# pumilio vivs



## twisner (Jul 7, 2005)

what are the necessary components of a vivarium for breeding pumilio and keeping them happy?
I am setting up 2 18 highs, 1 for a basti pair, 1 for a man creek pair.
I know that they like higher temps than many other darts, and I know that they need large broms for breeding/tads, so i will be including a couple n. compactas and super fireballs in each viv. 
Are there any other essentials for pumilio tanks that arent just normal for other dart tanks?


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## booboo (Jan 22, 2005)

I would like to see a couple of pumilio vivs if any of you would care to post some photos


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## cbreon (Apr 25, 2005)

*pum vivs*

One thing I would suggest is drilling your new vivs for drainage. This allows you to mist heavily without having to interupt the pums environment to empty out excess water. There are plenty of prior posts on drilling glass and installing bulkheads. You're probably going to need compact fluorescents to provide enough light for your broms. I would also suggest some kind of vent to allow some air circulation. Good Luck!!


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2006)

I have a pair of bastis and just finished there viv i will post pics for you.


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## Mantellaprince20 (Aug 25, 2004)

Here is a shot of my Man creek viv. Its an exo terra 18x18x18 cube. 










Basically, Use a few bromeliads, and lots of viney things like pothos and stuff. Make it thick as well . They seem to like having lots of cover,

ed parker


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

You don't need to drill for drainage, all you need is a layer of gravel or false bottom and you can siphon out extra water from the bottom. Also, if you plant too heavily at first, however nice it looks in the beginning, you will have an overgrown mess within months unless you constantly trim and remove stuff. Keep it simple. A pair of pumilios will utilize about three bromes, and those don't have to be big ones. A few small vines, mini-ivies and ficus climbing the cork walls, a small fern and perhaps some moss and Selaginella on the bottom will eventually give you a nice habitat in a small vivarium. I've learned over time that what looks good at first will overgrow and collapse-- and with just two or three bromes, a few small trailing vines and a sparse bottom planting, the pumilios will be perfectly happy, utilizing all areas of the tank from top to bottom. Don't use the big leaved house plants like pothos--go for the smaller ones. You are creating a mini-environment in a confined space, not an immediate tangled rain forest to pop off the lid or a very small tank. Keep your plantings to scale. The pumilios will adapt. They can raise tads in small brome axils-- don't need the big ones.


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## twisner (Jul 7, 2005)

i prefer tanks a bit overgrown compared to the simple, sterile breeding tanks that alot of people use :roll: so ugly...
is it ok?


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

I agree. I hate sterile looking tanks. Simple however, is not the same as the sterile breeding tanks you are referring to. I'm talking about initial overplanting and crowding of plants that are too large for their environment to begin with, and as they grow, turn out to be a mess. I've been there and done that over the years. Scaling the plantings to the space you have for your frogs can leave you years of nearly carefree maintenance. Trim and remove some overgrowth, but the basic plants still thrive, and so do the frogs. I need to re-vamp my paludarium after 6 years, as well as one of the pumilio tanks. One of my most beautiful initial creations, a 79 gallon bow full of bromes, has collapsed from the background after three years. The leuks are still enjoying it, but it's a big tangled mess. (On second look, maybe you're right. It's sort of cool.) The entire background of cocos panels has come away and folded over into the waterway, with the huge bromes that are now growing in odd directions, and the frogs are hopping around in this mess, happy as hell. I wouldn't enter a picture of this tank as "design of the month," however.


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## booboo (Jan 22, 2005)

Slaytonp, I know Tristan very well and i can tell you that the both of us think it is almost worthless when people throw in some leca then sphagnum 3 or so broms and creeping fig, mybe a piece of would.

I can also tell you we both like to overplant our tanks and make many propagations. I would say Tristan makes a begonia prop at least once a week or mybe a peperomia. We have the time to constantly trim and care for our tanks. I would think I think Tristan would agree that we like all our tanks to look like display tanks.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Some of the best advice I got early on was to drill for drains. Even if you don't use them right away they will come in handy later. I can tell you that the process of redoing all of the tanks to add drains is a pain, and takes a ton of time. 

Now if you only have a couple tanks then its not a big deal, but if you plan to get more down the road do your self a favor and drill now.


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## booboo (Jan 22, 2005)

How large of a drainage hole is needed?


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## cbreon (Apr 25, 2005)

*pums*

Drainage is not absolutely neccesary but the reason I recommended is for the same reason Kyle is stating, as well as the fact that it helps you maintain a more controlled environment. For keeping Pumilio it is important to be able to mist heavily and then allow the tank to dry. If you're misting twice a day, it will be tough for your enclosure to dry without good ventilation and a drain of some sort. Also, constantly siphoning water from an enclosure probably disrupts the frogs, at least somewhat. I have some larger pumilio tanks without drains and I wish I would have drilled them, but I have successfully bred pumilio in gravel bottom tanks. 
Boo Boo, Typically drains are either 1/2 inch, or 1 inch. If your interested, there are many posts regarding drains, bulkheads, and drilling aquariums.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2006)

I started a new thread on a simple system I am working on for draining a viv without drilling.

http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12307

I am going to put up a journal with pics soon, but I thought that this post would go along with the last few replies on this thread.


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## frogman824 (Aug 10, 2005)

Drilling is definitely the way to go. I just recently started drilling mine after I realized how much of a pain it is to clean out the tank a couple times a year. I glue PVC in the bottom to elevate the eggcrate and allow room for the pump to lay down on the bottom of the viv. The water builds up down there and I just plug the pump into the wall and allow the excess water to go into a bucket and just empty it....all done. 

Mike


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2006)

Thats a great idea im glad i work on my setups with you Frogman824


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## Jace King (May 5, 2004)

2 things i like in a pum viv is lots of springtails, and lots of leaf litter. Several larger broms, at least a 20 gal viv. All your hearing about water is very important and a misting/ drainage system would be ideal for pums.


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Mine are breeding right now in their quarantine tank. It is a ten with some broms, some cuttings, some wood, and a few film canisters and plastic shot glasses. So far, they have only used broms. I never intended this to be a breeding tank, but throw in some broms and plants and a few months down the line you'll have a good looking tank. My issue is that I'm going to be moving them into a different tank, so I'm not sure if they will keep raising the tads that they're raising if I move them and the broms into s new tank.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

I wouldn't move them until the tads turn to froglets. I don't know about the pumilios in particular, since I've never disturbed mine during tad raising, but I do know from experience, the imitators will start a new breeding cycle if strongly disturbed and stop feeding the tads. I would guess the pumilios might be as sensitive to this or more so. It's just too risky to chance it.


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## twisner (Jul 7, 2005)

thanks for all the great info guys.
Now what i am wondering is, even with these basic guidelines, are there any differences in viv requirements between red bastis and man creeks?


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