Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone have or have had dendrobates or phyllobates?

dennis

I started keeping Dendrobates when I was 16. So far I've kept tincs, azureus, and leucomelas. I dont have any at the moment but set up a vivarium for some about 6 months ago and have just been letting the plants grow until I find some frogs I want. I'd like to try some pumilio next but those are pretty hard to find. Heres a pic of my vivarium

bonnie how hard and long did it take to set up the vivarium?

dennis

planning it out took me about 2 weeks. The hardest part was figuring out how to put alot of light in a vision without having it look bad. I settled for 2 55 watt compact fluorescent lights in reflectors so that it didnt blind you when you looked in. I had to paint 4 wooden blocks to lower the fixtures beneath that stupid plastic hump they have in the roof, thats why they hang down so low and have a gap at the top. Looks nice when you look at it from the front though. I also put a 3" aquarium hood fan in the back for ventilation, its drilled into the upper back of the tank. Sewed some screen on it first so some poor little frog doesnt get mutilated. I added a drain to the bottom back too using a 1/2" bulkhead and a little on/off valve made for an outdoor hose, havent had to use it though since I dont water very much, just put it in there since it would be kinda hard to add one later. Planting and attaching bromeliads to the wood took me about half a day. I had alot more stuff on the wood (45 plants total) but some of them didnt make it. The others that are left are doing quite well and the bromeliads are sending off little baby plants so I guess those plants are happy. This is the 5th vivarium Ive done and definately my favorite.Let me know if you need any help designing yours.

i'll send you an email in a few weeks(after the december show). i have questions just not ready to start...i got some reading to do! lol

dennis