# Recent shots of Vivs and Frogs (Pic heavy)



## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

A crappy pic of the Leucomelas viv. I can never seem to get a good shot of this one. 







Alanis Tincs



Hey! Get down from there... Tincs don't climb! 



Bakhuis Tincs







Powder Blue Tincs



The female is on the left. She's a beast!



Blue/Bronze Auratus





Azureus. We like to call them the Smurfs. 





Thanks for looking.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

frogfreak said:


> Thanks for looking.



Thanks for posting! Nice tanks!


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks Riko. 

A cropped shot of a few of them together.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

interesting... i was under the impression that powder blues usually didnt have any yellow... and is that first bakhuis white? 

great looking tanks though.. what's that reticulated plant surrounding the leucs & cryptanthus in the first pic? looks stunning.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

tclipse said:


> interesting... i was under the impression that powder blues usually didnt have any yellow... and is that first bakhuis white?
> 
> great looking tanks though.. what's that reticulated plant surrounding the leucs & cryptanthus in the first pic? looks stunning.


Thanks

The female Powder does have some yellow on her. She's UE line. Yes that male Bakhuis is white/light yellow. Def lighter than her. The camera messes with the colour a little.

That's a lipstick plant. I can't remember the Latin name. It's a bit slow to get going, but when it does it takes off. pretty much bulletproof too. My kind of plant. 

Best


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## DARTGUY41 (Aug 13, 2011)

Your vivs make me want to start replanting some of my old ones immediately. Beautiful Job!


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

frogfreak said:


> That's a lipstick plant. I can't remember the Latin name. It's a bit slow to get going, but when it does it takes off. pretty much bulletproof too. My kind of plant.
> 
> Best



Aeschynanthus longicaulis 

looks great!


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks guys and thanks Jeremy for the name once again. Ha! I can't seem to remember that one. 

I want to add a bunch or Orchids on the sides, but need to install fans in them first. In time...


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## botanyboy03 (Apr 18, 2009)

Very nice Vivs. Now I feel kinda inadequate on my designs. Not crappy pics at all of the Leucs. What are the dimensions?


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## d1rocchino (May 16, 2011)

Those vivs are very nice


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks Guys! 

All the tanks are 24w x 24h x 18d except for the Leuc tanks. It's 36w x 24 high.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Glenn......you`re out of control.

In a good way.

John


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Haha

I'm not sure if it's in a good way or not? 

I'm working on this right now, John. We're expanding from 8 tanks to 18. 

It should be a nice winter spot. 



There's another section to the right. I couldn't fit it in the pic.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

They look great. Nice work. Plants look oddly familiar.....


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Frogtofall said:


> They look great. Nice work. Plants look oddly familiar.....


Couldn't have done it without you, Antone! 

Man, I wish you were still up and running.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

frogfreak said:


> Couldn't have done it without you, Antone!
> 
> Man, I wish you were still up and running.


You and me both... 

It's funny to me that somehow I recognized the cuttings. I'm not the only one that grows that stuff. Haha. You always know your "kids" from the crowd I guess.


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## ritersofly (Oct 23, 2010)

Bakhuis Tincs



Hey what type of plant is the one on the bottom right corner? It's leaning to the left. I have that plant in a couple of my vivs and I forgot where I got it from, but I never knew the name or atleast genus of it!

Beautiful vivs btw!!


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## marylanddartfrog (Jun 6, 2011)

Wow very nice vivs vivs


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## Zoomie (Jul 3, 2011)

Awesome viv design, awesome plants, and awesome frogs. Can't wait to see the updated frog room. It's going to be great.


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## davy (Jul 13, 2010)

i like the set ups you have made. looks very nice.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks all! 

Sorry, I don't have a name on that plant either.

Hey Zoomie, All the hard work is done. Now it's time for the fun part! I'm not looking forward to moving the tanks from the second floor to the basement. Luckily, I have some frogger buddies who have volunteered to help out.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

I did cuttings for my last build, and I know its going to take a little longer opposed to potting the whole plant. I didnt understand the whole cutting thing at 1st until I dropped a leaf from a plant into a different viv and that one leaf is sproutting to its own plant.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

I was potting the whole plant when I first started building them and didn't have much luck. I do cuttings only now for the most part. I think it's to much of a shock on an established plant.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

nicely done!!


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## Lbacha (Sep 7, 2011)

frogfreak said:


> I was potting the whole plant when I first started building them and didn't have much luck. I do cuttings only now for the most part. I think it's to much of a shock on an established plant.


I have found that plants have a tendency to regrow roots based on the substrate and conditions they are in and when you srart with a cutting you are giving them the ability to start from scratch and lay down a root structure designed for the location and substrate you are putting them in. This is really evident in aquatic and semiaquatic plants, I will ussually trim all the roots off a root based plant like a crypt before replanting it so that the old roots don't actually hinder it's growth. Good luck with the cuttings and you will find once they established they will grow much better than an established potted plant. 

Just something to think of as well most potted plants you get from the nursury have been hardened off (allowed to aclimate to dryer cooler temps) so they can live in your home. If you plant these in your vivarium the original hardened off leaves will actually not do as well and the new growth is what will flourish, this isn't an issue iof the plant was sourced from someones vivarium though.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks Julio and thanks for the info Lbacha.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

We got the tanks moved recently and onto the new rack!


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

This is pretty cool. Is the rack still active? Any shots?


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Harpo said:


> This is pretty cool. Is the rack still active? Any shots?


Thanks,

It's still active and I'm still trying to finish it up. This is the last cell phone pic I took. I have a bunch of temporary 18" cubes above now. There are two more tanks to the right that I can never get in the photo. Oh, the floor and ceiling are done too. lol


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## LightsOut (Aug 11, 2012)

Felt like finally taking some pics of my veradero tank

Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk 2


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

LightsOut said:


> Felt like finally taking some pics of my veradero tank
> 
> Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk 2


Nice, but why is it on this thread? lol


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

frogfreak said:


> Nice, but why is it on this thread? lol


hahahaha too funny


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## Arpeggio (Jan 15, 2011)

Frogfreak- The vivs look great! your frogs look so happy in them! 

And LOL at your comment - _"Nice, but why is it on this thread? lol"_


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## Gnarly (Mar 3, 2011)

I am really jealous of your set up. 

Let's all have a sleepover in Your basement!


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks guy! lol


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## ndame88 (Sep 24, 2010)

Really like the way you used the rocks to transition to the water area, looks very natural, sweet set up!!


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

ndame88 said:


> Really like the way you used the rocks to transition to the water area, looks very natural, sweet set up!!


Thank you, the rocks turned out to be a tad haven. They get in the nooks and grannies and use them as a refuge.


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## harrisbt (Feb 19, 2013)

Hi, Glenn.

Can you please talk a bit about your construction process regarding the false bottom (if there is any), substrate barrier, rock barrier, and water feature? I'm curious to know what design aspects you used or would suggest to replicate or improve upon what you've done in your vivs. I really like the idea and it's aesthetics. Thanks so much.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

harrisbt said:


> Hi, Glenn.
> 
> Can you please talk a bit about your construction process regarding the false bottom (if there is any), substrate barrier, rock barrier, and water feature? I'm curious to know what design aspects you used or would suggest to replicate or improve upon what you've done in your vivs. I really like the idea and it's aesthetics. Thanks so much.


No problem. I'll try a get a few pics up soon.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

1. Lay the screen on the bottom of the tank, and stack the rocks as desired.

2. Fill in behind the rock with Leca. It gives the rocks some support. It also acts as a false bottom. 

3. Fold your screen back over the Leca.

4.Some bark. This will start to rot in no time, and will feed the bugs for a long time to come. 

5. Start adding your soil and bugs. There's a full culture of isopods and springs that go in. It's very shallow up front. Maybe a 1/2" or so. At the back up to 2"s. We don't use many terrestrial plants. Mostly leaf litter.

6. Tons of leaf litter. More food for the bugs, when it starts to break down.

7. Some wood decor. It gives the frogs somewhere to hide and rest. Also it's nice for them to climb on and mount plants.

8. Add some decorative leaf litter.

Hope this helps!


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Very helpful this photo sequence. I think your frogroom is stunning, the best rack for Exo Terra I've ever seen. Greetings


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thank you!


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## dgibbons1 (Jul 25, 2013)

Your vivs are put together nice. You have some healthy happy looking froggies


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## punctata (Jan 31, 2011)

love your set up and tanks. Can I ask you a question? What or how did you do your background and sides of your tank? I like the look a lot.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

punctata said:


> love your set up and tanks. Can I ask you a question? What or how did you do your background and sides of your tank? I like the look a lot.


Thanks! 

I did the sides with GS and coco fiber on a sheet of styrofoam. 

The back foam is 1" ( some heavy wood GS'd on) and the sides 1/2" I built them outside the tank, installed them and filled in the corners. I used silicone to adhere the panels.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

Hey frogfreak, I was looking through your pictures and i really like how you did the river rocks up front. are those real rocks or did you make them out of foam? I'm planning on doing something similar to my tank but i want to make it out of foam.


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## thane (Sep 11, 2014)

frogfreak said:


> 1. Lay the screen on the bottom of the tank, and stack the rocks as desired.
> 
> 2. Fill in behind the rock with Leca. It gives the rocks some support. It also acts as a false bottom.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this info and the pictures. I am planning on setting up my first vivarium and was thinking of doing something very similar and this helps a lot. Would you mind if I ran my idea by you here or sent it to you in a PM?


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Hi Thane,

Go ahead and post it up so others can see.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

myersboy6 said:


> Hey frogfreak, I was looking through your pictures and i really like how you did the river rocks up front. are those real rocks or did you make them out of foam? I'm planning on doing something similar to my tank but i want to make it out of foam.


Carter, sorry I missed this. They're real rocks.


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## thane (Sep 11, 2014)

Thanks Glenn,

So here was my thinking - I wanted to use LECA/Hydroton or expanded glass as a false bottom. I read a lot of people think the clay balls aren't very attractive. I bought some of the expanded glass but it doesn't look a whole lot better in my opinion. I think some small river rock would look the nicest, but you don't want to fill the whole bottom with that because of the weight.

So my idea was to do something similar to what you've done with the rocks and mesh - make a border all around the outside with rock so it looks nice, then have the expanded glass on the inside of it to reduce weight. I wasn't 100% sure on how to pull that off though. I figured the expanded glass on the inside will provide support for the rocks on the outside, just trying to figure out the logistics of how to dump it all in there and how to incorporate the mesh. My initial plan was to maybe build a thin rigid wall out of cardboard or plastic, dump all the expanded glass in the middle, rocks on the outside, then pull the cardboard out and hope everything doesn't shift around too much. But also have to get the mesh in there somehow before I add the dirt.

Does that seem like it would work? Would you have any tips or ideas that might improve the plan? 


P.S. I also like your idea of adding some wood in between the mesh and the dirt to give extra food to the bugs. I was just going to mix in some of the "springtail starter" mix into the substrate and add lots of leaf litter for the isopods, but I think that would give them some extra food.

FYI I also plan to stick a small pond in the corner so the frogs can soak in it if they want or lay eggs, and so I have a place to drain the false bottom. My plan for that was to section off a corner with some wood, leaving a nice shallow slope up to the leaf litter. I was going to leave a gap below the bottom of the wood to the rest of the false bottom, but put some mesh behind it, silicone it in, and put some of the river rock in the bottom of the pool so the frogs shouldn't be able to get through the rocks and mesh to the false bottom. If you've got any comments on that idea, I'd be happy to hear them also.

Thanks again for posting those steps and pictures - that really resonated with what I'm trying to do, just trying to figure out the logistics of it.

Thane


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

thane said:


> Thanks Glenn,
> 
> So here was my thinking - I wanted to use LECA/Hydroton or expanded glass as a false bottom. I read a lot of people think the clay balls aren't very attractive. *I bought some of the expanded glass* but it doesn't look a whole lot better in my opinion. I think some small river rock would look the nicest, but you don't want to fill the whole bottom with that because of the weight.
> 
> ...


That's funny, Thane. I did the exact same thing with some 18" cubes and it works very well. 

Crappy pic but here's what I have.


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## thane (Sep 11, 2014)

Thanks Glen! Glad to know it can be done. Now all I need is to fly you down to Omaha and have you build the thing for me!

Sorry for hijacking your thread but would you happen to have any build pictures from these 18" cubes, or did you have a thread going while you were making those? I actually kind of like the bigger rocks you used on this current thread better, but don't think I have enough floor space on the one I purchased (18X18X24) to pull that off. My intention is to get some tincs so want to give them maximum usable floor space.

Thanks again,
Thane


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

thane said:


> Thanks Glen! Glad to know it can be done. Now all I need is to fly you down to Omaha and have you build the thing for me!
> 
> Sorry for hijacking your thread but would you happen to have any build pictures from these 18" cubes, or did you have a thread going while you were making those? I actually kind of like the bigger rocks you used on this current thread better, but don't think I have enough floor space on the one I purchased (18X18X24) to pull that off. My intention is to get some tincs so want to give them maximum usable floor space.
> 
> ...


Sorry, Thane

I don't have any build pics. It's simple though. Use a piece of cardboard as a divider and fill the rear half way then fill the front half way. Top up the rear and then the front. Pull divider and you're done. I used grow stones with these builds. 

Keep in mind that your Tincs will use the rocks/pebbles whatever you choose as floor space too. It's not wasted space.


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## jpg (Jan 3, 2009)

In the first pics of the luec tanks what is the vine in the pics ?


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

jpg said:


> In the first pics of the luec tanks what is the vine in the pics ?


It's a type of lipstick plant. Which one, I'm not sure of.

Lipstick Plant Care Tips - Aeschynanthus lobbianus

Once established, they grow very well and are sturdy too.


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## thane (Sep 11, 2014)

frogfreak said:


> Keep in mind that your Tincs will use the rocks/pebbles whatever you choose as floor space too. It's not wasted space.


Good call! I didn't think that all the way through. Opens up a fun new world of hardscaping ideas. Thanks again for all the info.


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## jpg (Jan 3, 2009)

Thank you Glenn . The particular one in your vivarium is stunning .


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

frogfreak said:


> It's a type of lipstick plant. Which one, I'm not sure of.


Aeschynanthus longicaulis


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

No problem, guys.


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## Meefloaf (Apr 22, 2013)

regarding Glenn's method, i knicked his idea for my first build


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