New to this forum and hobby

[Hedrus]

I have joined several forums in search of answers and I have found many good answers. Here is a bunch of questions that I have posted on another forum that I have not received any responses to and really would like some.

Hi I am new here and am trying to read everything I can to learn. There is almost to much to learn it seems. I am not so much into frogs but I have geckos and tarantulas that I am trying to do planted terrariums for. Who knows, in the future frogs might be a possibility but right now it just seems to hard. I need to get the hang of plants in a tank first, then maybe some fish in a pond area... Then frogs, maybe.

My question is are there any good books on making a high humidity setup like the ones for dart frogs? Frog/lizard books that cover this or anything really. Even just vivarium books focusing on plants would be good. I am reading all I can online but I like books and owning/reading them.

Next, how do these super high humidity tanks not get mold? In Tarantula tanks we are always fighting mold.

Last, how do you clean and maintain these amazing terrariums? My gecko poops allot and sometimes on the sides of the tank. With that coco bedding stuck to the sides how would I clean poop off it? Also in the water pond setups, how do you keep those areas clean? I saw and read about sumps but is that really enough? What if your lizard pushes dirt into the pond? Can a sump handle that?

Like I said I am totally new to this stuff so sorry if these are really stupid questions.

Kenzie

[Superfly]

Hello!

Glad your interested in vivariums! I also just started my vivarium for the first time, and I have learned quite a bit. Humidity will not be a problem if you have any kind of water feature. I have a small stream/waterfall that doesnt make a splash, but it keeps the humidity in the 90% range depending on how open the top is. When making yours, decide which type of frog or animal your going to have to decide what size of tank you buy.

Plants are another seperate issue. I have found that there is somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to "air" plants. I guess the trick is to just try different plants and experiment until you find something that works with the conditions in your tanks. Make sure you get this sorted out before you put any animals in there.

As for cleaning the tank: If you get a vivarium setup correctly with live plants and such, you shouldnt have to clean it at all (besides maybe the glass if it smudges). Usually, the frog poop will rinse off the leaves from misting (another very important aspect to keep things healthy. Distilled water is best) The poop then turns into fertilizer for the plants.
For tanks with false bottoms, Im not sure how they keep the water clean. I assume they usually have some type of fish that composes of waste and stuff while also having at least a mesh covering the pump to keep it from clogging. My tank is setup so that the water pours out of the tank into an outside filter which pumps it back to the waterfall. This way I dont have any wires running into the tank at all. Usually, from what I have seen, people have moss growing on most of the floor covering. I think this might answer your dirt in the water problem.

I havent experienced any mold yet, so I dont know the answer to that one. It probably has something to do with the amount of light going into the tank. Mold likes dark places.

Good luck! I hope this helps you out. This website has really helped me quite a bit. Just pick a tank design and use some creativity!

[Rainfrog]

It is my understanding that mold will be present in any new Vivaium and pop up from time to time on woods and substrates but is onley a wory if it gets out of control. In am environment as damp and warm as a viv mold is going to hapen. some ways of controling the mold are to have little benificial critters like "pill bugs" or springtails that eat mold and excess waste. Keep in mind this is only research im going on, I have not managed to build one of my own yet due to financial issues but soon, so soon.

[Tindomul1of9]

Black-Rain-Frogger is right. Mold pops up from time to time, and is more prevalent in the beginning.
As far as plants, there are epiphytic plants (air plants like Superfly said), and there are terrestrial plants, and then there are aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. For someone new to the hobby, I would reccommend semi-aquatic plants for planting on the ground. If you over water, they wont die. If there is not enough water, then you animals won't be happy either.
Air plants usually get mounted on tree branches, on rocks, on gravel, and most often on backgrounds. In order to keep these alive, you simply mount them so that their roots or stalks are exposed to the air, and let the roots attach themselves to the tree branch, rock, or background. To keep them happy, mist them/spray them everyday, but also let them dry out everyday. The most common air plants are bromiliads, tillandsias, vines, and orchids.
Don't hesitate to ask more questions. I know I didn't give you a full answer.