Total newbie!

[lilliemoon5ilver]

Hello. I am considering having a frog for the first time! I have long been a fish owner, (in my house there are 4 fish tanks and 2 fish bowls!) but when my 10 gal aquarium became free this past summer I decided I want a LAND animal! I've spent the last several months researching and trying to decide what I wanted to get and I think I'm pretty decided on a Pacman frog. I just love how their size and look! Today I started buying supplies for my terrarium, as I expect it might take some time for me to afford everything I need. I do have some basic set-up questions. 1: Is there a large difference between heat lamps and under-the-tank units? Are there pros or cons to either? 2: If I intend to use live plants should I use something other than coconut fiber substrate? 3: Should I be considering buying a (shallow) waterfall or using an air stone in water for humidity? It gets dry here in the winter, and I usually run a humidifier inside anyway. and 4: Do I need to put the terrarium together beforehand and let it sit for awhile? (We call it cycling with fish aquariums to breed bacteria.)

[IrishRonin]

Ok keep in mind pacs LOVE to burrow themselves so take that into mind when going with live plants, as they can up root them. My suggestion is , this is what i did anyway, get a Lg photos with a strong root base that way even if your frog does up root some of it it wont die. Heat lamps tends to dry out the substrate which lowers humidity, not good. With UTH they add heat without lowering the humidity, they can actually help maintain it. When I plan on live plants I use a mixture of all natural (no fertilizers, pesticides or chemicals) potting soil and coco fiber. As far as the waterfall is concerned I wouldn't use it for a pac, in my experience the little waterfall kits you can get clog really easy and with pacs they dirty there water really good when they get in and out of it. The air stone might work if your water dish is deep enough but remember pacs are not good swimmers so you dont want it to deep. A good misting cycle works just fine for me. It is a good idea to cycle the tank 1st to make sure the plants have time to recover from the shock of being replanted and establish a good root base and you can also check for any leaks or any mold that might appear as well as making sure you've got the right temps and humidity. I hope I've helped. Welcome to the forum, there's lots of great people here with lots of good advice

[lilliemoon5ilver]

Thanks ton! I was liking the pad heaters better myself, I just wasn't sure if it would be dangerous for a burrowing frog. You have been extremely helpful. This gives me a great place to start!

[Sunshine]

Make sure to place the UTH on the side of the tank above the substrate instead of the bottom. Pacs like to burrow to cool off and they can get burned by it if it is on the bottom.

[GrifTheGreat]

Welcome to Frog Forum.

[lilliemoon5ilver]

Thanks

[lilliemoon5ilver]

Do I need any extra parts to mount the UTH on thw side like that?

[Sunshine]

Do I need any extra parts to mount the UTH on thw side like that?

Nope they just stick on the side like a sticker Just remember that once you put it on it can not be removed without damaging it.

[lilliemoon5ilver]

I've been researching Pothos for my terrarium. If this plant is poisonous do I really want to use it?

[GrifTheGreat]

I've been researching Pothos for my terrarium. If this plant is poisonous do I really want to use it?

Nearly all plants are toxic to amphibians. As long as they don't eat any of the Pathos plant or damage the stems to where some of the juice from the plant leaks onto the frog's skin all should be fine.

[lilliemoon5ilver]

sorry, my questions just don't seem to stop...... Is it really necessary to use a false bottom when planting the pothos? How much work is that?

[Sunshine]

It's ok, questions are good I would say a drainage layer is pretty important. This way the water has somewhere to go so the plants aren't sitting in saturated substrate. There are a couple ways to do it, but we will start simple. You will need to put a couple inches of Hydroton, or LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate) in the bottom of the terrarium. Then a substrate barrier will be placed over the Hydroton to keep the substrate separate from the drainage layer. You can use weed blocker fabric or window screen as the substrate barrier, cut to fit over the Hydroton and maybe even a couple inches up the walls to make sure the substrate doesn't fall in. Then just add substrate and plants. I hope that makes sense, I am not very good at explaining things.

[lilliemoon5ilver]

Don't put yourself down like that. You have been EXTREMELY helpful, and I think that was explained really well. I'm beginning to wonder if I should start with fake, though..... It seems like it gets more and more expensive and complicated once we get down to the extra parts. I was shocked when I started looking up pothos for sale.... Perhaps I will start fake (even though it kinda makes me sad) and try to find a way to go into live plant-life once it gets warm and the nurseries around here pen back up in the spring....... Would it be dangerous to either the plant or the frog if I just planted live pothos while I am cleaning the tank sometime? Without cycling?

[lilliemoon5ilver]

oh, and is there any difference in the "color" of the pothos? Golden, marble, etc...

[Sunshine]

Don't put yourself down like that. You have been EXTREMELY helpful, and I think that was explained really well. I'm beginning to wonder if I should start with fake, though..... It seems like it gets more and more expensive and complicated once we get down to the extra parts. I was shocked when I started looking up pothos for sale.... Perhaps I will start fake (even though it kinda makes me sad) and try to find a way to go into live plant-life once it gets warm and the nurseries around here pen back up in the spring....... Would it be dangerous to either the plant or the frog if I just planted live pothos while I am cleaning the tank sometime? Without cycling?

I don't think it will be a problem to plant while the frogs are in there. I would just make sure to rinse the roots to get all of the fertilizer off. You can use fake now, and later when you have more money you can get real plants I don't know much about the different kinds of pothos. I have 2 different kinds in my vivs and I have never had any problems