# New member, my new build with lots of pics



## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

First off a introduction. I am a long time reptile and fish keeper, though i just got into keeping these small colorful frogs a few years ago. Currently I have one azureus who is my pride. Her name is Lemiwinks I have owned her for 3 years since she was a juvi. Id like to get her two males one day but this will be my only vivarium. Ive had mantellas before but Ive learned I enjoy larger frogs way more.

So here is my newest project. 18x18x18 

10 gallon- This was her old tank










Start of my build

















































































"Maiden's hair fern" I dont know the scientific name of the plant so if some one could ID it for me that would be awesome.









Finally in her new home


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## DutchScum (Jan 11, 2012)

looks good so far i like that lake idea but maybe add a few more plants to make he feel more at home


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## zth8992 (Jul 19, 2012)

Beautiful frog, how what did you make your pond area out of? silicon and great stuff?


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## curlykid (Jan 28, 2011)

Looks very cool! She's very beautiful too. Only thing is, those maple leaves will decay very fast so you may want to add some magnolia or sea grape leaves. Other than that, looks great!


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## kevin575 (May 7, 2012)

That is a very nice waterfall! Well done! Granted I can't see how it could be easily removed and replaced if it malfunctions.

I do agree with the more plants. If anything some small vines on the background. Plus if you want to put in a bromeliad, that would be nice too. 

I hope you baked them leaves before putting them in. The only reason I say is cause they look different than most that I have seen. 

Not trying to be too much of a critic. You got the hard part done, and did a great job on that.


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## Percularis (Mar 22, 2011)

What kind of leaf litter is that? Doesn't look like something that would hold up well to high humidity. Is it breaking down? I would love to gather tons of different kinds of leaves to use in my upcoming viv. How is your leaf litter doing?


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

DutchScum said:


> looks good so far i like that lake idea but maybe add a few more plants to make he feel more at home


I will be adding more plants when I make a trip to the local nursery. Maybe a fern in the right back corner, anubias nana+nana golden in the pond area. Thanks though.



zth8992 said:


> Beautiful frog, how what did you make your pond area out of? silicon and great stuff?


I did make it out of silicon and great stuff. Thanks



curlykid said:


> Looks very cool! She's very beautiful too. Only thing is, those maple leaves will decay very fast so you may want to add some magnolia or sea grape leaves. Other than that, looks great!


Thanks, is there a negative effect of the leaves decaying fast?



kevin575 said:


> That is a very nice waterfall! Well done! Granted I can't see how it could be easily removed and replaced if it malfunctions.
> 
> I do agree with the more plants. If anything some small vines on the background. Plus if you want to put in a bromeliad, that would be nice too.
> 
> ...


Well if for some odd reason, the pond area can be removed. As far as the leaves, they are just maple leaves that I collected myself. I use maple leaves in my shrimp tanks as well. Thank you for the compliment



Percularis said:


> What kind of leaf litter is that? Doesn't look like something that would hold up well to high humidity. Is it breaking down? I would love to gather tons of different kinds of leaves to use in my upcoming viv. How is your leaf litter doing?


They are japanese maple leaves, this is my first time using them in a vivarium, though they take awhile to break down in my aquariums. I don't know if others use leave just for decor but my intentions were for them to be a natural fertilizer.


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## LizardLicker (Aug 17, 2012)

I couldn't tell you whether or not those leaves are bad to use. Only you know where they came from. I think you did a very nice job on your tank. 

I might add a few more larger leaves like the sea grape. All of my frogs like to find a big leaf to go under when they turn in for the night.


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Took some pictures today, I think i got some good shots of the frog.



















New FTS without flash










With flash










I put a rhizome of anubias nana in the water as an experiment because it has no leaves. Ill also be trying out java fern once I get some trimmings from my NPT.


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## pa.walt (Feb 16, 2004)

as far as leaves try to get some oak leaves, probably easier to get than grape leaves. pretty sure they will last longer. for a quick cover try to get ficus pumila. its usually in a hanging basket. this will help with cover for the frog.


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

I got new plants.
Neoregelia dungsiana
Cryptanthus 'Cafe au lait'
Neoregelia ' Mo peppa please'

Here are some pics




























FTS









FTS with flash


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## BrokenArrow13 (Aug 31, 2012)

Did the anubias nana take to being planted in the pond feature?


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

BrokenArrow13 said:


> Did the anubias nana take to being planted in the pond feature?


It did not, algae grew over every thing. I have the water feature on a timer now so we'll see if that makes a difference.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I like the last FTS without the flash.. Looks kinda haunting. haha! One thing I noticed is your substrate looks super wet.. Perhaps after a misting? Also, the leaf litter will help keep the substrate off your Azureus' skin. They dont like it much lol. However, Anytime I add any sort of leaf litter to our azureus viv, they just push/knock it all down into the water area.. So getting any ground cover is futile with my trio.. Luckily, I had a bunch of sheet moss to cover the substrates up and havnt had to look back since. Also, the leaf litter did help establish a very healthy springtail and isopod population before the frogs managed to get all the leaf litter smashed into one area lol.


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Nismo95 said:


> I like the last FTS without the flash.. Looks kinda haunting. haha! One thing I noticed is your substrate looks super wet.. Perhaps after a misting? Also, the leaf litter will help keep the substrate off your Azureus' skin. They dont like it much lol. However, Anytime I add any sort of leaf litter to our azureus viv, they just push/knock it all down into the water area.. So getting any ground cover is futile with my trio.. Luckily, I had a bunch of sheet moss to cover the substrates up and havnt had to look back since. Also, the leaf litter did help establish a very healthy springtail and isopod population before the frogs managed to get all the leaf litter smashed into one area lol.


I know exactly what you mean, I am always pulling leaves out of the drain area. I swear she goes around picking every leaf and throws it in the water. It is rater soggy which I am trying to fix(i did mist the tank though in those pictures). There is about a inch gap of air under the dirt and I set my timer for the waterfall to turn on only for 30 mins now. I am trying to get moss to grow but have had no luck so far. The christmas moss I have in my tank seems to be growing now, I just was hoping the sphagnum would take off.

My bromeliads are slowly declining right now but they each have a pup. And the Cafe is about three times as tall as it was in the picture.


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Well I redid the tank(on a budget). I had to get rid of the water fall because it splashed way to much and leaked into the soil if it wasn't splashing. The background also detached from the back panel so my frog could slip back there and potentially drown. 

When redoing the tank I just wanted to keep it simple. But if any one has any constructive criticism Ill take it into consideration. But remember I am low on cash right now so I don't have any money to buy any thing at this time.

Very sparse looking right now, i know...




I just used the old background foam for pond area. My frog really likes sitting down here  


I found some anubias survived and was completely cover in dirt/film. I placed it on the ponds wall.


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## Agrippa (Jul 4, 2006)

The sloping substrate is a good idea because it lends itself to a sense of depth.

While the bromeliads add some life to the substrate, I would suggest that you mount them on the pieces of wood laid out on the ground, as they're likely to rot if you plant them directly into the wet soil. This will help keep them well drained and healthy, and you can largely maintain their current positioning if you like them where they are. 

I see you've also planted some ground cover, but based on how sparse it currently is, you may want to lay out some leaves to cover the substrate to keep it off of your frog. You can collect your own leaves for free (so long as you collect them from places you know to be free of insecticides and pesticides,) and all you have to do is bake them to sterilize them. You can also collect moss from similar areas (though sterilizing it is more difficult if you want to avoid pests) to help fill in some of the brown areas. FlyingSquirrel discusses the process near the middle of the page:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...uild-post-i-go-details-very-pic-heavy-23.html

If you go out collecting, you can also acquire stones to serve as a hardscape and add a little more character to your layout. Look for stones with character, as structurally plain or overly-smooth stones do not generally stand out as well (but it depends on your aesthetics.) These are generally best treated with bleach and then thoroughly (very thoroughly) washed to get rid of any lingering chemicals. If you sink them firmly into the substrate (dig a hole and place them in it, then support them with the displaced soil, like a plant) these can be placed in your vivarium without needing to be siliconed or otherwise attached to the background. Just be certain that they are very stable. 

Good luck!


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## Halter (Jul 28, 2012)

Hey jon,
That looks great, a good start! So nice to see a fellow dart frog enthusiast so close! I am from Columbia PA : )


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## asunderco (Apr 4, 2011)

Grab a gallon bag of leaf litter from one of the sponsors. It's cheap. Also keeps your frogs free of Soil on their skin which causes irritation and stress. Also your frog needs a place to hide which will also reduce stress.


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

I mounted one brom but i figured they could grow in soil since gardeners do that, my soil wont be drenched any more. As for the leaves idk where id get any or even what to look for. I did add another fern but it is a small cutting. Thank you for your help.



Agrippa said:


> The sloping substrate is a good idea because it lends itself to a sense of depth.
> 
> While the bromeliads add some life to the substrate, I would suggest that you mount them on the pieces of wood laid out on the ground, as they're likely to rot if you plant them directly into the wet soil. This will help keep them well drained and healthy, and you can largely maintain their current positioning if you like them where they are.
> 
> ...


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Thank you, you are very close. What do you keep?



Halter said:


> Hey jon,
> That looks great, a good start! So nice to see a fellow dart frog enthusiast so close! I am from Columbia PA : )


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## Halter (Jul 28, 2012)

bassistjon112 said:


> Thank you, you are very close. What do you keep?


Yep! Currently breeding red eyes, starry nights, campana auratus.

Working with (hope to breed) leucs, azureus, orange green leg lamasi, leptopelis uluguruensis, pumilio isla popa, and tinctorious patricias

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Id like to get some chocolate leucs some day.



Halter said:


> Yep! Currently breeding red eyes, starry nights, campana auratus.
> 
> Working with (hope to breed) leucs, azureus, orange green leg lamasi, leptopelis uluguruensis, pumilio isla popa, and tinctorious patricias
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Updates

I redid the tank for the hundredth time.





She now has levels, since planting my broms in the soil I have gotten 4x the growth and crazy roots. I think I may put a fern behind mo peppa on the left side.


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## Kas (Oct 6, 2013)

This is the best design! She'll be very happy now


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## bassistjon112 (Nov 17, 2012)

Kas said:


> This is the best design! She'll be very happy now


She sleeps in her log on the left side  It also looks much better in person.


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