted to make as many extra levels as i could increasing floor space, but none of the pieces i had were that wide. A couple of pieces had almost perfect dish shapes for pools though, so i tried to make the whole layout a kinda zig zag ladder with ledges, although i doubt i'll ever see them up there, gives anchorage to the plants at least.










And foamed, it almost completely engulfed the wood so i scooped some bits out whilst it was still soft, although that took too much off in places so i had to add more.










It was rock hard by the afternoon so i started carving it, have been this morning aswell. This is what i have so far.










Its a bit rough and flaky in places as you can see on this next close up. Does it need to be perfectly cleanly smooth before adding the next layer of silicone? Here's a slight close up of the texture, and you can see the slight ledges a bit.










Spent the rest of this afternoon applying the silicone and shredded tree fern fibre, think it went ok, there's a few annoying white bits of expanding foam i have to scrape off the bark, and clean some silicone off the glass.



















Hows it so far as my first dart viv?


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## Deanos (Oct 16, 2012)

Are you planning on using a false bottom? I noticed your background reaches to the very bottom of the viv.


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Planned on going with leca/hydroballs instead of egg crate, dont plan on having a water feature.


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## my_shed (Feb 8, 2013)

Would have advised you to use brown or black silicone from ebay if i'd seen sooner, the silicon holding your tree fern fibre will release some after a while and your background will look patchy. Hopefully it'll be covered in plants by then though  otherwise looks good. Whereabouts in the uk are you? 

Dave


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

South West, i thought i had browsed enough but i hadnt heard of brown silicone specifically before. Is it a stronger make or just a different colour?


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## my_shed (Feb 8, 2013)

Didact said:


> South West, i thought i had browsed enough but i hadnt heard of brown silicone specifically before. Is it a stronger make or just a different colour?


Hey i'm in cornwall  the thing about the brown is that if the substrate comes off it's not noticeable, whereas clear just lets the colour of the expanding foam show through.

Dave


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Ah my bad, i'll just have to cover it as it comes off. Am i right in thinking the next stage is the substrate and decor, then planting?
Feels like im forgetting something, just wanna make sure 
Oh and will a sheet of average netting or mesh be ok to seperate the drainage layer and the soil?


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## my_shed (Feb 8, 2013)

Leca then weed membrane, then substrate. I'd consider putting a few branches coming out of the background, so the vertical space isn't wasted. Then plants 

Dave


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

I was thinking of just placing extra branches in there, hadnt thought about attaching it to the background. Is it ok to silicone on to the tree ferned background?


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Any tips for cleaning greasy silicone smudges off the glass?
They wont scrape off with a blade for some reason, they just smudge some more.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Didact said:


> Any tips for cleaning greasy silicone smudges off the glass?
> They wont scrape off with a blade for some reason, they just smudge some more.


Ugh I hate that. I have some luck with dry paper towels.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Didact said:


> Any tips for cleaning greasy silicone smudges off the glass?
> They wont scrape off with a blade for some reason, they just smudge some more.


Let the smudges dry completely. Then grab a few BRAND NEW, single edged razor blades. Only the paper wrapped, rectangular shaped blades will work. Shop Blue Hawk Razor Blades with Dispenser at Lowes.com It helps to put it in a razor blade holder. DI Accessories Razor Blade Holder with Soft Grip | Free Shipping Available - Detailed Image Carpet knife "razor blades" will not work. They can scratch the glass and they are not sharpened fine enough to get all the silicone.


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks both, will wait a while and try again, its still pretty greasy.
Did i mention i got some bog wood?
Pretty good pieces, fill most of the height of the tank and have plenty of nooks and crannies for hides, pools, and achorage for the plants.

Is there a list of species suitable for a tank my size i could find anywhere?
I was thinking just thumbnails but after hearing conflicting suggestions i just wondered what other species i might be able to get.


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Got some supplies today, and my first plants. One thing i forgot to consider, how to attach the plants to the wood. Anyone got tips for that before i go and find out?

Cleaned the silicone off, waited for it to dry as much as it could but just rubbing it very hard got most of it off. As soon as i cleaned the glass i put the hydroballs in.










Hydrofleece added to separate the drainage layers. 










Added the subsrate next, coco fibre and the rest of my tree fern fibre mixed in.










Bogwooded added, might get some more, got these nice pieces for just £12.










Got some cleaned magnolia leaves added, also tested the lighting out. Its an exo terra hood for a 30x30x45 verticle tank, which luckily enough is exactly the same size as this tank, need to make something to hold it in place though, it just sits on their loose.










And just a mock up with my plants, need to get a few more, some climbers and orchids hopefully


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

Looking good man
As for attaching plants to wood, what I do is I drill a hole in the wood and use zip-ties. Or sometimes with Neoregelias I just drill a hole large enough for the stolon and push it right in.


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Couldnt fit the drill in, didnt have much wood to drill through either, ended up tying them down with plastic wire, fixing them with toothpicks, and wedging them in place. Had to resort to a rubber band for the orchid untill i can get some more plastic wire, will post a pic in the minute. Tanks finished, just gotta smear the moss mixture here and there now


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## Dart_Man (Mar 23, 2013)

Looking pretty nice so far! Your wood looks great in there too. Looks like you have 2 other smaller vivs next to this tank in one of your pics...you sure its your first one?! Haha, keep up the good work. Id love to see it when its "finished"


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Those are my inverts, just substrate and foodplant nothing on the scale of a fully planted one like this 

Aaaaaaand its done, at last.
Since i got home from work been prodding about here and the tucking everything into place. Im sorta happy with is, the bogwood its still a tiny bit wobbly, not enough that it could harm any frogs or fall over, just in an irritating sorta way, and that one bromeliad thats doesnt sit still >_<
Just smeared the epiweb moss mix over the barren patches, i heard it was best put on clumpily rather than thinly, any spare bits i had i put on the bogwood, fingers crossed. I put the seed and nut pods in, im still unsure what species im getting exactly so i put them in at various angles, those paranut shells were a lot bigger than i though, there's one at the front right corner and one at the back let under the bog wood, do thumbnails use those?

Here's the plants i used.










And here's the viv done.


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## alanmac1984 (May 26, 2013)

wow im impressed.im up in sunny Scotland.alot harder to find nice froggies up here.im starting to build a viv for some Leptopelis vermiculatus and hopefully get some darts in the next year or so to put into a 3foot aquarium tank iv got lying around.


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

pretty nice tank for a first-timer! I think that all thumbs, especially the non-arboreal type, will enjoy those pods. They are ridiculously expensive here in the US, its a SEED POD for God's sake!!


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

Looks nice
But in my opinion it's better to put on a thin layer of the moss mix, when it's too thick it kind of suffocates itself.


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## Didact (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks all 
I heard people say it was best to slop it on in clumps, otherwise it doesnt take :/
Its mostly gone green in well lit moist area's though, been some updates with the tank.

Firstly the moss mix has greened, got some moss strands and some licheny looking stuff. Also got another type of licheny looking stuff growing on the bare tree fern fibre. The seed pods have flooded with a sickly soup of mould, they were constantly covered in mould and inside too apparantly, when it filled with water its just brown gloop in there. Drying them and lining them with film cannisters is what im gonna do. The lowest bromeliad on the bog wood died, when i got it it had basically no roots, just leaves :/

Ordered a replacement, accidentally got the wrong one and got the same variant as whats growing on the back, albiet bigger. Looks nicer though in my opinion. Also got 4 more climbers, ones the same as what was in there before which is now wrapping around the bog wood. The other 2 are different species each growing on the back, and now i got a Liana climber in the middle. I didnt know what shingling climbers where untill recently, they were the ones i wanted most.

Anyway, pics 

Whole shot of the tank.










Another angle.










Top half of the tank showing the new climbers and brom.










Bottom half of the tank showing the other 2 new climbers. Doesnt look really 3D in this image but that bogwood really sticks out, a nice spacy gap underneath there with another one of the large paranuts underneath.










This is growing on the tree fern fibre.










And this is growing on the moss mix.










Going on holiday monday, will be back in 2 weeks time. I can then make the final checks and look into getting some frogs finally


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## Wildlifeandscience (Jan 21, 2020)

The stuff growing on your tree fern bark etc are fern prothali ie the early stages of fern development. I guess u figured this out by now as it's such an old post. Your tanks looked good.


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