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Poison dart frog vivariums

So progress is slow, and the breeder holding my pumilio on a deposit for the last 5 weeks is getting understandably frustrated.

However before I can finally add the frogs, I needed to replace the polycarbonate lid due to concerns about BPA and its connection to endocrine disruptors.

So I decided to replace with glass - I went for 6mm Pilkington Optiwhite (low iron) - which cost me £34 for a straight cut sheet.

43088936495_5a7b0dc0c7_h.jpg20180803_180825 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

43994619761_f9054ecb33_h.jpg20180803_180757 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Template mocked up - ventilation provided by 5 x 50mm holes, misting provided by 5 16mm misting holes, the last 16mm hole (rear left) is for a misting nozzle to attach a 50mm fan too for internal circulation.

43088934875_cdba59c062_h.jpg20180810_174047 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

50mm and 16mm tile drills purchased along with plumbers putty, this is the end result :

43275658164_d02ea733ce_h.jpgglass top by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

42185231460_2558888c66_h.jpgGlass top 2 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Hoping once the mesh is installed to have the frogs in within the next 10 days 🙂
 
4 x Oophaga pumilio 'Rio branco' collected today - absolutely gorgeous - certainly won't be my last Oophaga 🙂
 
Added a 60mm fan for internal circulation and moved a couple of plants to see if they flourish elsewhere.

The fan's programmed to circulate air 15 minutes per hour, hoping this will crack the orchid nut, provide greater evaporative cooling for the frogs and just generally provide a healthier environment for the inhabitants.

I also plan on installing an exhaust fan into one of the ventilation tubes to actively draw fresh air in several times per day.

Struggling to culture Melanogaster - not managed a single culture yet and having to order - frustrating and such a needless expense.

Updated growth photo :

42555172530_18e91c86d8_h.jpg20180830_124205 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

44314718082_99374e65c9_h.jpg20180830_124234 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

42555170950_40b5008328_h.jpg20180830_124221 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

30495955378_c4c8a9954f_h.jpg20180830_122827 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr
 
Hi all,
gex23 said:
Struggling to culture Melanogaster - not managed a single culture yet
Click to expand...
I cultured vestigial winged Drosophila melanogaster for about 6 years continuously, I used "Weeta-bix" (the Lidl "Bixie" version is cheaper) as the base medium, with a small dash of orange juice, banana and some <"wood wool"> in one litre pickle jars with a foam bung lid.

The wood wool is the secret.

I didn't add any fungicides. I ended up with micro-worms in the cultures (via wild "Wild type" fruit flies getting into both cultures), but it wasn't disasterous.

cheers Darrel
 
I should have mentioned, finally nailed the cultures using Repashy Superfly and have 3 cultures with 2nd instar larvae visible 🙂

I've so far used coffee filters but have wood wool for future cultures.

A few other updates, more for my own records than anything.

- Repashy Vitamin A and Repashy Superpig (contains carotenoids) ordered, with the plan to supplement calcium plus daily, with the vitamin A and superpig supplemented once fortnightly on a rotating basis.

- Used 3mm neoprene to close the gaps between the glass lid and plastic rim to minimise melanogasters crawling all over the room...

- Added some Macodes Petola 'jewel orchid', hoping they take off 🙂 :

44386287351_3e7edcadde_h.jpgjewel orchid by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

- Hoping to place a large order for more orchids (been chasing Pleurothallis grobyii for a while now), some Brazilain tropical moss, creeping ferns and leaves to increase leaf litter depth.

Something to ask you UKAPS members - my T5 fixture currently has the following bulbs :

2700k x 1
4000k x 1
3500k x 1
6500k x 3

Now I was thinking of tweaking this for no particular reason other than i'm intrigued. How would a gro-lux bulb fit into the above combo or maybe a 5000k (replacing a 6500k).

Lastly - I still haven't even unwrapped the Kessil A360s I bought off a UKAPS forum member - thinking of using them in a 24"W x 18"D x 36"H tank with 4 x t5s as a kind of hybrid - thoughts?
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all, I cultured vestigial winged Drosophila melanogaster for about 6 years continuously, I used "Weeta-bix" (the Lidl "Bixie" version is cheaper) as the base medium, with a small dash of orange juice, banana and some <"wood wool"> in one litre pickle jars with a foam bung lid.

The wood wool is the secret.

I didn't add any fungicides. I ended up with micro-worms in the cultures (via wild "Wild type" fruit flies getting into both cultures), but it wasn't disasterous.

cheers Darrel
Click to expand...

Cheers Darrel - see my reply after yours 🙂

To add I will be storing these on anti mite paper to reduce the chance of culture clashes.
 
Last edited:
About the T5's: i would realy go with the color you prefer, you find most pleasing. In general for a plant a photon is a photon, it will adapt. Specialy adapted "grow- bulbs" are more 'advertising mumbo jumbo" than you will notice in real life.
 
My Tropiscape Orchids order arrived today - very impressed with the service and quality. Now the species are the following :

- Masdevallia andreetana
- Masdevallia bulbophyllopsis
- Masdevallia mendozae
- Pleurothallis aveniformis
- Sophrontis cernua

43601532635_e10bfeef94_h.jpg20180906_130531 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

29573431117_d9dc2e66cd_h.jpg20180906_130602 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

29573429907_56251087e8_h.jpg20180906_130618 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

29573427837_146c0f3f99_h.jpg20180906_130631 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

29573426137_c8fdc32f17_h.jpg20180906_130648 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr
 
Edvet said:
About the T5's: i would realy go with the color you prefer, you find most pleasing. In general for a plant a photon is a photon, it will adapt. Specialy adapted "grow- bulbs" are more 'advertising mumbo jumbo" than you will notice in real life.
Click to expand...

I thought as much - i'll stick with a range of bulbs from 2700k - 6500k then 🙂
 
- Added some further cork brancing to bring the hardscape to the front and increase the useable area for the pums

- Bought two further exo terras, made a wooden stand to house the existing plus one new.

- New lighting on the way, minisun led battens (the kessils will be retired and used for a large show tank in the future)

45339263791_71964415c8_b.jpgviv update by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr
 
Aloe_Danielo said:
This is beautiful :wideyed:😎 and I really love the orchid mounts
Is it bioactive with clean up crew?
Click to expand...

The orchid mounts are the stock ones the orchids arrived on - too bulky and unnatural for the tank so the orchids will be remounted using fishing wire / cocktail sticks and sphagnum moss - when I get chance.

It certainly does, it has dwarf white woodlice in there and springtails.

Also a few pests which I will ensure don't find their way into the other setups.
 
The tank's on it's new stand, and with new light setup.

The stand, by happy accident, will house the 24*18*24 exos on top, and 18*18*24 exos underneath, so 4 tanks in a fairly compact area.

New lighting system in place :

- 1 x 6500k twin LED light strip
- 1 x 4000k twin LED light strip
- 1 x channel T5 HO
- 1 x channel T5 HO

I've split the T5 channels in so much that instead of each bank / ballast powering one tank, I have each powering 'half' a tank, so it gives me an extra channel of control so as follows :

- 08:00 - 4000k LED - on
- 09{00- 6500k LED - on
- 11:00 - T5 bank one - on
- 13:00 - T5 bank two - on
- 14:00- T5 bank two - off
- 16:00 - T5 bank one - off
- 19:00 - 6500k LED - off
- 20:00 - 4000k LED - off

Heat may be an issue at certain times of year (such as the incredibly mild autumn we're experiencing here), so the T5s won't be used all that much, but are there if needed.

Now all these lights are on fairly basic and chunky timers, meaning the plug sockets next to then in the extension i'm unable to use due to the timers size and bulk, so i've ordered a 'smart timer'. It's a 4 channel timer which is wired inline meaning 4 plugs are cut down to one and no old clunky timers, with the benefit I can operate it via an app on my phone, or ,if you so wish, via Amazon Alexa.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fangfeen-C...81&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=sonoff+4ch+pro&psc=1

Also, noticed the current viv is littered with pests, ranging from snails, to centipedes and snails. I can only assume this is from the peat I used in the ABG soil mix as I didn't microwave it - unfortunately there's not a lot I can do with this regard, so i'll have to live and learn for the next setups, in terms of sterilising items (which will include bleaching the plant cuttings I transfer across).

I've placed another plant order with Bens Jungle, with the view that the bromeliads will be in this tank, and the orchids / climbers in the next one. The reason I placed the order so soon is with the view that when temperatures drop, most suppliers stop shipping plants entirely, and as we're approaching winter that will be the case.

The plant order is as follows :

- Neoregelia 'high red'
- Neoregelia 'red'
- Neoregelia 'fireball mini'
- Neoregelia variegated 'brasil'
- Begonia thelmae
- Begonia schulzei
- Pleurothallis sp
- Pleurothallis sp
- Pleurothallis grobyi
- Pleurothallis corniculata
- Marcgravia sp. 'Colombia'
- Marcgravia sp. 'Peru'
- Peperomia nummularifolia

A few photos with the new light in place :

4000k LED :

44750949254_66842556bd_k.jpg4000k by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

6500k LED :

45476265881_8daaa115cf_k.jpg6500k by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

4000k LED + 6500k LED :

45424626062_13c651019d_k.jpg4000k:6500k by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

LEDs + 1 T5 :

45476261571_04181a2c6a_k.jpgLEDs+1*T5 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

LEDs + 2 T5s :

45424618622_5449779372_k.jpgLEDs+T5s by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

A quick photo of the light array :

44750941364_e7150eb617_k.jpg20181021_182952 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

A shocking photo of one of the Rio Branco :

45424621142_7d64d5f87a_k.jpg20181021_184134 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

Back to the lights - they're not as bright as the ATI sunpower 6 x T5 unit nor the Kessil T5 combo, however the diffuse lighting from the LED battens should encourage the frogs out a little more and save startling them with excessive light.
 
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