my 37 gallon dart frog vivarium

[Reefinmike]

I didnt know the right place to put this so i threw it in here

I decided to make a poison dart frog tank sometime last month. I went through my options of using a 55 gallon i had laying around, then decided to get a 29 gallon because of the size. Then when i was at jacks to buy a tank, i came across an amazing tank for darts, a 37 column. it measures 20x18x24 tall. I first coated all surfaces i was going to foam in silicon.  I then continued with the painstaking task of making a nice foam background... there were just way too many ideas of what to do running through my head. i settled on making a pond on the right side, with a pump in the back corner, the pump would pump the water to a small pond in the upper left hand corner, water then will trickle down and flow in a stream along the left and front glass panels back into the pond area.

after the foam i started smearing all the foam with black silicon and pressing on coco fiber to make a natural look. I am ordering plants soon, and will be getting frogs in a month or so.











 

[larrynews]

looks great, good luck i could never keep darts alive, i had great luck with red eyed i had a 55 with waterfalls on each end dumping into the center. i use to go to columbus to the reptile show, not sure they still have it, it was once a month. and you could get thing cheap

[Reefinmike]

thanks!

what problems did you have with darts,

from what ive read, as long as you get a hardy species and have making fruit fly cultures down pat before you get the frogs, its easy.. compared to all the junk that can happen in a reef that is. i know they just had a show on the 16th. this is perfect timing bc im planning on planting the tank, culturing fruit flys and have the tank ready for hops in a month.

[larrynews]

diet could have been the trouble thats back 10 years ago when people just didnt have that many exotic pets. pen head crickets were hard to find, now there is another breed just under the dart frogs i think it starts with a M but cant think of the name almost as pretty not as hard to keep

[Reefinmike]

yeah, ive read that darts(along with reefs) ten to twenty years ago were considered very hard to keep. I know my nano i have going now isnt too hard to keep. once a month i scoop out a few gallons of water, trim the halemedia and clean the glass...

the major turndown on the frogs is the fruit fly culturing and feeding.

[MechanicalEngineer]

I thought fruit fly culturing was easy!  Just throw a banana into your work neighbor's trash on Friday before the weekend...come back Monday...and voila!  A million fruit flies.   

[Hunter21]

very interesting thread, definitely keep us posted, I'm interested to see how this turns out!!! 

[Reefinmike]

thanks, i will definitely keep everyone posted as i get updates. currently im perfecting the flow of the waterfall so i dont get any splashing.

reef'd up- i did that recently... to myself, I left a few banana peels in the trash and now i have like 15 of these little guys flying around... i have become very good at snapping at them with my hands though... but on the serious side, the fruit flys used for dart frogs are wingless or ones with crippled wings so they dont fly around...

[Riderc82]

Very cool...Looks like something you would see in the zoo but on a smaller scale.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Ah, hehe...good to know in case I ever decide to leave easy prey for my co-workers to kill.    I don't see myself keeping frogs anytime soon.

I have considered your design (large scale) for an orchid-terrium (or whatever you'd call it.)  Somehow I don't see Will letting me have ANOTHER project. 

Very cool though...can't wait to see pics with the froggies!

[Reefinmike]

i dont get orchid people... cool that they are epiphytes and all, but i think they dont look too special...

[MechanicalEngineer]

i dont get orchid people... cool that they are epiphytes and all, but i think they dont look too special...

To that, I say, 

For that matter...I don't think your froggies are so cool anymore...so there!  Muahahahahahaha!   

[Midwest Express]

How did this turn out?  Any updates?

[gthorpe2]

I'd like to see some updates.  I have mine up and going and my frogs are doing great!!

[quicksilver]

How did i know Midwest would try and get the last word I dont think there is a thread here your not on. 

[Midwest Express]

How did i know Midwest would try and get the last word I dont think there is a thread here your not on. 

HAHA... I like to include myself when I can. 

I'm just hoping Illnino has some updates on this project.  It is pretty sweet.

[gthorpe2]

Not to jack your thread Illnino, but her are some pics of my dart frogs...
It's a 10g
I also put a different brum in there

[apelaston]

Midwest is just like a personal trainer. .  he will keep ya motivated even after u think u have gotten him out of ur hair.

[Midwest Express]

I am Hans... somewhere is my brother Franz... and I am here to pump... you up!


beekcake... BEEFCAKE!! 

[apelaston]

Oooooo my. . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . .

[quicksilver]

Well thanks for comming over yesterday Midwest and do all that heavy lifting for me I could not of done it with out you really I could'nt     personal trainner Whats your rates.