What to put in a Natural Vivarium

[nellie]

Hi,
My husband and I are thinking of turning our 55 gallon hexagonal aquarium into a vivarium. We originally were thinking that we wanted to set it up for Dart Frogs, but the information I'm finding on the web says that they may not be good beginner frogs. I have a BP and some Leos, but I don't have any experience with frogs at all.
Would it be a really bad idea for us to get dart frogs? Is there any other type of critter that would be a good choice. I'm not set on any type of animal so any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks a ton!
~Nellie

[Kyle Barker]

darts are easy enough, just need to have a steady suply or fruit flys/small crickets.

[C.m.pyrrhus]

If you want to start with frogs, I would suggest some tree frogs such as Grey, Greens or even Canyon tree frogs. These are much cheaper and hardier than the Dendrobates. This will allow you to see how frogs work in captivity and refine your husbandry more so. Not that Dendros and North Americans species are very much alike.... yet this will get ya started.

For a natural Vivarium, rule is the bigger the better when it comes to building one. I would suggest waiting until you could get an even bigger tank personally. Also start with a small amount of animals as you do not want to pollute your new habitat. Viviariums are very awesome, just take some general knowledge that may just have to be learned by trial and error, so take this into thought. Many things can go awkward with them, and they do need a good fair amount of attention, as your goal is to build a natural and controlled ecosystem.

Good Luck