Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im still in the progress of getting info to set up a retf tank. right now the back of the tank is beige, i cant think of the stuff it is made out of but it reminds you of a bathroom. I dont want to keep it uncovered i would like the look of bark or moss or any thing? As for the rest of the tank i still have nothing. I would like to plant live plants and maybe a tree or two being that the tank is so big is that a possible to thing to do? thank you again guys and any suggestions are appreciated. Oh one more thing is it possible to build a big water fall. The one i have is only about a foot tall and i would like a much bigger one. And i have some shelves in there that i would also like to cover with something more natural looking. Sorry for the long post
Thank you

I like to use cork bark tiles. They are easier to use then cork bark slabs since they have a falt back. You can silicone them onto the back and live plants can eventually grow over the back giving it a nice natural look. You can also use tree fern panels. Alot of dart frog people make a background using Great Stuff (expanding foam) and then siliconing cocofiber to it.
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I'd go with the great stuff and coco fiber. its cheaper than cork tiles (especially if you live in canada ...) and I really like the look of it! just make sure you leave the great stuff lots of room to expand. last time I tryed it I used WAY too much, and I had to trim a lot of it back. Also try to use black silicone, it looks better if the coco fiber dosent completly cover it
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I briefly looked at your site and seen that you have RETF. The tank i want to set up for the is roughly 1 1/2 ft deep 5 ft wide and about 6 ft tall. It has a couple of ledges in it. It would like to cover the shelves with some kind of bark and also the back and sides like i asked in the previous question. Also want to have the live plants and a tree or too. How many red eye tree frogs can i put in it. what kind of water/pond should i supply for them? I would really like to eventually get into breeding them but want to make sure i do it right. Thank again in advance.

The tank size you are describing seems huge, I used a calculator and came up with close to 336 gallons. For a tank this size the Great stuff method would work best. You can also cover your ledges with this and give it a natural look. Black Jungle has a good how-to section on building a terrarium:
http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html

As far as how many frogs can go in there, I would say at least a group of 8 or more, it is a shame the tank is so narrow. For a water feature, there are alot of different ways to build it. I personally like to keep mine simple so that I can get to the pump easily if it clogs. You will need a decent sized pump for a tank that size and might want to consider getting a canister filter or a professional misting system.
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do you happen to know what type of plants i can use and not make the frogs sick. Also do you know a good place to purchase the frogs from. It will be about 6-8 months before i think i will be ready for frogs. I want every thing to be right. Thak you so much for your help. Now i have to go home from work and measure the exact tank dimensions. it was one that my dad had built for my first bearded dragon that has sense moved on to a bigger tank.

Personally I use plants like bromeliads, pothos, Wandering Jew, Pepperomia and Rex Begonias. You can get plants at places like Lowe's and Home Depot that are sold as houseplants, however you must thoroughly rinse all of the soil and fertilizer off of them. Peace of the Tropics is probably my favorite source for bromeliads, he sell packages at a very reasonable price (www.peaceofthetropics.com). Other places to buy plants are Black Jungle, Custom Ecos, Cloud Jungle epiphtes, and The Glass Amazon (Jace King).
As far as where to get the frogs, it depends on whether you want to start with babies or purchase wild caught adults. If you get babies they will have to stay in a smaller tank until they are grown. The wild caught adults may need to be treated by a vet for parasites. You can find them for sale in the classifieds here on Kingsnake from different people, sometimes I will have some for sale.
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Is enclosure made of glass? I would recommend the great stuff background , too, but I dont know how well the great stuff would adhere to a surface other than glass. At least as well as you would need it to adhere, anyway. Also check out dendroboard.com for more suggestions/ideas on how to setup your enclosure. I recommend peaceofthetropics.com too. I got a great deal on a bunch of miniture bromeliads from them. Send them an email with the specifics of your enclosure and what you plan on keeping in it, and they should be able to suggest some appropriate plants for you. Good Luck and post pics when you get started.