# Frog room build.



## Jason

Well, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to start the frog room.

When we were looking for a new house my only request was one that had a "frog room". My wife could have the choice on everything else. :wink: It has been 2 months since we have moved and I just couldn't take it any more and had to start. Everyday my wife asks "What house project we going to work on." I always say "The frog room!" I get the "Don't be a idiot" look every time.

So with one good arm, it starts! Other arm is broken and still in a cast, but when there is a will there is a way.  

We started to use the room as storage, so that had to go!



















The room is approximately 9' x 12' with a ceiling height of 8'. It is in the basement which will keep temps more stable. Even on a 90+ degree day it is in the 70's in the basement. There is an air vent I can tap into for A/C or heat if needed.

I spent all day yesterday with a putty knife and wire brush cleaning up the walls. I wore a respirator to avoid breathing in the dust and mold spores. After it was all swept up, I brought in the garden hose. Luckily the floor drains out the door across the basement right into the drain. I scrubbed and sprayed down the walls and floor.



















Once it dries, I have a few cracks to fill in then it is time to waterproof the walls.


----------



## knuckles4696

very cool man im jealous you get to start yours!


----------



## IndianaJosh

By frog room you mean one big viv?

Or a place for your vivs to go?


----------



## pet-teez

*awesome!* that's going to be a nice space for the use 
Can't wait to see the updates, how many tanks do you have so far that will be put in there?


----------



## DizzyD

man, oh man am I jealous! Best of luck and a great blank slate to start w/. Oh, and take it or leave it, but if you do a couple of quickie projects for the wife, they tend to leave you alone to do your own thing more often than not. Well, at least that's how it is in my apt. No frog room here though  , but I can only imagine the temptation to spend close to every waking second planning and doing.


----------



## Jason

Thanks for the support.



> By frog room you mean one big viv? Or a place for your vivs to go?


Now you are thinking! One big viv, I wish. For now I think I will stick to smaller vivs.  



> Oh, and take it or leave it, but if you do a couple of quickie projects for the wife, they tend to leave you alone to do your own thing more often than not.


 :wink: Good advice!



> How many tanks do you have so far that will be put in there?


The list so far....
2 - 44 gal pentagons
4 - 40 gal breeders vert
1 - 90 gal custom
6 - 20 gal vert
and some odds and ends.

Which brings me to a question. I was looking at some racks for the 40 breeder verts and the 20 highs. I found one at Lowes.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

With only 1/2" shelving, it seems a little weak for the 40 gals.

I was then thinking of making a cabinet system with a countertop. Ikea has some fairly cheap cabinents and countertops and I think it would be able to support the weight a little better because it is dispersed over a larger area. 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categ ... hen/10470/

It would limit me to one level of tanks, but I think it would look very sharp and give the room a very clean look, for almost the same price. Any sugestions?


----------



## IndianaJosh

Hey the frog room viv would look cool too!

I guess it was kind of a dumb question.


----------



## nish07

Alera racks from amazon (shopplet) through them. They're very cheap, a nice black color, 48X24X72 or only 18 deep if you want. Only about 110 bucks and the shipping is very cheap. I have 4 now and might get another. They hold 1000lbs per rack.

For the big viv, consider doing what I was going to do. Frame in a fiberglass shower stall. You can get them at lowes for 300 bucks. You'd have a hard time doing background for it since it's so huge, but just frame the sides, the bottom has a drain, put in a false bottom, hinge a door that seals the front up and drill wherever you want for misters and lights. It's be pretty spectacular. Get a massive cork tube and create a fake tree in it and plant it with broms and moss like in Costa Rica/Panama. You could throw an arboreal species in there or two like Vincenteii possibly with auratus on the ground. It'd be insanely cool.

-Nish


----------



## MJ

Looks like it's going to be awesome mate  similar size to the from room I'm working on right now which is 4x3m


----------



## tkromer

I figure if you're gonna go to the trouble of waterproofing the room it may as well be one big viv :lol:


----------



## nish07

There are people who do that. I've talked to someone in Florida who claims to have been in Greenhouses-turned Vivarium and house several types of terrestrial/arboreal frogs which live and breed freely. This type of thing is done in the frog farm(s) in Panama as well. Probably not a good idea for a basement, though.

-Nish


----------



## Jason

nish07 said:


> Alera racks from amazon (shopplet) through them. They're very cheap, a nice black color, 48X24X72 or only 18 deep if you want.


If they made them 72" long I would be in.


----------



## nish07

For your 9 foot wall, you can put two side by side and have a foot or so for a bucket for misting or whatever else you might need room for. For the 12 foot wall you could put two together and leave room or add in one of the smaller units on the end which (I believe) are half the width. With that in mind, you can work out the way the racks will fit given the space. There are other rack systems out there but the aleras seem to do a great job at the best price. There are the Gorilla racks and racks like it that seem to be customizable to their width. You could always look into those and I know quite a few people use them.

-Nish


----------



## Jason

Room is clean and walls are sealed.











Ok, I need an honest opinion. I was real excited when I picked out this color, but after getting it on the walls I am not too sure. It is bright which is nice, but I think it will take away too much from the tanks and maybe a more nuetral color may make the tanks stand out better and look sharper. I am on my way to home depot to get some tan/light tan paint samples, so you won't hurt my feelings if you say "What were you thinking." :lol: 



















The color was called "Bright Green", ya think?  :lol:


----------



## Corpus Callosum

Jason said:


> so you won't hurt my feelings if you say "What were you thinking." :lol:


What were you thinking


----------



## crentania

Personally, I would have gone with a deeper "jungle" type green, just to give that background a more tropical look. But the bright green could work! It's definitely unique


----------



## onefstsnake

I love that color. 

Should look darker with just the tank lights on anyways. 

Lookin good!


----------



## NathanB

its easy to see dirt so you can keep it clean atleast


----------



## Vivarium Concepts

*Hmmm...........looks like something you would scrape off of the windshield.

*


----------



## Jason

Vivarium Concepts said:


> *Hmmm...........looks like something you would scrape off of the windshield.
> 
> *


 :lol: The color has already been changed. Pictures will come once the walls and floor are finished. It was just too much.


----------



## Otis

I did my room a luau green with behr paint and I think thats a really nice color, if you change your mind again...what color did you change it to?


----------



## Jason

otis07 said:


> I did my room a luau green with behr paint and I think thats a really nice color, if you change your mind again...what color did you change it to?


Bright purple!  Na, just a nuetral color, you will see soon. I think it would have looked good if I was able to paint the whole wall green, but with the red brick it looked a little to weird to me.


----------



## Otis

kewleo


----------



## salix

Corpus Callosum said:


> Jason said:
> 
> 
> 
> so you won't hurt my feelings if you say "What were you thinking." :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> What were you thinking
Click to expand...

 :shock: 

Ditto :wink: 

My bedroom is painted "Amazon Moss" by Behr from HD. It's not bright, but I LOVE the color.


----------



## nish07

I painted my bedroom "Iguana" by Gliddon with the ceiling a dark beige color "Calm Matter". Both flat so they're not shiny. I have no kids or pets to get the walls dirty (where the glossy stuff adds to being able to wipe off stains easier). Very cheap stuff and looks great.

-Nish


----------



## chadbandman

If you live close to a Northern Tool distrabution center. You can buy ant thing in thier cat and pu at the dist center and thete's no shipping charge. They have all kinds of shelving.


----------



## MzFroggie

I think the green was pretty..But the bright purple idea would have been perfect..LOL


----------



## Jason

Finished painting.



















It is getting a little cold here at night, so I had to bring in the plants too. Eventually they will end up in some tanks.


----------



## Mac

man those are some nice lookin Fireballs! How do you achieve such color!!


----------



## Jason

Mac said:


> man those are some nice lookin Fireballs! How do you achieve such color!!


I had them in full (Minnesota) sun for most the summer. This last winter they were green. They looked like they were getting burned, so I moved them into shade under a tree. If they dried out, I watered them, but I did not keep them constantly wet.


----------



## onefstsnake

Awesome plants. Paint turned out good too.


----------



## Jason

A little up date. Electrical and pluming is finished and a few tanks are in the works. I will tease you with this. 










I am waiting on some vert inserts for a few 40 breeders and I can organize a few things. Seeing as winter is almost here, I think I will just focus on setting up tanks and growing some plants. I have been experimenting with fruit flies and springtils and should have many vivs seeded like crazy by spring.


----------



## Julio

can't wait to see it done, i wish i had more space.


----------



## kristy55303

its looking great jason, great job. know it'd be hard for me to do it one-armed and the left arm at that, so thumbs up. kristy


----------



## Jason

44 gallon pentagon


----------



## ChrisK

Cool, what substrate you got going there?


----------



## Jason

ChrisK said:


> Cool, what substrate you got going there?


Pro' Choice Pro Red.

Pro's Choice Products


----------



## Philsuma

Jason,

Did you ever consider a reflective sheeting backdrop on your walls?

It would maximize your above tank lighting and be great for plants.

Especially good in a mostly dark basement.


----------



## ChrisK

Jason said:


> Pro' Choice Pro Red.
> 
> Pro's Choice Products


Yeah that's what I thought, I'm actually picking up some of that and the rapid dry for a mixture today. Broms can go directly into it?


----------



## Julio

any updates on the frog room??


----------



## Jason

Philsuma said:


> Jason,
> 
> Did you ever consider a reflective sheeting backdrop on your walls?
> 
> It would maximize your above tank lighting and be great for plants.
> 
> Especially good in a mostly dark basement.


That tank is the only one that has a metal halide. It is a pendant so the light is fairly focused, but I like the idea. I have some broms planted above the tank, but they seem to be getting too much light/heat. I have to move the pendant up and in doing so, I may add come mylar or maybe even a old mirror.




ChrisK said:


> Yeah that's what I thought, I'm actually picking up some of that and the rapid dry for a mixture today. Broms can go directly into it?


Not sure, not many people are using it so it is mostly an experiment. So far they seem to be doing good. We will find out.


----------



## ChrisK

Jason said:


> Not sure, not many people are using it so it is mostly an experiment. So far they seem to be doing good. We will find out.


That would be SUCH a bonus, seems like I can only find the Turface stuff around here though


----------



## Nick_

Seeing that the room is "waterproofed" have you considered running a couple humidifiers on a household humidistat? I found that keeping the humidity in the room was far easier than keeping it stable in individual tanks, espically for about $100 for the whole setup. 
I Like the way the 20ks look with planted tanks, I foung that HQI's (like the one in that pendant) did the best for them as far as growth. 
Im looking forward to seeing the room after its up and running, looking good!


----------



## Dragas

tkromer said:


> I figure if you're gonna go to the trouble of waterproofing the room it may as well be one big viv :lol:



YouTube - Foam It Green


----------



## loogielv

i gotta tell you, there's no way i'd use the space this way. I would turn it into a walk-in viv in a heartbeat. I'd even put a hammock in there and just lay and listen... getting goosebumps just thinking about it...


----------



## Mac

loogielv said:


> i gotta tell you, there's no way i'd use the space this way. I would turn it into a walk-in viv in a heartbeat. I'd even put a hammock in there and just lay and listen... getting goosebumps just thinking about it...


Ya until you wake up after a deep sleep and think your lost!


----------



## loogielv

meh. my family makes me want to be lost most days anyway. at least for a brief second, i'd feel that way...then i'd realize I'M IN MY GIANT WALK IN VIV...yah, i could deal with that.


----------



## dart_king

Update please!!!!


----------



## iridebmx

what kind of stump is that in the pent......


----------



## Jason

*Update: Frog room build*

Well winter has come and gone here in Minnesota. This room was in the basement of my house and I had a space heater in it all winter. It ran 24/7 and at times could barely keep up. So I came to realize back in December that I had to do something different. I decided to hold off on getting anything new and not set up any tanks. Here is what is going on...

I used some insulation from a crawl space (that was not efficient enough) for the ceiling and replace the crawlspace insulation with R 31 stuff. 










Walls going up.









First Batt









Walls/Insulation up R 13, I also used a vapor barrier.









I did a lot of research on vapor barriers. Some say no, some say yes. The reason why I did it is because if warm/humid air comes in contact with the cold walls in the winter they can condense and cause moisture to build up. The vapor barrier keeps the moist air in the room and keeps it from coming in contact with the cold wall. I also left about a 1" gap between the 2x4 wall and the outside cement wall. This will allow air to move around in case any moisture should get in.

Ceiling was only 3 sheets but at 5/8" it was a PITA. 









Action shot









First Wall sheet up









Photobucket just went down, so more pics later.

Mudding is next!


----------



## kristy55303

good progress jason. cant wait to see it. 

and dont ask lol ive moved 6 racks full into mine. i just want to wait for its final touches to show off.

Cant wait to see yours finished and some vivs finally. Then i wont feel so lonely over here in our neck of the woods! 

Keep up the good work, looking forward to pics. 

p.s. i shouldnt have put my wall up, racks are now moving outside of the frog room, so the point of mine was?  guess its a room inside of a room.
kristy


----------



## frogfreak

Hi

Looks great Jason! You made the right call on the vapour barrier. Warm humid air meets cold and that would be it for your insulation. We can't wait to see your progress.

Good luck


----------



## laylow

Now that is exactly the type of things that dreams are made of!!! Now that you've got studs up on your walls what about building some cabinets and shelves and screwing them directly into the studs? That could solve that issue? . . .


----------



## Jason

laylow said:


> Now that is exactly the type of things that dreams are made of!!! Now that you've got studs up on your walls what about building some cabinets and shelves and screwing them directly into the studs? That could solve that issue? . . .


That is the plan. "A WALL 'O' FROGS"


----------



## joshsfrogs

Why mud when the tank racks are going to cover the walls!?

And, I don't know if you have done it all yet, but any drywall touching the ground will need to be the green stuff (and I would recommend doing it all in that).


----------



## Jason

joshsfrogs said:


> Why mud when the tank racks are going to cover the walls!?
> 
> And, I don't know if you have done it all yet, but any drywall touching the ground will need to be the green stuff (and I would recommend doing it all in that).


Only one wall will be "Wall 'O' Frogs". The others will be random tanks I have collected over the years. All the bottom sills of each 2 x 4 wall are green treated and the drywall is about an 1/2" off the floor, so I should be good there. I should have posted exactly what I did, because I spent a lot of time making sure I tried to do it right. I wanted to mud everything because I won't live there forever, and wanted to start small before I try to finish off the rest of the basement. In retrospect, I will hire someone to do drywall and mudding in the rest of the basement.


----------



## Jason

Well, let me tell you. Finishing off a room takes a lot longer than the one hour it takes on This Old House! Mudding is a pain in the arse. Luckily you cannot see all the little mistakes I made in the process. It turned out nice, but it could have been better. 










The outlet on the upper left is actually a in wall timer and runs all the outlets on the upper row for the lights.











This will be the wall of tanks. I have a little more finish work to do around the window to make it look nice. It has been a fun project and learning experience. I learned I will hire someone to sheetrock and mud the rest of my basement.


----------



## frogfreak

Looks great Jason! How do You like the taste of drywall dust? Good Eh Now You get move on to the fun stuff. Good Luck!


----------



## ChrisK

Jason, what kind of lid did you wind up making for that corner pentagon?


----------



## james67

looks great! keep updating as you progress please!

james


----------



## Julio

love all the outlets!


----------



## Jason

ChrisK said:


> Jason, what kind of lid did you wind up making for that corner pentagon?


Bought a glass lid. Acrylic just warped.


----------



## Jason

Just a little update. Racks are almost done. They are 2x4 frame but I will trim it out later so it looks nice.


----------



## maverick3x6

love the organization! So you have a whole-sale contract to purchase straight from exo-terra, right? hahaha


----------



## MeiKVR6

Wow good job!

After all that work - please say you have automated misting & draining going in... 

Excellent job - really looks great.


----------



## Jason

MeiKVR6 said:


> Wow good job!
> 
> After all that work - please say you have automated misting & draining going in...
> 
> Excellent job - really looks great.


Thanks! I will!


----------



## Energy

Wow- that's awesome! It's looking sharp.


----------



## Tazely

OMG I hate you!!!! Just found your post, I am soooooooo jealous of you I just get the "next house you can have a frog room" speach every time I talk of it, which is about 3 time a week... okay per day!  PLEASE post more I am living vigarious though you. Great work and keep thinking way ahead, trust me you never want to be sorry you forgot something.


----------



## wickerstone

Thanks for posting this! That room looks awesome! I'm going to be building my own frog room in the basement and this gave me a lot of ideas!


----------



## Viaje

Need any help with this?  I only live about an hour and a half away!

...mostly I just want to see this in person! Keep us updated!


----------



## Jason

Thanks for the compliments. Slowly but surely I will get this done.  Starting to get the tanks up and going. Here they are a few with backgrounds. This is the room from left to right.




































As you can see I have another 46 gallon corner. I need to build a stand for it and it will sit back to back with the other tank.

I may move a few floor tanks around to make room.


----------



## Phyllobates

Its coming along nicely Jason. I like the idea with the corner tanks. Kinda hard to incorporate them into a rack system huh.


----------



## eos

one word.... wow


----------



## TDK

Where are you buying your tree fern slabs? Everything looks great by the way.


----------



## MonkeyFrogMan28

I am jealous. Nice job.


----------



## Jason

TDK said:


> Where are you buying your tree fern slabs? Everything looks great by the way.


Hey thanks! I have been getting my tree fern slabs from Orchids Limited. He has some old pieces that seem to fit much better, I am no expert, but he says most of the slabs you find now are from farms and since they are taken from smaller trees they end up smaller. The slabs he has have been sitting in the back collecting dust.  Orchids Limited is located a few hours away from me. Tell him I sent you. He only knows me as some weird frog guy....lol!

Orchid Web: Tree Fern Plaques


----------



## maverick3x6

absolutely badass.


----------



## laylow

WOW it sure has come a long way since I saw the ol' brick background huh!! Looks great man!


----------



## kristy55303

Jason the room looks wonderful. great job bud. I cant wait to see the frogs inside. Kristy


----------



## Fishman

Very nice frog room! I need to work on cleaning mine up to that level, while still keeping all of my tanks in there. Hhhmmmmm?


----------



## chinoanoah

Very sharp room, I'm very impressed!


----------



## Energy

Very nice! What species of frogs do you currently have and what kind will you be keeping in the future? I stopped by orchids unlimited on your recomendation. I used to frequent the place back in the day when I had all sorts of frogs. It is still really cool!


----------



## ScottCooper

Very nice. I assume you will have the cultures tucked away somewhere, rather than in the center rack? When I saw the window in the cleanout pictures, I thought of my old set up - combination fish room, and viv room. Unfortunately, the window wall was of course the outside wall, and there was enough cold air from that wall to cause much frustration. I see, however, that you replaced the window, and finished the walls off - should cut down on any outside weather issues pretty well. Congrats on a great build!


----------



## Derek Benson

My 40 breeder verts are my favorite tanks, love to see other's 40s


----------



## axolotl2

Wow it has come along way since the last time I visited this site. The room really does look great. Maybe my fiancee will allow me to have a room of my own!!!


----------



## Jason

A little update. Here is how it looks as a skeleton. I will trim it all out, but everything is coming along nice. Slow, but nice.  














































Many more broms to plant, but it's getting there.


----------



## dartboi101

Yes, finally we got an update! I love everything. Hopefully one day I'll get around to building one!


----------



## eos

Lookin topnotch!


----------



## rpmurphey

Can't wait for another update. This is looking realy good. The dreams I have with my own house. Too bad I don't have a basement.


----------



## Jason DeSantis

Very nice! Now all you need is to fill all those tanks with frogs.
J


----------



## Jason

Jason DeSantis said:


> Very nice! Now all you need is to fill all those tanks with frogs.
> J


You ain't kidding!


----------



## dendrobateobsessd

thanks for the thread. I use it to show my wife that there are people out there who are more obsessed than me. Correction, I meant enthusiastic.


----------



## theglassfrog

how or where did u get those hinges for your doors on the 40s i was planning on building something similar but your door set up is awesome now i want it to look llike yours any pointers on a large build would be appreciated too


----------



## dmatychuk

Jason, very nice! I thought I'd drop in and see what's going on and here you are making that beautiful frog room......VERY cool.


----------



## pygmypiranha

Dang it is looking pretty decent. 

What types of frogs are you planning on getting?


----------



## fleshfrombone

Holy Sh!t I'm jealous. You put in a ton of work and it looks amazing. Really payed off.


----------



## cheezus_2007

makes my frog room look like a sissy room. anyways i envy it all  i love the tanks with all the film canisters.... i wanna bust something like this for my next tank.....Anyways keep the pics commin Jason. Diggin it.... cant wait to see the frogs


----------



## Energy

Any updates?


----------



## bronz

And one question from the other side of the pond, what exactly is mudding?


----------



## james67

mudding is a process in drywall (or sheetrock) installation where a filler compound is applied to the walls to create a smooth surface.

james


----------



## Jason DeSantis

james67 said:


> mudding is a process in drywall (or sheetrock) installation where a filler compound is applied to the walls to create a smooth surface.
> 
> james


Also called spackling or as some like to call it plastering.
J


----------



## bronz

Aha thought so, funny how the job's the same but the terminology is different so you're left scratching your head over something so simple!

Over here sheetrock/drywall is commonly known as plasterboard, and the process of applying a coat of plaster is known as (as you know)... plastering! However I think you guys when putting up drywall only tend to fill over the joints in the board and feather it out? We more commonly skim the whole wall with plaster although dry lining as your process is known is becoming much more common on new builds etc. I assume you didn't mud the whole wall Jason?

Sorry to go a bit OT but this is the field I work in every day so I've got a bit of natural curiosity about it.


----------



## Energy

bronz said:


> Aha thought so, funny how the job's the same but the terminology is different so you're left scratching your head over something so simple!
> 
> Over here sheetrock/drywall is commonly known as plasterboard, and the process of applying a coat of plaster is known as (as you know)... plastering! However I think you guys when putting up drywall only tend to fill over the joints in the board and feather it out? We more commonly skim the whole wall with plaster although dry lining as your process is known is becoming much more common on new builds etc. I assume you didn't mud the whole wall Jason?
> 
> Sorry to go a bit OT but this is the field I work in every day so I've got a bit of natural curiosity about it.


Residential jobs usually just fill the holes and the joints. Wouldn't covering the entire piece be more work, more materials and therefore more expensive?

Sorry to hijack and get off topic- How's the frog room coming?- He must be busy building stuff in there!


----------



## Jason DeSantis

bronz said:


> Aha thought so, funny how the job's the same but the terminology is different so you're left scratching your head over something so simple!
> 
> Over here sheetrock/drywall is commonly known as plasterboard, and the process of applying a coat of plaster is known as (as you know)... plastering! However I think you guys when putting up drywall only tend to fill over the joints in the board and feather it out? We more commonly skim the whole wall with plaster although dry lining as your process is known is becoming much more common on new builds etc. I assume you didn't mud the whole wall Jason?
> 
> Sorry to go a bit OT but this is the field I work in every day so I've got a bit of natural curiosity about it.


What you are describing is exactly what plastering is. Usually a thin layer of sheet rock with a 1/4" layer of plaster. Doesnt show seems and looks great once its done but not many usually do it here in the states. Just not cost effective. Our normal method is 1/2" drywall with spackle covering the seems and nail holes. Much cheaper but not quite as nice. Ok to get back on topic, Jason you have any new pics of the room?
J


----------



## Jason

Jason DeSantis said:


> What you are describing is exactly what plastering is. Usually a thin layer of sheet rock with a 1/4" layer of plaster. Doesnt show seems and looks great once its done but not many usually do it here in the states. Just not cost effective. Our normal method is 1/2" drywall with spackle covering the seems and nail holes. Much cheaper but not quite as nice. Ok to get back on topic, Jason you have any new pics of the room?
> J


If I would have tried to skim out a layer of plaster over the whole wall I would have ran out of sandpaper fixing the mistakes.  It was my first time, probabbly my last too . I give lots of credit to those people that are good at it.

I will get some more pics up soon. I have a little work to do first. Been busy quarantining and taking care of new arrivals.


----------



## Energy

Jason said:


> If I would have tried to skim out a layer of plaster over the whole wall I would have ran out of sandpaper fixing the mistakes.  It was my first time, probabbly my last too . I give lots of credit to those people that are good at it.
> 
> I will get some more pics up soon. I have a little work to do first. Been busy quarantining and taking care of new arrivals.


OOOH what did you get?


----------



## pygmypiranha

Jason said:


> I will get some more pics up soon. I have a little work to do first. Been busy quarantining and taking care of new arrivals.


What sort of new arrivals?


----------



## Jason

Energy said:


> OOOH what did you get?





pygmypiranha said:


> What sort of new arrivals?


Frogs. I acquired 3 'Cainarachi Valley' imitators, 4 'Tarapoto' imitator, 4 Cayo de Aqua, and 4 el dorados. I'll post pics once they are out of quarantine.


----------



## pygmypiranha

Time to update your signature


----------



## Jason

Here is a little update. Just working on getting things cleaned up. 

Just looking back, I cannot beleive it has gone from this...










to this...









It is a photomerg because I cannot get a whole shot due to the room size.


A few others.


----------



## melas

Jason said:


>


Wow! This is looking very good! Very pro! Holy Broms in this viv! 

Did you build this tank? What are the approximate dimensions? What are you keeping in there?


----------



## AFHokie03

That tank melas commented on is awesome. Usually I don't like tanks stuffed full of broms but this one looks great!

Great room as well!


----------



## Jason

melas said:


> Wow! This is looking very good! Very pro! Holy Broms in this viv!
> 
> Did you build this tank? What are the approximate dimensions? What are you keeping in there?


Yea, I built it a few years ago, but now just getting around to setting it up. It seems like every time I set it up I have problems and have to tear it down. 1st time was the glass on the bottom broke, the second the light went bad. It is about 22" x 22" x 36". Right now I am keeping bromeliads in there , but maybe I will put a group of simmersi.


----------



## NorthernFrogguy1976

Wow fantastic room, the before and after pics are astounding. You did alot of work on that room! it looks clean and professional. I like


----------



## Energy

Yep- That is officially awesome!


----------



## frogfreak

Looks awesome!

I bet it's nice to finally see all the sweat and time pay off eh Jason 

The mudding wasn't that bad was it?  I've done my fair share.


----------



## eos

Damn... that room looks fantastic! the transformation is literally night and day. Awesome job.


----------



## stemcellular

Looking really nice.


----------



## Dartfrogfreak

I really love the way you used mainly 1 type of brom in that last tank. makes it look like its a naturally occuring colony
Very nice frog room!



Todd


----------



## kheckeroth

great work =) that room is amazing.


----------



## Fishman

Jason, I would love to learn more about the corner tank with the doors on two sides (how it was built and such) as well as details (what is in it) of the bottom center tank, lloks like moss and a water feature.

Thanks


----------



## Jason

Fishman said:


> Jason, I would love to learn more about the corner tank with the doors on two sides (how it was built and such) as well as details (what is in it) of the bottom center tank, lloks like moss and a water feature.
> 
> Thanks


Here is the build thread of the corner tank.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...-project-step-3-4-ventilation-great-stuf.html

The tank in the middle is just a quick tank I set up. It has proturf clay in it for substrate and just some moss I found to mess around with. It needs a lot of work.


----------



## Jason

A few pics.








Tarapoto imitator









90% Solid Orange Galact (Vivarium Concepts)
Shameless plug. I have what I believe are 2 females, a little over 2 years old. Looking for a male.  They or the parents are TWI registered, so same bloodline would be awesome.


----------



## chinoanoah

that imitator is too cute.


----------



## beav9900

any updates? very impressive room!


----------



## NickBoudin

This room is my inspiration for mine just so you know. I'll post it within the next few months. Thank you for documenting it all.


----------



## ryangreenway

Updates, please?


----------



## Jason

Not much new, but I will take some pics tonight. Stay tuned.

Summersi are laying lots of eggs. I lost my first few tads to drownings, but the rest are doing great. More morphing out as we speak. Seems like I get about 4 tads a week.

My Cainarachi Valley imitators are laying and I have just been letting them raise the tads. One morphed out so far. The Tarapota imitator have not been up to too much as I have seen. I may try splitting them up (have 4) to see what happens.

The Matécho tincs are laying lots, but no fertile eggs. Any suggestions?

No new tanks or frogs, but I have some project tanks on my list. Summer is here and we have been doing lots of landscaping outside and just enjoying the weather.


----------



## Jason

Left to Right























































Maetcho




























Tads (Summersi)




























Caught this little guy breaking for freedom.


----------



## chinoanoah

You rule dude. Video tour NEEDED.


----------



## Julio

pretty cool Jason, 
how are you keeping yoru summersi? how often do you mist?


----------



## Jason

Thanks for the complements.



Julio said:


> pretty cool Jason,
> how are you keeping yoru summersi? how often do you mist?


They are in a 40 gallon breeder vert with great stuff/moss/treefern/wood chip mixtue for the walls. About 8 horizontal film canisters embedded to the great stuff, 8 vertical ones. They lay eggs in the horizontal film canisters. If I miss a tad hatch, they disappear and I have been unable to find tads/froglets in the tank.

Tank is about 90% humidity, high of 78 degrees, low of 71 degrees. I was misting 3 times a day (900, 1400, 1700) for a minute per time, but I just changed that up by misting only once a day for 2 minutes, at 1300. We will see if that affects anything. RO water. TDS ~ 5. 

The frogs are always hiding and very skittish. They are from UE and I have a group of 4. No idea sexes.  Maybe some day I will try to split them up to figure it all out.

Feed every other day with mainly fruit flies. Sometimes I throw in some springtails. Dust with Herpivite, Rep-cal, and Repashy Calcium Plus.


----------



## sports_doc

Love it Jason.....!!

share more...


----------



## Jason

Photomerge, kind of sloppy, but you get the idea. Looking at the whole room from inside the doorway.


----------



## Julio

the center there looks like you have a wedge going, taht would be cool if it was like that too.


----------



## chinoanoah

Thanks, Jason. Looks cool. I love how clean your room is.


----------



## Energy

Very well done! I may have to bug you to come check it out in person sometime.


----------



## slipperheads

absolutely fantastic. Very clean, very inspiring!


----------



## frogfreak

Looks great Jason, but I think you forgot something...


Where's the Lazy-boy chair


----------



## beav9900

any frogs available? im in minneapolis and would meet you or make the drive down. thanks


----------



## Jason

beav9900 said:


> any frogs available? im in minneapolis and would meet you or make the drive down. thanks


No sorry, nothing yet, but feel free to come by anytime. I do know a few people in the area that have some stuff for sale. PM me.


----------



## dartboi101

Wow. Your Matecho are SICK! Where did you get them?


----------



## Jason

dartboi101 said:


> Wow. Your Matecho are SICK! Where did you get them?


I got them from a local frogger as adults, but I believe he got them at MWFF 2008 from Adam Butt.


----------



## nawth21

Looking good, I've love to get out of this apt and into a space with room. Of course I'd have to fight the husband for space, he wants a fish room.


----------



## Jason

nawth21 said:


> Looking good, I've love to get out of this apt and into a space with room. Of course I'd have to fight the husband for space, he wants a fish room.


lol, well when looking for a new house I let my wife pretty much have anything she wanted as long there was a space for a "frog room". I bet you two could "share" a basement.


----------



## nawth21

Jason said:


> lol, well when looking for a new house I let my wife pretty much have anything she wanted as long there was a space for a "frog room". I bet you two could "share" a basement.


Let me tell you, when two hobbies collide LOL he's into saltwater reef tanks and I've got my frog stuff. Space becomes a premium LOL though my tanks are more display style so I like having them in the living room and what not. We're in an uptown apt, not a lot of room for this kind of stuff!


----------



## Jarhead_2016

hehe well i understand that but its kinda different for me i do both saltwater reefs and frogs so im fighting myself on which to set up next atm frogs are winning 5 frogs tanks to 2 reef tanks sorry for hijacking the thread the room looks totally awesome wish i were there to check it out
-scotty


----------



## Amphiman

Hmmm...What kind of tanks are those? You have two in one top corner and two in the other top corner; each right next to each other? Are they acrylic? Where did you get them? Dimensions?


----------



## Dancing frogs

Jason, I may be blessed with a basement for the frogs in the coming months.
Did you have to run AC in the summer, or did geo-thermal cover it?


----------



## Jason

Dancing frogs said:


> Jason, I may be blessed with a basement for the frogs in the coming months.
> Did you have to run AC in the summer, or did geo-thermal cover it?


I have AC in the house and a vent in the room, but I doubt that even made a difference. I just kept the door open to the rest of the basement. On the hottest day I didn't really affect the room temps. I was planning on putting in a ventilation system if there were issues that would draw hot air out of the room near the ceiling and draw in cool air near floor using the rest of the basement.

The big thing is the winter. I have to keep the door shut and a heater on (It is plugged into a thermostat). It was a lot worse when the room was not insulated. Heater ran almost all the time. 

One thing to think about is the room I have them in has 3 walls that are in contact with the ground. I would think an inside room or a room with only 2 walls in contact with the ground would change things. Maybe warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter, but who knows.


----------



## Dancing frogs

Yeah, that makes sense.
I've pondered phase22 (to maintain the heat at night) inbedded in the tank, with big time lighting for heat...
Still beats paying out the butt for ac...it drives me bananas having to run the ac when it's not even 80 outside.
If it all comes true...I could even host a meet for once


----------



## Jason

That is awesome news. If you need any help moving tanks, just ask.


----------



## NVEOUS

That room is AMAZING!!! I believe I have caught the itch and now this is all I want to do in my spare time. Most definately inspiring. Are those 40G breeders in the left and right top?? Where did you happen to get the conversion kits for them?? 

Matt


----------



## Jason

NVEOUS said:


> That room is AMAZING!!! I believe I have caught the itch and now this is all I want to do in my spare time. Most definately inspiring. Are those 40G breeders in the left and right top?? Where did you happen to get the conversion kits for them??
> 
> Matt


Yes they are. I got them from a guy that got them from what was First Class Aquatics (FCA on here). He no longer makes them though. If I had to do it again I would make some glass ones. Either hinged or sliding doors.


----------



## Jason

Here is a little video explaining the room as of 10/12/10.


----------



## chinoanoah

Sweeeeeeeeeet!!!


----------



## GRIMM

DO WANT!!! Thanks for the awesome video! Very well thought out and organised set-up. 

How on earth do you need supplemental heating while running all those lights?


----------



## bgmike64

You're my hero!!


----------



## ryangreenway

What size are those Exo-Terras on the top shelf?


----------



## Jason

ryangreenway said:


> What size are those Exo-Terras on the top shelf?


18's I think.


----------



## fleshfrombone

That 90 is bad A man! Very cool room.


----------



## Mitch

Awesome. Nice work!


----------



## Jason

fleshfrombone said:


> That 90 is bad A man! Very cool room.


Thanks! It was a thorn in my side for many years. Here is a build on it.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...-project-step-3-4-ventilation-great-stuf.html


----------



## fleshfrombone

Jason said:


> Thanks! It was a thorn in my side for many years. Here is a build on it.
> 
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...-project-step-3-4-ventilation-great-stuf.html


I knew I recognized the tank. You did a great job planting it out. What's going in there?


----------



## Adamrl018

AWESOME room man!!


----------



## dkk08

A real awesome looking room, now that's top on my dream list, thanks for sharing man!


----------



## Chris155hp

Amazing. Put that on my "i Wish" list


----------



## Energy

Incredible! What a detailed build- very well done. I think I may need to make a trip down to check it out in person.


----------



## Saviorself

Awesome build thread! Cool to see some minnesotans on the board


----------



## Vagabond324

sweet room Jason, a pity it's all hidden away from your main house view, do you keep something upstairs to enjoy as you relax with the family? I keep 3 tanks on a nice shelf unit in my bedroom to enjoy as well as one in my family room. I do have a hobby room but am afraid to put a tank in there as I build models and think the dust, paint and glue vapors may affect the frogs. I also like your carbon air filter, I could use something like that in my hobby room. Did you mention that you built it? Thanks again for sharing, very cool.


----------



## Jason

Nope. My wife gave me specific orders. A frog room.  I think maybe some day I may put up a display tank upstairs, but I like to "get away" and play with frogs.


----------



## leuc11

all I can say Is WOW............. Thats awsome. I know how i'm doing my frog room


----------



## kain101

that room looks great. you put a lot of planning into it. lol, u do need a display tank upstairs too


----------



## dmartin72

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, you video is worth at least 10x that.


----------



## Arpeggio

Wow that's stunning!


----------



## Arpeggio

Tanks are inspirational. Good video btw.

Suscribing.


----------



## Jason

From this:










to this:


----------



## vivlover10

Awesome Summersi! Do you see them a lot?


----------



## stevenhman

Nice tad setup! I like the floating tad flats. Very slick.
What size tank is that?


----------



## leuc11

thats a pretty good tad setup


----------



## Tex22seg

What size are those exo terras?



Ps i can't tell you how jealous I am of you I've always wanted to have a frog room of my own.


----------



## southbay tropical

looks likes its gonna be a cool room congrats!


----------



## Hunter Wilson

has anyone ever built a frog vivarium or paludarium room where the whole room was the vivarium?


----------



## Sammie

Hunter Wilson said:


> has anyone ever built a frog vivarium or paludarium room where the whole room was the vivarium?



Yes, at least one member has done it. I can't recall the name of the thread but I'll see if I can dig it up for you.
Meanwhile this is kinda what you're speaking of:http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...9-building-14-feet-high-viv-palud-hybrid.html

Edit: I found it on the first try
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/46988-terrarium-room-build-pic-heavy.html

Edit2: Even though he calls it a greenhouse I think this counts as it's attached to the house:http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/22036-giant-terrarium.html


----------



## k5MOW

Very cool would love to have a room dedicated to frogs. 

Roger


----------



## Adirondack Chinchillas

Awesome room!!


----------

