# Dartboards WINTER Viv: Black and White, Cave, Geode, Sherman Vent,



## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

GREETINGS!

You know those photos that are black and white, but then they have one thing popping out with color? That is what I am going to do with this build.


Take this photo as an example, except change the umbrella for a nice bright dart frog!










Everything in the vivarium will be a shade of black/gray/white. I am going to try hard to have very little green or any other color as much as possible. Here is some info on what I am going to make

1. The viv will be a 24x24x24 cube 
2. European style sliding doors in the front
3. Sherman Vent in the front http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/90907-sherman-ventilation.html

4. It will have fake rock moutain type structures (made out of greatstuff, and drylock) that will be painted black with white brushed over the top

5. There will be a cave in one of the hills that will reveal some geode with white quartz in it

6. There will be a river running down between the two hills to the front where the entire front portion will be in water.

7. Here is a list of some of the plants I am looking at that seem to be blackish/whitish. If anyone has any of these I would love to know just how gray/black they are:

Plat’s Black Brass Button (black fern ground cover)
Black Mondo Grass
Black fancy begonia 
Silver lace fern?
Victorian brake fern
Seleginella (frosty fern)
Mikado
Polypodium Formosanum
monkey ears
Cryptanthus 'Black Mystic' 
Pilea Pubescens (silver cloud) 

8. I would love to get this black brom, but dont feel like paying over $200 australian dollars to get it










9. The ground cover will not be leaf litter, but will be small strips of white birsh or aspen. I know it breaks down quicker but I am willing to replace more often to get this look. If anyone knows is birch or aspen would be better I would love to know

10. Underneath the tank in the false bottom (actually in the mountain/hills made out of great stuff) there will be a water proof clear box where I am going to place lights. These lights will have windows to a few places in the viv. One of the places is the cave so the light will shine on the quartz. Another place is the river. The river will have a clear plastic bottom (covered by rocks) so if a red light is shined under it, there will almost be the look of lava.

11. There will be a few pieces of branching wood that will be pitch black color

12. The frogs will ideally be the only color in the entire tank (except when I have the red light on for fun)

13. Right now the frogs I am leaning towards that I think would look the best with this winter/black and white tank is the Red galacts. I think they be awesome in this style viv.

14. Depending on how much I enjoy this I will make a viv for the other 3 seasons as well (spring, summer, fall)

I am going to be getting the glass in next week to begin, so I am still open to any suggestions and ideas anyone may have for my black and white viv. Thanks


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

P.S. Instead of that black bromeliad, I think I will get some of the fake plastic ones that are sold and paint them grays and whites and blacks.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

As someone who has tried to do this what you usually find is that man did that plant that didn't look green in the store have a lot of green when you try to put it in the tank.


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## xTimx (Mar 14, 2013)

dont forget about the white marble queen pothos  

also there's a japanese painted fern which looks amazing.


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## otterblue (Jun 18, 2008)

That is such a cool and unique idea. 

I wonder if you could soak plants in black food coloring - probably wouldn't work but I was thinking of a class lesson where sticking a stem in food-colored water changed the color of the petals (not the leaves though).

Anyhow, it will be awesome to see it when it's done.


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

Pubfiction said:


> As someone who has tried to do this what you usually find is that man did that plant that didn't look green in the store have a lot of green when you try to put it in the tank.


Yea, I kind of realize there is going to be some green, I hope it still looks cool with it being mainly dark plants. I think it the viv is close to my other vivs that are bright green that it will look even darker.



xTimx said:


> dont forget about the white marble queen pothos
> 
> also there's a japanese painted fern which looks amazing.


THANKS! both of those look awesome. White plants have been harder to find, and that pothos looks great. I wonder if I spend enough time looking around if I could find one that is high on the white side and low on the green



otterblue said:


> I wonder if you could soak plants in black food coloring - probably wouldn't work but I was thinking of a class lesson where sticking a stem in food-colored water changed the color of the petals (not the leaves though).


I was reading that a lot of people that have ponds in their yards put a black pond dye into the water. It creates a neat look and it supposedly doesn't hurt the fish at all. Im not sure I would dare test it with a frog to know if they would be any different. Anyone ever have experience with this?


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## otterblue (Jun 18, 2008)

You could end up with some solid black frogs. =)

And then people could dye them all different colors and the "mixed tank" posts would be gone forever! j/k


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Begonia "little night music" has very dark, near black leaves. I have one. It's a nice compact mini rhizomatous. I bought it on EBay


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

otterblue said:


> You could end up with some solid black frogs. =)
> 
> And then people could dye them all different colors and the "mixed tank" posts would be gone forever! j/k


Lol, I cant imagine what the backlash on here would be from dyed frogs.



aspidites73 said:


> Begonia "little night music" has very dark, near black leaves. I have one. It's a nice compact mini rhizomatous. I bought it on EBay


Awesome, thanks! Its crazy how many different plants are showing up, i thought I had serached a ton and found most but they keep coming. I really like this one. I think begonias seem to have quite a few varieties that might work. Thanks


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

Any one that has done a 24x24x24 cube, can you tell me how many mistking nozzles you use? I was thinking just two but want to make sure before I drill holes. Thanks


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

dartboard said:


> Any one that has done a 24x24x24 cube, can you tell me how many mistking nozzles you use? I was thinking just two but want to make sure before I drill holes. Thanks


In my main display I used a quad head mistking nozzle... It is a 24x24x24 aquarium converted....I basically pointed a head towards each corner and covered the whole tank.

sent from my Galaxy S lll


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Where did you find the black bromeliad? Link?


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

Pubfiction said:


> Where did you find the black bromeliad? Link?


On this Australian website, about 4 or 5 pictures down from the top: Bromeliads Shop Online, Neoregelia Page 2 - Bromeliad Exotics Online Store

It is $100 Australian dollars. It looks like they have some amazing variety of different broms, but there policy is expensive. If you are an international order they require you to purchase a minimum of 30 plants, then they have a $60 certificate cost, then they have between $80-100 shipping cost.

So not even counting plants, the cost is $160. Maybe we could get a large group of people together that want broms ordered and it could maybe become doable... but if not then I guess we'll have to pass. They do have some amazing colored broms over there though.


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

Azurel said:


> In my main display I used a quad head mistking nozzle... It is a 24x24x24 aquarium converted....I basically pointed a head towards each corner and covered the whole tank.


I just went and checked out the thread on it. Great viv you made. So you were happy with a quad? It didnt seem like overkill?


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

dartboard said:


> I just went and checked out the thread on it. Great viv you made. So you were happy with a quad? It didnt seem like overkill?


I did like it.... Liked the way I could make it centralized in the lid..... With the pump I was using from mistking it probably was overkill but to adjust for that I just reduced the amount of time it was on.....

Thanks that was my first.... Still going strong although if I was to do it over again I would pass on the clay background.


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## Pacblu202 (May 8, 2012)

This will be awesome! Can't wait to see it


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Well besides their web site being pretty crazy, it seems all the good bromeliads are out of stock including the one you want. I saw another website from Australia that had a ton of varieties are they really big on bromeliads in Australia or something?


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Pubfiction said:


> Well besides their web site being pretty crazy, it seems all the good bromeliads are out of stock including the one you want. I saw another website from Australia that had a ton of varieties are they really big on bromeliads in Australia or something?


Aussie's have some of the biggest collections of rare broms and some of the most amazing hybridizers around. You should see some of the broms that get posted on the bromeliad pages on FB.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Pubfiction said:


> I saw another website from Australia that had a ton of varieties are they really big on bromeliads in Australia or something?


Yup!!!


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