# My Little Slice of the Jungle - Ch1: Chazuta!



## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Hey everyone! This is what I have:




4gal ABG mix
25qt Josh's Frogs false bottom
6 cans great stuff - gaps and cracks
Peat Moss
Mister
Excelsior
Herptivite dust
Calcium w/Vit. D dust
Gal Titebond II
Brewer's yeast
Methyl Paraben
Sphagnum moss
Fly culture cups + lids
Screen separator
5x black film canister 
Temp thermometer 
Mite spray
4gal mag leaves
Various wood bits, baked.




46g bowfront aquarium



Some of the wood has some nice coloring on it. Hopefully the lichen will encourage moss growth. We'll see.

And some dead shrooms:



4x 96w PC. 
(I also have a fixture that holds a 24" T5 and 2 screw bulbs. Can't decide which I'm going to use.


And this is what I'm going to put in there (thanks to DB member Captain Ron)!





There will be 5 of these guys. I don't have them yet, but shortly. 

And sorry for the abysmal image quality of this next set. -_-





















Some of them got a bit too much sun/heat, but have been brought in and are coming back nicely. I'm honestly not sure if some or any of them will actually grow in the viv, but I have high hopes! If you know, please let me know. I'll probably be picking up some broms shortly too.

Well, that's it for now! Construction photos hopefully tomorrow.


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## Mike1980 (Apr 10, 2013)

Good luck. Everything looks good. I'm starting a new viv also! Looking foward to pics.


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## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

Looking forward to this, looks like it's gonna be a good one

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## Halter (Jul 28, 2012)

Love bowfronts they can make such nice vivs....Id really love to make on for some Vietnamese Mossy Frogs.


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## GP dynamite (Feb 19, 2013)

Start two FF cultures before starting the viv and best of luck with the build and frogs. 

Ed
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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Thanks guys! Melos and springs are a go too. I realized I need a tad bit more wood before I great stuff the background. So, thats on the schedule for tomorrow! 

This is a preliminary hardscaping, obviously on a gs back, not the plastic.








Mark
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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

So I looked in on my mister and found some kind of buildup in there. Apparently some odd number of months ago I left water in it and now it looks like this.









All thats ever been in it was water for misting. No chemicals ever. Any idea what it is? I tried to scrub it off with a rag and its pretty stuck on there. Any ideas?

















If no one here knows, looks like ill be picking up a new mister. :thumbdown:

Mark

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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

I don't know what that is, but I would get the bigger one from Home Depot if I were you, I'm pretty sure that thing will break on you in a few months. I had like 3 of those things smh. I had this bad boy for like 2 yrs so far, and I have no problems. I paid $8.


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## Elliot (Apr 6, 2011)

Markw said:


> So I looked in on my mister and found some kind of buildup in there. Apparently some odd number of months ago I left water in it and now it looks like this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did you use RO water or water from the tap in that mister? The only thing that I can think of is calcium deposits. It doesn't really look like calcium deposit, but you said it is pretty tough to get off and calcium deposits are pretty hard.


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

B-NICE said:


> I don't know what that is, but I would get the bigger one from Home Depot if I were you, I'm pretty sure that thing will break on you in a few months. I had like 3 of those things smh. I had this bad boy for like 2 yrs so far, and I have no problems. I paid $8.


Woah nice. This was like $15 when I bought it. Nuts. It worked like a champ though for the few months that i used it. Ill definitely head there to see if I can find one.







Elliot said:


> Did you use RO water or water from the tap in that mister? The only thing that I can think of is calcium deposits. It doesn't really look like calcium deposit, but you said it is pretty tough to get off and calcium deposits are pretty hard.


I used bottled water. Thats whats so weird to me. Who knows. But now that I see the HD version is half the price, ill just pick one up.

Thanks guys!
Mark

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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

mildew maybe?


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

I bought the 2 gallon reservoir pump sprayer. I like that i only have to fill it about once a week, but it would be easier to cart around the 1 gallon pump sprayer.
Either way, the home depot one's are the way to go.


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## jkooiman (May 2, 2010)

Hi Mark, I noticed a few of your plants that will need to be ditched. The variegated Pachysandra terminalis, the (what appears to be) Euonymous fortunei cultivar, the Ajuga, and the Sedum spurium. Sorry, those are all temperate plants-not really suitable for a vivarium. Good luck! JVK


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Well, after dealing with car trouble for a bit, I went out today and brought home all of this:









































Andddd this is what the tank stands at now:








Still not certain if all of those will grow in there, but they look and feel like they would. I have high hopes for the broms. I underestimated their size by a good margin, though. Haha.

Also, I got the bag of pebbles on a whim in hopes to use them in the very small pond and to hide the eggcrate and false bottom. Do you think itd bd okay, or should I look for something that seems a bit more like real rock? This looks like it might be giving off a clay-like water. The bag says it wont degrade or disintegrate. It was $3.

Thanks!
Mark

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## dallas green and gold (Jan 30, 2013)

Bottled water has added salt Nd that is probably salt deposit from the bottled water

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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Any idea on the pea pebbles guys?

Mark
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## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

Markw said:


> Any idea on the pea pebbles guys?
> 
> Mark
> Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2


Probably fine. It could just be dust that you're seeing. Try rinsing it(which you should do anyway). If it still clouds the water, there may be a problem (but probably not), or could be minerals from the water(like salt, as previously mentioned) 

If it were me, I'd use it. I used to use gravel/ sand from hardware stores and similar for aquarium all the time. Usually the only occasional issue would be certain rocks can raise pH, but sometimes that's good. I'm rambling now. 

Rinse the rocks, and you should be fine. Pea just refers to the pebble size I believe

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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Here we go! Day 1, guys. This is what the tank looks like. Some of the plants are still wilted from the transplant. I hope they make it. Especially that peperomia. 

Stock:
3x fern
1x peperomia
1x misc trailing plant (ID please?)
2x bromeliad
1x begonia
1x misc. broadleaf plant (last photo in first post
1x pathos clipping
2 species of moss (some covered by leaves)
Duckweed



If all goes well, it should grow in nicely in a month or two! 

Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Hey everyone! Today, my tank gained its inhabitants! They've been chirping since I put them in there. Quite sweet little guys!

This guy and another share the purple brom in there. They've set up camp and haven't moved. 


And one from the cell phone:


Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Just another shot from today.



Mark


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## MKammerer (Apr 21, 2008)

Any chance that vine is Creeping Jenny? Lysimachia nummularia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## rmetke (Apr 17, 2013)

It's looking awesome, Mark. Nice work.


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Just a quick update. Everyone is doing great. I'm really loving these guys. They have a great personality. Very inquisitive. I definitely have at least one calling male. So I'm pretty excited about that. I'll see if I can snag a video in a bit. There are a particular two that really enjoy one another's company, and are sharing a particular bromeliad frond. 

Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Froggie fix for today.





Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

So, here we stand after 30 days. 



Some of the plants have grown in quite nicely. The broms are taking well, the ferns are doing great. I was really pulling for that trailing plant in the right pot to make it, but I realized the problem was that the PC lights were flat on the glass, and so were scorching it. By time I realized, it was too late. So, I replaced it with african violets. Clearly not the best choice to put there. They seem to be growing fine, but they're certainly not the most attractive plant in the world.

The begonia in the bottom has all but withered away. I'm not too sure why, but my guess is it was not the species that should be growing in the viv, and was simply too wet. So, I'm going to have to pull it. 

I'm thinking of reducing the "river" to a VERY small pond in the front, and filling in the rest as usable land.

I'm also probably going to be adding more wood, and I have made vines that I'll be hanging. I'm honestly quite a bit unsatisfied with the tank overall. I'm feeling that it's quite a bit sparse. I'm not sure if I so much like the large broms in there, either. I feel like they simply take up too much space, and the frogs really only use the one on the left anyhow. Partly, I feel, because of the river. 

So, I have alot of thinking to do. Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated. I've noticed that 3 of the frogs stay in different parts of the purple brom, one stays in the leaf litter or on the glass, and one is in the trailing plane in the top left. So, they're only using 1/3 of the tank. No good. Clearly a mistake on my part in hardscaping.

So, to help remedy this, I've got these on order:

(1)


(1)


(1)


(1)


(1)


(2)


(1)


And I'm thinking about one of these:



I'm also thinking about replacing the moss in the bottom. It's turned quite brown. I'm not sure if it's from dumping the dusted flies on it, or it's not getting enough light, or it's simply not the right kind of moss. Either way, I don't think there's enough light in the viv. I'll be picking up some LEDs quite soon (within the next 2 weeks). I'll be picking up some JD units. I'm just not sure how many I will need since I've never worked with LEDs before that weren't in full-length fixtures. What would you guys recommend?

Thanks so much for sticking this out! More updates to come!
Mark


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## scoy (Jan 22, 2013)

A ton of leaf litter spread out over the mosd will encourage the frogs to forage for microfauna and give them more hiding places. This should bring them out and get them to use alot more of your viv. One thing to keep in mind when designing your vivs is moss just looks good but isnt benificial to your frogs. I like your idea of more wood too. Other than that it looks great, good job.


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Today I went out and swept up 247 local isos to start a power culture. 

The kitty thinks their home is quite interesting (before adding any isos).


And here are some adults. About 30% of the culture is this size. 70% are under 1/3" in size to ensure a longevity.


Also picked up:

Calathea Ornata
Pilea Mollis
Anthurium

Now just waiting for the broms to come in!

We'll see!
Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Getting a bit of a belly. I wish theyd pop me put some tads!










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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Hey everyone! I'm back with a MAJOR update! 

For starters, I took my tank: 



Added:

1x neo fireball
1x neo grenada x royal flush
1x neo winnie the pooh
1x crypt (sp)
1x anthurium
1x cissus discolor
1x pilea mollis
1x Ficus pumila var. quercifolia (not planted yet)
1x calathea ornata

2x wood pieces
1x gal ABG mix
1x gal mag leaves
4x 13w Jungle Dawn LEDs

minus 2/3 water feature and moss

and got this:



Now, as for the jungle dawns, I was SHOCKED at how bright they are! I had (2) 96w power compact lights on the tank. I took them off and put these on with a shocking difference! 

I can only assume some of you are photo buffs too. So, I took a few screenshots to prove to you that the following photos have had no editing done. Please notice that the photos were taken with the exact same settings. Both exposure and white balance were equal here.

Before (2x96w PCs):


After (4x13w JDs), same settings:


Clearly, there's alot more light there. Let's just see how much. To get roughly the same exposure as with the PCs:



The first two photos were taken at:

1/15s
ISO500
F/9

To get the same (roughly) exposure with the JDs, the exposure settings used were:

1/50s
ISO500
F/9

You'll notice that the histograms are almost identical. Obviously they're slightly different due to the different output patterns of the light. The JDs are clearly more directional, whereas the PCs were flooding. 

Taking all that into account, *the exposure difference is 1 2/3 stops*. With each stop being the equivalent of doubling the light, that's *332% more light* coming out of the JDs that was coming from the PCs. Impressive!

Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

I'm happy to announce that two of the broms are officially inhabited! I have 2 frogs living in the Winnie the Pooh (right), albeit on opposite sides of the brom. One is living in the grenada x royal flush (center). There's one on the glass, and one MIA. I have a feeling he may have found his way to the inside of a brom too, and I just haven't spotted him yet. They're not using the centers yet; staying in the outside axils.

Mark


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## 1995sportster883 (Dec 16, 2012)

Very nice! 

Adam


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

I just wanted to pop back in and tell you guys just how much of a difference the LEDs make in terms of temperature of the tank! 

When using my PCs, I had to keep the lights elevated by 2.5", keep the ceiling fan on high (about 10 feet away from the lights) to cool the top of the tank, and keep the AC (1 foot from the tank, not blowing on the glass) on 68 just to keep the tank temp at 74º. With the LEDs, I turned the ceiling fan off and, with the AC on 70º, the tank is staying at 70.8º. And that's with all 4 bulbs in the exo terra fixture sitting directly on the glass! I really couldn't be happier with these bulbs. They're phenomenal. 

Mark


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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Well guys, I have good and bad news. 

The good news:
The frogs are doing great! There's definitely at least one male in there. He's starting to call a bit, I just can't spot him when he does it! They're eating like horses, too. The plants are growing in just great.

The bad news:
The landlord found out that I was keeping 4000 flies, and hundreds of isopods/springtails in the closet. So, since my lease is up for renewal, she's saying she'd have to raise the rent $50 as a security measure. I tried to explain to her just how much of a NON-threat the bugs are, but she wasn't having it. I'm already paying the $50 for my cat. Ridiculous.

So, I'm going to have to let go of my little guys, and after such a short time! I'm quite disappointed. I'm very, very proud of how my viv turned out, and these guys have such a great personality. I am really saddened by the turn of events. D:

There will be a marketplace posting in the Frog Classifieds section. I'd like to sell the tank, stand, plants, frogs, and some accessories as a bundle.

Mark


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

Ugh this sucks bro. In not a cat guy so I'd say get rid of the cat but I understand that's not an option. Good luck with whatever comes of it though.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I think you should move.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

frogface said:


> I think you should move.


Right after releasing some bugs Bwahaha


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

I think she is stupid rather than ignorant. And it's better to stay away from stupid! If you can, better to move house!


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

That's foolish, but she doesn't know any better.


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## Halter (Jul 28, 2012)

Dude that sucks! Well maybe in the future you can restart. That viv looks great

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## Markw (Jun 27, 2011)

Thanks guys. 

I will definitely be picking up where I'm unfortunately leaving off. Bad choice in domicile for this semester and next is all. And she's not stupid, she's just unreasonable and stubborn. That's far worse. -_-

Mark


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