Silver Ninja
Aquarium Advice Newbie
My husband bought me 3 African Dwarf Frogs who started as frogs in a "box". I had wanted them for years because they looked so "cute", however I knew they would need the care & commitment as another pet (you should see how spoiled my Boston Terrier is!). The environment (I absolutely hated the box!), the "care" sheet & food was so, so, wrong that I threw them out! They stayed in a larger, glass, bowl until I could get an aquarium. The box is being used as a small terrarium & the bamboo stalk is in a small pot.
I researched on how to best care for them including what kind of aquarium they should have.
So I bought a Top Fin 3.5 gallon Enchantment Aquarium, on sale, from Petsmart (& a heater). The tank is a half crescent & is taller than it's wide. The frogs seemed to have trouble, in my opinion, getting to the top & I built up one side higher than so it would be easier for them to get to the top. I started with a bed of smooth, aquarium, gravel, put some small terra cotta pots on top & buried them in several inches of the gravel. I then added a large pile of smooth stones, making sure that none of the frogs would get trapped in or under them. I decided, if I want to keep the stones, I may have to glue them together because we have occasional earthquakes & I don't want them moving; squashing the frogs!
Anyway, I'm beginning to hate the tank because:
1 - It's hard to feed them. The shape of the tank causes the filter, which is on one side of the tank, take up most of the top space. Unless I remove the filter every time feed to them, I have trouble getting food to their "bowls" of terra cotta flower pot trays. I even use a turkey baster & food will fall out before I can get it to their "bowls".
2 - I can't get any good pictures of my frogs because of the curve.
3 - I have to take the thing completely apart to "vacuum" the gravel, which I do weekly because of the food not always getting to their "bowls". (I've vacuumed some of the uneaten pellets & they had white "hairs" on them. It may be fungus & I just don't want take a chance of it getting a foothold in my tank. They eat other things, too, that need to removed.)
4 - I can't lower the level of the water because the filter's minimum level is about 1-1/2 - 2 inches from the top.
5 - I'm limited on where I can put any decorations. Their "houses" are on either side, 1 plant in the middle & a large, smooth stone they like to lay on.
I'd like to buy another kit that's a rectangular, 5 to 6.5 gallon tank, glass, has an LED light & a filter, if it is possible, can tolerate adjustable levels of water. I'd like to be able to buy it locally (Petsmart, Petco or Walmart) or a reputable online company. I'm thrifty & I'd like to pay a fairly low price price; however I don't want to "cheap out" like last time.
The reason I want that size tank, I want my froggies to feel more "free range". I want to create an environment similar to what their natural environment would be, with different depths including a shallow area to splash in, provide more hiding places, maybe a sandy area, & a few live plants. (And I could add a few more friends later, if I want to -- from a reputable, local pet store.)
I've done research but some of them are half crescents. Some have filters that aren't adjustable & are so powerful that they had to be replaced it with another filter! Other comments that I've come across are that the lid is hard to take off.
I had considered buying just a tank (6.5 gallon) & adding the a light & filter. First thing I wanted was a light & the hoods I looked at would be more expensive than buying a kit!
Thanks for any advice that you can give me. My husband didn't realize how "expensive" they would be & I want this to be my last purchase for them.
I researched on how to best care for them including what kind of aquarium they should have.
So I bought a Top Fin 3.5 gallon Enchantment Aquarium, on sale, from Petsmart (& a heater). The tank is a half crescent & is taller than it's wide. The frogs seemed to have trouble, in my opinion, getting to the top & I built up one side higher than so it would be easier for them to get to the top. I started with a bed of smooth, aquarium, gravel, put some small terra cotta pots on top & buried them in several inches of the gravel. I then added a large pile of smooth stones, making sure that none of the frogs would get trapped in or under them. I decided, if I want to keep the stones, I may have to glue them together because we have occasional earthquakes & I don't want them moving; squashing the frogs!
Anyway, I'm beginning to hate the tank because:
1 - It's hard to feed them. The shape of the tank causes the filter, which is on one side of the tank, take up most of the top space. Unless I remove the filter every time feed to them, I have trouble getting food to their "bowls" of terra cotta flower pot trays. I even use a turkey baster & food will fall out before I can get it to their "bowls".
2 - I can't get any good pictures of my frogs because of the curve.
3 - I have to take the thing completely apart to "vacuum" the gravel, which I do weekly because of the food not always getting to their "bowls". (I've vacuumed some of the uneaten pellets & they had white "hairs" on them. It may be fungus & I just don't want take a chance of it getting a foothold in my tank. They eat other things, too, that need to removed.)
4 - I can't lower the level of the water because the filter's minimum level is about 1-1/2 - 2 inches from the top.
5 - I'm limited on where I can put any decorations. Their "houses" are on either side, 1 plant in the middle & a large, smooth stone they like to lay on.
I'd like to buy another kit that's a rectangular, 5 to 6.5 gallon tank, glass, has an LED light & a filter, if it is possible, can tolerate adjustable levels of water. I'd like to be able to buy it locally (Petsmart, Petco or Walmart) or a reputable online company. I'm thrifty & I'd like to pay a fairly low price price; however I don't want to "cheap out" like last time.
The reason I want that size tank, I want my froggies to feel more "free range". I want to create an environment similar to what their natural environment would be, with different depths including a shallow area to splash in, provide more hiding places, maybe a sandy area, & a few live plants. (And I could add a few more friends later, if I want to -- from a reputable, local pet store.)
I've done research but some of them are half crescents. Some have filters that aren't adjustable & are so powerful that they had to be replaced it with another filter! Other comments that I've come across are that the lid is hard to take off.
I had considered buying just a tank (6.5 gallon) & adding the a light & filter. First thing I wanted was a light & the hoods I looked at would be more expensive than buying a kit!
Thanks for any advice that you can give me. My husband didn't realize how "expensive" they would be & I want this to be my last purchase for them.
