# Standing Water in Viv



## tkaupp (May 11, 2017)

Hey all, first time posting here.

I'm moving a small colony of p. vittatus into a 36x18x18 exo terra, and I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on keeping a small (about a quarter of the viv), shallow (about 2") body of water in the viv? 

A lot of people on here are interested in moving water features, is there anything wrong with still water?


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## Erikb3113 (Oct 1, 2008)

Nope, just have to change it periodically 

Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Easiest way to do it. I just take one of those rock-lookin water bowls and nestle it down into the leaf litter.

Mark


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## reefer (Apr 9, 2017)

The problem with standing water is that it can quickly become anaerobic and stagnant, making smelly hydrogen sulfide. If it's small enough to evaporate after a couple days it should be fine, but any standing water (I think) for longer than a few days will start to grow those anaerobic bacteria which may cause an issue or it may not cause an issue.


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## dmb5245 (Feb 7, 2014)

reefer said:


> The problem with standing water is that it can quickly become anaerobic and stagnant, making smelly hydrogen sulfide.


I wonder about this. I imagine many if not most vivs with an egg-crate false bottom have a shallow water table at all times without causing problems. Do you think a water feature is any different?


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## tkaupp (May 11, 2017)

I'm using an eggcrate false bottom, supported by pvc pipes. 

Would it be wise to use some kind of filter or pump to keep the water moving?


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

I have a water feature/draining area in the front of my tanks since I don't drill for bulkheads. I drain the tanks with an aquarium siphon. I can attest to the water smelling pretty bad. 

I've been experimenting with small amounts of 3% hydrogen peroxide 15ml added to the ~1-2gallon of standing tank water. My java moss still grows and so far no smell. Someone can chime in if I'm wrong but I was advised heavily diluted h2o2 is only toxic to microbes including algae and mold.


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## serial hobbiest (Mar 5, 2017)

Hydrogen peroxide is not so much toxic as it is... what's the word I'm looking for? - It burns the heck out of things. It's a powerful oxidizer. At near pure concentrations (>80%) it will literally set fire to organic materials with no ignition!

So, it is my opinion (and this is pure speculation), that if you're using hydrogen peroxide at strong enough concentrations to permeate microbial cell membranes and destroy them, I can't see it being very good for a frog's skin... especially when they have to live with it indefinitely. I would only experiment with this as you are, if I could be absolutely sure there is no chance of the peroxide wicking up through your substrate.

Then again it's also useful to know that it deactivates quickly. As it oxidizes, it breaks down into oxygen and water. It's not a chemical that's going to hang around for very long anyhow. It might last only few hours in scummy water at the most before it's all consumed, so keep that in consideration too.


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## AuroraK (Mar 29, 2017)

I'm still a newbie, but I have some mostly-standing water in my viv where I used pebbles to make a small "pond" in the false bottom, though I kept the substrate barrier under the pebbles (photo attached). This was originally part of a water feature, but as noted by many others, I don't really use it (I turn it on for a few seconds a few times a week - but more and the substrate gets too wet). Anyway, it's been that way for about 4 months and smells and looks great - I keep live plants in it which may help. Or maybe in a few months I'll be back telling everyone I filled it in because it started smelling funky...


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## tkaupp (May 11, 2017)

So far, the standing water in my vivarium looks, and smells great. I'm definitely interested in introducing emerged plants, partially for looks, partially as a way to keep water quality up.


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## salvz (Nov 3, 2014)

Standing water is not necessarily a problem, although it could be if you have lots of waste and dead prey items accumulating in there. Assuming that's not the case, adding some plant cuttings (e.g., pothos) or aquatic plants if deep enough will help nutrient cycling and may be sufficient. Otherwise, you can just siphon/out or replace periodically.


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## TheForSaken (Nov 21, 2016)

A pond area in a vivarium can be both functional 'syphon area' and aesthetically pleasing.
You just have to think it through before making anything permanent. 
Seems like a few members are having difficulties trying to seal off an area, with no success. Use the runoff to your advantage and simply incorporate it into your pond build.
If you know that your water level is going to be around 2", be sure to raise your false bottom above that level, and with room to spare.
Mine has only been running a few sort weeks but so far no foul smell.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

I disagree with reefer concerning standing water, by itself, being a problem. In any system, with moving water or no, there will be areas that have lower dissolved oxygen. If nutrients are available in these spots for microbial growth, the microbes will tend toward metabolic processes that release hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The microbes that do this require lower-oxygen environments so unless your shallow water feature develops a surface scum or gets covered with a contiguous layer of floating plants, it will have sufficient oxygen, through diffusion from the air, to prevent it from becoming anoxic and starting to stink.

Go down a centimeter or two into the sediment at the bottom of most water features, however, and you will find anoxic layers and pockets where microbes are producing hydrogen sulfide. The microbes can also secrete mucus that blocks oxygen diffusion and encourages anoxic pockets. Siphoning your water feature or false bottom will tend to stir up these layers and release the H2S even if the undisturbed water feature has fine water quality and no smell.

I would say the primary concern about a water feature in a frog viv is the loss of forage area (assuming you keep dart frogs). If that is not your concern I don't think you need to worry about giving a standing water feature a try...


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