# leaves, water, dying plants, cleaning vivarium



## Guest (Nov 16, 2004)

hi everyone,

i've heard of people using leaves as ground cover. what are the benefits? is there anything negative i should be worried about? 

i have some plants that are turning yellow and dying. i can't remember what type it is. how often should i water them or is misting the plants good enough? can i kill them by overwatering them? should i fertilize them and if so, what type is safe for frogs? 

i hate the water stain that is left from tap water (too hard). what are the problems with using ro/di water? what type of water do most people use? how do u give water for your frogs to drink? do they need a bowl or do they get enough when i mist the plants three times a day.

how do people clean their vivariums? frog poop? should i remove dying plants?

does everyone dust fruitflies every feeding with rep-cal and a vitamin supplement?

where is the best place to get living moss (not seasonal)? does anyone have a good source for java moss? what about a good source for plants? does anyone know a miniture version of a bromeliad?

TIA, 

n


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Wow, lots of questions...

1. Using leaf litter as ground cover has a few benefits. The frogs will feel more secure, because they will have more places to hide if they feel threatened, and you'll probably see them in the open more. The only negative things I can think of are that it doesn't look as good as live moss IMO, and some types of leaves may rot and cause an unpleasant smell. The reccomended types to use are magnolia and oak, but I'm sure you could find others.

2. Yes, plants can be overwatered. This usually results in wilting, similar to how a plant looks when underwatered. I find that a daily misting is enough to keep the soil moist and stimulate growth. Some fertilizers can be used in a dart tank without harming the frogs, but they need to be diluted. I believe Dynagro is the name of one of the reccomended ones.

3. I've always used distilled water with no ill effects, and it will never leave calcium deposits on your glass. If the humidity in the tank is above 80%, you probably wont need to provide a water bowl, as the frogs can absorb what they need.

4. In a moderately sized, planted tank, cleaning wastes wont be necessarry, as the microbes/tiny insects in the tank will take care of it, and the runoff from misting will nourish the plants.

5. I dust daily with both calcium and vitamin powder, but I've heard of people dusting sporadically.

6. There are lots of sources for Java, check with some of the plant dealers in the links section, I've seen it for sale often on ebay also. There are many types of miniature broms available such as N. Fireball, N. Lilliputiana, and other hybrids.

Good luck!


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

My first question would be as to your substrate.

I'll bet it's too "rich" to be watered often.

s


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2004)

so that means that i shouldn't water it three times a day?i mean the other plants-fern -are ok.it's just this one kind of plant that turns yellow.
u think i water it too much?if so, what about my frogs?don't they need often misting?

thanks

n


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Unless you say what type of tank (false bottomed or not), what type of substrate (dirt, a mix, LECA, etc), what type of plants we're talking about (the ones doing good AND the ones doing bad) - we're all just *guessing*.

So describe your setup in detail and maybe you can get some good advice.

s


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## dmartin72 (Oct 27, 2004)

She has a false bottom.

David



Scott said:


> Unless you say what type of tank (false bottomed or not), what type of substrate (dirt, a mix, LECA, etc), what type of plants we're talking about (the ones doing good AND the ones doing bad) - we're all just *guessing*.
> 
> So describe your setup in detail and maybe you can get some good advice.
> 
> s


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2004)

Please excuse my english...I'm from Slovakia! :wink: 

Sorry...false bottom...orchid mixed with dried moss and coco brick. I have creeping fig (dying) and rabbit fern (ok)? I have o/d 15 watt light.

So I guess distilled water is ok. What about RO water? I am getting one for my aquarium.

What type of moss is good and where can I get good clean moss. I might try java moss.

Where is good source for N. Fireball and N. Lilliputiana?
thanks,
n



Scott said:


> Unless you say what type of tank (false bottomed or not), what type of substrate (dirt, a mix, LECA, etc), what type of plants we're talking about (the ones doing good AND the ones doing bad) - we're all just *guessing*.
> 
> So describe your setup in detail and maybe you can get some good advice.
> 
> s


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2004)

*my dying creeping fig*

please helllllllllllllllllp anybody!

my creeping fig is all yellow. and it seems that it also infected my fern :? what am i doing wrong? is it too much water?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

My guess is not enough light, and too much water. If there is water in the bottom of you're tank, make sure that it is not touching the soil. If there are no frogs in the tank, try leaving the top off for a while, and allow some air circulation.
If you mentioned the size of the tank, I missed it, but In my opinion, !5 watts is barely enough to keep plants alive, let alone get them growing well.
Usually what I do when I set up a tank (before adding frogs) is put as much light as I can come up with on the tank after planting it, and let it grow in for a month or two, some times I've even put a (small) tank in a south facing window. When I'm satisfied everything is growing well, then I cut back the lighting (to keep the temp reasonable), and if everything else is ready then I put the frogs in.
I've been using R.O. for about a year and a half and it works fine.
As for the bromeliads, check out the links on this site, Peace of the Tropics, T+C terrariums, and Custom Ecos usually have the ones you mentioned, and all of them have a great reputation with the frog community.
Happy shopping!


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2004)

ok, so what light am i supposed to have? i have to admit i don't have a clue about lights and watts...  btw. i have a 10 gal. with 15 watts of Overdriven Normal Output Flourescent lighting. Is that enough?

http://www.plantedtank.net/odno.html


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