AVS Q&A with… Shareef @abunchoftanks

The AVS Q&A is back! It’s been several months, but I promise you’re gonna love this one! It’s Shareef! Most of you know him as @abunchoftanks on Instagram. I was so excited when Shareef agreed to do the Q&A. Let’s do this!

Shareef, thank you so much for doing my Q&A!  I heard you on Amphibicast several years ago, and I noticed so many similarities in our backgrounds.  Please tell us your origin story that led you to primarily focus on the animals you work with now. 

Thank you for having me on, Nathan! It started with herping in New York City parks before I knew what herping was. We once found a turtle under a bridge and that, I believe, was my first encounter. I’ve always had a great appreciation for the natural world. I was drawn to all things plants. 

My parents weren’t fans of keeping pets, so it took a while before I could keep something. A goldfish I won at the state fair in my 20s is what kicked it all off. After that, a trip to a big box store that specializes in pets sold me everything I thought I needed to keep a goldfish alive. I left there with a 5-gallon tank kit, blue gravel, fake plants, fake decor, food, and 2 more goldfish. This was all before I knew better and before I knew plants could be easily grown underwater at home. Unfortunately, that tank didn’t last long. I went away for a trip and had my dad take care of them. He said they were hungry after feeding the amount I showed him to feed and overfed them. Because of that, I started researching proper aquarium care and came across aquarium plants. It kickstarted a fascination with planted tanks. After a few years, I would be surrounded by aquariums in my bedroom. Since then, I’ve always kept at least one tank around. A glass box with plants regardless of what was in it. At one point, I had a terrarium with only dwarf white isopods. With that tank I learned more about frogs, but I was hesitant about keeping fruit flies around with roommates that were afraid of bugs. 

In 2020, my partner and I visited a local mom and pop pet store and left with our first reptile, mourning geckos. I gave fruit flies a try as a feeder for the geckos and realized they weren’t so bad. I was familiar with dart frog care as I like to research all the possible animals one can keep in a terrarium. I immediately began a deep dive into dart frogs and picked Epipedobates anthonyi “Santa Isabel” as my first frog. 

You’ve amassed an impressive collection over the years.  Can you talk about some of the species and locales you work with and some of the standouts in your collection?

My collection grew slowly over time as we decided to allocate more space to the hobby. When I would add an amphibian, my partner would want to add a reptile. For the frog side, my goal was to keep a variety of dart frogs and enjoy their differences. I started with Epipedobates and shortly after that, Dendrobates. Then, I acquired Ranitomeya and shortly after that, Phyllobates. And then came Oophaga, Atelopus, and Hyalinobatrachium. Throughout the journey, I would add a different species of the genera I kept as long as they didn’t look or sound the same. For example, I have 3 species of Ranitomeya, variabilis, vanzolinii, and uakarii. Different calls and colors for each one. Although, there are some species that are similar that got a pass. I am currently up to 14 species of darts plus toads and glass frogs. As far as reptiles, we have several species of geckos and a Burmese Star tortoise. 

My orange blackfoot terribilis are one of my standouts. I love how bold and fearless they are. They make an excellent photo subject. Another standout is the Atelopus barbotini. I didn’t think I would ever keep them until a friend of mine with a group had to move out of the country. I was able to see how he kept them and learn directly from him. Purple is one of my favorite colors and having them has been a blast. Their color and call are one of a kind. They move slower than a dart but their locomotion is interesting to observe. Spotted El Dorado pumilio were a frog I didn’t intend to add. My first pick for pumilio were Drago Colons due to their green and gold colors and pattern variability. I was set on one type of pumilio. Spencer, a good friend of mine, had them and we would spend hours searching groups and forums for more examples and their history in the hobby. He would share clips and photos of his pumilio. I was amazed with their boldness. The closest person to me that had them available was Lynn at Fern’s Frogs. I saw an opportunity to help her vend an expo one day and came home with my first Spotted El Dorado. They have been incredibly active and bold ever since. 

In our hobby, tropical plants are an integral part of what we do, and I feel like a good understanding of the plants we use is important for the overall success of each enclosed ecosystem.  Do you enjoy the plants and vivarium construction as much as the animals?  Please tell us about some of your go-to plants for your builds.

I absolutely do! It’s like an intricate peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Plants and animals just go perfectly together. There’s an incredible amount of plants one can use in a vivarium. It can be overwhelming with the amount of options so I try to stick to a recipe. Usually, 1-3 vining plants, 1-3 ferns, 1-3 epiphytes, and moss is what I’ll aim for. I try to only use one type of Marcgravia. They’ll eventually reach the top and get messy. Lately, I’ve been adding Selaginella to every build. They’re a quintessential rainforest plant. I use a lot of microgramma that I can’t tell apart. I’m a big fan of miniature orchids. Two favorites of mine to use and recommend are Pleurothallis allenii and costaricensis. 

I know other folks were using compressed cork for backgrounds, but I think you’ve popularized it over the years in the US.  When did you start using pressed cork panels in your builds?  Can you briefly describe your process for the readers who are unfamiliar with it?

I wasn’t a fan of using Great Stuff for backgrounds. I found cork panels to be an efficient way to get to the hardscape phase. In every subsequent build, I would look for ways to get to the fun parts quicker. I liked cracked cork mosaics but for that, one had to flatten the backs of natural cork. I stumbled upon builds with cork panels on Instagram and Dendroboard sometime in 2020. I gave it a shot and stuck with it. There’s nothing better than siliconing cork panels on and immediately beginning to plan out a hardscape in the same day. I like to use the ½” thick panels to cover the back wall and sides. Then, I play around with pieces of wood until it flows nicely, using the cork as support to hold the wood up. Once I’m satisfied, I’ll lock the wood in place with either great stuff or cotton and super glue. After that, I’ll stack additional pieces of cork, which can be either 1” or 2” thick. To make the cork pieces, I take the 2” thick panel and break it into chunks. I either deface one side or split the piece in half. With that, I can vary the sizes and depth of the cork. In the end, I use a screwdriver to deface the remaining flat areas to blend it all in but that step can be skipped. The build process can take days or months. Sometimes it’ll all click together and sometimes I feel there’s a missing piece. After it’s all done, I generally like to add the substrate layer, leaf litter, mist it heavily, seal it up, and watch it all mold over for a month before adding plants. 

Your Instagram content is great!  I check it regularly.  Have you ever thought about doing longer form videos/tutorials on other platforms like YouTube?  I’m sure folks would love it, but I certainly understand the time and effort it takes to make longer videos.   

Thank you! I started an instagram page as a hobby journal to keep build and frog photos in one place. I’ve thought about it and find video editing/production to be another beast of a hobby I’m not ready for. I like to keep things simple. My YouTube page exists and has a clip of a terribilis taking down a cricket. I’m thinking if I were to add more to it, they’d be simple long form clips of my builds and their growth over time. Lots of clips of frogs doing frog things.

2026 is in full swing, and I was wondering if you could share some of your goals for the new year.  Tell us about new species, builds, etc.   

I started this year working towards adding another rack that will hold a 36x18x36” Exo Terra and growout aquarium conversions. I frequently browse Facebook Marketplace and found a $50 large x-tall Exo and couldn’t pass it up. I had a 3x3x6’ growtent that mainly started as a place to put extra plants. It was in the only spot I could fit another rack. So, I downsized that to a 2x2x4’ that could sit on a stand elsewhere. No plans for what animal will inhabit the large Exo yet. There’s also a 18x18x36” sitting in the garage with no plans. Last year was an Oophaga year, and this year is looking like one too. My goal is to complete my pairs of pumilio. All of which have pending partners waiting on warmer weather. There are a few builds I finished in 2025 that I have yet to share. I love having the steps and processes of each build posted as a highlight story. Over the years, hobbyists have shared with me how much they’ve enjoyed them and look through them as a reference, which I truly appreciate. I’m planning to update them all. 

Organizations like the Active Conservation Alliance are making efforts to protect the amphibians and natural habitats where they are found, and I think it is so important for all hobbyists to make conservation an important aspect of the hobby.  What are your thoughts on conservation and the sustainability of our hobby for future generations? 

There are many ways to support conservation. Over the past few years, my partner and I have made an effort to travel to Central and South America to support ecotourism. We’ve visited national parks and private reserves, made sure to support local businesses, and taken tours with guides who actively work to preserve the land where many of our beloved frogs reside. I believe the hobby is moving in the right direction by supporting biocommerce. I hope to do so once I decide on which large Oophaga species I’d like to keep. There is also a strong push toward supporting captive bred populations and maintaining accurate lineage information. Education plays a huge role as well. When hobbyists build enclosures that replicate natural habitats as closely as possible, it fosters a meaningful connection to the natural world that translates into real world conservation action.

Who are some of your influences?  Hobby and beyond.

I’m heavily influenced by Takashi Amano and his nature style aquariums. The balance of structure and wildness of the rainforests really speaks to me. I like to think of our frog builds as a mix of nature style with a bit of wild. I’m always inspired by the conversations I have with friends I’ve made in this hobby. We all do things a bit differently and have been able to push the hobby forward by sharing ideas with each other. The constant ideas and different approaches are a joy to see. Beyond that, I am a big fan of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. 

Finally, tell everyone how they can find you online.

I can be found on Instagram @abunchoftanks.