The
I wanted to create a mini ecosystem very similar to the one the frogs woulld naturally habitate. About 2 months before I got my frogs, I started setting up a "vivarium", a terrarium for animals.  I bought a "30 gallon high" fish tank (complete with hood and wrought-iron stand) and filled it with 4 inches of substrate (a mulchy plant-growing mixture) and varoius large and small tropical plants.  I also wrapped a forked branch with sphagnum moss and placed it diagonally from top to bottom - providing some vertical climbing habitat for the frogs.  The vivarium has an uneven terrain furnished with logs, some rocks and mosses.  Because the frogs require high humidity, I also built a stream running across it.
In order to create the stream, I needed to make a reservoir of water underneath the "soil."  Water is pumped from this underground reservoir up to a high point on the "land" where it flows across the vivarium into a small pond.  The water then seeps back down through the substrate to the reservoir where the process starts over.  The best way to create this reservoir is through the use of a "false-bottom" where the soil is suspended a few inches above the bottom of the tank on a plastic lattice propped up by sections of PVC pipe. In my reservoir I have placed a small submersible pump (to create the circulation) and a water heater (to help control the temperature and humidity of the environment.)  The stream runs 24 hours a day.
Hidden behind the white sheet under the tank  are the tubes and wiring for the pump, the heater, and a misting system (not to mention a couple of "extra" fruitfly cultures).  The misting system is set to automatically "rain" on the habitat a couple of times a week - keeping the humidity at the proper levels.  This system costs some ridiculous bucks, but the convenience of it has made it worth every penny.  For more information about this wonderful appliance, visit my misting system page.
On top of the tank sits a standard fish-tank hood.  I replaced the aquarium lightbulb with a full-spectrum bulb to help the plants grow better.  The light is hooked up to a timer so that the frogs' "sun" automatically rises at 8:00am and sets at 9:30pm every day.  I attached some plastic window screening to the bottom of the hood so that I can open the hood's door (for ventillation) without risking frog or insect escape.  Note the temperature and humidity guage - very important. I try to keep the temperature of the vivarium between 80-85 degrees and the humidity somewhere above 80%.
At night, after 9:30pm, if I'm going to be doing things in my room with the lights on, I cover the vivarium with a towel.  This keeps the room lights from disturbing the frogs as they sleep.
As always, Winston Churchill keeps an ever-watchful eye over the vivarium and its inhabitants.
killer frog hotel