# Choosing a tank.



## Rythlas (Jan 12, 2009)

I'm slowly planning a vivarium for three Dendrobates leucomelas, I want to somehow incorporate a small pond and a piece of fairly large driftwood that will act as a base for a waterfall.

My question is how large of tank should I choose? I'm pretty sure I want to go with a horizontal setup, but if you want to try and persuade me otherwise, go right ahead.


----------



## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

24x18x24 exo terra covers both for you


----------



## Rythlas (Jan 12, 2009)

I love you.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Horizontal is good for Leucs.

That exo would be fine or anygiven 20 gallon tank.


----------



## AlexRible (Oct 16, 2007)

I think that standard 29 gallon horizontal aquariums make really nice set ups for leucs, but the exo terras are good too. It really is up to you.


----------



## Rythlas (Jan 12, 2009)

What are the pros and cons(if any) to the exo terras?


----------



## Ulisesfrb (Dec 8, 2008)

Rythlas
Well, I'm no expert but currently I'm working on an 18x18x18 Exo terra. I got it at a steal price from Ebay for local pickup only. Anyway, I have a water feature and a small pond and I'm planning on housing either Vents or Imis. I believe you will have enough room to do it in this tank, but since it will take some of the space, you might have to house a smaller number of frogs. I would recommend for you to go maybe for an 18x18x24 Exo. If you are not in a hurry or anything I would recommend you to be patient and hunt daily on craigslist and ebay. You will sometimes get them really cheap. The exo terras give you easy access, they look nice and for the most part are of good quality. The cons would probably be having to custom cut a glass top for it, FF proof it, it will most likely arrived broken if you get it shipped to you.

Ulises


----------



## Faceless (Sep 11, 2008)

18x18x24 is actually not a good choice as stated before...
they will use horizontal, so go with a wider tank, not a taller tank..
Front opening doors are absolutely awesome, i have one aquarium
tank and one exo, the front opening door is so much more convenient.


----------



## holidayhanson (Apr 25, 2007)

The front opening is nice, makes for easy access to your garden.

To make a custom ff and humidity proof top for an exo...pull out the plastic and mesh top and save it for a rainy day, it might be good for something. Get a sheet of replacement glass, a glass cutter, and some 1/4 in weather stripping. Cut the glass the dimensions of the top and line one side with the weather stripping. Lay the glass weather stripping side on the rim of your tank and your done. Cheap and easy, ff proof, and keeps the moisture in the tank and away from your lights.

I had my 24x18x24 shipped without a problem. I got the tank through pet solutions online as the shipping was only $20 if i remember correctly. If it is damaged in shipping you can reject the shipment or return....damaged on arrival. A pain but any reliable company would probably back it.

Check out the zoo-meds, i think they have one pane of glass as the front door and eliminates the seam smack in the middle of your viewing area.


----------



## Ed Holder (Sep 26, 2008)

Also note that you will have to FF proof an Exo. I don't like them personally as a friend of mine has one and the FF's can pretty much escape anywhere around the doors as they are not sealed. I would go with a 30gal and make your own lid.
Just my 0.02cents

Ed


----------



## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

Faceless said:


> 18x18x24 is actually not a good choice as stated before...
> they will use horizontal, so go with a wider tank, not a taller tank..
> Front opening doors are absolutely awesome, i have one aquarium
> tank and one exo, the front opening door is so much more convenient.


Nobody has recommended that tank


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

and don't forget Craigslist for either the exo or a tank.

Take a look at the ad, then email them and low-ball away!


----------



## heatfreakk3 (Oct 15, 2008)

i thought luecs like the vertical because its tall and they like climbing?


----------



## jehitch (Jun 8, 2007)

holidayhanson said:


> To make a custom ff and humidity proof top for an exo...pull out the plastic and mesh top and save it for a rainy day, it might be good for something. Get a sheet of replacement glass, a glass cutter, and some 1/4 in weather stripping. Cut the glass the dimensions of the top and line one side with the weather stripping. Lay the glass weather stripping side on the rim of your tank and your done. Cheap and easy, ff proof, and keeps the moisture in the tank and away from your lights.


Or, just stretch some plastic cling wrap across the top of the tank and pop the screen top down to hold it in place. If you don't have the commercial 18" wrap, you will need two pieces, but they cling together well if you overlap the joint. This allows small adjustments in air flow. If you have condensation on the front doors, just use a paper clip to poke a line of holes in the plastic along the front edge. 



holidayhanson said:


> Check out the zoo-meds, i think they have one pane of glass as the front door and eliminates the seam smack in the middle of your viewing area.


While the lack of a seam is nice, having just one door makes it more difficult to work with escape-prone or excitable frogs, that may jump out the wider opening when you are working on the enclosure. The Zoo Meds also, although less expensive than Exos, don't come in a 24" footprint. 18x18x24 is the largest available.
Jim


----------



## jehitch (Jun 8, 2007)

Ed Holder said:


> Also note that you will have to FF proof an Exo. I don't like them personally as a friend of mine has one and the FF's can pretty much escape anywhere around the doors as they are not sealed. I would go with a 30gal and make your own lid.
> Just my 0.02cents
> 
> Ed


Before setting up, run a thin bead of black silicone along the inside hinge edge of each door. After curing, use a single edge razor blade to free the silicone from the side wall, and you have a good ff barrier. Most of the Exos fit well enough along the center seam to stop escapees (although we've gotten a few in with sloppy fit down the center).
Jim


----------



## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

I agree with the 24"x18"x24". This way you are covered both vertically and horizantally. The water feature will take up floor space so the horizontal space will benefit you there. Plus leucs like to climb a bit so the vertical space will be much appreciated by your frogs there. I love the exos, more so than the zoo meds because the bottom portion below the doors is deeper, which IMO makes the water feature a little easier to do, depending on how deep the water is. My exo is my favorite tank. You can easily have some plexi glass cut to fit over the screen sections to keep the humidity up. Anyways, good luck and have fun building your tank. Keep us all updated!


----------



## Faceless (Sep 11, 2008)

jubjub47 said:


> Nobody has recommended that tank


Ulisesfrb wrote that he recommended that size tank...
It's the posting just before mine  
im not crazy i swear !  haha


----------



## Ulisesfrb (Dec 8, 2008)

As stated before, I'm not an expert so almost anybody's opinion is better than mine at this point  . So that tank wouldn't be enough for even a pair?

Ulises


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Rule of "toe pad"....

make sure every adult frog has @ 10 gallons worth of tank space.


----------



## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

I agree with Philsuma. In any case, too big is better than too small so if you want to do a 18x18x18, do it, but make sure theres plenty of climbing space (drift wood, hardy plants). If you go with the 24 high you have more vertical space which would most definately suffice for leucs. And then with the 24 long/tall you have more spce to work with the water feature, which is not necessary but often benefitial.


----------



## Rythlas (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks a lot for your input guys, I'll be taking your comments into consideration when I finally choose one. If anybody else has any comments feel free to leave your opinion on it as I won't be actually starting this for some while.


----------



## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

Faceless said:


> Ulisesfrb wrote that he recommended that size tank...
> It's the posting just before mine
> im not crazy i swear !  haha


It was early. I don't guess I read through that post all the way.

My bad.


----------



## Rythlas (Jan 12, 2009)

Just keeping you guys informed. I decided to go with a 29g that I found on creigslist for 30 dollars. Owner said it was used for a week before they decided fish wern't for them. I'd hate to know what happened to their fish, but oh well. Got a really cheap tank.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Thats a good sized tank for a group of leucs.


----------

