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Thread: Input on new set up for Southern Leopard Frog.

  1. #1

    Default Input on new set up for Southern Leopard Frog.

    I posted about them a while back when was asking for help with ID, and Froggo (yes I know a unique name) is still doing very well!
    She has been in the same half water/half land set-up for about a year now, and has been doing great. I would love to put her in a larger set up ( I bought a ZooMed 40 gallon aquarium kit earlier this year and have had it in storage since.
    The main reason I have not moved her sooner is because my living situation. I have been living with my mom (yes I am a nerdy basement dweller) since I got done with college for the past few years. I'm planning on moving in with my girlfriend and her mother at some undecided point (her mom and I have talked, and she is serious about including me in the move) but the time frame is still rather up in the air. My relationship with my mom complicates matters. But we don't need to get into that.

    My health has declined a bit recently, and i'm finding the care of Froggo's tank a bit more hands on then I have energy for some days. She (I assume she's a she, I honestly don't think the frog would care) is rather messy and the bigger she gets the messier she gets; I have to keep fishing moss she's drug into the water with her that she soon finds herself without moss left on the land. She does go into the water, but she seems to spend much more time having fun burying herself in moss.

    As I mentioned she's currently in a 20 gallon long, half and half set up. The land part is made of gravel sitting on top of hydroballs, a slab of slate keeps the land in place, and the water is just basic gravel with some plants. The water end has a heater and a small filter. Currently I am spot cleaning the tank as needed with weekly cleaning of the water and bi weekly work of pouring water on the land side to flush out any debris. The filter does a great job, but because of the hardness of my local water supply, it leaves buildup on much of the water side of the tank. I do clean it weekly as well, but it doesn't last too long because of the splashing.
    I'll take a picture of it tomorrow after I do my weekly glass cleaning of hard water stains if you guys want to see.

    I really love the half and half set up she is in now, but my priority for Froggo is getting her into a bigger place, even if it's at expense of aesthetics. There was (iirc) a very basic terrarium build with a removable container for water for leopard frogs. This seems much easier than maintaining a small water ecosystem with snails, plants, guppy fry, and one shrimp in the same tank, but I'm not sure how practical it would be to help keep her happy. I can always just go with a very simple shore-line type aquarium that I have read about in Popular Amphibians by Philippe De Vosjoli, and leave the water side free of other critters, as well. My main concerns are water quality and the possibility of any unwanted mold/mildew. I also want to keep the amount of water down in the tank due to weight concerns. If push comes to shove I can get something to hold the max weight of a full 40 gallon tank, but the more I can use stuff I have the better.

    At this point I'm just spit balling ideas.

    I'm still consider myself a bit of a novice with frogs, so any help or input would be appreciated. Ask if you need any clarification.

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    100+ Post Member daybr4ke's Avatar
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    Default Re: Input on new set up for Southern Leopard Frog.

    To be honest, your hydroball/gravel paludarium sounds pretty nice in terms of maintenance and I don't know if there's any way you can build a lower maintenance design than you had, especially with the problem being partially because of hard water.
    The only thing I can think of is a full Paludarium. With ample aquatic plants to process nitrogen, good soil and lots of terrestrial plants as well, if you have microfauna(springtails, isopods) hard water buildup, poo duty and plant watering are the main duties you should have to worry about. With a pump and/or filter you can change the water less, but thats about all you can do as far as I know, and you already have a filter. I don't know if that would be easier or harder than your current setup, however. Maybe another member will have an idea.
    Edit: re-read your post. Mold and fungus are part of a moist environment. Most molds don't harm your frogs, but in a full fledged living vivarium mold isnt usually a problem. Isopods and springtails feed on it, keeping mold in check.
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
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  4. #3

    Default Re: Input on new set up for Southern Leopard Frog.

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    Here's pictures of the set up. The plants in there are some water sprite in the water and some devil's ivy in the back corner, I plan on keeping those.
    You can see the build up on the filter and parts of the glass. It's not a huge issue other than seeing in. It doesn't seem to have an adverse affect on anything living in there. If I'm being completed honest my main beef with this is really just the hard water coupled with the filter there. It's ment to work in very shallow water, but the splashing is causing most of the buildup on the glass.

    I'm currently thinking I could make something similar doable in the larger tank, just with smaller and shallower water section. There is a water pump in there buried under the land side (you can maybe see the blue silicone outflow tube on the slab of rock). Would that coupled with the hydroballs and stone make a filter of sorts?

    I know some mold is going to happen, I just live in a basement and wanted to keep the possibility of less friendly molds getting a start. I personally haven't seen a problem with the mold in this set up yet, but my landlord (mother) is all too happy to remind me that mold loves moisture.
    I don't suppose I'd need a heater in the water if I got nothing really living in there, do I? The temp can get a little cold in my room (about 60c) in the winter but nothing terrible.

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