Something a little different

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Hara

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I replaced my 30 gallon salt with a 55 gallon over the weekend. That left me with an empty tank and while I was pondering what freshies to put in it, my back started hurting and I decided whatever it was, it would not consist of anything that had water changes....this is what the final result was.

I was thinking of putting a tree frog or two in there but just cannot decide if it is suitable.
 

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That IS an interesting idea. I like it! :wink: Unfortunately, I don't possess the self control required not to fill an empty aquarium with water and fish. :roll:

Live plants, not silk - right? Are you using the original aquarium lid and light? Have you had any problems with condensation forming inside? I think ferns and bromeliads would work nicely in this kind of setup too.
 
I havent tried live plants before. I have only used silk plants, rocks, moss, and plastic driftwood. (easily washible, not dangerous, etc.

My first thought is that you will never see your frogs ever. they will bury themselves down in there good and deep. Tree Frogs like more height in their tanks. So they may be agitated in that tank.

Water is also important. In my old tank, about 1/3 of the "floor" was covered in water. the frogs loved it. I had a waterfall which they loved to sit under, and bubbles, bubbling up from in between the rocks which made a very popular jaquzie. Looking back on it now, It probibly was a bit to much water and a bit to humid, but the frogs sure seemed to like it at the time.

I had moss for a long time, But eventually I found it to be to way to messy and it was the perfect environment for those tiny little flies to have babies in. I eventually switched to cut silk leaves which was soft, and easily cleaned.

Petsmart carries plastic driftwood which looks great and is affordable. My frogs loved climbing all over it. best of all, it wouldnt mold, and wasnt rough on their skin. ( be sure to plug the holes in the log so you don't loose any of your frogs inside.)

Frogs need both humidity and fresh air. I Cover my tank with the ever popular metal screen topper. (I originally used a soft screen velcroed to the top, but my Oldest Tree Frog figured out how to get out of that very quickly.) on top of that I put a large clear plastic bag to help trap the evaporating water, and I leave the back open to allow airflow. I then pump humid air into the tank from a special humidifier made just for amphibians. This insures the tank stays fresh and humid.

My old tank was heated by a small heater in the "pond" this kept things nice and warm all over.

My new tank has an external heating pad which keeps a small cave nice and warm...we will see how that works out.

Let me end by saying that I am no Expert! My Frogs were happy for a year, then they came down with red leg and died. I do not have all the answers, but I am pretty familar with frogs and their personalites, I know what they like, and I know what doesn't work.

My old tank was really pretty, but really hard to keep clean. I should post some pictures soon.

I am trying a differnt approach now, hopefully that works out real well.
 
Hara, that's a beautiful arrangement! I love the African violets. Even if it's not suitable for the frogs, it's wonderful to look at!
 
You could get away with a few green tree frogs, but you would need to plant it up with more plants that will occupy space in the top 1/3 of the tank. Also consider some terrestrial toads (which are typically more active and have more in the way of personality).
 
QTOFFER said:
That IS an interesting idea. I like it! :wink: Unfortunately, I don't possess the self control required not to fill an empty aquarium with water and fish. :roll:

Live plants, not silk - right? Are you using the original aquarium lid and light? Have you had any problems with condensation forming inside? I think ferns and bromeliads would work nicely in this kind of setup too.

My original thought was bromeliads and/or orchids....but I cannot locate any. When they become available, I may redo some things. Yes, it is the original glass lid and lighting. No condensation issues yet, but there is a gap at the back which I have left open. The big challenge is finding plants that wont quickly outgrow the height of the tank.
 
Toirtis said:
You could get away with a few green tree frogs, but you would need to plant it up with more plants that will occupy space in the top 1/3 of the tank. Also consider some terrestrial toads (which are typically more active and have more in the way of personality).

There are 4 plants in there that will get tall...most likely in just a couple months or so. Could you give me some suggestions as to the toads?
 
I have a chubby frog that I love. ITs a ground frog that will climb when given the oppertunity. It doesn't vocalize, (at least mine hasn't) and it will bury itself in the moss and be harder to see.

A Tomato Frog is another very nice choice. It's hard to find, but worth it when you do. Its a bright red frog with black lines along its side and a white belly. Its a more active ground frog and will vocalize often. Mine would vocalize with a series of low grumbles when his back was stroked.

green tree frogs are cheap and cute. but only active at night. I tend to prefer White's because they get bigger, have better personalities, and are social animals. However, they too are also usually only active at night. There are many other varieties of tree frog that make very pretty additions to your tank.

Avoid Pacman Frogs. these are readily available, but they get HUGE. to the point where they will start accepting baby mice. No tankmate will be safe.

whatever you do, do not get to many. that was my mistake. Frogs are messy critters and the tank will start getting dirty fast. the more frogs there are, the more you will have to clean. Because Frogs absorb water through their skin, they are very sensitive, and dirty tanks will lead to their demise quickly.

edit: although your plants will get tall, they are not really climbable. I use silk vines bought from a local craft store wraped around a bendable thick wire "stick" bought from a large chain petstore. and suction cupped to the glass. this provides a large stable platform for the frogs to climb and sit in.
 
RocketSeason said:
I have a chubby frog that I love. ITs a ground frog that will climb when given the oppertunity. It doesn't vocalize, (at least mine hasn't) and it will bury itself in the moss and be harder to see.

Despite being fairly cryptic, K. pulchra are amongst my favourite frogs....they have some reasonable personality, have great longevity, and are usually easily and inexpensively found.

A Tomato Frog is another very nice choice. It's hard to find, but worth it when you do.

Getting more difficult to find, unfortunately, and hitting the $50+ mark quite regularly now.

green tree frogs are cheap and cute. but only active at night.

Diurnal treefrogs are rare as hen's teeth, unfortunately.

I tend to prefer White's because they get bigger, have better personalities, and are social animals. However, they too are also usually only active at night.

And an excellent choice for a vivarium where you cannot keep a constant high humidity...these frogs do best at 40%-60%. A note of Caerula is that you must watch that they do not become obese, as this particular genera is prone to weight problems in captivity.

Avoid Pacman Frogs. these are readily available, but they get HUGE. to the point where they will start accepting baby mice. No tankmate will be safe.

Good advice, but understated even at that.....fully-grown Ceratophrys can easily consume large adult mice....I even have a photo of one swallowing a baby boa constrictor.
 
not an expert at all Quarryshark, I just like them alot and try to take care of them the best I know how. :)

They can be a bit tricky to keep alive, I Hope that my current method is a bit more successful.

The White's Tree frog is by far my favorite frog, They have great personalites, handle children very well, and are very active at night.

As was said before, they will get obesse if given the chance, so care should be taken not to overfeed. a plump frog is cute, but a fat frog is a sad frog. They will stay skinnier when they are younger, but as they reach their adult size, they will start to fatten up quite a bit if not careful.

An interesting note: I hear that the brown coloration is a sign of a happy White's Froggy, green is a Froggy that is maybe not so healthy. However, My Frogs Change color all the time. Although, they usually stay Nice and Brown in the tank and Change to a beautiful Green when taken out of the tank for a number of minutes.

Also, good luck finding a Vet that knows anything about frogs. I sure haven't found one yet. :roll:
 
Another interesting thing about the Chubby frog is that when it feels threatened or is just generally grumpy, it will fill expand its body with air and literally "blow up" to be quite a bit larger than its normal size.

a great little frog.
 
for plants,
try maidens hair fern
and a rabbits foot fern. although I think that the rabbits foot likes more to be hanging. You could possiable attach it to the back and let it hang that way. Maidens hair is great for set ups like this.

I know NOTHING about them, or if they would even work out, but what about an Anole? Or Gecko?
Something that will stay pretty small? say less then 4 inches? That would be very cute I think
 
Some of the smaller geckos, such as house geckos, would work well in the tank, although they do have the habit of messing up the glass something awful.
 
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