OMG! I have a M. Betsileo froglet!

[deranged chipmunk]

Very cool George. I'm very happy to see someone else realizing that having water in the tank is not only not a detriment, but a positive thing.

I love your approach to frogging, mimic the environment. It's what we all strive for and you nailed it :-)

[DigitalPunk]

Awesome! Is there a build log for the tank you are talking about. Would love to seed some pictures of it!

[Geo]

Carlos, that is indeed the fish in question. I have been calling them Borneos for quite a while now and that is all that he is in my head lol. My experience is that they make for good general cleaners without being dangerous / intrusive as to what is going on in the tank. The dwarf shrimp also serve that purpose as well. Actually the shrimp are better cleaners and are very easy to care for. Add them to the water and that is more or less it. This morning the Borneo was sitting right beside the tadpoles. I wonder if it thinks that they are borneos too due to the similar shape they have right at the moment.

Bill, I agree - too many people seem to have some hesitation using water in their setups like some of us do. As you and I have said before, if its out in Nature then it must be ok, serves a purpose and can only be helpful inside a habitat setup. To me the three important aspects of water in the setup is keeping it clean (but not sterile, this is an important aspect of taking the natural approach contrary to the sterile approach) but allowing for microbiology to flourish, have a source of naturally occurring tannins in the water (bog wood, crushed leaves, etc) and to allow the water to be present in multiple locations if possible. I use a sponge filter which is good because they can be small and easy to setup inside the tank, they allow for microorganisms to occupy the sponge which helps with water quality. This kind of water approach only works if you don't "sterilize" the environment.

Paul, unfortunately I never kept a visual log as I initially saw this as a private hobby. There are photos in my albums and I may include more if people want to see them and I can get some decent internal pics. Now I wish I did record more but hey.... Since I joined this forum I have enjoyed sharing and exchanging with my fellow froggers and can only suggest to the new folks to make an attempt to record what they are doing. I am very willing to share photos and such as it presently stands and answer questions but there are folks here more knowledgeable them me who may explain things better. I read, learn and try to figure things out for myself and when I think I have something useful to pass along I do. My next stage of development for the habitat is regarding the plant life present inside as well as the "bug culture" that I am trying to stabilize inside as well. Trying to make it all as au naturalle as possible without causing any concerns for the little critters living in there.

[DigitalPunk]

Thanks George, I have been toying with an idea for using slate rocks in my Dart Terrarium that is looming in the near future. Still not 100% sure what I am going to do, but I love the idea of having a fully functional eco system in the terrarium.

[Geo]

I say go for it Paul. Slate I have found works great for me so far (there are so many ways to approach this as is evident by the different methods used by the many caretakers here). I harvested my slate along the shoreline here, "cooked" it in the oven to sterilize it. I picked pieces that were long, wide and thin that allowed for me to tweak the shape of the "island" a fair bit. Its a natural substance so moss will stick to it, it will eventually discolor in a way that looks natural for whatever you arranged.

When I set up the bowl/crater shape of the island I ensured that there was small caves and holes that would allow for any water life to be able to travel to and fro underneath (which apparently the tadpoles are now doing). I ensured that the edges of the island on top always reached the side of the tank (except for the opening where the sponge filter is). I layered the island from the bottom up with sea gravel, pebbles, crushed bark, moss, broken twigs, more gravel then moss and on top there are rocks, logs, plants, moss and so on.

I ensured that each aspect of the tank has natural biology relevant to it. IE red wigglers and various small bugs in the island, dwarf shrimp, brine shrimp, miniature catfish, etc in the water. Its working for me is all I can say. I enjoy discovering new things as something kick starts inside the tank (ie last week I discovered that there are tiny snails that come out at night only and they to nibble on the plants, leave trails in the condensation on the tank walls, etc).

[DigitalPunk]

Geo,

Do you check the PH level and such of your water area, or do you let it naturally regulate itself?

[DigitalPunk]

Also would love to see a picture of your setup if you can and don't mind sharing it

[Mentat]

Also would love to see a picture of your setup if you can and don't mind sharing it

Geo's Album: My Frogs & their habitat !

[Geo]

I will take an updated photo of the habitat momentarily but to answer your question - no, at present I do not test the ph level of the lagoon. I use the water from a dehumidifier that I use in the basement that I keep in good shape. As far as I am concerned it is the closest thing to rain water I can get without actually using rainwater (chemicals present). Think about what a dehumidifier does and think about the rain cycle - strong similarities in some ways. Nothing in the habitat has registered that there is any concerns with the water that I top off the tank with.

Now the water that I spray the tank with is different though. It is from a 10 gallon "tannin tank" in which I allow gravel from the beach, twigs, chunks of old wood/forest debris and such "ferment" for lack of a better word. There are also dwarf shrimp in that tank to do some micro-managing. I fill a small spray bottle and use it as I need.

I tend to do a mini-cycle of one week of heavy misting and one week of minimal misting and so on. Periodically during one of the heavy misting weeks I will seal the tank to allow minimal evaporation and to push the humidity levels into the mid - high 80s. Then I allow it to drop back down to the mid - low 70s. Keep in mid that the humidity increase also raises the temp a bit but this particular species is hardy to the high temps and are quite active during the heavy misting stage. I process is to simulate a periodic rain shower followed by a minor dry out.

[MsBlueRose]

OMG! I would love to be able to breed my tree frogs one day. I think they are so sweet and undeniably adorable! Congratulations on your babies! That was a milestone some of us may never reach. Don't be discouraged, it was not your fault, mother nature can be nasty. I am deeply sorry for your loss and property damage... I very stupidly posted after only reading the first page (did not see the continuation) and I feel really bad about my first post. I deleted a lot of it and replaced it with most of what you are reading now. One of our comrades was nice enough to point out to me that I need to read the rest of the thread. I am so sorry to everyone that read this before I changed it. I feel like a callus heel now... I hope the rest of the winter was better to you Geo! I am deeply sorry for your loss. I want to cry just thinking about them. One the bright side, you seem to have a lot of good friends here on FF. I hope it all works out for you, BIG hugs!

[DigitalPunk]

Geo, I know coming on here has got to be low on your list right now. Hope recovery is moving along and everyone is still healthy and safe.

Paul