# 65g Update



## tyler (Feb 23, 2006)

Here's an update on my 65g "Forest Floor" viv housing my bicolor. It's really sustained and established itself now; it contains tons of different insects and food sources for the frogs to munch on as a snack. FFs, sowbugs, isopods, springtails, nematodes, earthworms, mites etc. I have also had multiple mushroom explosions as well as plasmodial slime fungi developing on the viv glass and leaf litter. The bicolor have since colored really nicely and are also really round lol. They are always out and about doing their thing. For some reason, the full front shot didnt come through to the pc so I'll have to upload once I get it on here. I have been trying to find a red eye or tiger leg tree frog locally for the viv, but no luck yet; the nearest petstore JUST sold one right before I got there  lol

Tank Angle









One inhabitant









FF









Mites









Nematode?









Fungi (there are more species in the viv)









Tiny earthworm









Shroom explosion from about a month ago


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

hey man that looks great! wish my camera could take pictures half that good. so how many bicolor do you have? i have those little worms in my tank too, i dont think they are nematodes though. some people say they eat the frogs eggs but others say they dont bother anything. i havent noticed any problems with them, i only see adults though so i guess some are getting eatin when they are young.

awesome tank though, cant wait to see more pics


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## dom (Sep 23, 2007)

what camera do you have and what lens did you use for those shots?


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

That is a wonderful tank. And I would love to have you camera and picture taking ability!


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Very nicely coming along. Excellent macro shots on the FF and mites. That must be one hell of a pricey lens. :wink:


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

NICE! what camera/lens so i can go buy tommorow


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Well, i had to find out..so i searched and searched and found out you use a Nikon D50 + 70-300mm Sigma, 90mm Macro sigma, and 28-70 sigma? is this still correct? I was planning on getting the D80 but its a bit pricey still..

is it better to get a D40,50, or 70 saving money on that and spending it all on great lenses like the 70-300mm Sigma, 90mm Macro sigma, and 28-70 sigma? 

the lenses are a keeper for a long time..the camera body can be upgraded anytime so im guessing its all about the lenses not so much the camera body.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Much better Tyler... I definately think it looks better this way than as a palud.


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## Fenrir (Jul 30, 2007)

Good looking viv and some awesome photos, especially of those mites. The "nematodes" are actually flatworms that travel in potted plants. They eat the springtails, FFs, and anything else that can fit in their mouth or be overpowered.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

sweet looking tank!


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## spydrmn12285 (Oct 24, 2006)

Great tank! Do the bicolor eat the nematodes and earthworms? Just curious.


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Seems you're getting a nice little ecosytem going on in there...good job!


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## droseraman (Jun 17, 2004)

nice tanks


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

those arent flatworms. flatworms are ACTUALLY flat and they only live in water and they have triangular heads. they eat dead bugs and decaying leaves, not anything alive. unfortunetly i still dont know what those worms are.


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

ok did a little research and it turns out they are a species of nematode, they are also a type of roundworm.


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## Fenrir (Jul 30, 2007)

They were ID'd as flatworms by my biology professor but he is quite old so things may have changed since he last kept up w/ taxons. But I did a little digging and the "things" I have in my vivs range from pink, red, brown and white. Found this picture of a Fijian terrestrial nemertean and it looks very close. Only one question really should pertain to them IMO. "How to get rid of them?" Little buggers decimate springtails. 

Btw not all flatworms are flat nor are all aquatic. Bipalium are far from aquatic and eat live matter.


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

thats just what i read on several websites about them. and that would explain why all my springtails are gone in my variabilis tank, the worms i have are BRIGHT orange.


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## porkchop (Aug 29, 2005)

Ahhh... Good to know.


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## johnnymo (Jul 20, 2007)

quick question on the mites. Are those the same mites you find in fruit fly cultures? what do they eat?


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## tyler (Feb 23, 2006)

Yes, they are the same mites that I found in my spring cultures. They are compost mites, so they feed off the decaying matter in the viv... mainly the rotting leaves.
Here's a shot of a tiny percentage of the mushrooms growing in the viv. These grow so fast... sprout and die in less than 2 days. If I can work in about 5 minutes of time tomorrow after school, I'll take an opening-sequence shot if they aren't already dead.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

> I have been trying to find a red eye or tiger leg tree frog locally for the viv, but no luck yet; the nearest petstore JUST sold one right before I got there


Both require higher temps than what bicolor prefer. Tigerlegs (hypochondrialis) need drier conditions.

I know you've been keeping darts for a while, so I'm not going to bring up the mixing argument. But if you're hard pressed, you might consider an hour glass treefrog. However, I have never owned any so I am not credible.


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## tyler (Feb 23, 2006)

Mushroom update: Alot of them already dead when I got home.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

wow, so many shrooms!


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## Jungle_John (Feb 19, 2007)

thats pretty sweet!


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