I'm getting incredibly irritated by this species.

Please read all of this, it's very important, and covers multiple subjects.


I'm close to giving up on these frogs, and am tempted to give them away. I have over 200 dollars into their enclosure, and they still don't seem happy.

I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. They have a 15 watt bulb over their water that is on for approx. 12 hours a day. Their water is between 75-78 degrees (Room temperature), they have approx 40/60 land/water ratio with the deep end of the water approx 5" deep. They have one aquatic plant, and a filter/waterfall to filter and circulate the water. They also have a floating dock, and the water is 100% nature pure spring water that is bought from my local superstore. They have adequate areas to hide, and the land is covered by large, smooth rocks and pebbles that ensure no accidental ingestion. I also removed all the moss from the land in case of impaction.

These frogs are still not happy. When I got them, they were in absolutely horrendous conditions. They had no lighting whatsoever, a shallow dish of water that was filthy, with no filter, a tiny area of land that was covered in moss found in the back yard that was beginning to rot, and their tank was on the ground of an apartment, constantly being bombarded by a dog. Despite everything, they were BRIGHT green and incredibly active.

Now, in my enclosure, that I thought for sure would be ideal for these critters, they are dark, and lazy, are constantly hiding, and very rarely go into the water. They still eat, but their other behavior seems odd to me.

Recently, I used superglue (gel) to fix an ornament It was fully dried before I put it back into the tank. Since then, the toads refuse to go into the water and have darkened even further (I was told by multiple people on here super glue would be safe once dried).

Yesterday, after feeding my toads, I noticed the large one, Hugo, wasn't moving. Even after I poked him in the nose. He did not move. I had to give him yet another honey bath before he regained some movement. I had to do the same thing with Hermes. I'm not sure if this was because they were digesting, or because they were sick.

Yesterday, I also scooped up was looked like skin from the top of the water, but it seemed gritty. Perhaps some remnants of the superglue that flaked off?

Finally, also while inspecting the water, and eventually change 50% due to the face that I didn't like that floating ****, I noticed on the UNDERSIDE of the leaves of my aquatic plant, there seemed to be... eggs? Of some sort. However these were eggs that were unlike any frog eggs I've seen. They were clear (No obvious nucleus or middle), oval shaped and incredibly sticky (I removed one thinking it was a water droplet). I caught my frogs mating three days ago but I can't see this happening this quickly. And to be on the underside of the leaves (Which float on top of the water), I found this to be a little peculiar.
I'm not sure how snails reproduce, but I do have a couple small aquatic snails that came with the plant (I couldn't remove all of them, they were fighters), could it be snail eggs?

Anyway, I am just so frustrated that these frogs seemed better off in a ridiculously poorly kept enclosure... I'm running out of options here.

Hmm i know that there are a few conditions that influence the colour of the toads. This is lighting, temperature and water condition. I also read that stress has an influence on the colour. But what the best conditions are to get back the bright green colour??? I don't know..

do you have pictures of your toads and that sticky stuff:P

You know I had the same problem with 3 FBT I had, I did everything I could and they still seemed miserable. No matter what I did they got worse until I lost 2 of them. I removed the remaining 1 and put him in a super basic incloser with a lg magnetic ledge and the rest water and he's been fine ever since (7+ months). They only thing I worrie about is the super glue, SG still leeches for a long time. I SG a pair of sunglasses back together and I couldn't put them on for over a week as every time I did it burned my eyes so bad, next time I would use clear silicone.

Is it possible that they are stressed by all your activities in the tank while you are trying to help them?

I wish I could give you a definite answer. I have read other posts about FBT and it seems they can be tricky at times
Sometimes less is more and when you add too much at once the frog freaks out. It could be the plants and snails combined that make them feel too crowded. It is best to gradually introduce new things and see how they respond.
also, how often do you test the water and change it?
also, when you change the water do you empty all of it at once?

The only thing I can think of is something is off about the water. But nothing I have done has worked. I have thoroughly changed the water multiple times and tried different brands of spring water, but the moment I brought my toads home and put them in their tank, their colour began to change. Hugo will often change back and forth between light green and dark green, but he's dark more than he's light.

As for the superglue, I did a lot of research before I used it. And I was told by a couple well known members from this forum that the super glue would cause no problems with my toads, since it is used for medical purposes.

The stress level could very well be an issue. Do you suggest that I leave them be for a while? And just let them get used to the fact that they are in a new enclosure? Since they ARE still eating, I don't think they are sick. They just don't seem happy.

As for the plant, it's very small and only takes up a small portion of the water. And when I say aquatic snails, I mean snails that are only a couple mm thick. They are very tiny, and half the time can't even be seen in the tank, so I don't think over-crowding is the issue.

The water, I don't know how to test it. I really don't want to have to spend even MORE money to get a water treatment, but I suppose that may be best. I do use Spring Water, but maybe that's still too harsh. What would you recommend I use as a conditioner?

When I change the water I do a portion of the water at a time. I haven't had them long enough to do a full gravel change and clean-up.

Well, I have good news. After being away for a weekend, I came home to find that the aquatic plant that I purchased (Just like many days before), had turned the water yellow. I decided once and for all to remove said plant, and do another 50% water change. Hugo and Hermes were both curious as to what I was doing, but didn't freak out as they normally would. Once I finished, I gave them both a cricket as a peace offering for once again disturbing their home. Both Hermes AND Hugo actively hunted these crickets (Hugo always waited for them to come to him, and never once went chasing after a cricket). They competed for the fattest one. Hermes scooped the cricket a mere second before Hugo did, and as a result, Hugo latched onto Hermes in a Froggy-Embrace-of-Love. After Hermes squirmed away, Hugo hunted the second cricket. A couple minutes later, he was his bright, beautiful green again. So I guess the moral of the story is: Male frogs are much like male humans. All they need to be happy is to live in a manly enclosure, eat a great meal, and get lucky with the ladies <3

what aquatic plant did you put in there? the only thing that would make your water turn yellow, would either be a rotting terrestrial plant, or some driftwood. and the rotting plant would be a rare occurance, especially after 1 day. is there any driftwood in the tank?

The plant has some sort of cottony substrate that they put it in, and the roots are so wrapped up in this stuff that it's impossible to remove it. I think that's what is causing the water to change. I do have a piece of driftwood in there, but the water is yellow around the plant, not the wood.

that stuff is called rockwool. it's designed to be able to be used submersed without any effect. it is completely neutral and no way has the capacity to turn your water yellow. you are having the driftwood release it's tannins. they are harmless to your frogs. that wood can release tannins for weeks, sometimes months. you can remove it and boil the **** out of it, and that may help, but otherwise, they just have to work their way out. if you don't already, add some charcoal to your filter, that help a bit. if you have charcoal in there, you can always add more if you have room. there are also a few chemicals out there like bio chem-zorb or purigen, but they are pricey.

The driftwood was an later addition though. My water was changing colours far before I got the wood. I'm not sure what was going on then. But thanks for the response =]

ya i actually suggested that to you in one of your other posts i think they are way stressed out just give um some time to acclimate. If that doesnt work possibly get rid of the frogs but keep ur setup and go buy some better less stressed out ones. maybe u can trade um in idk good luck

Nope, I disagree with their old habitat, that sounded bad. You say you have 5" of water? I have 3" which allows them enough wetness and they can get in and out easy. Do you have enough land with easy access? Even though you said your glue dried, I won't use it because 1. I don't want it in the water dry or not, 2. smell which might be the case here, and 3. I don't need glue for anything. If they seem lazy by not going in the water there's a reason. Mine go in their water alot. When you say dark, what color are they? If the bottom has nothing for them to put their feet on while in water, it may be too deep. What I also did was allow a plant to hang over the water and land both and mine hide underneath. But if yours are not in your water it could be too deep and they may not feel they can get in and out easily. But back to the glue: if its in the water, even dry, remove it! The smell of that is strong enough that my dentist could put it in gas form to knock me out to pull a tooth. Maybe the smell of it got to them, it would me. Yeah, I don't use glue on anything. Hope this helped and maybe you can change what you glued.

Take the plant out and substitute it for a soft fake leafy plant, mine love it. No root rot or odor or anything seeping into the water. You've got to keep their water clear and clean, free of any possible problems. Wood is probably ok though, I boiled mine for a very long time before adding it. Maybe something is burning their sensitive skin or eyes. Hope this helped, too.