# First Vivarium - Exo Terra Small X-Tall



## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

So we picked up the tank and some of the supplies needed to start the build today.

The small appliances will be removed before the tank is completed.










I got 3 pieces of plywood, one for a stronger base as the tank is a little larger than the dresser it will sit on in my office, one to mount equipment to and a small strip that I may use as a lede for supplements and other small supplies.










I used drywall mud, very slightly thinned, to coat the edges and one side of each board. Once sanded down, a couple of coats of paint to get as close a blue to the Dendrobates tinctorius 'Azureus' that we hope to get.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The local pet store had the same pricing as online for this, so I bought it a bit early and saved the shipping.










Sadly they were almost out of wood and cork. I got what I could, the rest I will have to take my chances ordering online.



















Got a special from the local household store on some 5 quart containers that will be used for isopods, springtails and possibly fruit flies.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Everything electronic will be plugged into this.










Finally for now, since the vivarium will be in the basement in my office, which I know can get cool, I got an electric oil heater. This will be plugged into an InkBird temperature controller that I ordered from EBAY.










More to come slowly as we committed to doing this on a budget and I already spent the first two months budget in one day! 

Solo


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

You got all the good things at least! Where are you from?


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Just finished applying drywall mud (spackle) to the second panel. I found that if I applied it to the knots first and sprayed a light mist (no, I didn't hook up the Mist King to do it, but looking back that would have been cool!) over the wood before applying the mud it went a lot faster.

Someone asked why I didn't just get G1S (Good 1 Side) plywood or furniture grade and the difference is price. My little off cut cost about $15 and the end product will look 98% as good as furniture grade that had been painted, while costing about 1/5 of the price.










Best photo I could get of the paint color. I went with a no VOC, no odor paint to remove any chemical issues. 










Solo


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

Look forward to seeing your progress.


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Sanded the panels so that they are smooth. Remember to wear a mask and gloves and work outside. Also, it helps to work while there is a bit of a breeze. I looked like a bit of a marble statue by the time I was done and had to shake off my clothes before I could go back inside.










Initial paint.










First board complete. After 24 hours I will sand with 220 grit and apply another coat. Then the same again for a total of three coats.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The frog gods smiled this weekend and a small win on a scratch and win ticket provided some wood for the tank.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Another coat of paint on the plywood.










Drill the hole for the false bottom drain. This is the first time I have drilled a hole in glass myself and the nervousness was high.



















Then installed the bulkhead. I used a Mist King 1/4" value bulkhead.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Traded some work for a glass top for the tank.



















I also ordered a piece of acrylic to go on the bottom of the tank to protect the glass in case I drop anything on it. I learned that once with a reef tank. Never again.

I picked through my collection to come up with a rock that said 'forest' to me, and then cut a flat base on it. I plan to sit the base on top of the false bottom and the rock will seem to emerge from the soil and leaf litter just the way they do in nature.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Finally got around to leak testing. Three hours and still no drips. The strange shape under the water is where air has been trapped under the sheet of acrylic protector.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Dry goods update.

I ended up getting most of the substrate, some timers and basic thermometers and hygrometers and fruit fly culture materials from Josh's Frogs.

Decor items, cork rounds and a woody vine from Stargazer Exotics.

A large piece of mangrove wood, supplements and cork tile from Northern Gecko.

Some Inkbird backup temperature and humidity controllers from eBay.

An 80mm USB fan, controller and filters from AC Infinity.

A 50W titanium aquarium heater from Reef Central.

An LED light and controller from Spectral Designs.

Storage bins of various sizes and types from Home Despot.

Now it is going to take at least 10 days to get here. 

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

New setup on the tank stand.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Sketch of the control panel (the other 24" square blue plywood sheet)

Trying the attachment feature on the board.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The drain fixture. This will have a film canister around is with holes and mesh, so the small line does not clog. Works well as an auto-siphon.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

For some reason only 2 of the 6 boxes from my order arrived. A chunk of mangrove root (will be shown later) and 2 of the 6 Zoo Med cork tiles.










Cutting the bottom 6 inches off so that it is not sitting in the substrate.



















Marking the tank so that there is enough room for the top tile to fit.










Attaching the tile with aquarium silicone and putting pressure in place to keep it flat.




























Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The top back tile wedged in place for the silicone to dry.










Solo


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## Citeh (Sep 19, 2016)

I was going to do the same thing with my background. Interested to see if I’ll regret not doing it.


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Santa Frogs came to town!























































Sadly I customized my light from Spectral Designs so it won't be here this week. I guess it just gives me more time to put the cork tiles in place and let them cure.

Solo


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## andrewdingemans (Jan 15, 2019)

Looking good so far. Totally know the containers you have, saw them at HD just today. I may ick up the same for isopod and springtail cultures. My spare bathroom has become quite the storage room for all things aquaria, and now for the frogs!

Can't wait to see how yours progresses. how was the import and taxes for bringing in stuff from Josh?


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I have not seen the invoice from FedEx yet, but since I have an account I don't expect it to be too bad. I ordered last Friday and they arrived today, so pretty good timing.

I will update you once the invoice hits my inbox.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Putting the control panel together.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The bottom side cork tiles siliconed in place and curing.










I plan to add some strong branches from side to side to help keep these panels in place, as I am unsure of the holding power of the silicone on the cord background.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The top shimmed into place, and a shot of the silicone from the outside. Looks like I will have to paint that or something to cover it up.



















Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

As a note to others.

Things I forgot or learned.

Paint the sides of the tank *BEFORE* you put it in place and create the background.

If you are going to silicone your background into place, and you have to do it with the tank upright, cork does *NOT* do a good job of shimming things straight.

Measure twice and cut once works. There are no such things as wood stretchers or hole shrinkers.

Always wear your PPE, especially when cutting cork and bamboo. OMG that is itchy dust.

Always remember to sterilize your water system before using it. This is as easy as wiping the inside of your reservoir for your misting system with a paper towel dampened with bleach. If you put 20 litres of distilled water into the reservoir and then realize it needs sterilizing that is a wasted 20 litres.

Remember to get velcro tape to attach InkBird controllers and the MistKing controller as they do not have good screw mounts. A late night trip to the local Home Despot is no fun in a minus 22 Celsius storm.

Remember to get adhesive backed cable clips for your misting system tube. It vibrates, even if the pump itself is dead quiet. Another trip.

Always get more fittings for your plumbing (drain, Mist King) than you think you need. Another late night trip, at least this was to the pet store.

Always get 1 more tube of silicone than you think you are going to need. Another late night trip to Home Despot. I think most of the night staff there mock me now.

Zip ties are your friend. Saddle, mounting or anchor type are even better. I gave up and ordered from Amazon. (And I was ashamed to go back to the store again.)

Solo


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## ofc175 (Nov 10, 2018)

I hate those last minute runs, inevitably to get home and discover something else I need.....oh well...


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Panels finally done.










False bottom and barrier in. I put about 1/4" of SeaChem Flourite Coarse on top of the barrier and scattered a handful of horticultural charcoal.

A preliminary idea of the wood placement.










Solo


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## Eiffel70 (Aug 10, 2012)

Love the wood!


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The semi-finished scape.










Sorry about the quality of the photo, I am still learning how to take pictures.

Waiting on plants.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The auto-siphon drain works. I had wrapped it with weed barrier and substrate barrier to keep it clear as it is only 1/4" OD and was concerned about it blocking up. It started up while I was on the computer and I thought the plumbing was leaking in the basement. 

I added a section of tube inside the drain barrel so that when the water drains it is not so loud.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

My idea for a control panel did not work out.  The cables (especially the sensor cables) were not long enough to mount it where I wanted to.

Here are a couple of shots of the messy water and cable/instrument arrangement I had to come up with.

Return pipe on the Mist King, this is keeping the vibration down to zero.










Power supply and Mist King pump.










Temperature, humidity and Mist King controllers. Ugly!  The humidity controller will be plugged into the USB AC Infinity fan and will circulate air as long as the humidity is above 65 degrees and will shut off below that. The temperature controller will be hooked up to another fan that will blow outside air into the viv for cooling, and may have a heat coil or radiant heat source if I can find a small waterproof one for heat if needed.










My first cultures!  From the bottom up, white worms (Enchytraeus albidus), dwarf purple isopods, dwarf white isopods and springtails.










Some shots of the viv.




























Solo


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## indrap (Aug 28, 2018)

What plants are you getting? Are you gonna add more wood pieces to create more floor space for the tincs?

Build looks good, itll look great planted


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I have a couple more pieces of wood and cork to decide what to do with, and will try those for some more horizontal area.

As far as plants, my list so far is:

Bromeliads
Neoregelia Chiquita Linda
Neoregelia Dulce de Leche
Neoregelia Fireball

Vines
Cissus amazonica
Marcgravia rectiflora
Peperomia prostrata*
Syngonium rayii

Ferns
Microgramma reptans
Pyrrosia piloselloides
Rabbits Foot Fern
Rosy Maidenhair Fern

Tillandsias (in the top left corner which is so far staying dry)
Spanish moss
Tillandsia ionantha orange
Tillandsia velutina

Mosses (whatever I can get)

Begonia (one or two small ones with good color)

Ficus Pumila Quercifolia

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Redid the floor area for more open space.

First decent picture with the new camera.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I got the first plants today. Pretty basic ones but I wanted to make sure that they vivarium and the new lights get all the technical bugs worked out.

I cleaned the plants in the utility sink, removing the dirts from the roots. Then they got a 10 minute soak in lukewarm tap water. Another rinse. Then a 5 minute soak in 5% bleach diluted to 1 part in 20 with distilled water. They were given one final rinse and then a soak in dechlorinated tap water.

The orchid was rinsed and dipped in bleach but not soaked. It is more in the way of an experiment as it has not bloomed or grown new leaves in 3 years.

Plant list:

Syngonium podophyllum
Pilea cadierei
Begonia coccinea
Rhoeo spathacea
Pilea depressa

Phalaenopsis sp. ?





































Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The ground cover is done, as well as the plants on the bottom.










Added another branch and re-routed the vine.










Left to do. Add another culture each of springtails and isopods. Add live moss, bromeliads, vines, tillandsias and some mini-orchids. Look into a 40mm fan instead of the 80mm to increase space at the top for tillandsias. Add some sphagnum moss wrapped around orchid soil for the phalaenopsis.

Solo


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## Citeh (Sep 19, 2016)

If you’re intent on keeping that phal in there I’d mount it sideways to prevent crown rot and give it a more natural growth look. Also, what is the purpose of the bamboo hanging rod?


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## ethanp1900 (Feb 7, 2018)

I don't know about that bamboo rod unless you are going to somehow mount plants to it. The shape and texture of it will probably lend to the frogs slipping off easily, especially tincs which are not as arboreal. I would also recommend leaf litter for covering the substrate as it acts as a breeding place for springtails and also a different way of avoiding substrate getting on the frogs other than sphagnum.


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Citeh said:


> If you’re intent on keeping that phal in there I’d mount it sideways to prevent crown rot and give it a more natural growth look. Also, what is the purpose of the bamboo hanging rod?





ethanp1900 said:


> I don't know about that bamboo rod unless you are going to somehow mount plants to it. The shape and texture of it will probably lend to the frogs slipping off easily, especially tincs which are not as arboreal. I would also recommend leaf litter for covering the substrate as it acts as a breeding place for springtails and also a different way of avoiding substrate getting on the frogs other than sphagnum.


The bamboo rod will be wrapped with sheet moss before frogs are introduced. A couple of jewel orchids will be mounted on it as well. There is leaf litter on the substrate now, I thought the new pictures show that.

Solo


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## ethanp1900 (Feb 7, 2018)

SoloSK71 said:


> The bamboo rod will be wrapped with sheet moss before frogs are introduced. A couple of jewel orchids will be mounted on it as well. There is leaf litter on the substrate now, I thought the new pictures show that.
> 
> Solo



Alright, I didn't see the leaf litter at first. Sounds like a plan!


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## Eiffel70 (Aug 10, 2012)

Looks good. I would mount the orchid to the background. IME they’re not fond of intense light. Also, the floor looks really crowded, which is probably why some couldn’t see the leaf litter. Any way you can mount some plants in the background? Cork rounds broken in half or quarters make really good planters set against the background or sides. 

What frogs are you planning on getting?


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I will be moving some to vertical planting, especially anything that vines.

Planning on two Azureus.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

So it has been a difficult time, waiting for things to grow, clean up crew to increase, the last few supplies to arrive and all the while suffering through a -45 degree cold snap.

Finally got the sheet moss arranged on the bamboo 'branch', this reminds of how I saw moss growing on branches along the Amazon.










A full viv shot.










Playing around with the macro lens. Imagine my surprise when the Galapagos moss actually sprouted!










Solo


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## andrewdingemans (Jan 15, 2019)

now that sheet moss over the bamboo surely pulls the top side of the tank together. Always great when an idea comes to fruition.


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Not much to report. Got a piece of acrylic for the rear to close the gap between the glass and the rear of the vivarium. Looking at rearranging some of the plants. I added two Bluetooth heat and humidity sensors to get some data logging but have to come up with a way to shield them from the humidity.

Pictures this weekend.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Trim piece to close up the rear. Also a 40mm AC Infinity fan to lower the temperature between the lights and the glass.










Couple of new pictures showing the changes in layout since the last shots. Lots of seeds sprouted from the Galapagos mosses. I was quite surprised.





































A shot showing the condensation from the difference in room temperature to vivarium temperature when the space heater is not running.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I ordered my first specialty plants for shipping in the spring.

Epidendrum porpax for the elevated coconut shell mount on the middle left

Nepenthes gymamphora "Talakmau" for the sheltered area in the middle rear

Utricularia bisquamata "Betty's Bay" for the raised area in the right rear bottom

Also ordered some live sphagnum moss and grabbed a tillandsia ionantha for the upper left dry spot in the terrarium.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Just noticed springtails in the vivarium. First time since I added them over a month ago!

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I saw my first ‘wild’ springtails in the vivarium today! I was trimming some rotting leaves that were touching the hardscape and when I picked up the leaf there were 3 or 4 springtails under it.

Solo


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Nice work! I rarely see springtails in my tanks (of course, I am not usually looking for them...) but they are almost always in there. Baby pumilio can put enough of a bite on the population that I supplement regularly, but otherwise, my tanks seem to keep a pretty steady population of springs and one species of iso (sometimes different iso species will out-compete each other).

Mark


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Encyclia said:


> Nice work! I rarely see springtails in my tanks (of course, I am not usually looking for them...) but they are almost always in there. Baby pumilio can put enough of a bite on the population that I supplement regularly, but otherwise, my tanks seem to keep a pretty steady population of springs and one species of iso (sometimes different iso species will out-compete each other).
> 
> Mark


Thanks!

I just got my order of Dusk Moss from Europe so I will be hydrating some of that and planting it this weekend. I also looked at TDF Magis Moss Powder but this looks like something for flat horizontal surfaces.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Plants that grew from the sheet moss.










Unknown fern #1 that grew from the sheet moss










Unknown fern #2 that grew from the sheet moss










The Dusk Moss has a green sheen to it, but my camera skills are not good enough to capture it. If I take my glasses off and get as close as I can, I can almost fool myself into thinking I see tiny tiny plants growing where I put the mixture on the walls.

Still no frogs, trying ti find an F1 or F2 D. tinc. Azureus in Canada

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Got my order of plants in.

Nepenthes gymaphora "Talakmau"









Tillandsia ionantha "Guatemala"









Epidendrum porpax









Utricularia bisquamata "Betty's Bay"









Utricularia sandersonii (in between the Phalaenopsis orchid and the Peperomia orba "Pixie"









Some live sphagnum moss









Solo


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## andrewdingemans (Jan 15, 2019)

Solo, the plants look great, did you do a bleach dip or co2 bombing before putting them in the tank? 

By any chance did you order from Paramount over in vancouver? I'm loking to get some orchids now that I have all my brom's and moss settling in.

Anxiously going to wait for a full tank shot when things get settled!


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## ds51 (Oct 13, 2017)

you done a grate build there 
love the planting
when do the frogs go in or are they in now
will look even better in a few months from now 
when the plant get bigger and fill out more


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

andrewdingemans said:


> Solo, the plants look great, did you do a bleach dip or co2 bombing before putting them in the tank?
> 
> By any chance did you order from Paramount over in vancouver? I'm loking to get some orchids now that I have all my brom's and moss settling in.
> 
> Anxiously going to wait for a full tank shot when things get settled!


I bleach dipped all of the plants except for the live sphagnum, the epidendrum and the carnivorous plants. I read that they would not take being bleached so I did a couple of different things.
The epidendrum got a bath in PhySan 20 according to the instructions. The carnivorous plants and the sphagnum got a series of individual distilled water baths and close examination for pests. I made a mistake with some club moss I purchased earlier and tried the bleach method and the moss melted over the next couple of days.
I bought this order from Brad’s Greenhouse.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

ds51 said:


> you done a grate build there
> love the planting
> when do the frogs go in or are they in now
> will look even better in a few months from now
> when the plant get bigger and fill out more


No frogs yet. I am trying to find F1 or F2 in Canada and not having much luck.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Still no luck on frogs but thought I would provide some tank shots.





































Please let me know if you can see these. I switched my image hosting to AWS after Photobuckets latest attempt to pillage my wallet.

Solo


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Nice vivarium set up


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Can everyone see the 4 images I just posted the other day?

Solo


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

SoloSK71 said:


> Can everyone see the 4 images I just posted the other day?
> 
> 
> 
> Solo


I can see the ones you posted 2 days ago. There were 4 pictures.


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

I would like to see them, but I do not.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

DPfarr said:


> I would like to see them, but I do not.


They show up for me on the Tapatalk app but not while viewing the site thru Chrome


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

This is weird. I can see them on Firefox but not Chrome.

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

It has been a while and while I still have not found the frogs, I have a couple of shots to share.










and the Tillandsia ionantha bloomed in just 3 days!










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

A shot of the bottom of the tank.










The difference between the inside of the tank and the outside. I think that part of this is the three sides of the tank are insulated with cork panels.










Solo


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I have no idea why I can't reset the orientation of these images. I have tried multiple programs and they are still showing at the wrong rotation.

Solo


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## DendroDaniel (Jan 24, 2020)

SoloSK71 said:


> Plants that grew from the sheet moss.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Your tank looks awesome! Where'd you get the sheet moss? I have been looking for a good source for my next build. 

Also how is the Zoo Med Cork Tile background holding up? I love the look but have been reading a lot of mixed reviews when used in a dart frog vivarium.


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