questions

[Elliriyanna]

I was looking over the care sheet and a few things caught my attention,

- It says to feed mealworms, dont these sometimes cause impaction?
- It says you can use aquarium gravel, Wont this possibly cause impaction as they lunge for food?

If you can have 5-6 in a 10 gallon can you have 2-3 in a 5 gallon?

I noticed it says a simple enclosure includes 2 inches of water, is this their max?

I was just looking over caresheets, And since these are available here I thought asking a few questions couldnt hurt.

[Ron Magpie]

FBTs can digest surprisingly tough insects- I've kept them for many years and never had a case of impaction. Mine like the adult beetles, too!

You could keep two or three in a smaller tank, but I find them more confident and bold in small groups. Hope that helps!

[Mentat]

Many feeders can cause impaction if you select the wrong size. One of my Pacmans got impacted once from a large Dubia male. Lesson learned... use recently molted smaller Dubia nymphs.

A 5G tank has 72 square in. of surface area while a 10G tank has 200 square in. So; in reality the 5G has close to 1/3 the surface area of a 10G. Myself would not recommend a 5G even for one FBT; it's just too small .

[Ron Magpie]

Now, this is where I may get stuck on this site- in the UK, we don't work in gallons on the whole- usually CM or inches- so I have no idea of the conversion rate!

[Mentat]

Now, this is where I may get stuck on this site- in the UK, we don't work in gallons on the whole- usually CM or inches- so I have no idea of the conversion rate!

There are Apps that do quick system conversions; I use them all the time in here. In metrics, the 10G has 1,290 square cm. versus 465 for the 5G. Was just trying to illustrate that although the 5G has 1/2 the volume of 10G; it has around 1/3 the bigger's tank surface area .

[Elliriyanna]

actually the standard 5.5 gallon is 16 inches long x 8 wide which is 128 inches of floor space.

but I was actually much more interested in the impaction risks.

Why is it recommended to use gravel on the care sheet?

[Mentat]

actually the standard 5.5 gallon is 16 inches long x 8 wide which is 128 inches of floor space.

but I was actually much more interested in the impaction risks.

Why is it recommended to use gravel on the care sheet?

Apologize for the wrong data; my numbers are for a much smaller 2.5G. Still, would not keep FBTs in a 5 gallon unless for raising tadpoles/froglets.

IRT gravel comment; think the article makes it clear (and I quote) to "Incidentally, if you do use gravel, either use aquarium-safe sand, or use gravel that is too big to be swallowed accidentally."