New 30g viv

[skwestle]

Hi im setting up a viv in a 30g what is the best way to set it up. I plan on getting D. Azureus I hope it is a good starter dart frog. Do I need a false bottom or running water. thanks in advance

Sean

[Dryn]

I'm new to this forum (and keeping vivariums) but I've kept aquariums for twenty years or so... I've done two months of research and bought about ten books on the topic, and since no one else has answered you yet, I'll put in my two cents... here is what I did: I took my tank (29 gallon tall) and covered the back and sides with black handifoam, putting in some pieces of cork bark and a couple of grapevines. Once that dried, I covered it with black silicone (don't worry about it having mold inhibitors b/c I called GE and they said it always had mold inhibitors) and stuck peat, sand, and cocoa fibers to it. Let it dry for several days!!! In the mean time, get some eggcrate and fiberglass window screen and make a false bottom to keep the water away from the soil, preventing rotting roots. I added a waterfeature and a heater to make sure the temp stays the same. Once the silicone dried, I added LECA (you can add river pebbles as well) then my substrate mix, topping it off with live moss, leaf litter, etc. Then add plants, and once they start to grow shoots, you can add your frogs (or whatever)!!!

[brettlt]

Sean,

You do not need running water, or a false bottom. I like to use both of these things, but they are definitely not needed.
Dryn provided a short rundown on how to build a vivarium for some frogs. There are many ways to build it, and my best advice is to as much research as possible. There are many informative sites on the web. (Black Jungle has a great tuturial on one style of tank building.)
When you have a specific question ask away and people will try to help you as much as possible.

Also, Azureus is a good starter frog. They tend to like smaller food, so melo flies instead of hydei. They also seem to like springtails a lot.

Dryn, I would love to see a picture of your tank. It sounds nice, and I am glad to see you did some great research. It is a very addictive hobby. And some people actually enjoy building and planting vivs as much as the frogs that inhabit them.

[Dryn]

I will post a picture when my wife gets her new camera.