# My frog viv



## mattyc (15 Apr 2010)

i have had my viv for about a month and there are a few emersed plants and mosses in there, have a look at the picks and let me know what you think,


----------



## ghostsword (15 Apr 2010)

It looks great.. What is the size?


----------



## Dan Crawford (15 Apr 2010)

It looks lovely mate, where did you get you plants and frog from?


----------



## mattyc (15 Apr 2010)

it is a 45cm cube, plants are from dartfrog.co.uk and Dendroworld forums, mosses are from my fish tank and the frogs are from a breeder that lives near knowsley safari park. the wall on the left is covered in moss spors and should go comleatly green with a bit of look and there are 4 frogs in the viv.


----------



## Jase (15 Apr 2010)

Looking good Matt, always been tempted to keep Darts. Is the breeder called Bill? If so, I bought some Chameleons from him a few years ago


----------



## Nick16 (15 Apr 2010)

im more facinated by these than aquariums now. they look awesome. 
once i take down my 4x2x2 when i go to uni, i plan on hopefully keeping some of these bad boys. 
im hoping a 24 inch viv can be kept at uni.


----------



## mattyc (15 Apr 2010)

yes he is called Bill, i saw his Chameleons and green tree pithons he is breeding. 

the hardest thing i keeping it humid enough with them so the viv needs to be sealed and a mister used. but they are great fun to wach, they are always up to something!!


----------



## Garuf (15 Apr 2010)

They're the nicest thing.
How do you keep the humidity up? Is it simply a matter or soaking everything well and using a mister? How do you keep the temperature up as well, I imagine the ventilation at the front strips condensation and heat from the tank pretty effectively? How much light are you running, is it just a standard light?


----------



## mattyc (15 Apr 2010)

the top of the viv which is normaly mesh has been blanked off with clear perspex and most of the other vents have been blocked. my mister runs three times a day for a min each time things like mosses help with humidity the soil is also verry damp. the temp is just the temp in the room the lights warm the viv when they are on there is no additional heater on the tank because it dosent drop below 20C if it went much below 20c i would need to heat it. the lights are just house hold energy saving bulbs i think they are 18w and there are two in the standard lid thing.

thanks for looking guys


----------



## dw1305 (19 Apr 2010)

Hi all,
Really nice viv. and frogs, I spent ages looking at the _Dendrobates_ frogs at Paignton Zoo last week. 
My favourite place on the whole WWW is Brian's basement: http://www.brianstropicals.com/building.html.
cheers Darrel


----------



## mattyc (21 Apr 2010)

thanks, 
i have seen that site he has so many realy nice frogs and vivs, wish my viv looked as good as his do!!

i have a few construction pics of my viv for anyone who is interested.

i got wood 'sniggers'



some broms



drainage and devider mating and background in



soil in and gravel moved into my river bead


----------



## johnny70 (22 Apr 2010)

Nice viv mate, it rocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I get some more details on the viv and equipment, have you had to make any other mods to it?

Are you draining it it anyway or is the substrate soaking any excess moisture? What are you using to mist the viv?

Cheers,

JOHNNY


----------



## mattyc (22 Apr 2010)

Thnaks Johnny

viv: modified exo terra 45cm cube, the top has been sealed up
light: exo terra compact top with 2x 18 watt energy saving houshold bulbs
misting Pump: dartfrog.co.uk pump (red body)
misting nosels: again from dartfrog.co.uk connecting hoses are from the same place
Misting water tank: 3l squash bottle that has been steralised (all this gets sprayed in a week)
Drainage: this is little expanded clay balls and are available from any hydroponics shop
Temperature controler that shuts off the lights if the viv gets too hot
Thermomiter and hydrometer to just moniter the temp and humidity

I have made a waterfall in the back by hiding a small pump in a corner of the tank under the soil and clay balls and putting a pipe up to about the middle of the back wall

I have fruit fly cultures to feed the frogs, they go mad at feeding time three times a week

I drain the tank with a hose and just siphon the water out once a week, i wanted to drill it but couldnt find a glass drill (and didnt trust myseld to do it without smashing the glass)


----------



## johnny70 (23 Apr 2010)

Thanks Matt 

Do the fruit fly not get through the glass door fronts?

Cheers,
JOHNNY


----------



## mattyc (24 Apr 2010)

sometimes, they do apear in drinks that have been left around the room they only have a short life span.


----------



## Nick16 (9 May 2010)

have you not been tempted to put in a small 11" x 11" heat mat? 
im thinking of getting a viv of around 60x30x40 (cm) and i might wack in a heat mat as above just to ensure if temps do drop then i can at least hold the temp at a good level.


----------



## mattyc (11 May 2010)

the soil is an insulator so a heat mat dosent have much effect, room temperature dosent go much below 18c and they should be ok as low as 16c so there is a heat mat under the viv but it has no effect so i dont use it. they work better on the side of the viv than the bottom.


----------



## peter1979 (24 Jun 2010)

any updates on this viv?  im very keen to get my own.


----------

