Changing Firebelly Viv

[Ratman667]

This is the current setup. These photos are what I am changing it too.

I am using part of a glass top for a 10 gallon aquarium that got broken. Rather than throw out the unbroken part, I'm using it as a separator to give them more water. The separator is about 4" high and gives them about 1/3 of the tank as water.

This first one shows the separator:

This is a crappy photoshop of how it will look after the caulk dries (caulk is non-toxic for use for sinks).

I'm going to use the same plants I currently have in it, but adding clover and moss for ground cover. The stick is for the toads to climb out of the water.

And yes, I sanded the sharp edges of the glass so they can't cut themselves.

I will add more photos after the caulk dries and I start adding soil and plants.

I'm also thinking of adding some river stones and aquatic plants to the water.

 

[Krow]

Sounds cool, cant wait to see finished pic.s!!

 

[jakemyster44]

I did the same thing, worked out great. I sugest siliconing gravel to the side though, it will look nicer, and be easyer for the frogs to grip.

 

[Ratman667]

I was thinking about dong that. Plus, it will get rid of the last of the silicone. I am also going to steal a piece of slate from my leos to build a small ramp.

I do have one question: I make my own compost. It's all "organic" meaning I don't add anything to it but water and air. If I sifted it and baked it to kill the bacteria and parasites, would it hurt to use it instead of Eco-Earth?

 

[Ratman667]

O.K. I got most of the plants in last night. I still have to glue the pebbles and moss to the divider and add river rocks to the water side.

I have decided to get two Java Ferns for the water side. I wanted to put some duck weed in the water too, but it would choke out the ferns, so I'm not adding it.

Here are some updated pics of what it looks like now.

After I got everything in it, I thought about using black silicone with Eco-Earth stuck on it for a background, but that would mean taking all of the soil and plants out.

The substrate is compost that I sifted and baked. It has ~1/2" of clay balls under it. For drainage, I have a piece of aquarium air tubing glued to the bottom. It runs up one corner and over the top, so I can siphon the water out. The end of the hose has a 3 liter soda cap with holes drilled in the sides to keep debris from clogging the tube.

I put one of the toads in to see how easy they could get in and out of the water, but it is back with the other three in the tub. I need to get this put together faster, but I'm at a dead end until I get paid next week. What little money I have now is to go to Repticon tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I will find some good stuff there.