# PNWPDF's First Dart Frog Terrarium! (Pic Heavy Warning!!)



## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

I've been a secret browser of DB for a while, and recently decided after years of contemplation to get a dart frog or two. This terrarium is a complete DIYer, as many of you do. So, it has been fun to learn by my own mistakes!

I originally had a standard 10 gallon tank, and turned it on its side. I siliconed a piece of plexiglass in the lower section, and siliconed some plastic door track to it. I had started out trying to add a small Repti-Flow 200 to make a little waterfall. I crammed it in there, and surprisingly it took very little space and ran with only a centimeter of water. The only problem was all the splashing that happened. I think a 10 gallon is just too small for a waterfall after playing with it for a while, so I nixed that idea.








At the top I cut out a piece of no-see-um windowscreen and used screen-repair strips from Lowe's to make an all mesh vent. I stuck the lower edge of the adhesive on the top piece of track. The result is a slick ventilation system. I'll probably have to mist pretty often because it is a fairly large mesh area.

For the door, I cut a piece of plexiglass to fit inside the bottom track and overlap the top piece by about an inch. I used terrarium screen clips to keep the door from falling out. It ends up covering the front really well, definitely froglet proof. Hopefully fruit fly proof. But we'll see. I may have to line the edge with really thin weatherstripping or foam.

I have an 60W incandescent gro-light sitting on top of the terrarium. I raised it slightly off the glass to prevent it from cracking. Looks like I should have raised it a little further, half an inch wasn't enough. I cracked the glass almost immediately, but luckily I don't look at that part  My office (where the terrarium is) is pretty cool all the time, so the top area of the wall sits at a nice 74.7 degrees.









The background is just Petco bulk clay litter mixed with peat moss and coconut fiber. It looks pretty much like dirt, so I like it. I stuck some orchid bark pieces into it to break up the shape of the wall, and there are a few bulges to accommodate climbing and plants. 









The floor is a false floor, pvc pieces under egg crate and mesh. Substrate is mostly peat moss and coconut fiber, with a little bit of potting soil underneath. I've got a bunch of coffee leaves (I've got a coffee tree, so these leaves looks great and they're free!) piled up, and a bit of riccia fluitans that I've been growing emersed for a while. 








Its thickened up from its aquatic form, so I think its ready for a land lubber's life! Other plants include some baby tears, angel hair vine, home depot broms, some unknown pink plant, a small fern from the local seed store, and another small unknown plant. 









The unknowns came from IGA Foods, so we'll see if they stay petite. Any info on the plants would be appreciated 









I've got a cave built into the wall, which looks pretty nice. I can see into it from the side of the terrarium, hopefully they won't mind having an open side. I need some more hardscape in there, preferably wood. Not sure exactly what, but I don't have darts yet. There's time.









The semi finished project is this:








Definitely needs some roots or something in there. But, its coming along. I'm pretty happy with my first dart frog terrarium  . Now I just have to let the springtails start going crazy, and then get an amphibian in there! There should be plenty of springtails in there soon, as the coffee leaves have been sitting in the pot for a while. I noticed lots of little guys crawling around when I picked them up. I also noticed a little pseudoscorpion. Cool little guy that is less than a millimeter long, they are a sign of a thriving mini-ecosystem I think. Predators and prey! This kind doesn't get big enough to eat a frog, though. It'll be a nice little snack for the frogs.

I've been talking to a local breeder here in Spokane, and she's been helpful with stocking recommendations. I think that I will be putting in 2 D. auratus, probably green and black. I'd like some blue and black, but she doesn't have any that are large enough for her to sell. Anyone know someone who is selling some blue and blacks? Or does anyone have different suggestions for stocking? Thanks for looking, I always appreciate constructive criticism.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Nice! I love the viv!

The secret cave is great. I did something similar to the vittatus that I'm frog sitting for rcteem. It's their favorite place to hide, up against the glass. I can spy on them all day and they are none the wiser.


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Thanks frogface! I'm glad to hear that it works, and they don't figure out that I can still see them. After hearing from some other people, I think I might be going with a pair of thumbnails instead of auratus. I'm thinking vents. They might be more at home in a 10 gallon.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Nice looking viv......The pink plant is a Alternanthera ficoidea 'Party Time' also called Joseph's coat.....I have a couple one in viv that is doing good.....I guess under bright lighting they will get more pink in the leaves.


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## vugger#1 (Jul 20, 2009)

pnwpdf said:


> Thanks frogface! I'm glad to hear that it works, and they don't figure out that I can still see them. After hearing from some other people, I think I might be going with a pair of thumbnails instead of auratus. I'm thinking vents. They might be more at home in a 10 gallon.


Nice job on the viv. Vents would be a great choice for it. I keep a breeding group 1.2.0 in a 10 gallon vert they seem to feel safe and I get to see them all the time. Make sure you have some leaf litter in there, they feel safer when they know they can dive under a few leafs.


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Well, college graduation has taken a bit of my time lately... but I'm back!

Azurel, thanks for the plant identification. I'm glad to hear it does well in your tanks. Its really grown quite a bit in mine, once it broke above the other plants the leaves are absolutely fluorescent pink, and pretty large. Its a nice plant.

Vugger#1, thanks for the info. That makes me more confident that it is an adequate size. 

I went to an orchid store the other day... and somehow came home with a white/yellow oncidium orchid. Funny how that happens... It will stay really small, and it smells like vanilla. I've had it in there for about a month, and the flowers have really started popping out. There's also some nice tropical moss that came with the orchid, which was half the reason I chose that particular orchid 

The roots are growing nicely, and its finally getting over the shock from the transfer from pot to mossy branch. Didn't kill my first orchid, yay! The entire plant was too big for the 10 gallon, so half of it went into my hyla pseudacris viv. Now I've got two of them, both flowering like crazy and making the vivs smell good enough to make me hungry.


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Oops. Didn't mean to slip that random hyla in there... I must have been thinking about how they used to be classified.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Can we see a pic of the orchid in the tank?


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## powersauce (Sep 1, 2008)

The unknown plant with textured leaves and a hint of purple to it looks like it may be a type of Gesneriad.....


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Here is a pic of the orchid. Its got a pretty massive wave of flowers coming off of it, and the smell is great even though its still a little dehydrated. I'm noticing lots of springtails recently, so thats good. Its nice to see the viv come to life. In my 29g treefrog viv, I've noticed sowbugs and earthworms. I have no idea where they came from, but its pretty cool. The second pic is of some tiny little mushrooms growing out of the roots of the orchid. They must have come with it. I also see a bunch of tropical moss thats come with the roots of the orchid. That will be nice when it gets bigger.

Oncidium inflorescence









Little White Mushrooms, a real scientific name...


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Powersauce: Thanks for the plant ID. I think it may be some sort of Gesneriad now that you mention it. I'm not really terrarium plant savvy, but I'm getting there.


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## powersauce (Sep 1, 2008)

It kind of reminds me of Pearcea hypocyrtiflora, but I can't be sure...


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

the unknows are:

what looks like some kind of ruellia
hypoestes

james


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