Building Dart Frog Vivariums x 3

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Thanks and happy frogging!

[@debbiedebbie9473]

I love your vivariums. They look so much better than most other ones that I've seen.

[@atiwatthongprapal5058]

Good to see Jake Gyllenhaal out here showing us how to make a dart frog viv.

[@Lachri]

I'm doing the research on how to do this myself. I want to attempt a surreal landscape look of sorts, this was REALLY helpful! Thank you!!

[@NorthernFrogger]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jungleworld.peterK]

Well Done .. Awesome build, Awesome frogs, Awesome high quality video!!

[@olliethetrolli5610]

Epic video

[@arvopelaa]

Awesome work! 💪

[@divemaskstrap]

Beautiful! I will also redo my vivarium soon and you have gave me some ideas 😉

[@chrisspanks7750]

Glad to see you..awesome !

[@diamondpaintingdogdad8533]

Great Vid Josh. Thanks for some additional ideas for my current build.. We missed you and your vids. Please keep them coming.... Would enjoy seeing spotlight vids on thumbnail varieties...

[@curtism1741]

Great video 👊🐍🐢🦎🐊🐸👊

[@NorthernFrogger]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@catzoe5822]

Wow! It’s was really helpful.Thank you for sharing !

[@NorthernFrogger]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Leescreaturefeatures]

Awsome video

[@jodrichy]

Could you use. Insulation board to make background. They seem easier to carve?

[@idrisssbbd3997]

what kind of lightning did you use for the setups in the background?

[@fanggang1462]

What type of expanding foam did you use?

[@johnschweiger1079]

Awesome builds I'm just doing a lot of research at the minute before I make my first frog enclosure is any silicone ok to use when making backgrounds thank you

[@olliethetrolli5610]

You want to stick with aquarium silicone that is the safest

[@debbiedebbie9473]

Do vivariums have mold and fungus, naturally breaking down the natural things in the vivarium ? Im concerned about that, mold spores in the house and in my lungs ?

[@bile897]

Nice job, no one told me how badly the silicone smells. I almost died lol. I just did a crested gecko paludarium setup, because my bioactive got to much water from misting with a spray bottle. Idk how the monsoon system doesn’t do the same.

[@NorthernFrogger]

Lol yeah I should have mentioned to use it in a well ventilated area, the fumes can be quite strong... Possibly the Monsoon has a finer mist than the spray bottle? Finer spray evaporates quicker and can boost the humidity without soaking everything down...

[@osaka4644]

In Calgary area, looking to raise some dart frog tadpoles if you have any for sale?

[@onethousandwinds]

These are beautiful! How do you get the plants to stick to top tiers? Do you put substrate in pockets of cork or?

[@NorthernFrogger]

I usually just stick them into the nooks and crannies and just keep them will misted until they take root

[@fr0gson728]

hey can i ask something? do you keep the frogs long term/permanently in a 12x12? because im considering getting some kind of darts and i keep reading conflicting things on tank size for a pair and whether they need height vs width. thanks so much if you manage to reply and your tanks are giving me all kinds of inspiration to attempt a bioactive again!

[@ultrademigod]

The very first thing you need to work out is what kind animals you plan on keeping. Do you want thumbnail arboreal species or ground dwellers? I have a 18x18x36 for my 3 Ranitomeya imitator, which gives them plenty of different platforms/levels to climb up and explore, as well as call to call from. It also allows me to cram in enough plants for them hide away in and also lay eggs in the bromliads. If anything terrestrial species need more space, as they're bigger and in my experience seem to like the company of other frogs. As a beginner I would recommend starting with a 36x18x24 setup, and try 3 or 4 D. Leucomelas or D. Auratus. They're both great starter species and not that expensive. Imo 12x12x18 is not a suitable long term size for any frogs though.

[@eRae16]

My foam eventually pulled away from the glass, have you ever had this happen? I had to find a way to glue it back down which was a pain.

[@FookinBritTtv]

did u use silicone to stick it back again??

[@vergilarceo3131]

Nice work! I’ve seen a few people use the silicone technique. How long did it take for the vinegar smell to go away? I just did a tank and it still smells.

[@NorthernFrogger]

It usually takes a few days for the smell to go away completely. Sometimes I will set up a fan blowing into the tank to help dry it out faster.

[@shaniabarrett1035]

Have you ever had a problem with bacteria and mold from the substrate on the walls .

[@NorthernFrogger]

Not really... I sometimes get a bit of a mold outbreak during the initial cycle of a tank, but it generally clears up in a couple weeks. If I ever do notice a bit of mold starting in a tank, I will just start adding tons of springtails and they usually get it cleaned up pretty quick.

[@dannylewis962]

What light bulbs do you use ?

[@NorthernFrogger]

I was using CFL's for a long time, but as those die I'm switching them over to LED. Just cheap ones I get at WalMart, as long as they are daylight spectrum (5000-6500K).

[@dannylewis962]

Northern Frogger ah ok so no heat source ?

[@NorthernFrogger]

Nope, I don't provide additional heating. I find even with the LED's the small amount of heat they put out is enough to warm a vivarium up a couple degrees during the day and create a slight drop at night. Most of my viv's sit around 74-76F during the day.

[@ratrod67]

How easy is it to remove the foam at a later date if you'd like to do something else?

[@NorthernFrogger]

It's a bit of a pain but it can definitely be done... Usually you can just kind of rip the majority of it off, and then use one of those razor blade scrapers to remove the last bits from the glass. I'll actually be showing the process in an upcoming video when I remove a background that came with a used tank

[@ratrod67]

@@NorthernFrogger Thank you for replying. I got a new 18x18x24 and not a fan of the background that came with it but didn't want anything permanent.

[@jacoblutz3524]

How do these tanks drain the water from the bottom

[@NorthernFrogger]

I explain it a bit better in my most recent vivarium build video, but I just install a small piece of 3/8" tubing in one corner of the vivarium, which I can then insert another piece of 1/4" tubing into and siphon off the excess water.

[@tired3726]

So standard expanding foam is frog safe? I want to make a nice living place for my frogs but I dont want to poison them by using the wrong stuff.

[@NorthernFrogger]

I've heard mixed things about it recently... I'm going to stick with the Pond and Stone great stuff because it's actually meant to be used around water and fish.

[@tired3726]

@@NorthernFrogger that is what I ended up using after a lot of info digging thank you for the response tho

[@hansgruber7]

Beautiful tanks! Isn't 12x12x18 a bit small for two frogs though? For anyone watching, I wouldn't recommend keeping dart frogs in anything smaller than 18x18x18, preferably bigger.

[@NorthernFrogger]

Honestly I think it's fine for a pair of thumbnails. I've kept them in the 18x18x24s too and I found that once they established a couple little preferred hidey holes they spend like 95% of their time there and most of the space goes unused. I have my four variabilis in a 90 gallon tank and they all hang out almost exclusively on their one favourite brom that would fit in the one of these tanks anyway.

[@BigShrimpin416]

These are Thumbnails. They’re tiny! 12x12x18 is good for a pair of Thumbnails. The larger ones yes you would need at least 18x18x18or 24

[@MrPoohbae1000]

Do u sell frogs

[@lynmalyon]

How do buy from your website-we live near Calgary

[@NorthernFrogger]

I don't have an online store set up right now, but you can email me at [e-mail] for availability :)

[@JohnShaw26.2]

Definitely not manzanita. That’s Malaysian drift wood.

[@NorthernFrogger]

Thanks! :)