100% new to frogs, want to do a vivarium for some whites

[mopani]

1st post!!! new to frogs but not herps and fish. I have 1475 gallons running in fish room and at one point had 30 balls breeding.

Ok I got a free exo terra tank. I know it is one of those were the doors up, height is 24" and I think the width and leingh is 18". Also comes with repti fogger and the terra monsoon.I love my planted aquariums and my tropical plants i do keep in fish room so why not put a "show" tank in my living room. I heard whites are easiest and if tank is big enough I could get a trio or at least a few. I have looked at youtube for vivarium builds and think I get it. still not sure on plants for tank. I wanna stick with something I dont have to order and can get at home depo/ lowes or plant store. I plan on using the clay stuff at bottom and not having egg crates. any advice to school this newb.

[DigitalPunk]

I don't keep whites, but from what I know they are hard on plants in the tank. The are a big frog, they are messy, but they are super cute lol. Using a Leca/Drainage layer is a very acceptable "Normal" method of the bottom of the tank. Make sure your Leca layer is 2.5 - 3" deep. If you haven't all ready there is a vivarium construction guide thread that is sticked at the top of this forum section. It will have a lot of information for the basic build techniques.

I will let a white keeper chime in on the type of plants they use. I know the "staple" Tree frog plants are Pothos and Snake Plants. Both are very hardy and grow quickly.

[mopani]

thank you, I read the buld sticky, hard on plants, they eat them, I want easy frogs and a kind were I can put a few together. I have a repticon coming up and cash to burn, reading all I can atm

[DigitalPunk]

One thing to keep in mind is most tree frogs are Nocturnal. Dart frogs are great for show tanks because they are up and about during the day. There are some very bold species that are awesome to watch do their thing

[mopani]

darts are still intimidating to me, at first I was like Omg big tank full of different colors, but there seems to be so many species and specifications. still on edge about them, lol

[DigitalPunk]

There are several darts that a great for beginners. The "hardest" part is culturing fruit flies. I put hardest in quotes because it isn't that hard. Just takes a bit of practice to get the timing down.

In My opinion a properly setup vivarium makes the care of any frog that much easier. I wouldn't shy away from Darts because you are nervous. I actually think setting up a dart tank is easier than a tree frog. Darts Love (require) high humidity (80 - 100%) so a glass top and misting is just about all you need to keep the humidity high. Tree frogs need the humidity around 70% and they need ventilation. It takes a bit of tweaking to dial a tank in so the humidity is fairly stable and they have the ventilation they need to be healthy.

If you go to Josh's Frogs website and look at the frogs they have for sale. There is a whole section they list as "Beginner Frogs". You should still do all the research you can stomach +50% more. The more you learn before you build the tank and buy the frogs the easier it will be and the happier your frogs will be. My first tank was a disaster which ultimately lead to me spending more money than I needed to get my first frogs housed correctly.

Once you settle on a frog and are ready to start building your tank I highly advise you to start a build thread on the forums. There you can ask all the questions you want/need as you get your tank setup. We can let you know what we think and give you tips that will keep you from repeating mistakes we have all made

You are already on the right track by asking questions now and researching!

[deranged chipmunk]

thank you, I read the buld sticky, hard on plants, they eat them, I want easy frogs and a kind were I can put a few together. I have a repticon coming up and cash to burn, reading all I can atm

They like to rearrange things. They are big klutzes, but they don't eat the plants. None of the frogs we keep in the hobby do.

White's are cool. I kept them, but they are boring. They will sleep pretty much all day. Any movement by them will be in the form of moving to a new spot to sleep lol

Darts are definitely more active since they're diurnal, provided you get a bold species.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[mopani]

thanks yall. Forums are the greatest tool in the world. planning is a big stage to me

[ariesheiress]

I would suggest frog moss for the bottom of the viv along with some coco-fiber substrate - it is easy to hydrate and it is easy to maintain. My WTFs love it. Also, I would suggest using GE Silicone II (clear) to adhere the plants' suction cups to the walls - they only stick until the humidity gets where it needs to be and then they fall, and the Whites Tree Frog are really too heavy to be supported by them unless they are wrapped around a branch. As others have said, WTFs are really boring in the light, but they are very durable and I highly recommend them for a first time frog keeper. Good luck! Keep us posted.

[mopani]

i may just go onto PDFs, joshes is schooling me well. I may be a noob to keeping frogs, but i can learn and have the ability to make it right before my babies get here. once I start possible mid August since expo isnt till end of it, I will do a build here and get it right. a question though. PDF seem to like 65-80 degrees is what I am reading. Can the 65k LEDS i use on my planted aquariums work the same in non water planted tanks?

[DigitalPunk]

If you are doing Darts you will want to use live plants and they need the 6500k lights for photosynthesis. Josh's Frogs has some great how to videos on their site. Mix those while the build threads and knowledge available on this forum and you will be armed with everything you need!

Setting up your tank now or soon (30 days before you get the frogs) will benefit you tremendously! You will be able to dial in the settings on your tank and know how often you need to mist it to maintain humidity and have the temperature stable. I don't know how others do it, but I have switched to using aquatic heaters to heat all my dart tanks. They work amazing! I buy them off amazon for about $11 with prime shipping. They have a built in thermostat so you can slowly increase the heat until the ambient air temp reaches the range you are aiming for.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have only had one arrive broken and a replacement was sent out promptly.

[DigitalPunk]

Also steer clear of the stuff sold as "Frog Moss" it is awful. If you are using moss to cover the substrate nothing beats a good quality long fiber sphagnum moss. There are also many types of moss you can buy and grow in the terrarium to add a great look and help with humidity.

[deranged chipmunk]

Ummm, Paul, uh, they keep 1500 gallons of aquatic tanks, I think the lesson on heaters may have been a bit "unnecessary" lol

That frog moss isn't completely awful. You just need to have a huge amount of patience with it. That little clump you buy in the box probably took about a decade to grow. It will grow in a Viv, but it will be a slow, agonizing process, especially if you are like me and expect quick growth, since we're used to it with aquatics lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[mopani]

I was reading they like the tempature of 65-80 degrees, lol I may house stay 71, lol I might have trouble cooling it. unless I read that wrong. the tank i messed up it is 36 long, 18 wid and 24 tall. Would 6500 plant led from beamsworks work for lighting of plants. I have been researching keep them, but havent even touched base on the frog breed them self. I do want something with Orange in it. my fav colorb

btw, 1500 of water you just start heating the room with its own heat pump lol

[deranged chipmunk]

btw, 1500 of water you just start heating the room with its own heat pump lol

Hahaha! I have been there. Kept 1000 gallons myself at one point.

Everything you know from keeping aquatic plants still apply. 6500-6700k color temps. I really like beam works led's. They always have an extra row of lenses compared to the other brands. And they are switchable. I can have 3 rows lot, or 1. It comes in handy for taking more dramatic photos


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[deranged chipmunk]

They can be perfectly happy at 71ish. You just don't want to fall much lower, and obviously, above 80 is worse. If you like the color orange, then either r. Imitators 'varadero' or p. Terribilis 'orange' are the way to go!!


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[mopani]

They can be perfectly happy at 71ish. You just don't want to fall much lower, and obviously, above 80 is worse. If you like the color orange, then either r. Imitators 'varadero' or p. Terribilis 'orange' are the way to go!!


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

thanks man, yea, hobbies and the challenge of keeping new stuff is always what moves me foreword, after the frogs. my custom 8x4x2 tank will be here and the 15k may bump a bit up.

[deranged chipmunk]

That's what got me where I am too. Started with fish a long long time ago, went to planted aquariums, then paludariums and now frogs lol

Nice!! Whatcha gonna house in that beast??


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Lija]

Oh gosh.... Mopani.... Just so you know you are in a very very dangerous territory here lol next thing you know your 1500 gal of water are slowly turning with the similar amount of frog tanks

[mopani]

That's what got me where I am too. Started with fish a long long time ago, went to planted aquariums, then paludariums and now frogs lol

Nice!! Whatcha gonna house in that beast??


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Easier to just say it all. all my planted are low-med light 1x planted 125, densons, rainbows congos, neons, kribs and swordtails. 75 gallon with guppies, small densons, Angels, cories and a rubber lip pleco. 1x 180, Oscar pair, and a grown yellow bullhead. first 225 has mean Oscar, 2x bichirs, lima catfish, 2x eclipse cats, pike cichlid, orange snook. and mayan, school of large silver dollars. second 225. various Severums, sunfish, 20x congos. sailfin pleco, pair of jewl cichlids, growouts for BIG tank which include a Jaguar, texas, salvini, jack dempsey and 20 in achara cat. the 475(8x4x2) will be pike cichlids, peacock bass. more bichirs the growouts and bichir, maybe a green terror. I also have a 150 and another 125 that are for my wetpets,(mean fish) also have a 20 Long planted for guppy fry,betta and dwarf frogs. a 10 gallon planted with betta and a snail orgy(breeding mad). inside house a 5.5 planted with CFL betta and dwarf frog. a 3.5 long with emerged bamboo and betta. A 55 I am in process of a planted "Show" tank in kitchen. Only tank I have with Finnex lighting and canopy. Angels, pearl gourami and live bearers. Then Keely Kiwi, my beardie rescue. lol long winded but cat out of bag. I have a tons of 125s and 40Bs empty, so may not be 15k atm but was, lol I may do a 125 viv if this goes well