Marty's Vivarium Questions!

[Foozin34]

I was wondering if we could go over how to make a vivarium like Marty's!
There are many things that I don't understand:

Mortar? What mortar can be used? Hard mortar is ok for frogs?
Epiweb? What can you find in the states to use?
How does the air system, misting system, filtration system, timing system, and heating system work?
How is the humidity controlled? Just misting and temp?
If you get a normal Aquarium and are converting to a vivarium, how do you make a top for it? Glass and plexi are so expensive!
He said that he does not have a false bottom, how does it work?
What gray matting is on top of the epiweb?
What kind of silicone is suitable for vivariums?
How can you make absolutely sure that the materials used are not going to poison the tank?
What kind of lights should be used?
Is riccia expensive?
How do you know what plants/rocks go with what frogs?


Sorry if this post is overwhelming!!!

Thanks,
Mike

[DazzleDiscus]

[...] I have no idea how marty's setup is ... um... set up. :P

What kind of silicone is suitable for vivariums?
---> GE 100% silicone I or II (II does not stink and cures faster, but there is an old debate running around that I is better because it doesn't have bioseal (but it shrinks). Now I believe that that debate is outdated, especially since people have been using II and not having any issues. I think most everyone here uses GE silicone II - black preferably.

[...] not my area of know-how.

Is riccia expensive?
---> no, it isn't very expensive imo- look some up on ebay. You can sometimes get some nice wood pieces already covered in the stuff.

How do you know what plants/rocks go with what frogs?
---> Well, if you have a jungle-loving frog, go with vines and big ferns and lots of moss, etc. If you have a toad or other such burrowing amphibian, then you should probably plant hardy plants and put them in individual pots in the soil, that way the critters can't dig them up as easily. If you have native critters, use native plants (always my favorite go

Basically if you look up the frog species and figure out where in the world it originates, then google pictures of that place and find plants that mimic that habitat as close as possible. There are also sites that list plants from the frog habitats. A google search while your bored will dig up some interesting finds on them.

Sorry, but that's about all I can confortably add... not too comfortable in the other areas yet.
-Dazz

[Foozin34]

Thanks mate

[beckdg]

mortar... depends on the use
epiweb... ecoweb
systems... i believe on x-10 house controllers if i remember right.
humidity... running water, misting, plants temp, and a lid
making an aquarium into a tropical viv takes glass, plexi, lexan, acrylic, etc. top usually
his water flows through the epiweb which acts as a biological filter and the plants take up most of what's left through their root systems.
dazzle was almost spot on with the silicones... many people still use ge1... it's usually a quest and they pay the difference
i do not remember the gray matting... maybe more epiweb... i'd have to look again
we are at this quite often and draw experiences from many sources between ourselves, through societies, clubs, the web, books, scientific studies, scientific journals and online college publications. we've even used cdc, epa and other government agencies as references during conversation/debates. some of us are more adventurous but many of us don't take any risks. there's enough material and info out there. that's how we know we're not poisoning tanks.
lighting will depend on the particular enclosure.
riccia is expensive in the wrong circles. not so expensive if you know where to look.
we take several things into account when we decide each tanks furnishings. sometimes trial and error is involved but we do our best to keep that to a bare minimum.

check out the rest of the stickies on the site.
also... how it's done... favorite links thread and good places to buy... please add to it! may be very helpful to you.

[Vivweaver]

Mortar can be used, however you need to make sure you use a non-toxic sealer, or purge the water until the PH levels are right. I prefer to use non-sanded grout, and have had no problems with my frogs.
The Air System works off a series of computer fans, rewired to a central unit. You can find instructions for this at any DIY site off google.
I’m really not sure how Marty’s misting, timing, and heating system works, but here’s an easy way to start: The Zoo Med ReptiTemp 500R Therm/Rem Sensor ReptiTemp 500R
can control multiple tank heaters, foggers, and misting systems to ensure the environment stays at a perfect temp and humidity.

If you get a normal Aquarium and are converting to a vivarium, how do you make a top for it? You must use Glass or Plexi. Craigslist is the best way to go. It is expensive, but we’re not into micro-machine collecting here. (I wish we were)

He said that he does not have a false bottom, how does it work?
False Bottoms are made like this:



What kind of lights should be used? GE 6500K should be used, as well as heat lamps

How do you know what plants/rocks go with what frogs? You need to research where your herp comes from, and then find out about the ecosystem there. You can also get some great ideas from your local botanical gardens.

[beckdg]

grout is a kind of mortar. there are other mortar products that will withstand water too. a sealer will look unnatural unless it's shine is buffed out or sand has been added to the final coats or it's under water.

the air system recirculates the humid air through the viv and the hood keeping the lamps cooler, more efficient and giving them a longer shelf life.

you will want separate timers for the lights and the mister. some misters i believe come with their own timers.

be careful putting several heat sources on the reptitemp 500r. it's a nice unit (i'm using one right now) but you'll want the temp probe on the hottest spot if you do that to prevent burns. it only has 2 outlets anyway (not like you can't use splitters).

a wood canopy can be sealed too. if the inhabitants can't get through it then you could just use eggcrate as a divider section so nobody jumps out when you open the lid. but yeah glass or plexi is best.

if it's a tropical lizard you want uvb may be necessary too. if pc lighting (like marty's) or t5ho you won't need heat lamps to provide a day temp... especially if your circulation cools your lamps by sending that heat into the tank.

[Foozin34]

Vivweaver:
what do you mean purge the water? Fans are internal correct, to maintain humidity and eliminate condensation? How does his tank work without a false bottom? So there is a pump for water circulation in the tank, Is that also the filtering system? Heat lamps are the only source of heat?

beckdg:
Is a sealer a requirement for mortar? Your say that the air recirculates throught the hood, so if i bought a tank i should make a custom wood hood to house the lights, fans, and misters? Temp probe, another source of heat other than the heat lamps? I don't know what you mean by "a wood canopy can be sealed too. if the inhabitants can't get through it then you could just use eggcrate as a divider section" How could they get through wood? uvb...ultra violet bulbs? pc? t5ho?

I wanna do frogs for sure! so rainforest right, i guess depending on the type.

Quick side note, i was a professional foosball player for many years, it was a small, close knit community, where people constantly will allow you to learn from them...i feel like i have stumbled upon my second niche community!

Thanks guys,

Mike

[beckdg]

purge the water refers to rinsing the alkaline ph out of many mortars. (the ones packaged as mortar or concrete).

the water flows through the epiweb on the bottom. there is a pump behind the epiweb. it is a filter... and the plants help.

heat lamps are rarely the only source of heat in a larger system imo. they're not the most dependable source either.

a sealer is not required for any mortar if it's not going to get wet. it is not required for SOME products if it will get wet.

you can buy a hood, build a hood or have someone build it for you. it is a good way to house a lot of things, yes.

there is a bunch of ways to get heat into an enclosure.

if one were to use a wood canopy as opposed to covering your tank with glass you could seal the inside from moisture to prevent issues.

the inhabitants can sometimes get through eggcrate, not wood.

for most frogs you won't need uvb so you may not want to concern yourself with that at this point. pc= power compact. t5 refers to 5/8" thick fluorescent bulbs. t5ho is the same but high output. pc and any "ho" bulbs as well as a couple other types put out a good bit of heat.

frogs live in just about every geological niche on the planet so species would determine the type of setup.

good to hear you're appreciating and enjoying the community we have here.

please look over the stickies and as much as you can in the links i provided. you'll come to understand more and more as you do. as of right now there's thousands of questions you could ask and still have issues or do something a little off... it happens. take advantage of the information we have here as best as you can, pick a species first and we'll be happy to guide you into understanding and through your builds. i really do think looking over as much of the info we have will do you better then asking lots of questions. some of these answers are a lot more complicated than what you're going to get and seemingly conflicting advice is going to be confusing. for example... i completely agree with EVERYTHING vivweaver posted... yet at the same time all i know you want is "marties viv"... that's not a lot to go by and unless you want everything exact including plant and frog species you may have to choose another direction at one point or another. 2 examples of that already are that you wont find epiweb and habacrete. you will not find the epiweb in the states anymore and the habacrete maybe too. even if you do people have had problems with the company lately that sells habacrete.