Hello all!
I've just purchased my first two frogs and have them setup in temporary housing for now. I'd like to setup a fully planted bioactive terrarium for them, but was curious on your thoughts about dimensions and whether they would need more floor space or height. I currently have an 18" w x 18" d x 24" t terrarium for my crested gecko. Would that work for WTF or would a 24"w x 18"d x 18"t terrarium be better? I know that they make a larger size as well (36"w x 18" x 18") but am not sure if that much space would be necessary for 2 WTF.
I am also not sure about the need for a basking spot and how best to provide it for them without sucking up too much humidity. My reptile room stays at 75f in the winter and around 80f in summer. With those ambient temps, would I also need a CHE to create a basking spot for them?
I'd appreciate your advice and if you have any other tips, those would be appreciated as well. I currently keep reptiles (snakes, geckos, and a BTS) but these are my first amphibians.
Thank you for your time and help!
I don't know anything about WTF's.
IMO, consider the plants you want in it. In most cases the taller the viv, the more choice of plants you have. That does present an issue for basking spots though as the taller the viv the further top mounted lighting will be from the "ground" level.
A 24'' Tall tank definately! I'd go for height rather than width because they love to climb. Especially if you want to put a false bottom in you'd need 24''.
I solved the problem of basking spots by putting a magnetic ledge below the heat emitter.
Thanks!
I will plan on getting at least an 18w x 18d x 24" tall cage then.. The one I have now that is that dimension looks great and has room for several large pieces of wood to climb on and taller plants in the back.
The 18x18x24" will be fine for two but I would go larger for a bio-active tank. You don't need CHE as a drop at night is best, just a small spotlight or incandescent bulb during the day. They should ideally be provided with a basking area
Jason- Thanks! I have several CHE and red "heat bulbs" on hand all are in metal domes with rheostats / dimmers. I am leaning towards at least a 24"w x 18" d x 24"t if I can find it or a 36" long with the same height / depth... I *might* look into adding a fogger too and that would need a lot more floor space. It will depend on what I can find locally as I doubt a terrarium that size would survive shipping. I've gotten an 18x18x24 shipped in the mail and it arrived OK, but not sure on the larger ones.
I would say the 24 x 18 x 24" would be ideal, if the courier delivers it on a palate and well wrapped it should be fine. Try and find somewhere that will ensure it arrives 100% or will replace it. You could also get one ordered into a local pet store
Thanks for your help! I will update you guys once I acquire their terrarium. I have them setup in a tub that is about 24" x 18" x 18" for now, so hopefully they will be happy in there until I get get their final home setup and ready to go.
Well, I thought I'd update you. Petco had their exo-terras on sale yesterday and my husband got me a 36"wx18"dx36"T one... That is taller than the one I was thinking about getting. Although I'm excited to have such a large terrarium for them, I am wondering how to do the background, etc. This will be a beast to setup.
Also, I have already gotten a 3rd WTF...It is in a separate quarantine tub from the other two and was purchased at a Petco in another city. It is about .5" longer than the other two, so I'm thinking they will have to catch up in size before they could be housed together anyway.
Thanks again for your help and I will be updating w/ pics once I get the terrarium in.
It's greatt that you're putting them in such a large tank, they'll love it! You'll have to show us it when it's done
I'm not really knowledgable in how to make custom backgrounds, but you can search online, I believe there are a few tutorials on forums. The Exo terras backgrounds are pretty bad for the insects getting behind, so if you do a bio-active set up then I would not use them or you might need to tear the tank down to get dead insects out. There's cork and coco backgrounds that can be siliconed with a safe sealant for fish.
The tank arrived and it is even bigger looking in person than I thought it was.... It is going to be a massive undertaking when I start on the background. I've already ordered ~20lbs cork bark, black silicon, gloves, spreaders, and fiber to hide the gaps. My biggest issue will be figuring out how to hide some net pots in it so that I can plant some things higher up on the background. I will start a new thread once I begin the build and will update you guys. I figure it will be about ~5 months before frogs can move in...between the building and planting process, then letting the plants "settle" for a while to grow in.
I'm hoping to get 3-4 more WTF to add to my current 3 (after quarantine) so that the tank won't seem "empty". Hopefully I can find a breeder to get froglets from as I hate buying from chain stores.
Thanks again for your advice!
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