Hegory I disagree. I have grown CP's in enclosed terrariums for over 10 years and still do to this day. I have had awesome success with it as well. It's all about cleanliness and needs of the plants. I have also grown Aldrovanda in a similar way to this. I can see this terrarium working with some trial and error. *Make sure the silicone sealant is made for aquariums so there is no or not much leaching of chemicals. *The rocks and gravel in the bottom need to go. Use pure silica sand in the soil mix and in place of the gravel. Make sure the sand is well washed. The reason why is because rocks and gravel can carry salts which is a killer for CP's. *Peatmoss will always make your water that color so do not try to filter it. *Put a bubbler in the tank with a pump which you have. *Buy a electronic PH test kit that was made for hydroponics. Keeping a low PH will give you an idea on how healthy the tank is. If the PH swings in a short amount of time. It's unhealthy. *Buying small daphnia would be good to feed the plants. Just don't over load. *Keep an eye on the temp of the water. Any thing above 80 can be dangerous since infused oxygen becomes low. *Try to buy plants that grow in similar conditions. Plants. Some Sarracenia can be submerged like this and actually grow in the wild in the same conditions. I would suggest sticking to north american species. Same thing with some Drosera. Try to keep the water level no more then 2 inches above the soil line at the max. You can prevent plant sickness by putting a bubbler or 2 in the bottom of the soil. Bad bacteria and pathogens do not like oxygen in the water. The More oxygen the healthier the soil. This is why water is constantly moving on top and through bogs. This is also a basic principle of hydroponics. To adjust the PH down, boil water and steep peat moss in it. The tenacity will help the plants. To adjust the PH up I do not know what to use for I have never had the issue. Good luck -Jeremy-

LOL, deadhamster! =) Yes, I meant my Dear Husband, as Nathan wrote, not you. =) breton: I'm not quite sure, yet. I know that Pet Stores tell you you only need to feed FBTs a few times a week, but I don't put much stock by their advice! Steve Brighton is out resident frog-care expert, so maybe he'll let us know. And if not, I'll email him. There is also a very good old post on the forum on the care of FBTs, which I will review unti l have it memorized! =) I did do an internet search as well, but found some misinformation, some contradictory info (one site said males were larger/huskier, one said the females were, and both were scientific sites!), and some factual, but it's hard to sort what's true from what's not if you have no experience with frog-keeping! And even if I don't need to feed them every day, it will still be nice to have that easier access with the front sliding door. I just hope it's not too heavy for me. . . since it will be about 23 x 32 inches. I'm wondering if I should make this one piece acrylic instead of glass. Any thoughts? I know how easily it scratches, so I'll be extra careful with it (and good thing it's too high up for my toddler son to reach!), but I'm really worried about this big sheet of glass falling out one day and shattering on the floor. I don't know yet what I'll do for my waterfeature, but I know I want less of a splashy waterfall! I might do just a trickling stream and rely on a misting system or hydrofogger and/or rain wall to keep stuff watered. I also don't know what I'll use for the tree form, but probably not Great Stuff, as per the discussion previously on the forum. I might use that foam for ponds (though it must be used outside, because of it's toxicity while it cures), but the stuff my DH originally brought home has to be wet-cured (great for people fixing their already running pond waterfalls and streams, not great for me), so I don't know. Might just carve it out of good old pink styrofoam! I am used to working with it, so it might be the best option. Then I'll have to figure out the concrete bonder and peat moss thing. . .

That's IT, Mr.B! You have totally inspired me! I now know what i want! You are spot-on with the stream edge/riverbank idea! So, I will now make one very large, fake tree going down into the water. It will be enormous, like a very old red-wood or Douglas fir, or even a mangrove, and you will see about 3 feet of trunk, and then about 2 feet of roots going down into the water. The rest of the walls will be the 'riverbank'. This is still realistic because the tree can be growing out of the side of a riverbank, not just on top of it. And it also allows for realism with branches coming down from the canopy (most likely fake, since I want everything to weigh as little as possible) or fallen branches sticking out of the riverbank. I will also then make my 'pool' like a river, with directional flow. This wil be very well-suited to discus, who live amongst the tree roots going down into the Amazon in nature. Sweet! I'm REALLY excited about this now! Not to mention eternally grateful for this forum that enables me to communicate with people I don't know and would never have met! As for where my tree will be, I don't know. Perhaps the back left corner, so that I'm not totally copying Mr.B =) and so that my waterfall can still be on the right side, now more of a stream that is flowing down the riverbank and into the river. I will also likely put some more tree roots entering the water on the right side, to suggest the larger picture. Hmmmmmm. . . I think I will leave the tree trunk hollow, so that it weighs less and also provides space to hide cables and whatnot. And of course I will have some jungle vines draping down, to provide additional space for epiphytes. I am really excited about making the texture of the bark! I love how moss grows on the ridges of tree bark in the forest, and I will strive to emulate that in my tank. What would y'all suggest for my main tree form, since I want it hollow? I think that a piece of PVC that large would be too expensive. Perhaps I could build a plywood frame that is sort of hexagonal (only not totally round, because the tree will disappear into the back of the tank, not be entirely molded 'in the round' so to speak)? Oh, another thing I am very excited about is the plants. I have decided that I must have a super dwarf lotus in my tank! I adore these plants, but it is just too cool here in the summer to grow them successfully. I think a terrarium could be just the thing! And mine would have enough space (I think) for the smallest variety out there, right? Gary, please chime in here and tell me if this will work or not at all. Would it require a cooler dormancy? If so, could this be accomplished by removing the plant and storing it somewhere for the neccessary dormancy period? And also, since I'm going with a riverbank idea, I think I will make some holes in the bank to contain pots for terrestrials. Some paphs. and phrags. would be REALLY sweet! Especially with the flowers arching over the water. . . oh my goodness, I hope you all can see this in your head like I can. It's a piece of paradise! One question about the fake branches: how does one heat the PVC pipes in order to bend them to the desired shape (a la the Dutch vivs)? Heat gun? Blowtorch? Homer, I don't mind you being contradictory. =) I think that I will need excellent air movement in my tank though, especially if I want a lotus. You're probably right, I probably am too worried about the technical aspects (I'm more artsy-fartsy than handy, especially when it comes to electricity. Thank goodness I married an electrician!). And the wet/dry filter probably scares me more than it should because I simply have no experience with them. I should go check out the pond forum, so that I at least know what you guys are talking about. =) Are they similar to the sump method of filtration for fish tanks? Because that's what I want to use. You know, the water flows out of the main tank via an overflow, which contains a pre-filter, and then it goes down into the sump, where it flows through various chambers containing foam, sponges, 'bio-balls' or other media good for growing beneficial bacteria, etc., and then back into the tank via some powerheads. I think I will need two, maybe three powerheads on the right side to create my river flow effect. Am I making kind of a riffle tank here?

According to WEbster: a vivarium without standing water In some competition circles: enclosure containing no more than 10 percent water However, we aren't so strict. For the purposes of this forum a terr is: any transparent more or less sealed enclosure including desertariums (WITHOUT lids, or with a LOT of air flow!!!), paludariums, vivariums, orchidariums, etc.,