Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I have been meaning to post this for a while but haven't gotten around to it. A while ago I had posted a comment about my 4 D. leucomelas being in a 15 gallon tank. Well, I moved them to a 20 long about a month ago and discovered a few new (at least new to me) things along the way...

Firstly, I wanted to design it to be set up like a dry stream bed so I needed to make a pretty steep incline but I didn't want to plant my plants in rocks (mainly b/c I do alright with plants but if they were to die on me sometime, I didn't want to have to bother with tearing up a stable ecosystem). So I tried bricks and have found them to be incredibly convenient! They build up your terrain like you want and then there are perfect little holes to put plants in!

Secondly, a while ago, I had been very quick to blast using ultrasonic foggers... I will now restrike my statement. When I was at a show, I saw a guy's tank setup with a fogger but I didn't see any awkward mangled up Tupperware sitting on top of it making it look bad so I asked him how he did it... Use a plastic container and cut a hole in one side and stick a piece of 1/2 inch tubing into it so that it is airtight to the container but doesn't extend very far into the container. Then you cut a hole in the screen of you tank lid and put the other end of your 1/2 inch tube through the hole in the lid. Then you take an air pump and put the output end of the tubing into the other side of the container. Then put water into the container and put your fogger in. The cord for the fogger will go through a small hole in the lid of the container. Then when the air pump and the fogger are plugged in, the air pump will force the fog through the tube and into your tank. Voila! Cool mist in your tank w/out having to worry about electrocuting your frogs or water sloshing everywhere. Hope it inspires…

Thirdly, I discovered two very good plants for dart frog vivarium: Peperomia and Jewel Orchids. Peperomias grow very readily in humid conditions with saturated soil. And Jewel Orchids--they have this amazing iridescence in their veins that is simply amazing.

Hope this post inspires some of you. Half of the fun of keeping these amazing anurans is finding what works to create a balanced ecosystem. Good luck!

Luke.

That's innovative, Luke! It does solve one problem with these ultrasonic beasties, but let us know how long the fogger lasts before it poops out. That has been my main complaint about them. I've never had one last over two weeks before it has quit working all together in four different trials. What kind of water are you using in the container? I understand that the foggers don't work with distilled water very well, (this information comes with the directions, so I never tried it) and my tap water (well water, pure, unchlorinated, but full of calcium minerals) cruds them up, so I tried bottled spring water, and they still took a dump after a few weeks of weeks. Keep us posted. I love the look of the fog, while it lasts, and I'm sure the frogs enjoy it.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
6 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
6 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

I use a 1:1 mix of distilled and aged tap water for my foggers. It gives the foggers enough particles in the water to work but doesn't gunk them up as quickly. I only run mine for an hour every other day or so, but it still isn't showing signs of wear and tear yet (but I still won't hold my breath).

Luke.

O.K. I'll get another one and go for the fifth trial with the set up and water mix you suggested. I just love that foggy look, even when it doesn't last long.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
6 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
6 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

Why use Ultrasonic Foggers at all?

You could buy a humidifier from Walgreens (or another store) for 20-30 dollars. You can then use PVC tubing to distribute fog to all, or most of your tanks. I use mine to keep my large (2'x4'x6') water dragon enclosure humid in the 10-15% desert environment. They do use ultrasonic humidifiers, but they seem to last a long time. I've been using mine for 2-3 years without any problems. Then again, I only use distilled water (it holds 1 gallon of water). With daily use of 3 hours, it will go through 1 gallon in 2-3 days.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?id=prod395405&CATID=100288&skuid=sku395406&V=G&ec=frgl_809976
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www.mplionhearts.com

We aren't speaking of humidifying, per se. That isn't a problem. A simple enclosed vivarium with plants and some occasional misting will keep up the required humidity as well as any humidifying device. The ultrasonic foggers are more of a visual thing that is cool to watch-- like fog rolling in over a rain forest, and settling. They aren't at all necessary--just an added visual attraction that the frogs might enjoy, as well. They have been unfortunatley, so far, not only a pain in the butt to use, but short-lived. We were just discussing a possible new way to use them for effect.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
6 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
6 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris