72 is not that bad... but if you want to bring it up 3-8 degrees higher which is also ok..the only thing that would bring it up a small amount like that would be a heat pad on the side. Another bulb may bring it up to high... and a ceremic heater would put out to much..even a 40 watt for that size of a tank. So I would start with a heating pad...but keep in mind 72 isnt that bad either for a whites tree frog. It also depends where you keep your thermostat in your tank. may be 72 in one area and 78 or 65 in another.... you know? Wise move on the upgrade of the tank size!
72 is a great evening temp btw...Those frogs are ok all the way down to 65. Im no expert but Im not sure where this 85 degree basking spot came from for a whites tree frog. The temperature in their local climate doesnt even get that high until the summer. The only frog I know that basks is the Giant Bicolor Tree Frog.
yea, I figured that would be a factor with the thermostat. I have actually ordered another one. I am keeping one mid level in the tank, and then another nears the base of the tank. is that good positioning to get a good estimate of temps across the terrarium? or is better placement needed?
I was just looking at the local weather where the whites tree frogs roam wild in australia and it is dropping to 68 degrees at night and mid to low 70s during the day... SO your temp for this time of year in their wild climate is perfect.
The thermastat in the middle should be sufficent. So what I would do to make sure you get the evening and day times temps fluctuating for their local wild environment is leave the small heat pad on...and turn the light off. Monitor for a week and post your results here for day and nighttime and its always good to monitor the local temperatures of north western australia to make sure your getting the proper temps of the time of month.
awesome! thank you guys/gals for all your help! I just wanted to make sure they were going to be healthy and happy! If all goes well with these guys, I am considering using the smaller terrarium for a smaller frog. What do you guys recommend that would be good in a 12x12x18 terrarium?
I only used to use those when I got babies.... so they could find their food sources properly.
I was never ashamed to buy bigger for any of my frogs...
So regardless of species, its only suitable for baby frogs?
Maybe a spring peeper? if you like loud frogs. haha
Im not to savy on dart frogs but they arnt good frogs to handle. Thats about the extent of what I know in the dedrobati world...maybe chipmunk will chime in. =)
lol not to sure that would work out to well in a one bedroom apartment
My suggestion would be to clean that tank thouroughly and keep that tank on hand for a quarantine tank for when your little guy gets sick or injured. (its pretty common for whites to come down with a surprise illness which is treatable)
Im sure there is someone savy here on how to make a proper quarantine tank when the time comes.
cool, thank you!
All right y'all... I have tried everything I know, and I have finally gotten my temps under control, but the humidity is a crazy animal on its own to control.
Things I have in the terrarium:
Styrofoam background that came with the Exo-Terra terrarium
Zoo-Med Cork Board
2 pieces of grape wood
Coconut substrate
plenty of moss throughout the terrarium
2 small water dishes with the dechlorinated water
4 Fake plants for hiding spots
One half of the screen top is covered with plastic wrap and one quarter of the screen top is covered with a wet towel. This in the hopes the humidity would stay steady for longer.
As of right now, I mist the terrarium before I go to bed and it jumps up top 90%, as expected, but by the time I am up in the morning it is down to 20%.
Same thing during the day. The first few days I got them I was off so I could spray often, but during the day today I sprayed before I left for work and came back and it was down to 25%. I am not sure where the humidity is escaping through...
Any suggestions? I want to get the humidity level situated. I know 90% is to high for them and 20% is way to low. How are you achieving a happy medium throughout the day?
Try covering half of the screen lid with glass or plastic wrap....also grape wood will absorb the humidity faster that any other wood I know. Try replacing the grape wood with natural looking bark pieces instead. Grape wood also harbors many bad bacteria, and mold, and can not be washed properly. Have you looked into getting a timed mister?
ok, I have noticed some white mold on the grapewood, but also saw somewhere else in the forum that it was part of the maturation process of the terrarium. I will go ahead and remove that.
The screen is covered half with plastic wrap already, but somehow the humidity is still escaping... probably the grapewood you mentioned.
I have looked into the timed misters, but those things are pricey! lol
Misters are pricey, but they are way worth it. One pump can run up to 10 mist heads so you could use one pump for 8 - 10 tanks easily. LOVE my MistKing pump, it is by far the best purchase I made for my tanks.
Grape wood is awful for high humidity tanks. The mold is most likely a gray mold and will make your frogs sick fast. Josh's frogs has a great election of terrarium wood as does NEHERP.
Florescent or incandescent bulbs will kill humidity as well. You can compensate that loss with a large water bowl, a 2 inch layer of Sphagnum moss on the bottom of the tank. Also it helps to remove the plastic and use a damp towel instead. Switch to using a Ceramic Heat emitter at night instead of a feb bulb. It will help keep your humidity up more as the CHE produces no light and is radiant heat. They are amazing heaters.
For your humidity issues it just might be the gauge. Analog have a tendency to not be very accurate, and you can get a bad digital also, so I would replace your gauge and go from there. Can't see how your levels can be so low yet mold is growing.
Rest in peace Rosie 5-31-12
Rest in peace Rufus 2-7-14
Rest in peace Morph 8-14-15
I don't disagree with the analog hygrometers being off. However 4 to 6 hours of humidity per day in a 24 hour period is enough time to show a mycelium mass on a grapevine branch. All this mold needs is that time window for the spores to create the mycelium mass and then its a rapid growing problem as long as the humidity is above 45 percent. This particular mold will remain dormant on the wood pieces in humidity of 20 percent but as soon as she mists it will reproduce rapidly.
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