Having trouble with temperature

[Guillermo]

Hi there! I just got my first lovely little pacman and hes adorable.

I am however having some issues getting the temperature right. The pet store recommended a certain kit but when I put the heat lamp (75 watt) on the outside facing in the side of my tank (5 gallon glass) it got up to 100 degrees! Turned it off. The lightbulb in the hood of the aquarium is keeping it at around 70 right now, which is too low, but better than room temp. If I can't figure it out before I need to sleep, I'll just keep that on for the night to keep him warm.

I read about using a heating mat on the side of the tank, but I fear it will also make it too hot. Should I suspend the heat lamp over the tank rather than putting it right against the tank? I'm very new to all this, so umb it down if you can? C:

I can't find any topics about how to adjust heat lamps and such, so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it! Thanks for reading, and for any help you can give!

[hotnickles96]

Just my Opinion.... Depending on your climate location, I would return the heat lamp and get a Under Tank Heater and attach it to the side of the tank. See if you can find a rheostat to stabilize the temp..

For now though I would just figure out a way to adjust the height of the bulb so it gets just warm enough.

[Guillermo]

I'm in PA, so its pretty cold right now, and when it gets pretty hot the AC goes on. xP I'll try to rig something up after I figure out how to use the clampy thingy with a screw thingy that came with the lamp...

[GrifTheGreat]

Welcome to the forum! Please read the pacman care sheet if you have not already: Frog Forum - Pacman and Horned Frogs - Ceratophrys - Care and Breeding

You should Never use a bulb above 50 watts for a pacman! Especially for a 5 gallon tank. Pet stores tend to know very little about these frogs. They gave you bad advice. I HIGHLY recommend getting a light with a dimmer switch; this will allow you to tweak the temp and not cook your frog. Flucer's makes a 5.5 inch dome lamp with a dimmer switch. (That is what I use for each of my Pacs, and it works great!) With regards to the bulbs, I recommend Exo Terra Daylight Basking Spotlight bulb and Exo Terra Heat Glo for nighttime. Remember Never to go above 50 Watts!! Your frog should have a 12 hour day/night cycle. Day temps for a baby/juvenille should be 80-83, for adults 80-85, night temps are 75-79 for both. Humidity should be a consistent 80%.

It is a good idea to have a UTH regardless. For a five gallon tank, you probably want the smaller size. Zoo Med makes a 4W (it says for hermit crabs but works great for smaller enclosures) otherwise there is a larger 8W UTH for amphibians/reptiles. Despite the name Under Tank Heater, NEVER place the pad on the bottom becuase Pacs will burrow down to the pad and burn themselves. UTHs should always be placed on the side of the tank slightly above the substrate. The enclosure should have a temperature gradient (a warm, drier side and a cooler, wet side. The UTH will be on the warm side and the water dish on the cool side. This way your frog can choose a spot just right for him/her. :-) Also, please note that when you are applying the heating pad be very careful not to bend or twist it. The wiring components in them are very fragile and if broken can cause the pad to malfunction and overheat. When applying it, keep it flat and gently press onto the glass starting at one corner and working smoothly across it. It would be helpful if you could post pictures of your set up so we can further help you.

You should be able to find many threads regarding lighting/heating. You can do a forum search or browse through older threads. Here are a couple to start with: http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...ing-needs.html http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...r-pacmans.html

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions!

[GrifTheGreat]

Also, avoid having the enclosure near any heat/AC vents. It can really stress them out and cause illness.

[Guillermo]

Thank you for your reply! I did read the caresheets and googled allover the place (got myself a virus even..from a shady frog site?). I'm not one of ~THOSE PEOPLE~ that runs out and buys animals without knowing their needs, promise!

First off, what does a simmer switch look like? Would I know it if I saw it? My humidity is running the right way. I'm using a normal aquarium hood with light right now and love it so if I can keep the heating on the sides rather than the top, I would be most happy. I remember reading about the under tank heaters on the side but I'm afraid it'll start a fire or something not being used in the manner it was meant for. Do I need to give it clearance room and all that to make sure my curtains dont light up?

Also, hes not going to be getting any natural light, am I going to have to worry about additional supplements or anything?

I'm going to attach some pictures and hope they work!



The first is my little guy(girl?) which will probably be shameful on this site because everyone has such fancy ones, but he works for me. His name is Pulkuh.

Second pic is the tank, just a standard 5 gallon kit from Walmart, incandescent light, which I can switch to a compact fluorescent if need be when I get the heat sorted out.

I really appreciate any help you can give me here, I love this little thing. He hopped right off the counter at the store and took a good four foot fall, hopping around the whole way home, but he burrowed in over night, just like they're supposed to. C:

[GrifTheGreat]

You have to use either the Zoo New UTH for hermit crabs or there is another one the Zoo Med UTH item number RH-7. These are the only two you can place on glass and plastic. all others are made for glass tanks. These are the correct size for your five gallon. It has to be on the side of the tank. You should have no issues as long as you song bend the UTH and it adheres flat on the tank.

The Fluker's Clamp Lamp with dimmer is what you want. I don't have any links or images of it. if you look it up you'll easily find it. Almost all Restarts carry this lamp.

You will also want to cover 3 sides of the enclosure with some sort of background to help your frog feel secure and it reduces stress.

[Guillermo]

Oh, ok, I didn't know they had adhesive. Would I need a solid black background or something plain or would a patterned fabric work?

Right now, during the day, the temperature is holding at 80ish with the lights on so I should be fine until I can get to the pet store.

He also ate his first cricket! He had it before I could even get back to the front of the cage to watch.

Again, thanks for the help C: Also, your autocorrect is amusing.

[GrifTheGreat]

Oh, ok, I didn't know they had adhesive. Would I need a solid black background or something plain or would a patterned fabric work?

Right now, during the day, the temperature is holding at 80ish with the lights on so I should be fine until I can get to the pet store.

He also ate his first cricket! He had it before I could even get back to the front of the cage to watch.

Again, thanks for the help C: Also, your autocorrect is amusing.

You're welcome.

A dark background is best. My auto correct is very annoying.

[Guillermo]

Hey, another question. How much should I be feeding my little guy? I've been giving him one large cricket a day, dusted one with calcium supplement, but if I accidentally drop two in he eats them both just fine. I don't want him to starve! ;-;

[GrifTheGreat]

Hey, another question. How much should I be feeding my little guy? I've been giving him one large cricket a day, dusted one with calcium supplement, but if I accidentally drop two in he eats them both just fine. I don't want him to starve! ;-;

Rule of thumb for babies. Feed them crickets that are no larger than the distance between their eyes. They can become impacted from not being able to digest the adult cricket heads. 5 or 6 small crickets per night is fine.

[Guillermo]

Ah, ok, I'll let him finish off this batch of crickets and buy small ones next time ;o;

Also, I'm getting little spots of fluffy white..fungus? Do those happen because of the wetness or are those moldy poop spots?

[GrifTheGreat]

Ah, ok, I'll let him finish off this batch of crickets and buy small ones next time ;o;

Also, I'm getting little spots of fluffy white..fungus? Do those happen because of the wetness or are those moldy poop spots?

That is moldy poop. Remove it as soon as you see it. Also when he moves holes check the hole because more than likely he popped in it and has moved to avoid it.

Impaction is a serious problem. if your Pacman becomes impacted he can die. It may be best to not feed him anymore large crickets.

[Guillermo]

Yep, I bought a meatballer to remove it n__n But now I know he's pooping!

fff ok, can I throw the crickets outside or will it devastate my local ecosystem or something?

[GrifTheGreat]

Yep, I bought a meatballer to remove it n__n But now I know he's pooping!

fff ok, can I throw the crickets outside or will it devastate my local ecosystem or something?

If they're the regular Brown American crickets you can let them go. If they're those dark Jamaican field cricket then no. More than likely they're the American ones. The Jamaican crickets are aggressive and bite.

[EricIvins]

If they're the regular Brown American crickets you can let them go. If they're those dark Jamaican field cricket then no. More than likely they're the American ones. The Jamaican crickets are aggressive and bite.

A little off topic, but the above isn't true......Whether you're feeding Gryllus Assimilis ( Jamaican Field Cricket ) or Acheta domesticus ( Common House Cricket ) makes no difference. The Crickets that are being referred to are an undescribed Gryllus species, and are Illegal to send across state lines without the proper permits.........These animals are reffered to as "Crazy Reds"

The few companies that were sending these out are no longer, because of the legalities involved.......

[GrifTheGreat]

A little off topic, but the above isn't true......Whether you're feeding Gryllus Assimilis ( Jamaican Field Cricket ) or Acheta domesticus ( Common House Cricket ) makes no difference. The Crickets that are being referred to are an undescribed Gryllus species, and are Illegal to send across state lines without the proper permits.........These animals are reffered to as "Crazy Reds"

The few companies that were sending these out are no longer, because of the legalities involved.......

Which part isn't true?

[GrifTheGreat]

I'm not sure what you're refering to as untrue? The Jamaican field cricket cannot be just let free. The Common house cricket does no harm. Several escape from breeding stock all the time and show no ill affects.

[Guillermo]

Maaan, $2.65 for two dozen dinky crickets. He better get big fast. |: I think he might have been blocked up, or maybe this is normal, but he pooped out a turd that was longer than he is. It was pretty beast.

Got rid of the big crickets though. Gonna miss the chirping at night, but those buggers had wings!

I think he's grown well since the first pictures, what do you think?

[GrifTheGreat]

Maaan, $2.65 for two dozen dinky crickets. He better get big fast. |: I think he might have been blocked up, or maybe this is normal, but he pooped out a turd that was longer than he is. It was pretty beast.

Got rid of the big crickets though. Gonna miss the chirping at night, but those buggers had wings!

I think he's grown well since the first pictures, what do you think?

Yep very normal for them to have poop sometimes longer than they are when they're babies. he should poop anywhere from everyday to every 3 days. The small crickets are well worth the cost if it mean your frogs well being. He should eat anywhere from 5 to 10 per night depending on the size of the small crickets. They vary a lot sometimes. Should begin to start growing rapidly as well.