# Lucano's first attempt



## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Hello, this is my first vivarium build, I really like the vivariums that are built around the concept of roots, so this is my attempt in doing something like that. The vivarium is 60x40x50cm, has a false bottom separated from the substrate with a gardening mesh.
I will shortly order the plants, this built will not have tons of colorful bromeliads, maybe only one. Also I'll start with a few plants cause I think that too many plants don't look very natural. Let me know what you guys think so far.


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

I really like the look. I have the same view as you on planting. I rarely use over 3-4 different plants. Look forward to the progress.

Which frogs are you going with?


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Thank you. I'll probably be getting a trio of Anthonyi, even though their loud call concerns me a bit since the tank is in my bedroom. Or a trio of Ventrimaculata. I have time to decide, since I want to let the plants grow for a couple months and see if everything is ok. I'll update the thread when the plants arrive!


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## SirRobby (Aug 28, 2017)

Lucano said:


> Thank you. I'll probably be getting a trio of Anthonyi, even though their loud call concerns me a bit since the tank is in my bedroom. Or a trio of Ventrimaculata. I have time to decide, since I want to let the plants grow for a couple months and see if everything is ok. I'll update the thread when the plants arrive!


I've heard having Anthonyi in a place of sleep is not recommended haha. Vents aren't as loud I don't think. However, you'd see the Anthonyi a lot more


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

I've heard that too haha! I think they're underrated, and are very cheap compared to other frogs.


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## SirRobby (Aug 28, 2017)

Lucano said:


> I've heard that too haha! I think they're underrated, and are very cheap compared to other frogs.


Why not just some Leucs? Bold. Loud, good color. Not to mention the price one those have come down quite a bit even the Fine Spots.


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## JoeKitz (Sep 18, 2017)

I have the fine spots. They are beautiful. They are in a grow out tank. Can't comment on the noise as they haven't started calling. I have 2 sun conures that are extremely loud and are up at sun rise making noise. Even though they are downstairs I can hear them, so I have no choice but to tune it out. Although, I am usually up before sunrise anyway.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

I agree, leucs are beautiful as well. Man there are so many options! Guess I'll be deciding while the vivarium grows, anyway thank you for the advice. And Joe I can really imagine how loud they are haha


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## Hops & Scales (Jul 31, 2017)

I really like the set up, is this any specific type of wood or did you collect it/disinfect it yourself? 

I have 5 anthonyi in a viv in my bedroom (2nd floor). They are just starting to call... they will be moving into the basement. Mine start calling at like 7:00 (lights on at 8:30am) and will continue to call until 10:00 (lights off at 8:30pm). They are amazing little frogs though. I'm trying to redden them up with Repashy superpig.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Thank you. Those are real roots that I collected from a tree that was about to be cut down, they stuck out (I'm not sure if this is how you say it, so bear with me) from the ground. After that I baked them to sterilize them. I hope they do a nice effect.


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## illucam (Oct 27, 2017)

I like that their directionality leads the eye to what could be a focal point in the bottom right hand corner. Don't miss out on making the most of this when planting or positioning the rest of your hardscape! 
Also worth considering what this will do in terms of visual balance. Offset the focal point with visually 'heavy' elements (larger / darker plants, rocks, etc) on the left and I think you could be in for a very striking composition. 
Excited to see where this is headed!


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

illucam said:


> I like that their directionality leads the eye to what could be a focal point in the bottom right hand corner. Don't miss out on making the most of this when planting or positioning the rest of your hardscape!
> Also worth considering what this will do in terms of visual balance. Offset the focal point with visually 'heavy' elements (larger / darker plants, rocks, etc) on the left and I think you could be in for a very striking composition.
> Excited to see where this is headed!


Thank you for the suggestion!


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## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

Great set up, esp. when it is your first!
Have you thought about covering the sides, or use them in another way (piece of rock, stump whatever?


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

wimvanvelzen said:


> Great set up, esp. when it is your first!
> Have you thought about covering the sides, or use them in another way (piece of rock, stump whatever?


Thank you! Well, I was thinking of adding some rocks on the sides actually, but they won't be covered completely. I agree that they may little empty though, at least for the moment.
P.s. Your builds are truly spectacular!


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Little update: months have passed, I've been busy and was waiting a good moment to finally order the plants. Well, some plants finally arrived! As soon as the plants arrived I proceeded to put them in the viv to recover a bit from the journey, in fact here in Sicily is starting to become really hot. The only plant that I planted was the monstera cutting, since it wasn't planted. In a few days I'll plant the rest. Let me know of you have any suggestions! 

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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

The plants are: 
Monstera acuminata
Syngonium wendlandii
Neoregelia fireball mini (a lot smaller than I thought)
A Costa Rican plant

As I said, in this viv I'll be planting only a small variety for now.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Planted! Really hope the plants don't die, I planted them with the dirt they came with directly into the soil. Now if everything goes alright I'll leave the viv grow for several months. Still haven't planted the brom yet, simply cause I don't really know how. Any suggestions? 









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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Little update. Thr plants are all starting to grow, surprisingly they are all doing pretty good! Now I only have to wait till they cover all the viv with leaves.  Also, wanted to ask if you guys could help with an identification. So, the tank is completely filled with these tiny silvery shiny insects. They are REALLY small, and they are everywhere on the ground and in the background. When I touch them with the tip of a pen they jump and they seem to float on water. I'll try to snap a photo with my phone so sorry for the quality. I was thinking they might be silver springtails but I wouldn't know how they got there.


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## rtbaum (Mar 15, 2017)

Congratulations....you have springtails. It must a little wet where you live.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Thought I'd do a little update. The viv hasn't changed much, but the plants are growing. I was thinking of actually do another plant order. Philondendron verrucosum (that is pretty expensive I should add!) and some other plant like some pilea would look good in my opinion. I'm still not sure if I should get moss though. Anyway, here are a few pics.









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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

time to let it grow in


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update:
Time has passed and I'm still without frogs! On a side note the Viv changed a bit. Temperatures here increased quite a bit and I started misting more. I'd like some variety in foliage, so maybe I'll place an order for new plants I'm not still sure. Anyway, some photos.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

The Viv looks great!


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## froglady44 (Feb 5, 2018)

I have a Begonia Lana in one of mine. Nice color change with the leaves and seems to be doing very well. This time of year you should be able to pick it up at the garden centers.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update:

Viv grows, added couple plants. I'm not sure if I want to eliminate the monstera acuminata since I don't like the look too much, I feel it doesn't fit in the central American look that I'd like to achieve. I hope you can see the photos.

https://m.imgur.com/a/PS1HJRX


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update:

I've added two new plants, cissus amazonica and anthurium scandens. I really look forward on the anthurium, it will (hopefully) grow a ton of aerial roots, which is what I would really like. 

I've also started culturing fruit flies for a month now and had pretty good results! I've noticed that they like the media a little more on the moist side, almost like thick cream of you will. I think I'll make two cultures biweekly which should be enough for at maximum 3 ranitomeya. The cups I culture them in are I think 400 ml, on the forum I saw that the majority of folks culture them in 32 oz cups which should be almost 1000 ml (?), I hope my cups aren't too small. 
My first culture had TONS of mites but the second ones are apparently mite free for the moment. I'm also starting to culture dwarf white isopods and springtails, I'll be seeding them in the viv soon.

I hope the quality of the photos doesn't distort. That's all for now, cheers!

https://imgbbb.com/image/LWPxuR
https://imgbbb.com/image/LWPQfJ
https://imgbbb.com/image/LWPdxN
https://imgbbb.com/image/LWPpzT


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Great job! Looks very nice!


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## casbsp (Aug 16, 2018)

Awesome! I think you might have Syngonium Rayii in there as opposed to Wendlandii. Looks like its growing really well!


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

I think you might be right. Thank you. Everytime I buy new plants for this tank and let them settle for a few weeks I feel the urge to buy more! It's pretty addicting, and one can have more value in plants than the rest! 

On that note I was thinking I may be needing some medium sized leaf plant that doesn't get huge to have more surface for the future inhabitants to go on, othen than that I have a philodendron Vine and a vining peperomia on my list.


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## casbsp (Aug 16, 2018)

Its a beautiful plant, I'm jealous of how well its growing in for you!
Heres a side by side comparison of my Wendlandii (top) vs Rayii (bottom) if its helpful. I see them getting confused for each other both ways all the time. The Rayii has much more velvety leaves.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

casbsp said:


> Its a beautiful plant, I'm jealous of how well its growing in for you!
> 
> Heres a side by side comparison of my Wendlandii (top) vs Rayii (bottom) if its helpful. I see them getting confused for each other both ways all the time. The Rayii has much more velvety leaves.


Thank you very much for posting that photo! The difference is very clear.

I'm not sure if was just for me, but I noticed how this plant grew relatively slowly, the nice thing though is that it arrived in every part of the viv.


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## Method (Jan 22, 2014)

I really love the depth of the background. Nice work!


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## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

I like the tree root background, looks really good.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update:

I booked a pair of ranitomeya amazonica iquitos for the December date of Hamm. The vendor assured me they were a 1.1, I hope that's true. So I wanted to ask here if I'm good to go. The situation is as follows: 

The fruit fly production is stable, I've been culturing them a month and a half and it's gone pretty well honestly. I'm culturing dwarf white isopods as well as springtails. One note on the springtails, the previous culture (the only culture I had) suddenly died, and I don't know why. I feed them fish food and rice. I think it might have been lack of air, the container I keep them in is the same one they were shipped in. A little plastic container without holes. In the new cultures I poked several holes with a needle. Am I doing something wrong? 

Temperatures:
So where I live it's getting pretty cool. I'm in the 17°(62°) range for the moment but it will obviously go down in the next months. So I put a heat pad, connected to a thermostat, on the side of the viv. I'm registering 20°(68°) on the viv floor, 22°(71°) degrees in the middle section and 25°(77°) degrees in the upper portion of the viv. Obviously the temperatures are a bit higher right in the proximity of the glass heated by the pad. Is the fact that there's not a steady temperature throughout all the viv a problem? 

Humidity:
I don't have an igrometer, or better I have one but I don't trust it at all (it registers 99% in the viv and high 70% in the room). The viv looks a tad dryer since I put the heat pad, I mist by hand in the morning (and since I have the heat pad in the evening as well) and it dries in a couple hours. I honestly think the humidity is alright, if I open the viv and smell it I sense this fresh earthy and plant smell. Should I be worried about the humidity? 

Lastly, I built a little polysterene insulated box, in which I have a little 5 watt heat pad connected to a thermostat, to put the flies, springtails and isopdos in. I did this because I read a dozens times on the forum that the production of these feeders declines when temperatures drop, so I'm going to keep them at 22° (71°).

Am I missing something? Are the parameters correct? 
Thank you for your patience in reading this.


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## WRyno (Jul 4, 2012)

nice looking tank.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Lucano said:


> Update:
> 
> I booked a pair of ranitomeya amazonica iquitos for the December date of Hamm. The vendor assured me they were a 1.1, I hope that's true. So I wanted to ask here if I'm good to go. The situation is as follows:
> 
> ...


I bump these questions posting another update of the tank.

https://imgbbb.com/image/LSTvER
https://imgbbb.com/image/LSTwKJ
https://imgbbb.com/image/LST8lN
https://imgbbb.com/image/LSTMAZ

Unfortunately the monstera lost some leaves, and the addition of the heat pad dryes the air more. 
I might be exaggerating with leaf litter.


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## boardingfool (Sep 8, 2010)

You may want to change the airflow mesh you have on the bottom. The holes look pretty big and you might have fruit flies escaping. Or you could back it with#24 mesh.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

You are absolutely right, It's already on the list.


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## Philio (Apr 16, 2019)

Tank looks great!


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## bosco500 (Sep 12, 2018)

Tank looks great, the roots are unique


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update:

I got some frogs, a pair of ranitomeya amazonica iquitos. I didn't expect ranitomeya to be this small!


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

I'm a bit worried. The frogs stay in the same part of the viv, the far left side I.e. the opposite side of the heat pad. Makes me think the heat pad could be a problem? It's set at the minimum though, like 20°. 

Another thing I'm worried about is the fact that I've not seen the frogs eat. I dumped some flies yesterday, and some today. They pass near the frogs but they don't care. The flies scatter all across the viv as well. Am I doing something wrong?


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update: 

I've seen one frog regularly, while the other is been hidden (I hope, at least) for almost a week now.

https://ibb.co/2PpZCQg
https://ibb.co/qNd4cfJ
https://ibb.co/q0CvDfG
https://ibb.co/sHYRX50

Also, does anyone know what that dark colored plant might be?


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Update:

Still going. I'm amazed every time I spot them. 

Question: would it be safe to clean the glass with water and vinegar? Would that harm the frogs? Other question, since my plants are a bit off, I was wondering if I could get some orchid fertilizer and mist it diluted in water from time to time. Is there anything I need to look for? 

https://imgbbb.com/image/L0Wnn7
https://imgbbb.com/image/L0Ws6x
https://imgbbb.com/image/L0WNWt


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Little update.
I see them pretty much every day, each have their own spot where they hang out. I've had them for about 5 months, and I don't precisely know how old where they when I got them. I tried playing their call from a youtube video near the tank, one frog seems to get more active and inquisitive when it hears the call, the other doesn't react.
Cheers



View attachment 281760
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https://ibb.co/C01vJL8
https://ibb.co/YN7zbyh
https://ibb.co/fQvkcct
https://ibb.co/pzkX06n


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

Nice, well done. It seems you are deriving a lot of satisfaction from the hobby. It makes me happy to see happy people - thank you.

As for your recent questions about fertilizing and glass cleaning - I don't keep frogs so can't speak directly to what might harm them. I would think a dilute foliar application of an organic fertilizer would be fine though. (You can even mix up your own with bone meal etc.) You'll kill plants, _eventually_, if they don't get some nutrients. It can take a long time though. Ha ha.

What's fouling your glass? Minerals from hard water, or just "biological crud"? Paper towels dampened with RO water works well for me, with "bio-crud". Also a sharp razor scraper. I never have to apply chemicals, just some force. The key is to not apply mineralized water in the first place. If you do have a minerals-on-glass problem that you aren't making worse with hard water, one approach I've used is a stronger acid on paper towels - lemon juice. Plus some force of course. Follow up with an RO-dampened paper towel, then a dry one.

Good luck! And I hope all's well for you & yours with COVID.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

jgragg said:


> Nice, well done. It seems you are deriving a lot of satisfaction from the hobby. It makes me happy to see happy people - thank you.
> 
> As for your recent questions about fertilizing and glass cleaning - I don't keep frogs so can't speak directly to what might harm them. I would think a dilute foliar application of an organic fertilizer would be fine though. (You can even mix up your own with bone meal etc.) You'll kill plants, _eventually_, if they don't get some nutrients. It can take a long time though. Ha ha.
> 
> ...


Thank you very very much. 
I'm using tap water at the moment, so that is what is fouling the glass. I will be switching to distilled water. I'll definitely put to use your suggestions.

Cheers!


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Hello everyone, just got this fertilizer based on seaweed, wanted to ask if this was heavily diluted if it could be used to mist (once a week (?)) the viv, with frogs inside. Just want to be sure, thank you! 

Cheers


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

An update on the viv. I decided to completely re-do the terrarium. I wanted to achieve a more realistic forest floor type of look.


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