Dendrobates Tinctorius vivarium
Designed and constructed by D.Knight october 2012
This Dendrobates Tinctorius vivarium was constructed from a 25 gallon hexagonal aquarium. There was a few initial downsides to using this aquarium, as the lid had to be custom made, and a combination of 40mm fans and narrow vents had to be used to prevent the air from turning stale and the glass constantly misting over.
The base of the terrarium is raised by 50mm to act as both a drainage layer, and to provide some depth to the pool. Behind the coco fiber panels runs a 8mm pipe going into a "T" section which allows the fixing of a separate pipe to work as a siphon when the water level raises to high. The Terrarium is heated and illuminated by an exo terra canopy housing a 2.0 uvb compact bulb.
The misting system which is in place is a manual version of the exo terra monsoon. The nozzles are powered by a 5 liter garden sprayer which is pumped to increase the pressure. The simple trigger allows easy on off of the "rain" and the excess pressure leaves the nozzles to function as a dripper.
DECOR
The vivarium "backdrop" is simple coco fiber panels. I find these to be very easy to use, relatively inexpensive and once planted give a natural appearance to the vivarium. The cork tube on the sides and rear have been siliconed into place the vines have been cut and siliconed into the coco fiber panels. The substrate is a mixture of eco earth, fine grade orchid bark, play sand and pea gravel with a layer of dried leaves on the top. This has proven to be an excellent medium for grown plants and mosses, along with the added bonus the spring tails seem to breed very well and enjoy the cover of the leaves. The pool area has been constructed from aquarium gravel and a piece of bog wood hides the false bottom while giving a very natural look.The hard-scaping has been constructed using rocks and slabs of cork to give depth and provide hiding/perching places for the frogs.
The vivarium was finally planted out with an interesting mix of plants including cryptanthus, vriesea and pilea sp. Moss spores have been randomly placed and a mix of dried lichens and mushroom spores was sprinkled in a few locations.
The base of the terrarium is raised by 50mm to act as both a drainage layer, and to provide some depth to the pool. Behind the coco fiber panels runs a 8mm pipe going into a "T" section which allows the fixing of a separate pipe to work as a siphon when the water level raises to high. The Terrarium is heated and illuminated by an exo terra canopy housing a 2.0 uvb compact bulb.
The misting system which is in place is a manual version of the exo terra monsoon. The nozzles are powered by a 5 liter garden sprayer which is pumped to increase the pressure. The simple trigger allows easy on off of the "rain" and the excess pressure leaves the nozzles to function as a dripper.
DECOR
The vivarium "backdrop" is simple coco fiber panels. I find these to be very easy to use, relatively inexpensive and once planted give a natural appearance to the vivarium. The cork tube on the sides and rear have been siliconed into place the vines have been cut and siliconed into the coco fiber panels. The substrate is a mixture of eco earth, fine grade orchid bark, play sand and pea gravel with a layer of dried leaves on the top. This has proven to be an excellent medium for grown plants and mosses, along with the added bonus the spring tails seem to breed very well and enjoy the cover of the leaves. The pool area has been constructed from aquarium gravel and a piece of bog wood hides the false bottom while giving a very natural look.The hard-scaping has been constructed using rocks and slabs of cork to give depth and provide hiding/perching places for the frogs.
The vivarium was finally planted out with an interesting mix of plants including cryptanthus, vriesea and pilea sp. Moss spores have been randomly placed and a mix of dried lichens and mushroom spores was sprinkled in a few locations.
Here are some early shots of the vivarium.
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iPhone pics |
Updated shots of the vivarium.
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20-6-2013 |