I had the same problem with the water becoming a mess. I tried several different things--regular soil, eco something, sphagnum moss. The sphagnum moss was a disaster--the crickets headed right into it never to be seen again, and my FBT's were getting a mouthful of it when they ate. Finally I bought a piece of acrylic at Home Depot & secured it in place with aquarium safe silicon. I had to add more silicon a couple of times so it was completely sealed and no water seeping into the land area. This has worked out great. On the land I have stones, moss, plants, some gnarly wood that has a place to hide, a small water dish (they just sit in it). I move things around now & then to keep it interesting for them. I have 7 FBT's in a 55 G tank & it is about 60% water and 40% land. My frogs spend more time in the water than on the land. They really like to swim, so I wonder if a bowl of water is enough for your little guy.

I was clueless when I got mine about a year and a half ago--but I figured it out by watching them and asking questions here and reading various articles online. I found some contradictory information on other sites, so I pretty much went with what I learned on this forum and it has worked out well.

When I relocated my frogs into a 10 G while I was redoing the tank they FREAKED and wouldn't eat & I was a wreck. They settled down in a few days and began eating again. I've found that if they're not hungry, they could care less about the crickets, even when they walk on the frogs.

Also, I agree with firebellygirl--I think that your toad is probably lonesome too--they really do interact a lot.

Relax and enjoy the little guy.