Vivarium build journal

[sapphoqueen]

:P now i want a terrarium tooo !

[Taari]

Originally Posted by Wy Renegade

Looks great. Appears that there may be a few orchids in there as well?

Yes, there are a few orchids, one jewel orchid, one phal. equestris, and two others I can't remember off the top of my head (I have tags for them at home though). I'll also be trying to find room for a bulbophyllum and a bulbo-like orchid that lost it's tag. I have over 40 orchids, I had to put some in my terrarium!

[Taari]

Now that it's been a little while and I just introduced lil' Rahzek to the 40 gallon tank, I thought I would update the journal. All the plants are doing fabulously. Some of the ferns died back, but are growing in nicely now. I had to remove one orchid because it was losing lots of leaves, but the 3 left in the tank are doing very well.

To note, there is some foam at the bottoms of both waterfalls. IT IS NOT SOAP IN THE WATER. I've been keeping fish for years, I know better than to let things get contaminated with soap. I believe there is some protein in the water from the organic compounds that is foaming because my waterfalls splash. They bubbles dissapear when I shut off the pump and when I touch them, unlike soap bubbles.


The newest leaf on one fern coming in slightly orange, indicating that my light is pretty high.


My aquatic cryptocoreynes converting to emmersed very happily



New leaves on one of the broms. They are all growing new leaves.


Hygrometer showing 90% humidity in the back corner even with the 2.5" wide screen door going across the front of the tank.


Phal. equestris working on opening up.


A new growth on my Masednellia cuspidata jewel orchid


And finally lil' Rahzek checking out his new home.


Also, here is a decent shot of his front toes to show how large they are getting and heart shaped.

[BruceF]

This is great. What do you feed those little blue guys?

[Taari]

flightless fruit flies, Drosophilla melanogaster. I bought a culture and some fly food and make up a few new cultures every couple weeks, seeding the new culture with flies from the old on right after it blooms (bloom = the larvae pupate and turn into flies). I dust them with vitamin powder and drop them into the tank and the frogs nom them up. I also have the substrate seeded with springtails, which keep it clean and the frogs eat the adults.

[Learner]

superb job. ONe of the best i have seen in quite some time.

Cheers mate

JD

[bacon5]

So is this the frogs that gave you the eggs and tadpoles? Beautiful!