Omg...Urgent Help...My Frog Will Drown??

[ninetail89]

hello guys...i have a problem....looks like i over mist my tank until ...somehow the water level is the same as the cocofiber...its looks like a swamp there...some part of the cocofiber submerge under water..
do i need to drain out the water or maybe add extra cocofiber to make it higher or something??
cause i notice when my fantasy frog...burrowed himself completely underneath.....he suddenly pop out....like was drowning or something.....

what should i do....drain the water out.....or add another layer of cocofiber???

thx thx

[Capojames]

Picture? And do u have heat on the tank?

[gundam009283]

you prob want to drain it out. it's still too much even if you add another layer(unless you double or treble the amount of substrate to reach the right level) you want it to be just moist around 70%. there shouldn't be any water puddle at the bottom.
and yes they will drown if they go all the way under water surface.

[ninetail89]

no heater..the weather in my country is perfect for Pacman(Malaysia)..below is my setup..before water rise above cocofiber level....i already added an extra layer of cocofiber to it....so i guess that will do....might as well...stop misting for a while...lol....i mist the tank once daily....maybe i mist too much at one go....

[ninetail89]

you prob want to drain it out. it's still too much even if you add another layer(unless you double or treble the amount of substrate to reach the right level) you want it to be just moist around 70%. there shouldn't be any water puddle at the bottom.
and yes they will drown if they go all the way under water surface.

em...but stil....they should be smart enough not to stay under and drown right??...i added another layer already of cocofiber....but if my pacman still drill his way to the very btm...then what would happen...but then again...they should be smart enough...or not?==

[Sublime]

Definitely put your frogs in a holding container while changing out the substrate or at least draining out the water in there. Coconut fiber is a great bedding for locking in moisture, but once you over do it... It's inevitable that it will start creating puddles. Pacmans' don't do very well when the water is at a depth level where they can't touch the ground and or leave their head out to breath (Not great swimmers). Also saturated coconut fiber with pools of water like yours will harbor mold and fungal growth before you know it. They will un-burrow when the water levels or feel the moisture content rising, which is what your fantasy frog did.

I used to over do it too with my frog tank: Slow down on the misting, spray the sides more than the dirt, and don't spray the dirt directly so much. Lighting will help evaporate some of the moisture -- but like I said -- once coconut fiber gets wet, it's hard to dry out the saturated dirt. Also do you use any type of screen covering for keeping moisture in, e.g. glass/plexiglass, damp towel. Then you won't have to mist so much during the day - at night spray a very tiny amount if not anything at all.

[ninetail89]

yeah the top part is covered with a fencing screen...which i remove ..so that water can evaporate faster...

i have no problem with my albino now...he only burrowed half of his body.....but my fantasy nearly the whole body....but he seems comfortable now...i can still see both this eyes and his nose?as long his nose is not under water or something..it should be fine right?...

lesson learn....should avoid misting too much ar...~~

[Badger]

I would advise adding a drainage layer (Ex: gravel/hydroballs/false bottom) that way the excess moisture drains out of the substrate and you don't wind up with a swamp.

[GrifTheGreat]

Definitely put your frogs in a holding container while changing out the substrate or at least draining out the water in there. Coconut fiber is a great bedding for locking in moisture, but once you over do it... It's inevitable that it will start creating puddles. Pacmans' don't do very well when the water is at a depth level where they can't touch the ground and or leave their head out to breath (Not great swimmers). Also saturated coconut fiber with pools of water like yours will harbor mold and fungal growth before you know it. They will un-burrow when the water levels or feel the moisture content rising, which is what your fantasy frog did.

I used to over do it too with my frog tank: Slow down on the misting, spray the sides more than the dirt, and don't spray the dirt directly so much. Lighting will help evaporate some of the moisture -- but like I said -- once coconut fiber gets wet, it's hard to dry out the saturated dirt. Also do you use any type of screen covering for keeping moisture in, e.g. glass/plexiglass, damp towel. Then you won't have to mist so much during the day - at night spray a very tiny amount if not anything at all.

This is good advice. It is easy to over-spray. I did that once. The humidity kept dropping so I kept spraying... until I realized the soil was soaking wet. I changed the substrate out and covered part of the lid so that the humidity would be retained easier. I haven't had any problems since then. Unfortunately once the substrate gets that saturated with water, just removing the lid is not going to be enough to dry it out properly. You will need to change the substrate. The general rule is that when you pick up a handful of substrate it should feel damp but there should not be water dripping off.

They should be smart enough not to bury themselves too deep, but I would keep an eye on them all the same.

Adding a drainage level can help, but do your research first. Make sure if you use any sort of gravel that it is too big for the frogs to swallow. They will still try to burrow down as far as they can, so it is better to be cautious.