Newbie to the Frog World!

[netpez]

Hello all!

I am a long time saltwater reefer, and I think I am ready to leave the game. I am not sure if any of you have dabbled in the hobby, but it is a massive amount of work, from the all the time water changes (yes I know there are water changes involved with paludariums, but it doesn't require the constant mess of mixing saltwater), to the chemistry (salinity, alkalinity, calcium, etc) and other hassles.

I have always been fascinated with paludariums, and love the idea of having a mix of water and land dweallers in the same biotope.

All recommendations would be welcomed, and if anyone can point me to specific resources, that would be awesome. I have an idea on the use of an enclosure I was planning for fish, but might make an amazing paludarium... where should I post? This would include a 250 gallon marineland deep dimension tank, with in wall hole already to go, as well as a fish room with filtration already in place!

Thanks all!
Pez

[jasonm96]

Hey welcome Fire bellied toads are commonly kept in paludariums and make great displays but they may eat or poison fish with the toxins they produce. Depending on the height of the enclosure a very high UVB might be needed to reach their needs, Exo terra have a UVB rating system which will help you with this. The popular oriental fire bellied toads do best in the mid 70s fehreinheight. Great species for a display. They'll float in the water with their legs exposed and you'll see their nice red belly. For information on their care they're are several articles on care in the practical pet keeping magazine which are useful and upto date

[LilyPad]

Welcome, Pez! I bow to reef keepers and their knowledge! I had trouble learning to maintain a freshwater planted tank Balancing ferts and lighting to get the right amount of plant growth without the algae, a cyanobacteria battle, and cycling...it is work! I did reply to your other thread, hope it helps!

[netpez]

Thank you Jason for the recommendation...

Amy... I plan on using a sump to help filter the water.... right now I do 20% water changes on my saltwater tank on a bi-weekly basis, so I will probably stick with that.

I am actually thinking about building an automated water changing system (I had planned this out with my saltwater aquarium).... IT will be sooooo much easier to implement with freshwater, and not having to worry about the delicate salinity balance.

Amy... are you having issues with nitrates and phosphates in your aquarium? That is what usually causes algae and cynano in the saltwater world. Sometimes old bulbs cause it as well... Again, this is a new world to me, but those are usually prime suspects in our world.

[LilyPad]

Pez, I had really high phosophates in the water that I was using. I changed my water source, and that one had high nitrates. It's been corrected. It took about 9 months and the help of Bill (deranged chipmunk) to get it sorted out. I was really aquarium dumb when I started out with this though haha.

[netpez]

Pez, I had really high phosophates in the water that I was using. I changed my water source, and that one had high nitrates. It's been corrected. It took about 9 months and the help of Bill (deranged chipmunk) to get it sorted out. I was really aquarium dumb when I started out with this though haha.

Do you use an RO filter of any kind to produce freshwater for your tanks?

[LilyPad]

I buy RO water from the pet store now and have supplements to add minerals to it. Half the time, the pet store gives it to me for free because I'm there so often

[netpez]

I buy RO water from the pet store now and have supplements to add minerals to it. Half the time, the pet store gives it to me for free because I'm there so often

Thats awesome... if you don't mind, what kind of additives are you adding?

I have a nice RO/DI system that I have in place for my saltwater mixing station (includes 2 35 gallon trash cans, pumps, and a series of pvc plumping). I probably will drop the DI aspect, as I don't think that would be suitable for this environment.