New Frog Enthusiast

[Pleasantly]

I've had the pleasure of interacting with some of you already regarding the injured northern green frog my boys found wrapped up in a net. Since he's on the mend and doing well, I'm not in emergency mode any longer, so thought it would be a good time to say hello.

Our little frog is a male named Survivor Pickle Banjo, but I just call him Pickle Banjo. It's a long name, but I love saying it in a specific rhythm, because it makes me smile

I've never been into reptiles or amphibians in my life, aside from observing them in nature. Growing up, my sisters had turtles, lizards, hamsters, hermit crabs, and used to catch frogs all the time. I was not interested at all. I was the one who was perfectly happy with a little 10 gallon fish tank for 2 huge goldfish that started out as feeders for my sisters' turtles. I'm now converted into an amphibian lover, since caring for Pickle Banjo (who was seriously on the verge of death).

Now I'm learning about setting up a vivarium for him. Since I love gardening and growing waterlilies in containers, I'm very excited about building his home!

Thank you for all the help from those who responded to my thread when I first started caring for him. I look forward to interacting with more of you.

Here is Pickle Banjo and his healing injuries...

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Well, for the 30 gallon tank you mentioned on the other post, what you could do is either get a barrier to do a half and half tank in the middle (like a large rock or some glass and sealant or a viquarium sold at petsmart/petco) a couple of lily pads or other floating items with all water, or a terrestrial setup with a massive water dish

[Pleasantly]

Well, for the 30 gallon tank you mentioned on the other post, what you could do is either get a barrier to do a half and half tank in the middle (like a large rock or some glass and sealant or a viquarium sold at petsmart/petco) a couple of lily pads or other floating items with all water, or a terrestrial setup with a massive water dish

Thank you. I would definitely like to try to recreate the waters edge of a pond in his tank, if possible.

[Annie742]

Hiya and welcome
Can't help you with the set up. Mainly because i'm still in my learning stage too, just wanted to say hi and welcome

Pickle Banjo is a very handsome frog! Is he a bullfrog?

[Pleasantly]

Hiya and welcome
Can't help you with the set up. Mainly because i'm still in my learning stage too, just wanted to say hi and welcome

Pickle Banjo is a very handsome frog! Is he a bullfrog?

Hello

He's a Northern Green frog. I thought he was a bullfrog at first, but because he has ridges down his back, that rules out bullfrog

[Krispy]

Man, he is a handsome little devil. Best of luck with the mending! Pond edge is kinda tricky, the fine balance between dirt and muck....

[Annie742]

Either way he is a cutie
I have read that it's tricky to make water and land if your new to making these kind of tanks. Now that's just what I have read, because I have no idea how hard it is lol.
I know people make them and I'm sure someone will be here to help you out. Hope it goes well for you and Pickle Banjo ( I just love that name rotfl!).

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Thank you. I would definitely like to try to recreate the waters edge of a pond in his tank, if possible.

The viquarium would work for him, looks like a waterfall, and has a filter, which for semi-aquatic animals (and aquatic ones for that matter) is almost a necessity

[Pleasantly]

Man, he is a handsome little devil. Best of luck with the mending! Pond edge is kinda tricky, the fine balance between dirt and muck....

I stopped looking up frog tanks and started looking up turtle paludariums. I think his tank will be closer to theirs since they tend to live in the same kind of environment. I'd like to make the bottom rocky so I can avoid as much muck as possible. He seems to be happy in his temporary tank right now with a couple rocks and a plant with some water, so I'm hoping he will do fine in a mock pond edge minus the slime and bog, haha! We shall see!!

[Pleasantly]

Either way he is a cutie
I have read that it's tricky to make water and land if your new to making these kind of tanks. Now that's just what I have read, because I have no idea how hard it is lol.
I know people make them and I'm sure someone will be here to help you out. Hope it goes well for you and Pickle Banjo ( I just love that name rotfl!).

I'm going to keep looking up pictures and watching videos until I'm seeing aquascapes in my sleep!

Thank you, and I love his name too. I look for any chance I can get to say it, haha!

The viquarium would work for him, looks like a waterfall, and has a filter, which for semi-aquatic animals (and aquatic ones for that matter) is almost a necessity

Awesome, I'll be looking that up!

[Krispy]

I stopped looking up frog tanks and started looking up turtle paludariums. I think his tank will be closer to theirs since they tend to live in the same kind of environment. I'd like to make the bottom rocky so I can avoid as much muck as possible. He seems to be happy in his temporary tank right now with a couple rocks and a plant with some water, so I'm hoping he will do fine in a mock pond edge minus the slime and bog, haha! We shall see!!

Both pothos, and certain kinds of moss love water, and other plants... they know us at the local lowes and greenhouse quite well. Tis now the season to get some prime sand(for under the gravel) and some plants or bulbs from plants in your local streams. Theres also some grasses i find in ponds that grow under water. Rinse all the muck off and see if they take to your sand!

We gots bullfrog tads(btw bill i donated a clutch to the local vo tech for the horticulture class pond) and ima keep 1. For their home i just stuck a shovel in the side of the pond and brought it home in a bucket lmao. Water too. Downfall, the wretched smell, things growing like mad tho and i look for it to be ready for the froglet when its time... the pond is now backfilled... broke my heart lol

[deranged chipmunk]

Transitions can be tricky, but doable. They just take some careful planning and creativity. Here are a few of my current tank transitions:


Utilizing rocks and wood are your best options. They allow you to cover up inner workings and also create more defined lines between water and land. Avoid using clay based soils or substrates, they make a mess out of things. Most importantly, allow yourself to have some 'chaos'. That is, don't freak out of you get some substrate in the water feature. It is inevitable. Nature is not pristine, muck and mire abound. And while we don't want nastiness, it can 'look' nasty, without actually being nasty, if that makes sense.

K, good to hear. I hope that bully tad grows and morphs well for you


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

[Pleasantly]

Both pothos, and certain kinds of moss love water, and other plants... they know us at the local lowes and greenhouse quite well. Tis now the season to get some prime sand(for under the gravel) and some plants or bulbs from plants in your local streams. Theres also some grasses i find in ponds that grow under water. Rinse all the muck off and see if they take to your sand!

We gots bullfrog tads(btw bill i donated a clutch to the local vo tech for the horticulture class pond) and ima keep 1. For their home i just stuck a shovel in the side of the pond and brought it home in a bucket lmao. Water too. Downfall, the wretched smell, things growing like mad tho and i look for it to be ready for the froglet when its time... the pond is now backfilled... broke my heart lol

What kind of sand would be prime sand? I had thought about gathering plants from local spots, but worried about pests and parasites. Will washing away all the dirt they are in help protect against that?

Transitions can be tricky, but doable. They just take some careful planning and creativity. Here are a few of my current tank transitions:


Utilizing rocks and wood are your best options. They allow you to cover up inner workings and also create more defined lines between water and land. Avoid using clay based soils or substrates, they make a mess out of things. Most importantly, allow yourself to have some 'chaos'. That is, don't freak out of you get some substrate in the water feature. It is inevitable. Nature is not pristine, muck and mire abound. And while we don't want nastiness, it can 'look' nasty, without actually being nasty, if that makes sense.

K, good to hear. I hope that bully tad grows and morphs well for you


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

Thank you for the pictures! I love the first one. I really like the duckweed but wondered if it would become a problem. I read people say it grows aggressively and is difficult to get rid of, although looking at it, I wonder why that would be. Seems you could net out a bunch of it. I have no experience with that though, so maybe it's not that easy. I like frogbit a lot, too.

You mention rocks and wood; do you gather the wood from nature? If so, do you do anything to it before putting into your tank? I've read that boiling is a way to sanitize. I didn't know if it also gets sealed with something or not.

Do you use false bottoms in these tanks?

[DigitalPunk]

To sanitize wood you can bake it in the oven for a few hours. I do 275F for 2 hours on wood.

Bill is much better at transitions than I am. Well he is much better at Paludariums in general lol. Pick his brain!

[deranged chipmunk]

Duckweed is much easier to manage in a paludarium than an aquarium, at least in my opinion. Smaller space makes for easier containment. Frogbit is also an option, albeit a larger one.

I get most of my materials from nature. I bake or boil my wood before using it. I don't get too nuts sterilizing non-porous items like rocks though. I don't seal my wood, but that is an option. You can, if you like.

All my current tanks run drainage layer type false bottoms using river pebble from Home Depot. It weighs a bit more, but weight isn't a concern to me in tanks, they don't get moved.


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

[deranged chipmunk]

Bill is much better at transitions than I am. Well he is much better at Paludariums in general lol. Pick his brain!

Awe, shucks, thanks Paulie!!


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