question about tannins

[calamityk]

ok, so i've had my 2 fire belly toads for 2 days now. i have set up a 30 gal paludarium with scotts topsoil (which consists of organic materials and peat moss...or so they say), chinese evergreen, ivy, a spider plant, some river rocks, sand (for the water substrate and to act as a barrier between the soil and water along with the rocks), anacharis in the water, java fern, an air pump for circulation on one end of the tank and a fluval u1. the fluval is working well, just not clearing the tannins. i am going to cover up the back of and side of the tank on the land half with some coconut husk or something, so it's still a work in progress. i rescued these little guys from a family who didn't really know what they were doing. they had very little water ...ANYWAYS...tannins from the peat moss in the soil have made the water tannish red. my question is, is this a BAD thing for my toads? will they be ok in the water or should i set up a barrier of glass so the tannins can't get into the water? i've heard tannins can be a good thing (especially in my experience with fish), but not sure how it works with toads, as i am new to this hobby. thanks for all your help, here are some pics of the setup.

[kevinp]

the tannins are fine and are a natural anti-fungal..and maybe light anti-bacterial. what keeps the water from the land area ? if the water area soaks through into the dirt area and keeps it wet then you will most likely have rotting and a bad smell before too long. . and i'm not sure on the evergreen, you may want to check on that.

[calamityk]

awesome thanks, i figured the tannins would be ok, but didn't want to assume. i did research on the plants before i bought them and it was one that was recommended and ok on several sites for fbt's. i didn't even think about the rotting organic material (DOH!). looks like it's time to put up a permanent barrier. i'll probably add some glass in there with sealant. i think my filter will be happy...thanks again!

[kevinp]

i'm sure your filter will be happy. i used a glass divide in one of my vivs and covered the glass with slate. i've seen others put it in at an angle to make like a ramp. then they put silicone and coco fiber on it and some rocks. on the dirt side put a good layer of hydro balls before putting your dirt. it gives the water from watering your plants or splashing frogs etc. a place to go so the plant roots and dirt are dry up above. leave a place to acsess the hydro balls to be able to siphon out any water if it gets up to the dirt level.

[calamityk]

wow! i've never even heard of the hydro balls. i googled them and they remind me of the biological media an eheim canister filter uses. cool stuff! thanks for the tips. i like the idea of the slate on the glass as well as the ramp idea. i've noticed these guys (particularly one of them) really enjoys being in the water but gets a little freaked out if he can't get a good enough footing to get out, which in turn freaks me out, because i've read they can drown if they absorb too much water. yikes! i'll be getting my keester to home depot for some glass in the morning as well as my pet shop for some hydro balls thanks, again for all your help! newbs like me depend on it!

[heyjude2200]

Home Depot also has pieces of acrylic in various sizes. The 12" fit my aquarium perfectly and I used aquarium safe silicon to seal the water side from the land. I originally had a piece of glass cut to size, but I was concerned that the edge was too sharp and I didn't have much success trying to smooth it or cover it. The acrylic has worked great, I've had it in there for nearly a year now with no problems.