questions

[The Lorax]

Here is the Plan:
I Want to Make a rather large Vivarium for my white lipped tree frog (possibly red eye tree frog down the line when i get one...if they can live in the same environment)... basically one as big as this one:
Front-Opening Showcase Vivarium How-To

But first off, I want to know a few things before I get ahead of myself.
A. Is a water pump / drip system necessary?
B. Would I have to change this water frequently? If so, how hard would that be?
C. Is there anything special about store bought drift wood? I don't live in a city area, and know plenty of places to find it whether it is the beach or a local lake.
D. Do the plants ever get root bound? Or do they grow so slow that it isn't a problem? Do you prune them when they overgrow?
E. Roughly how expensive is it?

those are all the immediate questions that come to mind, thanks in advance everyone for the help.

i posted this in the wrong area at first...

[Green Ghost]

A. I'd say yes

B. yes frogs need clean water

c. yes drift wood is specially cured so it won't rot but you can use live tree branches...

D. I guess with years and years it could happen.... yes you trim them

E. Relatively cheap, depends on how elaborate you want to make it....the lights were most expensive for me...

[Strap]

What about lighting? I currently have a 30 gallon aquarium which I'm thinking of converting over. There is a 96 watt light sitting on top, would this be too much light or not enough for either a few frogs or toads?

[Dryn]

frogs/toads don't care about lighting very much (sunlight is far more intense) but your plants will care very much. Wattage is just a measure about how much electricity the light uses. The lumens (which sorta denote spectrum) are what your looking for. High lumens (around 10,000K) for daylight is good, but you'll need some low lumen plant lights as well (around 4500K). The daylight bulb will balance the gharish pink plant light. I recommend both, but either will work in your fixture.

[brettlt]

I am sorry Dryn, but lumens is measurement of light itensity. You are writing about K, which is a measurement of the color spectrum.
Cool white is in the lower K, like 2900K, while daylight type bulbs are in the 5000k to 6700k spectrum. Blue is more toward the higher K, while red is more toward the lower K on the spectrum. Though I have seen people say that 10,000k is a daylight bulb, it is really rather blue compared to daylight for a terrarium. I know 10,000k bulbs are used in salt water tanks, but passing through water is much different than passing through air.

Strap, if you are talking about a 96 watt compact flourescent, then it will be plenty of light for your plants in a frog/toad tank. Especially if it is in the daylight spectrum.

[jpstod]

Originally Posted by The Lorax

Here is the Plan:
I Want to Make a rather large Vivarium for my white lipped tree frog (possibly red eye tree frog down the line when i get one...if they can live in the same environment)...

As a general rule, mixed species tanks are frowned on. Several reason
Habitat requirements of each species, real world locations of the species, possibility of eatting each other, health issues.

Originally Posted by The Lorax

But first off, I want to know a few things before I get ahead of myself.
A. Is a water pump / drip system necessary?...

That depends on what type of Vivarium your gonna set up. A tank without a water feature no pump is required. I hand mist all my tanks and just recently added an ultrasonic fogger..just because I wanted to. A Drip system for frogs is unneccessary if they have a Bowl of water to soak in. They don't drink water they absorb it. A Mist system is better than either a pump or a drip sytem. It will help keep the plants and Glass Clean of Poop. It also washes it into the soil to decompose and help fertilize the Plants. A Mist system is handy if you travel a bit.

Originally Posted by The Lorax

B. Would I have to change this water frequently? If so, how hard would that be?...

With a bowl easy, with a undertank system water feature sometimes hard. Many people drill thier tanks for drains to assist in water changes. Overs don't and plumb a shut off diverter

Originally Posted by The Lorax

C. Is there anything special about store bought drift wood? I don't live in a city area, and know plenty of places to find it whether it is the beach or a local lake....

You can use natural wood. Give a good soak in bleach water, and then rinse with clean water, even soak it for awhile. Other braches can be Baked in the Oven to cure and kill anything that might live in them.

Originally Posted by The Lorax

D. Do the plants ever get root bound? Or do they grow so slow that it isn't a problem? Do you prune them when they overgrow?...

They can become root bound, their growth rates vary from plant to plant. There are plants that grow small and plants that grow huge. The problem with most plants are that there are a so few that are truely adapted to life in Vivariums. Yes you can prune them. Lighting will effect thier growth rates also. Some plants require more light than others. I get most of my plants locally. there are many great sources for plants online, if you don't mind buying sight unseen.

Originally Posted by The Lorax

E. Roughly how expensive is it?...

As Expensive as you want it to be.

As for lighting.
Thats a personal preference also. I use Lights of America Fixtures and just Daylight Bulbs. Frogs don't require UVA/UVB Lighting nor do plants. Nor do Nocturnal Animals.
To view my animals at night I use 13watt Red CF bulbs (just about available at any place that sells bulbs).



The Only thing that I recommend is a Powerstrip with a timer. I use a a Coralife Powerstrip with 4/4 Day/Night Plugs and 4 Always on Plugs.
There are many Varieties available. I like Mine because It has 24 Hour control in 15 minute increments. I run my Lights on a schedule that mimics natural lighting. Longer in Summer and Shorter in Winter Months. So I schedule them on at sunrise and set them off at dusk.


Here is a shot of my set up as is right now.
Pretty simple


Here is a Quick shot of My Red Legged Tanzanian Walking Frog Tank


Feel free to go look at my Pics on Webshots just click on a Picture and It will take ya there.

Here is what my Newest Tank looks like as of today. Ready to start Scaping It soon. just a 10 gallon all glass tank

[The Lorax]

very helpful info, thanks everyone!!

[Green Ghost]

You can use natural wood. Give a good soak in bleach water, and then rinse with clean water, even soak it for awhile. Other braches can be Baked in the Oven to cure and kill anything that might live in them.



For someone who's starting out, experimenting with bleaching natural wood to create a driftwood look is not something I would recommend. It can have disatrous effects if done wrong. I'm not saying it can't be done at home, it can and people do it successfully. Thing is, bleach is very unforgiving when it comes to frogs. If you don't use the right concentration of bleach or don't rinse properly the bleach will leach out of the wood into the tank and wipe out the entire tank. Even a drop of bleach will wipe out a 60g tank. I dpn't see a reason to risk it because driftwood from a local pet store is relatively cheap and (should be) totally safe. Not trying to contradict anyone, just a word of warning for a beginner. Curing natural wood properly is not a simple task.