Hello everyone--
I am an environmental educator in Newark, NJ. The organization I work for serves those students in the surrounding urban areas (Newark, Elizabeth, Irvington, Jersey City, etc). I am researching the best way to create a setup for a few green frogs for a new program we are developing. We would like to make it look as naturalistic as possible, but still have the students be able to view the frogs easily during the program. I have a background in animal husbandry but have never created an enclosure myself, so I'm looking for some advice!
We were hoping to have three green frogs in one enclosure. I was told a 40-gallon breeder tank set up as half land/half water would be a good start. Should it actually be a 50/50 ratio or should one of the sides be larger? What is the best substrate to use for the land side? What types of plants do you recommend? We have a lot of native plants on site & in our greenhouse that I would be able to use if they would be ok for the frogs.
I'm planning on getting a canister filter, is there one that anyone can recommend? I also plan on doing water changes 1-2 times a week. Does this sound correct or should it be more often? Is there anything specific I should look for (thickness, etc) when buying a piece of plexiglass to divide the tank? Where can a get a piece cut? Is there a specific sealant that you found works well for attaching the plexiglass? How deep should the water be? Should I try to set up sand to make a gentle slope into the water?
I'm thinking that it would probably be easier to breed crickets for them to eat, rather than have to buy them every few days. Any advice on this? Also, any "accessories" I might not be thinking of (thermometer, humidity gauge, etc)?
I know this is a lot of questions, but I am trying to make this as attractive as possible for the students without stressing out the frogs. (And don't worry--the students will NOT be handling the animals!)
Thanks for the help!
--Jess
let me see if i can help you out and address a few questions for you:
Hello
i'm assuming that even though you say "green frogs", you are talking about firebelly toads? my assumption being based on the fact that you mention a 50/50 ratio of water to land. green tree frogs would not need that much water since they are arboreal. if we are talking about firebellies, than yes, a 40B would be a wonderful size for them. you could probably have a few more than three, but i am not sure of the specific number. also, i am not familiar with the care of them, since i don't own any..... yetas far as constructing the vivarium, there are many options as far as plants go. humidity requirements of the frogs basically make the decision easy though. obviously, if they require higher humidity and temps, than tropical plants like peperomia, bromeliad, some pileas and some fittonias would work well, to name a few. lower humidity plants, such as our local plants, wouldn't fare so well. the "gold standard" for substrate would be ground coconut fiber. it can be bought at most pet shops that sell reptile supplies, or any hydroponics store. it comes in bags, or dehydrated bricks.
i am a huge fan of the fluval line of filters. been using them on my fish tanks for what seems like forever. but they are relatively comparable to others in price and performance. i always preach "purchase what you can afford at first, you can always purchase what you WANT later". if you are running a canister filter, then water changes 1-2 times per week is a bit over kill. on that schedule, you don't need a filter at all. i do a weekly 50% water change in my paludarium, but only because i am only running biological filtration. if i were using a combination of bio/chemical filtration, i would do 50% every other week. but that is just me, others have their way of doing things and you'll eventually come up with your own as well. you can use 1/4" plexi for your divider. you can get that at home depot or lowes. i personally prefer lexan over plexi, only because for the same thickness you get almost twice the strength. costs a little more though. those stores should be able to cut it for you, or you can cut it yourself using a hacksaw blade. for attaching the plexi, you can use any 100% silicone sealant. G.E. Silicone II is top notch, but do not use the bathroom one. it has mold/mildew inhibitors in it that leech chemicals out that are poisonous. sand will never hold a slope in a tank. you can just pile up rocks against the divider in a slope so that they reach the top and give the frogs a way out of the water. that is the quickest, easiest way and still keep it natural looking. you could also use a driftwood branch. anything that would make it easy for their exit from the aquatic section.
crickets do breed fast, but they smell BADLY and they aren't really nutritious for the frogs unless dusted with a calcium/vitamin supplement, or gut loaded. i am taking down my cricket tank to make room for dubia roaches. they breed slower, but they are better in nutrition, don't stink to high heaven and can't climb slick surfacesyou are definitely going to need both a thermometer and a hygrometer. exoterra makes a pretty nice combo unit that is digital. stay away from the analog hygrometers, they are hardly ever accurate. also, you should consider finding a way to heat the tank. again, there are plenty of options on this one as well.
my last word of advice would be to spend some time looking at other's enclosures. especially the build threads in this section to see what others have done as well as how they did it. also, research the species you are planning to get thoroughly, then plan your tank around them and their requirements. that will keep their stress at the lowest. good luck and post your progress and keep us updated.
P.S. don't forget a VERY secure lid. frogs are astonishing escape artists![]()
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
I thought he meant 'Green frog' as in Rana Clamitans. (Pretty much a smaller version of the bullfrog) If that is the case I would say a bigger tank would be needed for three green frogs. They tend to be skittish from what I have heard and can jump pretty far, so I wouldn't want them to get scared and jump into the glass. I am not an expert though so hopefully someone else will know more.![]()
oh, duh....forgot about those. Sherry comes in and saves me again from footinmouthitis....LOL
1.0.0 Oophaga Pumilio 'Black Jeans'
0.0.10 Phyllobates Vittatus
0.0.3 Phyllobates Terribilis 'Mint'
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Patricia'
0.0.5 Dendrobates Leucomelas
0.0.2 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
0.0.2 Ranitomeya Variabilis 'southern'
0.0.3 Epipedobates Anthonyi 'zarayunga'
1.2.0 Phyllobates bicolor
0.0.3 Dendrobates tinctorius 'azureus'
0.0.1 Avicularia Avicularia
0.0.1 Gramastola porteri
0.2.0 Canines
1.0.0 Tabby/Maine Coon Mix
2.1.0 Genetics Experiments
0.1.0 Bed Bully
It's okHappens to me all the time!
It would be great if you could post pictures of your progress! Green frogs can get pretty big and they can definitely jump like crazy. A 40 breeder is WAY too small for even one in my opinion. For three I would go for a 100 gallon so they are more comfortable. Another thing to consider is making sure there's a little height to the tank as well to prevent escape attempts.
I don't know a ton about green frogs, but they are native to Maine and whenever I see them they are either in the water or right on the water's edge. So I would do more like 2/3 water 1/3 land. You could collect native water plants to go in the water and some semi aquatic plants for the land like "jack in the pulpit" (not sure of the scientific name). I highly recommend checking out Bill's build thread for his paludarium: http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...aludarium.html. This is a great model of what you could do! Good luck and enjoy![]()
Thanks for all the advice so far! Yes, I did mean Rana Clamitans. We're trying to use native species for our education programs. I'm working on my proposal for this tank, so I have a few more questions:
Is there a heater that any of you have used that would work well in this type of setup? What temperature should the water be?
How deep should the water be? I think I read about 6 inches somewhere, but I'm not positive.
What humidity should I keep the tank?
Will they need a specific type of light or is just standard hood with the florescent bulb ok to use? Remember, we are actually displaying these to the public.
I've been looking at the standard glass vs. SeaClear acrylic tank. Any thoughts on which is better?
Most importantly, does anyone know where I can purchase captive bred green frogs? Since most people are looking for more exotic frogs as pets, I have been having a bit of a hard time finding where I can buy them!
I have been looking at other tanks that people have built on here and man are they beautiful! Gives me a lot of great ideas. Once everything gets approved (which can take awhile sometimes) & I start building I will be sure to post pictures of the progress. Thanks for all your help so far and I'll probably pop in with questions as things progress!
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