New vive - A blank slate

Elfmaze · #1 (**permalink**) 12-17-2006, 02:20 AM

Finally got my snakes out of my exo terra 45X45X45cm tank. I want to do a nice vive setup for either some dart frogs or just some cheaper FBT's. I've got alot of things i need to plan out first though first is the root of the project. the drainage and the land.

Land, for simplicitys sake the inch or so of clay pellets looks the easiest, covered in the screen material, then a topsoil? how do you get the water out of the drainage part though? i was thinking of a syphen setup to keep the water level at an inch or so deep under the pellets. then i could have a small corner that i accually expose the water for the little guys to play in? But one of the problems will this will have to be zero maitnence cause once i build the plants and stuff on top i can't have the drain pipe getting clogged, How do people work the drainage evacuation?

second topic: how much light do i need? I want to do a bromiliad/ tropical setup. probably going to just get an assortment from http://frogbroms.com/ since i live in CT and tropical plants are hard to find.

Third: I hear frogs like a fairly cool temperature? how do you keep you're vives cool on hot summer days or warm in the winter?

Tindomul1of9 · #2 (**permalink**) 12-17-2006, 09:43 PM

YOu could always dig out a pond so you can see the water when it gets too high, and it also gives the water an easier place to go to to wick up to the soil. Also this gives you easy access to the water so you can just suck it out with a turkey baster or something similar.

Superfly · #3 (**permalink**) 12-21-2006, 02:53 PM

To solve your drainage clogging issue. If it ever clogs up, an easy and fast solution is to hook an air pump to the line, or, if your man enough just blow on it yourself.

This will blow all the crap away from the line so it can drain again. (I learned this from having a dirty gas tank on a motorcycle

) This isnt a permanent solution as all that stuff will probably keep on building up. BUT, if you have a mesh over your clay pellets you shouldnt have too much thick stuff coming through. Just make sure your siphon tube has a bigger opening than the mesh so that any crap that does get down there can pass right through.

I think im gonna try to have an airstone under my clay pellets and have that hooked up to an air pump to hopefully keep the water on the bottom of the dry side from building up.