Zoo med naturalistic waterfall help??

[heardfam]

Hi,

I just got my new terrarium set up. I bought the zoo med waterfall kit and followed the directions. I rinsed the hydroballs for forever and the water ran clean. I put everything in and set my frogs up in it. Now the water is brown. Will it clear out? Do I need to remove the frogs? Thanks for any help.

[DonLisk]

I would guess that your water is filtering down through the substrate? If so, it will take a little time to get the water to clear up.

I hope you made the pump accessible for maintenance later on. They do tend to eventually clog up over long term use.

[DonLisk]

Oh, what frogs do you have? I would suggest that you change the water regularly and depending on the frogs will depend on how often.
Post a pic of your terrarium and frogs too since we all love pics :-)

[heardfam]

I have to white's tree frogs. The water is filtering through the hydroballs and the substrate. Is there some sort of filter I can put on it? I am worried that the water is going to be too dirtsy for the frogs to use. How long does it take to clear up? Can I pit the frogs in or should I wait? Thanks!

[DonLisk]

Your WTfs are going to trash the water faster than just about any other frog. Post a pic so we can see where the water is coming out and running over or through. The water should flow over something like a log or over some cork bark. It will slowly clear up but your best bet for water for your WTFs is a water dish with the water changed with declorinated tap water daily.

Keep in mind also that they will eat anything that hits their mouth and they are aggressive and clumsy so don't have small stones for them to swallow.

[heardfam]

Ok, I redid the whole tank. I put a layer of gravel, a layer of hydroballs on top of that, a weed barrier, then plantation soil. On top of the soil I put moss. The whole water feature is surrounded by the weed barrier to prevent dirt from falling in. Everything looked great yesterday. Today there is brown water again. I am working on getting a picture to post. I have not figured out how to do it yet. This is really starting to annoy me.

[Sunshine]

Is the plantation soil coming into contact with the water? That stuff will turn water brown! Hope this helps. Its hard to say without a pic.