When should I clean my tank, replace moss..and how?

[gregcellent]

when and how should I clean my tank and replace the moss? do I clean around my frog or am I supposed to take him out when cleaning? Any tips would be appreciated.

[DigitalPunk]

This is a very subjective question and parts of it depend on a lot of variables.

1. Should I remove my frog - Yes. Your frogs should be collected and kept in a temp container while their home is being cleaned (entire substrate is removed), but if you are just wiping down the glass with a damp paper towel (weekly cleaning) than the frog can stay in unless it is prone to escape attempts than I would still look at removing them, but I might switch to a monthly cleaning and not a weekly.... or something like that.

2. Should I replace my moss - If it is all dead and gross then yes, however living moss won't need to replaced. If you are referring to Sphagnum moss used to top your substrate than I would only replace it when you replace your soil.

3. When and how do you clean - This is the part that isn't easy to answer. The basic answer is----- If a vivarium is setup properly (Drainage layer, barrier, substrate) with micro fauna, leaf liter and controlled feeding (not putting to many feeder insects in so that a bunch end up dying in the tank. And a good quality substrate is used (ABG Mix is what I will reference here) than your soil could last as long as 2 years before you need to replace it.

A properly setup Vivarium will be mostly self sustaining except for the occasional frog poop on the glass or dead plant you need to take care of. Outside of that the frogs waste will be consumed by the micro fauna and any decaying bugs, or plants will also be consumed over time.

This is just a very basic overview. Everyone cleans things a bit different. For instance our Red Eye tank, we wipe the glass down weekly, but we do it during the day while they are sleeping so it doesnt disturb them. For the Mantella and Citronella we wipe the glass down weekly as well. I keep the frogs in for this because I just spray water on the glass and wipe clean with a unprinted paper towel. The citronella dont try to escape but being so bold they will come up to the tanks open door and look at you.

The Vents are notorious for escape attempts. I try to clean their tank as quickly as possible. If the cleaning needs to be more involved than I collect them in a test tube and place them in a quarantine tank while I clean.

Also another good tip to share is - If you have multiple tanks it is best to not share cleaning equipment between tanks. I use rubber gloves and change to a new pair between each tank. If I am replacing soil or plants I make sure to pre separate the soil or plants by tank so I do not cross contaminate anything. Last thing I want is for a disease I am not aware of to spread through my frog room like a wild fire, and it will if you arent careful.

If you have any specific questions Please post them and I will do what I can to answer them.

Thanks

Paul

[gregcellent]

Thanks paul. You've been a lot of help