Zoo Med 18" x 18" x 24" reed frog vivarium

This is my newest project. Completed about a month ago. I have had this idea in the back of my mind for a while as i am a sucker for cube vivariums. This actually used to be my crested gecko cage but they got an upgrade so i decided to use my extra mistking pump, extra lights and various other materials and create a nice self sustaining environment for some reed frogs. Amphibian Care >> Reed Frog (Afrixalus, Heterixalus, and Hyperolius species)

This is the final product as it looks but i will break it down and go into what went into this. I am limited in the number of photos i can upload but my personal album has many more images on the flora and set up of the terrarium http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/spiro666-albums.html


obviously this is the 18" x 18" x 24" Zoo med Terrarium. designed with three timers, drainage, automatic misting with the mist king starter system, and various mosses and carnivorous plants


This is the top half of the vivarium
Two species of pitcher plant, several bromeliads, and many mosses.
the misting system as one attachment through the top but two nozzles.
The piece of cork bark on the back is siliconed completely around so it could be filled with dirt and have plants roots growing through the wood to a supply of dirt on the other side. The cork back in the middle is actually a giant cylinder that i elevated and siliconed to the bottom; half of it is filled with bioballs but the top part is a mixture of dirt and pieces of wood to help the roots of the pitcher plant breath


This is the bottom half of the terrarium. the rocks form a small water feature that runs the front and left side of the setup. By doing this i hide the bioballs from viewers and hopefully it will act as a nice place for tadpoles in the coming months. the back left of the water feature has a 1 1/2" bulk head for drainage that goes to....


the container on the right is where the excess water drains into and is emptied about once a week. the container on the left is the water reservoir with about 10 gallons of fresh aquarium water that needs to be refilled about once every 2 weeks. the back of the reservoir is drilled with the mistking bulkhead that the pump draws from.


the pump in the mistking starter system with an upgraded double headed PREMIUM nozzle MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd
i upgraded to premium because my glass drilling bit was a 1/2" and the value nozzles need a 5/8" I strongly recommend these systems to anybody who is looking for a self sustaining system. These systems complimented with a drainage bulkhead and seconds timer keep my upkeep at a minimum


there are three times involved for this project. The seconds timer for the mistking system which executed three times a day. There are two lights on the box that come on and off at different times to simulate a dawn and sunset idea. i am not sure this is necessary but i got the idea from salt water aquarium enthusiasts that plant their lights so mimic real daylight (ie morning sun, afternoon heat, and fading sun)


The lights are 20" coralife aqualight Power Compact (Quad) fixtures Coralife 20 Inch Aqualight With 4-Tube (Quad) Lamp- Square Pin Base
One fixture has a 10,000K bulb that comes on in the early morning and stay on later at night. 10,000K means more filtered light aka dawn and sunset. the other fixture is fitted with a 6,700K bulb that comes on to act as the afternoon sun.


This is the open box with the misting in action. Again. Check out my personal album to see more pictures of the plants that are in there. thanks for looking!

Looks good man. Do Zoo Med tanks come with the same background as Exo-Terra or with nothing.

Thanks! Zoo meds come with a no background, which is A-ok with me. I also like how Zoo meds have a single front door

Zoo meds do have these option backgrounds that are pretty cool but i have never used one. Amazon.com: Zoo Med Natural Cork Tile Background, 18 x 18-Inches: Kitchen & Dining

Nice setup, especially with the plantwork...don't carnivorous plants fare poorly in nutrient rich soils though? What happens if frog waste accumulates? Also, aren't you worried that your frogs might fall into the pitfall? :O

Venus flytraps grow in Southern United States, in marsh lands, they can definitely handle some waste products haha.

by pitfalls do you mean the pitcher plants? if so, im not too worried about that, reed frogs are very athletic and could probably climb out just fine. ive never once found a dead one in it. The only thing that does worry me is the frogs using the water reserves in the pitchers to place eggs. Hopefully the rather large water feature with lots of live plants is seen as a better choice.

thanks for commenting and appreciating the tank.

real cool. What kind of moss is that? Will it grow indefinitely or do you have to replace it?

there are several mosses.

back piece of cork bark is covered in flame moss
the main land is java moss
and the edges of the water have riccia covering the rocks

the moss will just keep on growing i guess. its already very thick. i need to get some more frogs to trample it down.

I have an update on this Vivarium

Few months have gone by so I took some better, fuller pictures

thanks for looking

I'm really fascinated by those pitcher plants. I mean, wowsa! Which species is that, and do you have any hints on how to keep them happy?

sorry this took me too long to reply

Um those are two species. The smaller ones with more of a pinkish red are Nepenthes Bellii and the larger ones with the green are Nepenthes ventricosa.

Both can be found here Tropical Pitcher Plants

I almost always grow high elevation. They have a fact sheet on that site somewhere that breaks down all the requirements for high vs low but basically high elev pitchers are easier and don't need as much variety in the climate.

The care is very easy. i just mix in some wood chips into the eco-earth soil i use for them to keep the roots ventilated. Also, try to plant them somewhere they they can hang from (not just straight into the ground). They survive off the light, eating bugs is merely a byproduct of growing in places that don't have much light. They will still draw crickets in because of their "nectar" but its ok, just let them eat the bugs

Hope this helps. i enjoy them a lot and don't worry about them eating the frogs, never has happened to me.
http://www.blackjungleterrariumsupply.com/Nepenthes-bellii-x-N-truncata_p_1662.html