Earth star
Cryptanthus bivittatus
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Dart frog vivarium
A bioactive rainforest for frogs
A bioactive, humid vivarium where plants, moss and the clean-up crew keep everything clean. Frogs don’t eat plants – smooth, clean leaves matter.
☀️LightLED 12 h, no heat
💧Humidity80–100%, misting system
🌡️Temperature21–26 °C, never above 28 in summer
🪴Water & substrate1–3 short mistings daily, RO water
Build
Step by step
Branches, epiphytes
Leaf litter, moss
ABG mix
Mesh
LECA drainage
- 1
Background: cork or coco fibre with plenty of anchor points for epiphytes.
- 2
3–5 cm LECA, mesh, then 5–8 cm ABG mix (bark, sphagnum, charcoal, tree-fern fibre).
- 3
Branches and roots at angles – the frogs’ highways.
- 4
Bromeliads on the wall/branches: their cups are water and nursery.
- 5
Ground covers, moss, then oak or magnolia leaf litter.
- 6
Springtails and tropical isopods, then 4 weeks to settle before frogs.
Plant list
What to plant
Foreground
Carpet / ground cover
Peacock spikemoss
Selaginella uncinata
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Sphagnum moss
Sphagnum
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Epiphyte (on wood, rock)
Neoregelia
Neoregelia
Mini cultivars (e.g. ‘Fireball’).
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Masdevallia
Masdevallia
Needs a cooler setup.
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Microgramma fern
Microgramma vacciniifolia
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Climber, trailer
String of turtles
Peperomia prostrata
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
Creeping fig
Ficus pumila
🐱Cat mild🐶Dog mild
Velvet philodendron
Philodendron micans
🐱Cat moderate🐶Dog moderate
Accent
Jewel orchid
Ludisia discolor
🐱Cat safe🐶Dog safe
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Unwashed shop plants – pesticides kill frogs. Wash them or quarantine 4 weeks.
- Overheating in summer (above 28 °C).
- Stagnant water – odour and bacteria.
Member setups
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