Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am almost to the planting part of putting my tank together. I was wondering if I can use just bed-a beast or if there is some kind of mix I should use in stead. I am in the process of finishing my background of foam with bed-a-beast glued to it. My water fall is done. I just have to glue in my false bottom supports. I am also in the process of adjusting my lights. I am going to be ready for planting real soon and have a good idea what plants I like and what I am going to use. I just wanted to make sure that the bed-a-beast would be okay for the substrate. I would appreciate any advice on this matter!! Thank you in advance!!

Bed-a-beast is essentially coconut fiber, and is fine for a substrate alone or mixed with other stuff. I like a mixture of coconut fiber, long brown sphagnum moss, (Canadian or New Zealand, not dark peat) oak leaf litter and sometimes organic compost. It all works with most plants, and coconut fiber is slow to break down. I buy all of mine in bulk, as it's a lot cheaper that way for a lot of tanks, but for one tank, either the bagged coconut fiber from a nursery (sold as a soil topping) or Bed-a-Beast will do.

The general rule for a vivarium tank for dart frogs is to avoid soils with added fertilizers or chemicals, and avoid additives such as Perlite or Vermiculite, which stick to the frogs and clog waterways. A drainage layer of gravel or some other arrangement such as a false bottom is important. I also like to add a sheet of "weed cloth" between the drainage and soil layers to filter out the fine debris so the drainage area doesn't fill up with detritus.

That's more information than you asked for. Post a picture when you finish your tank.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

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

Thank you very much for your reply. I have a false bottom in the bottom of the tank. I used screening on top of the egg crate. Its a plastic screening that I bought from a craft shop. I also made my waterfall and have that in the corner of the tank I would like it in. My background is in and just needs to be planted. I made a hood that holds two compact growing bulbs. It isn't really dark though, it seems to give off a purplish cast to the tank. I am thinking about adding just a regular flouresent tube to the other two grow lights so the inside of the tank will be brighter. What do you think? I wanted to make sure there is plenty of lights for the plants to grow. I will be putting in some rocks in the pond bed as well. I have to order my misting system from Big Apple next Friday. I wanted to get that before I start to plant the tank. I can't wait to plant it. Once it is planted and I find a camera that can take decent pictures I will be sure to post them. Its my first tank though. So far it seems to becoming along nicely I just hope it turns out as nice as the others that I have seen you guys post.
I just have to decide what frogs I want to keep in it. I am not getting any until I have the temputure and the humidity down pat and see that the plants are doing well. It is a 46 gallon bow front tank. There is a lot of room in it. I was thinking about getting some lucs because I can keep them in a group. What do you think? How many can I put it there comfortably in your oppinion?? Or is there another frog that you think would be good as well?? Should I seed it with springtails and how long should I give them to grow before adding frogs. Also would it be okay to put them in the tank right from the start, if I make sure there is plenty of food for them to find?? Sorry about all the questions but now that I am getting closer I am getting more excited! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for missing your post of the 26th.

It's fine to add a fluorescent hood. Keep the KV around 6,000. The light is for the plants. The frogs don't care.

By all means, seed with springtails ahead of time if you want to do this. The leucs will probably gobble them all up, but some may survive under leaf litter.

I like to quarantine all new frogs for a couple of weeks (I usually use a smaller tank or critter keepers that have had the air vents sealed, damp coco fiber and a few plant cuttings such as pothos, or one of that kin. It gives you a chance to observe them, make sure they're all eating and growing.

Four or five leucs would do well in a 46. I'm a little more conservative than some other people and use the 1 frog per 5 gallon tank as the very maximum for smaller and quieter frogs. The leucs are pretty active and eat a lot. I have 6 leucs in an 80 gallon bow tank, and that's plenty of frogs.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

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

bed0best is coco fiber from the coconut industry, recycled waste material that has not real value as a substrate. it's inter, and won't hold the right "things" for your plants to grow. You might think about making your own from leaf moulde, clean outside dirt, milled sphagnum moss and a bit of fine sand. there's a ratio i use and such but as long as you know what each part is good for you can make your own easily. the leafs can be green and bagged or felled but they should be clean. I use both, wash them and them get them into a food processor, then after doing this enough times, 50 it to the dirt. I use clean backyard or wood-forest dirt that I've dried. blend, wet down, add sand and then off to the tanks. hope this helps. point is you want natural products, things that work together both for the habitat and the captives. cocofiber is not good. you also want to learn about the plants and what type of pH, soil drainage and such they need and apply that to your own blending. hope this helps.

I've also had fun with getting the leaf cuttings and spore disperced (sp) by blending them in during the laying of the substrate. I'll show you how it works on this tank when things start taking root:

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Thnx,

Deven

Deven is correct, of course. The coco fibers don't provide any immediate plant nourishment. However, the coco fiber does have its uses in my experience, and the plants in my vivariums do grow well in it, although I usually mix it with the other soils mentioned, or use it as a top dressing later on. Although it takes a long time to break down, having no immediately available nutrients of its own--much like straw, it eventually does add something. Straw and coco fiber are much alike because at first, they utilize a lot of available nitrogen for the intital process of decomposition. I haven't found that this affects the tropical vivarium plants to any noticable degree, however.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

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