Fire-bellied toads and fish

[clownonfire]

Hi,

First of, great site! We have 4 frogs (2 fire-bellied toads, 1 Bumblebee Walking toad and 1 green tree frog) all living in different vivariums.

We have just revamped our fire-bellied toads to mimic as best their natural environment. 1/4 land, 3/4 water. They are really happy with the change (we've had them for a year now). We have a water filter. Here are my questions:

1. Since there's about 4 inches of water, we are thinking about maybe introducing some fish in the tank. Now I've read different opinions on the net... What is a rule of thumb if possible. Better fish than others? We think it would also help clean the tank.

2. We would like to add perhaps a water heater. But since there's only 4 inches of water, it is hard to shop for a good one. Any suggestions, if a heater is needed at all? We have a very low uvb light above the tank for the plants, and the average temperature of the tank is around 23 daytime, and drops to 20 at night.

Thank you,

Eric

[Rocko]

I keep cherry barbs and a few snails in my tank with great success. The major issue is water changes, you need to make sure not only nitrates and such do not build up but also the fbt toxins.

[clownonfire]

Thank you Rocko. How many times do you change your water, i.e. at what frequency?
We also keep an Exo-Terra Moss ball in the tank.

[bshmerlie]

I use a 501 canister filter and still change half the water every week.

[clownonfire]

We've purchased a Fluval 1-Plus. We'll see how this one goes. Has anyone used it?

[Rocko]

I have not used the filter, but I can say with the addition of plants, and waste treatment products, I have gone as long as 3 weeks without water changes. That being said, I'd still recommend changes more often for the benefit of everything.

[clownonfire]

Thank you again, Rocko. We'll try and change the half the water once a week. If we can clean the filter sponge on a weekly basis... We will wait a month to see how the environment is, and then add fish to it, if it is stable enough.

[Rocko]

Be careful with how often you clean the filter sponge, you don't want to upset the nitrifying bacteria that will help maintain your tank.

[clownonfire]

Thanks Rocko. I'll make more research on it.

[ARMS87]

My FBTs always seem to prefer land so mine is 3/4 land, shame because I would love to house them with fish. I'd choose Tetra, cheap, easy and fast. Even if they did become food they are cheap.
Is that callous of me?

[clownonfire]

Well, there it is. It doesn't have fish yet, it might be withing a month, just to make sure I control the water quality and all.



@arms87: Funny.

[ARMS87]

Well, there it is. It doesn't have fish yet, it might be withing a month, just to make sure I control the water quality and all.



@arms87: Funny.

Nicely done

[badkelpie]

White clouds (white cloud mountain minnows) are unkillable (and cheap). My sister housed 4 with her firebelly newt for 3 years, she just moved the newt to his own tank (he wasn't liking the water as much, so she made him a land based terrarium with a big pond, happy newt now). Fish are still going strong. They're coldwater fish too, so they don't need a heater.

[FrogmanGav]

I used that filter that you were mentioning and i found it was useless for me.

I had to upgrade to a fluval U2 as i found the 1 Plus was leaving my water very stagnant because it had trouble filtering the water in my smaller tank. It also started making an awful screeching noise after about a year which was LOUD!

My advice would be to go for the U2 as it is very much quieter and has a 3 stage filtration system which will help you keep the nitrate levels in your tank at a safe level which you will need especially for the fish if you choose to add them.

This is only my opinion from my own personal experienceso let me know how it goes for you. Gav

[clownonfire]

White clouds (white cloud mountain minnows) are unkillable (and cheap). My sister housed 4 with her firebelly newt for 3 years, she just moved the newt to his own tank (he wasn't liking the water as much, so she made him a land based terrarium with a big pond, happy newt now). Fish are still going strong. They're coldwater fish too, so they don't need a heater.

Thank you. I'm not sure if I am going to take the fish path. Their tank is lovely as it is, and the FBT seem very content the way it is. I'll keep this as a note though if we decide at a later point to add fish.

[clownonfire]

I used that filter that you were mentioning and i found it was useless for me.

I had to upgrade to a fluval U2 as i found the 1 Plus was leaving my water very stagnant because it had trouble filtering the water in my smaller tank. It also started making an awful screeching noise after about a year which was LOUD!

My advice would be to go for the U2 as it is very much quieter and has a 3 stage filtration system which will help you keep the nitrate levels in your tank at a safe level which you will need especially for the fish if you choose to add them.

This is only my opinion from my own personal experienceso let me know how it goes for you. Gav

Thank you. So far, it seems to be doing a good job. I am changing half the water each week, which might be the reason why the water looks clear (this and the moss ball used). I did hear about the hissing sound, too. And we've been noticing that depending on how it is in our tank, or if we move it, the sound becomes much louder, and a tad irritating. A few more months, and if it doesn't work, we will gor for the U2. Thank you, frogman.