# 65 gallon ranitomeya build, pics from start to finish!!!



## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

Hi guys!

Its been a while since I had last kept any pdf's, but I recently purchased a house with my wife, and from the first time I saw the place I knew I was going to get another vivarium set up.

I really took my time setting this up because I wanted to make sure I did it right. Its been a little over a month since I started building it, and Ive been collecting materials for it for the past 3 months or so. I dont have any frogs in it yet, and theres still some work left to do before its ready, but I figured I was far enough along in the process to start a build thread.

This time I around I had the benefit of some past experience and mistakes, the two most important being the need for a light false bottom, and an automatic misting system. On my last large build I did not have easy access to the water in the bottom of the viv, which was a huge p.i.a. 

I started off this one with a false bottom made of egg crate that covers around 2/3 of the tank. The other third (the "marsh"/ drainage access side) has some hydro balls and featherlite towards the back and a small tad pond in the front that gives me easy access to siphon off excess water










I made some feet for the false bottom and made a point to make sure water could drain from them.










Once I had the false bottom complete, I put a few dabs of silicone on it to hold it in place while the tank was on its side for the background construction. This was really key for me because if I had not done it, I dont think I would have been able to get it in after the background was done.

I wanted to try a foam background, but I had some anxiety about it and only one tank, so I split the difference between some cork panels and some tree fern panels, only using the great stuff foam to fill in the cracks and secure cork branches to the background. I was shocked at how difficult to find small intact cork branches was, but I finally lucked out and was able to grab a couple at the white plains show. Heres a shot of the background before it was finished:










Once that was done I set out to cover the foam in coco fiber. I could have used peat to darken the color a little, but since the plan was to make it look like an arboreal ant's nest I thought the lighter color worked. I went with a slightly coarser coco fiber than I had originally intended because when I compared the two side by side I thought I would get better adhesion. I used 100% window silicone (ge1, the type thats used for windows and dax) and I was very happy with the results. Heres the finished background:










Once that was done, I started on the hardscape and substrate. I had orginally planned on buying a mixed substrate from an orchid site that allows you to select 12 of about 50 different available ingredients. They then mix it and ship, but again the reptile show solved the problem... sort of. I bought what two vendors called "abg" mix, and Ill try and say this as nicely as possible, but it wasnt. Ill be kind and call it "quasi abg premix". It had sphagnum, but it wasnt milled, it was completely missing the tree fern and orchid bark, and the charcoal was the home depot stuff, except it hadnt been broken down at all! after a few hours with a hammer, some scissors, and my trusty tin snips (which is crucial viv building equip imo) and adding in some reptibark and a little bit of tree fern I had, I ended up with a very nice airy substrate with very little peat (i wasnt not planning on growing too many terrestrial plants anyway, and I added some aquarium fert tabs close to the ones I did plant). To cover the front of the false bottom and also the hydro balls which were in the marsh area, I used an aquatic plant substrate called eco complete. Ive been dealing with this stuff for years, and it worked perfectly, the color between that and substrate is almost seemless. I then covered the substrate in about 1/2 layer of long fiber sphagnum and then topped that with about 1-2 inches of sand oak, live oak, magnolia, and grape leaves. Heres shot of the finished hardscape:










At this point I let everything sit for about a week and just looked at it everyday for a few minutes making minor adjustments and touching up the background if needed. I then added a pro-mist system, which i must say I am very happy with, though I need some more nozzles I think. Its amazing what a small amount of water it uses (approx 1 liter per nozzle per minute). I like this alot because it allows for a more natural rain storm cycle as opposed to 15 second bursts of water. I've been running it for around a minute or two once or twice a day for about a week, and it hasnt really added any noticeable water to the reservoir yet. 

And then unexpectedly the plants I ordered from Tropiflora (which I thought would take at least two weeks to get) showed up at my door. I couldnt be happier with the quality of the plants. all said I spent a little over $100 for plants and get a bunch of very nice broms, cryps, hoyas, ferns, and peperomias. The zoe cat brom is my absolute fav but they are were all very large, and mature (a lot with pups starting to form already), and all have nice coloration. Heres a shot of the tank right after planting (without the marsh done yet):










The following day, I went out to fishtown and got some anubias, dwarf baby tears, java fern, and christmas moss to finish off the tad pond. Its going to take some time before it really looks nice but I think I did a decent job with it:










I am still waiting for cobalt oxy pumps (these things are bad ass pumps, led lit, electronic, powerful, and dead quiet, at around $60 each I think they were a great pick up for this viv) and the micro fauna (four types of springtails- tropical white, tropical pink, temperate, and silver; and three species of isopods to start, but Im always down to get more bugs!), but that should all be in within the next 3-4 days. Once I set up the ventilation to keep the glass clear, and control temps (anyone know if I can hook an air pump or computer fan to an ecozone? Ive been toying with picking one up, but want to do a little more research first) I should be ready to get some frogs.

I was originally thinking southern variabilis, but a buddy of mine has some vanzos, and we are kicking around the idea of trading my green tree python for a group 6-8. I want to make sure I get a ranitomeya that does well in groups and will make use of the terrestrial space since despite my best efforts, its not the most "Arboreal" set up. I think it will provide plenty of cover up top when its grown in, but with all that leaf litter, why not choose a frog that will appreciate it. Im open to a lot of different species, and Ive considered vents, vanzos, vari's, sirensis, benedicta, and retics; but at this point, unless I can find a nice group of sirensis (I think they would do well in this set up), Im probably going to go with Vanzos. 

Anyway, thanks for looking, Ill keep updating as things occur. Id love to hear your thoughts!


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## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

Wow, I was really hoping to get some feedback on the viv 

Id be really interested to get some opinions on the number of misting nozzles I should have. The pro-mist system emits a really fine mist which is nice because it gets good coverage throughout the viv, but I think i need at least two more nozzles to make sure everything is getting enough water. 

Thanks all!


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## froggorf (Nov 22, 2008)

The viv looks very nice, I think you'd do well with at least 4 nozzles. Since the tank is still newly built you won't see that water start to accumulate yet but I think you'll soon see that misting for 1-2 minutes will be too much and your substrate will likely saturate. Short bursts a few times per day should be fine for thumbnails and of course you can adjust accordingly. In a tank that size I'm sure a group of vanzos would do well, and I think 6-8 is a good number. Pretty much any of the thumbs you mentioned would work, but if you're talking about standard lamasi/sirensis you'd probably have to take out a second mortgage to pay for them. I'm a huge fan of benedictas but some say they aren't bold enough (mine are  ). Vanzos, vents and variabilis are probably your best option. Your list of feeders sounds like a good start and I'd give them at least 2-4 weeks to establish before adding frogs. Again, nice tank and good luck!


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## goncalo (Jun 28, 2010)

What kind of top lid do you have ? Any ventilation on top ?


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## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

Its a regular aquarium lid and there are only a few very small holes for ventilation. i have a 40mm computer fan recycling the air inside the tank plumbed in a horse shoe set up and I did drill three small holes on the suction manifold to allow some fresh air in. They can also easily be covered if I need to adjust the humidity or temp. 

Ill post some pics later on today. It worked out really well and was surprisingly simple to do. I was able to dry fit all the pvc and the only tools needed were a drill w/ 1 3/8" hole saw, and a pair of pliers. I got a 2" outside reducer and sat the fan in it drilling a small hole to run the wires through, and then a 1"-2" inside reducer that holds it firmly in place. Then it was just 1" plumbing. I took some fiberglass screen wrapped it around a small 1" long piece of pvc that I had sanded down a little and dry fit it in to a 90 which made the screen perfectly tight and secure, so frogs can get up in to the intake or exhaust manifolds. The whole thing cost less than $40 and is dead quiet.


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## zimmerj (Aug 20, 2014)

Peekskillfrogger said:


> The following day, I went out to fishtown and got some anubias, dwarf baby tears, java fern, and christmas moss to finish off the tad pond. Its going to take some time before it really looks nice but I think I did a decent job with it:


Are you talking about fishtown in Philly? Where did you go?

Where do you get those tree fern and cork panels? That looks really sweet! You're giving me inspiration for my build.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

froggorf said:


> The viv looks very nice, I think you'd do well with at least 4 nozzles. Since the tank is still newly built you won't see that water start to accumulate yet but I think you'll soon see that misting for 1-2 minutes will be too much and your substrate will likely saturate. Short bursts a few times per day should be fine for thumbnails and of course you can adjust accordingly.!


While I agree, that 1-2 minute mistings is over kill, there was a very nice established 90 gallon viv that was up here at one point and the OP did say he misted for 1 minute intervals.. however he only did that every other day and not multiple times a day or even daily. With that being said, My misting schedule was always for 10-15 second intervals a few times a day and even than it could be over kill at times, its all about proper nozzle pointing as different plants have different requirements. You would be surprised at how little misting our frogs need as long as the humidity is kept at a decent number. Froggorf was right though, vanzo's would be a good choice for the viv! However, I have a 1.2 breeding trio and there is at times some girl on girl aggression, so be prepared if you go with a group to have a few odd balls to pull from the viv if some fighting does take place.


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## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

HI guys,

As promised, here are some pics of the ventilation system:




























Before anyone says anything about it, both the intake and exhaust ports inside the viv have a fiberglass screen barrier that will prevent animals from getting up in to the fan area. I just cut screen to size and put it over the 1" plumbing that went in to the 90's. It made for a perfect fit that didnt even require glue, and then I just trimmed off the excess with a razor! 

And now some updated viv shots after getting some more plants in. The ferns werent doing well so I replaced them with some more broms (neo sp. echo, mini skirt, and the classic mo' peppa please) I couldnt be happier with the quality of the broms and the very reasonable price point. 






































And now for the most exciting news of the day! I just ordered two aquatic life edge 36" leds because my current light is just too hot. I am really excited about trying these lights out. I looked at a number of different options, but for the price point ($160 each), output, and features (this was the only shortcoming, but there were enough to make it worthwhile) this light couldnt be beat. Each one is 60w with 48 w of actual output (on par with a dual t5 strip). They have three separate channels and a built in timer. It doesnt have as many features as I would have liked but there is a sunrise and sunset feature and lunar lights. The sunrise and sunset can last between 10 min and 2 hours, and since I have two of the lights I end up with a lot more control over the output than if I only had one. I am not aware of anyone else using these lights on a viv, and will do a thorough review when they come in on Wednesday. I almost went with the jungle hobbies dual led, but Ive heard of issues with the mounting on 36" tanks and didnt want to spent that kind of money on something that might not work. Im still looking in to it though and might decide to try it out down the road. 

If I end up really missing any of the features the more advanced lights have I can always add a current satellite plus just to get the storms and other functionality the edges are missing. Ive seen these edge lights on freshwater planted tanks and they are bright! 

Ive also inquired on alibaba about a few 36" lights with 3 watt cree emitters and loads of control options. They come in around $400 with all of the controllers and accessories, but they are really nice and are on par with the output from a maxspect razor or ai hydra. I might go ahead and get one of these too just to try it out and if I like it Im sure I could sell the edges with no problem, and if not selling the Chinese light shouldnt be an issue either. 

Frogs are coming next week! Ill update when the lights come in.


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## Drewbacca (Apr 5, 2014)

That is a great looking setup! Where did you order your broms from?


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## goncalo (Jun 28, 2010)

Can you let me know how you did the water feature ? I normally never add water to my terrariums because when i did i always get problems. You let the water from false bottom to touch that water of the lake ?


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## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks to everyone who has checked out this post! I should have frogs by this wednesday hopefully! Cultures are up and running and the microfauna in the viv has exploded (Im not sure if springtails will hybridize, but Im seeing springs in there unlike anything I originally put in).

The broms came from Tropiflora in Florida, and I really cant say enough positive things about those guys! The plants come in with great color, always well packaged, they are always larger than what I was expecting, and they seem to transition into the viv with very little issue. There is some initial shock, but after about a week, they start growing and really coloring up.




















I guess you could call it a water feature, but technically its just an access pond to siphon off the water that collects in the false bottom. There are no pumps, filters, or equipment of any kind, and the water in it is just run off from the misting system. I selected marsh plants that were a little cold tolerant, and its been so-so with the growth. The anubias and java ferns are doing great, the moss is failing, and the dwarf baby tears are doing well out of the water but not so good underwater. I really just wanted access to drain the water out of the viv easily but I figured I might as well dress it up a little. 











I have all of the LED's up an running and its made a pretty dramatic difference in the plant growth and color. Most importantly it has stabilized the temperature so it is never above 80 or below 65. I went with two aquatic life edges, and with the exception of a slightly purplish hue (which isnt unpleasant, just not what everyone may be looking for in a viv light) it is an excellent viv option at a very reasonable price point (around $180 for 36" fixture). It has a built in digital timer with three channels that is easy enough to set and has a cool adjustable sunrise/sunset mode preprogrammed for one hour. Using about 100 .5w led's it is bright (maybe too bright for some applications), and the stronger diodes then the current led penetrate deeper into the viv, so I have strong growth even on the bottom of the viv and in shaded areas.










This is a side shot showing some of the new undergrowth in a shaded part of the viv. 

Theses two lights were probably more than enough to provide adequate light, but I wanted to warm up the color a little and have some more features to play with, so I also added a current satellite freshwater+. I couldnt be happier with this light! The control along with all of the features and lighting modes it offer make it well worth the fairly modest price, even if it is not the most powerful led out there (I purchased the 36-48" for $88 though they are usually a little more than that). I think these units would be adequate for most low light applications and possibly higher light apps if multiple units are used (I wouldnt use less than 4 over my 65 gallon). They only put out 25 watts, but theyre still very bright to the eye. The rgb diodes allow you to dial in the exact color temp you are looking for and then save it on the included remote. 



















Overall, Im thrilled with the combination of these lights. Ive got 123 watts of power and all the control I could want for about $400 total.










the next post will have vanzo pics, hopefully by this coming Wednesday!


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

You made a masterpiece, in my opinion!


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## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

Wow, thanks man. Thats a really nice thing to say!!! I spent a lot of time planning before I did anything, and I see a marked improvement from my past attempts. But this is nowhere close to the level of a lot of vivs Ive seen on dendroboard. 

Im hoping as the plants grow in and the tank matures it will take on a more natural look, and I really wish I had done the background at least partly on to the sides to give it a little more of a three dimensional feel, but the plants seem to be doing well, the temps and humidity are steady, and I think it will make a great home for the group of vanzo's I have coming tomorrow!

I should have some pics up by tomorrow night.


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## zimmerj (Aug 20, 2014)

Peekskillfrogger said:


> Wow, thanks man. Thats a really nice thing to say!!! I spent a lot of time planning before I did anything, and I see a marked improvement from my past attempts. But this is nowhere close to the level of a lot of vivs Ive seen on dendroboard.


I think it's always best when you plan well! Especially when you can execute your vision.


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## smoosh (Oct 25, 2014)

Tank looks great! I'm also running the same light over my newly setup 75 gallon. I use the ramp up/down for all two hours! Makes a nice transition! How long do you have yours on all day?


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