Terrarium Build - For Red Eye Green Tree Frogs

[kr0nic]

Ok here is a worklog of how i am building a terrarium to house some Red Eye Green Tree Frogs.

I started with a great tank custom built for me by Jason from All About Fish Warners Bay. The build quality on the tank is great and his prices cant be beat.

To begin with i made the background for the tank, this was done by using Expanda Foam . This stuff is great, very easy to use, all i did was spray it onto the back of the tank and let it set. I chose to place a few pieces of wood into the foam as it was setting.





Now that the foam has fully cured we can go about covering it to make it look more natural. I use a mix of Peat & Coir (coconut husk that comes tried in a brick).


I 'shave' away at the brick of Coir with a chisel, this will break it down into a powder that i then mix with the peat.

To attach the peat and coir mix to the foam i use Bostik Spray & Stick, once it is cured it wont release any nasty chemicals so it is safe for the frogs.


Now comes the messy part, it is best to work in small sections at a time and let it dry before moving onto the next part. Coat the foam liberally with the spray adhesive (make sure you get it into all the nooks and crannies) then sprinkle the peat and coir mix over the area, if you dont get complete coverage at first just wait till the area is dried and simply go over the area again.


WILL UPDATE AS MORE PROGRESS IS MADE

***~~~ UPDATE ~~~***

Long time coming!

Ok so here is the whole background covered with peat, i know theres some white showing, but trust me it will look great once all the plants are in.


Now here is a shot of the 'false bottom' The green piece at the back is some fibreglass grill that we had lieing around the house, the black bit at front is just plain ol undergravel filter plate. The reason for having these at the base is to allow for drainage of the soil, if the soil cannot drain then the plants roots will rot and die. On top of the plates is some flyscreen mesh, this is to stop the soil from compacting and falling through to the bottom.


Soil added and driftwood placed, i will be looking for a few more accent pieces of wood and maybe a few rocks.



Raided my vivarium and stole a brom's and ferns growing in it. Going to go for a walk to the bush and collect some ferns soon.

[Thirteen]

is there an powerhead or int filter that goes somethere?

[Cacatuoides]

Very detailed pictures depicting the setup process, an interesting thread to look forward to the finished product!! can't wait to see the frogs!!

[kr0nic]

is there an powerhead or int filter that goes somethere?

No there isnt. The only water in the tank will be from a water dish, the frogs are Australian native frogs, they dont require high humidity like most frogs do.

[Merviso]

Wow, interesting way to build your terrarium... .. Thanks for sharing and hope to see more updates with the Red Eye Green Tree Frogs inside...