Terrarium Build -

[SuggieMama]

Hello Everybody!

I recently purchased a D. tinctorius for my husband for our anniversary. Right now he is in the "sweater box" stage. I have a 55 gallon hexagon aquarium that is approximately 2 feet tall. I do not know a ton about poison dart frogs, but I have built a few other terrariums for other creatures before. I wanted your opinion on it.

I plan on having the back drop go all the way up the back and have little caves, holes for plants, and holes to collect just a little bit of water.

I was also thinking about inserting a tube that's attached to a pump to create a waterfall. At the bottom I would create a dip for a small amount of water to pool. Is this safe for the type of frog that I have? I think I might avoid this because I have never done anything that complicated before.

First things first, what kind of foam is recommended for building the backdrop.

Also what kind of paint and sealer could I use. I read that Behr concrete sealer no 980 was a good choice.

Can I include an orchid in the setup?

A lot of people stuck coconut fiber along the backdrop. Doesn't this rot over time?

Also I live in WNY. I am surrounded by woods. Is it safe to go out and find wild growing plants? They would be safe because they are pesticide and fertilizer free. But I don't know if the plants themselves are safe.

What kind of soil should I plant the plants in when I insert them into the vivarium?

What kind of lighting is best for the frog and the living plants I plan to add to it.

Sorry about all the newbie questions, I would ask my husband but this is going to be a surprise for our anniversary so I can't.

[chacmhaal]

The foam usually used for terrarium background is polyurethane foam (great stuff).
for painting, the better choice is acrylic paint and for sealer i use tiling sealant. But these materials are not safe and you have to cover them with epoyx resin for example.
For orchids it depend on what species you buy, but some small orchids fits onto this kind on set up.
A lot of people use coconut fiber but i hate this material, everyone his taste
plants which grows in your woods are not adapted at all, you must buy some broms or rainforest plants on a specialized website. Avoid taking plants, ... in the nature, we never know...And for the soil you can, for exemple, use exo terra plantation soil, it is fully safe but don't forget, brom's musn't to be planted in the soil or they will rot. it is a bit difficult to create a good rainforest set up when we are an absolute beginner.

---------- Post added at 09:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:22 PM ----------

And i forgot, for the light, it depends on the size of the tank (lenght, height, ...). And you musn't forget that, at the origine, an aquarium tank is not adapted for rainforest set up and you must adapt it with fans, or holes with stainless steel with wire mesh... for getting good air circulation otherwise you will have too many mist on glass and maybe some mould