substrate substrate substrate..AHH!

[boabab95]

oh and no tap water, only bottled or R/O

[beckdg]

you can layer it, mix it, play with it, roll it around in the sand, etc., etc.

keep in mind different people do things differently and may have different plants, frogs, setups, etc..

every plant i own is just about in a different mix. i suspect the same about most of us. then again some folks will have their favorites of which they'll use almost exclusively. different strokes for different folks and different folks have different needs depending on their habits/tendencies. same goes with any plant.

you'll want to find what works best for you if you're serious about it. if it's not a serious mission of yours and you find something that works for you... don't stress it... if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

there is a lot to take into account and lots of different tendencies/needs for different plants/herps. as long as you meet them you're ahead of the game.

you can also use activated carbon in place of charcoal. pretty easy to find between lfs/lps/garden shops/sections, etc..

you can also purchase an abg mix... lots of folks like those.

there's also false bottoms, leca, sintered glass, etc. for drainage.

fiberglass screen, garden fabric, landscaping fabric, bed sheets, etc. ... can all be used to separate layers to keep drainage working.

this is all great info. always good to have others experiences, input, recipes for substrates/food/success/etc. as food for thought/things to try. most things can be accomplished several different ways. some of those ways may not work for you. keep that in mind, pay attention to your tank/plants/herps and you should be fine.

one thing i want to do is an entire tank out of inert inert materials. like filter sponges, poret foam, epi-web, etc..

now, i'm sure i've made this as confusing as possible, sorry...

[JimO]

I use activated carbon that is used in aquarium filters. Be sure to rinse it before using it to get all the dust out.

[mrcarabao]

dont worry beck, i wasnt confused. that helped ALOT!

JimO, thanks ill keep that in mind.

[Ozymandias]

this actually helped me out alot too defiantly going to be trying some of this stuff with my 40br. also Beck if you get around to trying an inert media tank let me know sounds really close to a hydroponics set up except in tank.

[beckdg]

if i do, it will certainly be documented here at the very least. so, will do... definitely.

[JimO]

Not to confuse the issue, but I've gone completely over to a clay-based substrate, as well as clay background material.

If anyone is interested, I posted the recipe and instructions on another site. I could post it here as well. The recipe was given to me by another frogger, but I expanded a bit on the steps involved.

[beckdg]

absolutely! if you can add it to this thread... Substrate Notes: Gettin' Ready for Dart Frogs it would be great.

thanks for offering.
beck

[Reptile Vivarium]

Hey everyone, thanks for the mixtures for substrates. Ive got some great ideas now!!!