Big Tank Big Ideas

I started putting together the big 3 foot tank today in preparation for some new frogs. I'm planning the most natural I can get it to look and have already got a good start.

I've used lots of dried oak leaves as a floor covering and added 2 cultures of springtails in the hope they will take hold and provide extra food for the new occupants.

I've added some sponge mushrooms for calling sites as well as a few branches so that I can plant some epiphytes later.

I've also raided the local orchid nursery for what they class as 'weeds', well they do damn fine in warmer vivs and this stuff provides a really wild look to a viv.

I have a box of plants and a few cuttings on stand by so that I can start the full planting once the new rack for the bedroom has arrived.

I have got some fittonia and some creeping fig and a couple of really nice ferns

and Im also going to use this nice big pothos stem to provide a 'canopy'. Hopefully  it will create some shaded spots for some of the plants that like the light a bit more low level.

I found out that I had for the first time, run out of coconut huts but luckily had a couple of coconuts in the cupboard which I smashed up and took a dremel to. Not perfect I know but they will serve the purpose and not look like I bought them off a shelf.

I thought to make some natural looking pools of water I would use some cork branch cut into 2/3 cm sections.

 I drilled out the centre to make a nice cork shroud.

 Then I took a standard 36mm film cannister and lopped the top off to match the cork shroud.

And here is the final product, they should make for a more natural pool and hopefully attract some breeding behaviour.

So far this is how the tank is looking, its just waiting for the rack to turn up so that I can sort out the heating and get it all installed, then on to the fun part.... planting.