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Thread: newbie!

  1. #1
    sjboyle
    Guest

    Default newbie!

    Hi everyone ..
    I just got my self a 20gallon fish tank.. made a land area out of an old waterfall I had for my veiled chameleon... filled the rest of the tank with roughly 4" of water, dechlorinized it! Fitted a pump a heat source and a uvb light! Name:  IMG_20140413_145825.jpg
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Size:  176.2 KBName:  IMG_20140413_141202.jpg
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    I've used eco earth as a bedding for the land section!
    I rescued 4 very skinny looking fire belly toads from Name:  IMG_20140414_132128.jpg
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Size:  73.1 KBa garden center near me!
    Can anybody help as to what live plants I can plant in coco substrate and what plants I can put I'm the water?
    Thanks in advance

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  3. #2
    Phelot
    Guest

    Default Re: newbie!

    I'm definitely not an expert, as I've only had mine for about 3 weeks, but a few things right away:
    -The crickets pictured in the first image look too large for your toads, and they may have serious trouble ingesting and digesting them. As a general rule, you want to feed them crickets that are no longer than the space between their eyes. These guys are celebrated eaters, and they can take on things a bit bigger than that, but I wouldn't push it as much as it seems those crickets do. Maybe the image is just throwing off my perspective, but the two crickets pictured there look easily as large or larger than your frogs' heads. Maybe I'm a bit off base and someone more experienced than me can tell you otherwise.
    -4 inches of water is probably too much. They like being in water, sure, but they really only tend to enjoy being able to sit in the water, and at times, to dunk their bodies under it. Swimming around in water isn't exactly their strong suit, and some people have even claimed that their toads have drowned in too much water, though those cases are exceedingly rare. Also, I can't quite tell from the one picture of your tank, but you really want a gently sloping area that leads from the water to the land, because it's difficult for them to exit water and immediately climb up a ledge to get to safety. Not that they can't do it, but just that it helps keep them safer. You can check out some of the other album photos on the main page, but most tanks tend to have between 1.5 and 2 inches of water, with the deeper areas of up to 3.5 or 4 inches being smaller pools, not major sections of the tank.
    -They don't necessarily need a heat source, as they're really cold tolerant and almost always, room temperature is okay. I guess I don't really know what the temperature is around there, but a lot of people have made claims that a heating lamp can dry out their tank, or that a heating pad has cracked their tank when it contacts the colder water, or worse, that their toads avoid the area around the heating pad because they don't like the radiating heat.
    -They also don't necessarily need UVB. It's nice to have it for viewing purposes, but unlike with reptiles, there's no real evidence that amphibians use UVB to catalyze the processing of Calcium. Some sites will say otherwise, but the only ones I've seen to do it are a bit old and/or pet store/supply sites, which may just be trying to sell you a light. The light certainly doesn't hurt them, but if the wattage is too high, it may contribute to drying the tank out.

    My favorite plants to use are Pothos. Some of them can have their entire root systems submerged and still do well. They'll grow with relative ease, and the vines are strong enough to support your toads climbing, while the leaves are broad enough to provide hidey-holes and shade.

    If you hadn't noticed, there's a great Fire-Belly Care Guide from the experts on this website linked below. It really helps out in answering a lot of questions.
    Frog Forum - Fire-Bellied Toad Care and Breeding - Bombina orientalis and relatives

    Good luck, and enjoy.

  4. #3
    sjboyle
    Guest

    Default Re: newbie!

    Thank-you for your response!
    The crickets in the photos are actually in the fake plants that are in there so they are a Tad closer therefore looking bigger!
    I have a ramped piece that goes from the island all the way across the tank that is covered by about 6mm of water.. this ramp is 6" wide also! The heat pad that I have is on a temperature sensor the will turn off at 22°c letting it drop below at night on the night time sensor! I only use the uvb as a daytime light for 13 hours a day with switches off on a timer! Imitating daytime hours due to No real sunlight in the room they are kept!

    Thank-you for the information on pothos plants I will look into them as soon as I can! Name:  IMG_20140414_172653.jpg
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Size:  114.1 KB

  5. #4

    Default Re: newbie!

    4 inches of water isn't really too much, it just isn't required, but it will definitely make them happier. I know of a few people who have almost fully aquatic fire bellies and even spend quite some time fully submerged

  6. #5
    Flying Dutchman
    Guest

    Default Re: newbie!

    Water make them happier indeed! I know my fbt's love the water, and most of the time they are in the water.

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