# tubberware-ium



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Anybody raise frogs in large rubbermaid bins? They work very well for springtail froglet bins, plus I have a male cobalt that is doing well on paper towel and leaf litter in a 50 quart rubbermaid bin.


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## 41714049 (Feb 23, 2006)

I know a guy that breeds histros in large plastic troughs.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

Tom V (a member here) raised all his darts in Rubbermaid for quite a while.


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## topherlove (Jul 14, 2006)

i keep all my unpaired adults in rubbermaids and have never had a problem.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

how well do plants grow in rubbermaid bins, considering the lids are somewhat "cloudy?"

I've thought about using Weld-On to glue acrylic / plexiglass to the lids, but not sure if it'll bond.

Weld-On doesn't work on all types of plastics.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

Glass and tape.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

wouldn't tape get damaged / melted by compact fluorescents? It would work for shoplights hanging above the tubberwares though, but I cannot hook shoplights up over these bins.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

You mean the screw in compact flourescents? shouldn`t be a problem. If the fixture is that hot you`d have problems w/ plastic or the tupperware/rubbermaid or anything else. The tape just holds it in place. If your worried about the heat for tape I would worry more about the heat for frogs. Suspending them above the tanks maybe? Not sure I`m understanding the problem right.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I was asking if the screw in CF would potentially melt the adhesive substance on the tape, making either a mess (ever tried to remove the crap where a sticker once was on your wall?) or burning it.

I was planning on buying a ten gallon incandescent striplight and put two 13 watt bulbs in.


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

You could suspend lights above the storage containers, that would work, what I've done. I usually just set a sheet of glass on top of them, and then take a a couple pieces of scotch tape to hold the back piece of glass in place, that way you can access it easily and remove the back piece of glass without having to pull the a bunch of tape off. Actually, on my Mantella nigricans right now I just set two pieces of glass on top, over some window screening, leaving a gap in the middle for ventilation. The weight of the glass is enough to hold it all in place. Lights are suspended above the container rather than sitting on the glass. 

Another option is to just cut a big hole in the cover and tap some glass over the hole, or you can just leave the hole open and cut a big piece of window screening and use the cover to hold it in place (how I've quarantined a lot of tree frogs).


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Hmm, I could visit home Depot and see if they have heat resistant tape. I know you can find it online, and I know HD carries black heat resistant electric tape.

I never thought of a tape "hinge" so I could open the top. 

Unfortunately, I tried using Weld-On 4, and it doesn't work on rubbermaid. It works wonders on standard acrylic or plexiglass.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

It`s not an exact science. Too much substrate or too heavy and it can start to push out the sides. I put them right up next to each other to hold the shape of the tops so they don`t warp and the glass falls in. Regular packing tape works but the glue solidifies and powders and I`m not sure what it is, didn`t like that tape. the expensive clear packing tape works well and doesnt harden and fall apart over time. I have shops sitting on them and the glass gets up to 100f but basking areas don`t go above 86 usually while the rest of the tank is in the lo 70`s. I think this is critcal as frogs can come out into 86f weather for a while and retreat to a cold crevice at 60`s to cool down when they want. I sometimes see my terribilis sitting out in the sun at the end of day when it shines directly in the window for a couple minutes.


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## swigen (Aug 24, 2007)

I'm not sure what plants your looking at Doug, but the philodendron and pothos have done extremely well in my shoebox enclosures with the original tops with light from a 4' 2-bulb shoplight hung about 4' above them. Unless your looking at growing some more light demanding plants (broms) I'm not convinced its necessary to toss the original tops.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

> Regular packing tape works but the glue solidifies and powders and I`m not sure what it is, didn`t like that tape. the expensive clear packing tape works well and doesnt harden and fall apart over time.


That is why I was considering the more expensive heat resistant tape. In my experience, even the expensive clear type leaves the glue on the glass. But that doesn't mean that the expensive heat resistant tape will leave glue residue. 

I'll just have to fiddle around, but is there a reason why you use glass over plexiglass? I've thought about putting a strip of Solacryl over the opening.

Yeah, that's one thing that sucks about rubbermaid bins is that they can deform if you have too much substrate.

However, my mantella froglet tanks have a lot of substrate and haven't deformed. I think it's more from too much water in the tubberwares that cause deformation because I have a heated tadpole setup with egg crate and the water underneath the false bottom bends the sides so it can't close.

Sky, how are the frogs doing right now? When you mean the pothos and philodendron grow well, are you seeing new, large leaves opening?

Since this tubberwarium is more permanent, I'd like to try some more high light plants like spike moss.


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## swigen (Aug 24, 2007)

All the pothos and philodendron cuttings have sprouted numerous healthy leaves and developed solid root systems. I havent tried any other plants in them but i had some selaginella in a critter keeper with plastic wrap covering the top and they rooted and grew well under the same light. I also saw similar results with my other cuttings including peperomia spp., riccia, microsorium spp., etc. 

The frogs are doing well for the most part. Unfortunately, I had the heartbreak of finding one dried up outside its enclosure about a week and a half ago. It somehow was able to escape through the feeding hole. I since moved the remaining three into the 30 gal ive had setup for acouple of weeks. They seem to be getting along well and are mowing down the dense springtail population i had established before the move.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

sorry to hear about that. You live and learn. Honestly, everybody loses a frog at some point (illness, escape, or malfunction in equipment), regardless how careful you are. Which frog escaped?

I always put a flat, plastic lid from a glad container and put a heavy rock over it to cover the feeding hole. I have never lost a dart frog (knock on wood), but I have lost a firebellied toad and clawed frogs from uncovered filter holes (the areas you punch for the power filter) in the back of an aquarium.

I recommend using feeding holes in bins though, considering how the risk is higher to lose an escaped frog from an improperly closed rubbermaid bin or the frog climbing up the walls. ALWAYS check to make sure a bin has been snapped all the way around.

Since I drilled a feeding hole in the bin for my male cobalt, I haven't had the worry of him escaping under my living room's furniture when he makes a dash out of the bin if I open the lid. I do though, put a heavy shell fossil (I found it while on a camping trip at school in a rock quarry) over the hole because my male cobalt loves to try and jump through the lid.

Do you have pics of your 30 gallon?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

oh, and here is my setup for my mantella ebenaui froglets:

http://www.amphibianforum.com/mantellas/topic287.html


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## swigen (Aug 24, 2007)

The frog that escaped was one of the three larger ones. Im not sure if you remember, but two of larger ones had fairly straight yellow striping on the back and one had more edgy striping. This one was one of the two with straight striping. I had petri dishes covering the holes but i neglected to move it back over the hole after feeding time and he/she saw his chance. Id never observed them trying to jump at the hole before so I guess i got a false sense of security. Anyway, the 3 left are extremely well in the 30. Yes, i took some pictures but have yet to upload them on the pc and to be honest I'm not experienced with posting pictures. If i ever get the time i will create a post with them but until then i might send ya a few via email or I might create an album on facebook.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I've used various sized rubbermaids for my collection... I'm especially fond of the 19qt reflections ones (especially once they started making them in white rather than just the blue) for babies, individual adults, etc. I've tried to drill the lids before just to have them crack tho :? I need to find a way to modify the lids because they make it too humid for many of my frogs... the opaque sides have been fine for plant growth even with the blue for low light plants. I've got lots of jewel orchids in them right now too, just sitting under shop lights. Growing like weeds.

I don't use them to hold any large amount of water, tadpole tanks are always glass due to the misshaping the rubbermaids do when larger than shoeboxes.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Yeah, I think I know which two they might be, looking at your pics. I think the smaller one with more jagged striping (the one that you say is boldest on facebook) may be a female, based on her body shape.

I've noticed that female tincs are longer than males, while the males tend to widen faster. Of course, I haven't seen them in about two months, so you'll have to update a pic. 

Anytime you have three tincs, keep an eye out on the "loser." It won't happen until they mature, but once they pair off, they might start to ostracize the lone frog. That is what happened to my lone male... and one reason why he got sick and I've had to help him recover.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

I like using the 19 qt Sterlites with locking lids for maintaining my fossorial caudates and caecilians. I usually drill a couple of vent holes in the sides of the container above the substrate level and cut out a window in the locking lid and silicone/hot glue in some no-see-um mesh to keep things humid but not stagnant.


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