FBT Vivarium Preparations

[synikalspinstress]

So, "preparations" is no longer a fitting word, as I am now the proud owner of three Fire Belly Toads. (They're currently hiding around the tank, and get flighty when I peer at them, so, no pictures yet.)

I have one final question.

I live in North Dakota, so, temperatures vary between boiling lava and surface of Pluto depending on the time of year. Currently, each week it's flipping between mid-80's to low-60's, and sometimes to high-40's. My tank has been sitting in the low-60's, which is just above the minimum for what these toads need to be at. By next week, we're supposed to hit mid-80 again. At the extreme ends of the temperature spectrum, the house temperature gets set to 72 and stay there, so, the tank will be fine for the majority of year. It's just these few weeks when the weather is weird that have been a wild ride trying to decide if I need to heat my tank or not. So, before I do something foolish, like grab my parent's seedling heat mat and try to affix it to the back of my tank, I figured I should ask if I actually need to.

Do I need to heat my tank? At what temperature should I get concerned? If I do need to heat my tank, what method should I use, since I have a rather deep false bottom and thick layer of substrate?

Thank you for all the help so far. Getting these guys would've been a lot more nerve-wracking without all the help.

EDIT: I realize I said "one question" and proceeded to ask fifty thousand. Ha ha.

[daybr4ke]

Hi! I cant wait to see some pictures. I've read they are sensitive to heat, and that heat above the low 80's for prolonged periods can kill them. I checked, and a lot if guides say around 65+ is minimum safe temperature, but I also found a couple saying daytime temps should be around 72-79f, with a slight dip being acceptable at night. They'll probably be fine, but you could get a heating pad and a reptile thermostat. The heating pad can be attached to the tank and then plugged into the thermostat, which will monitor the tank with probes to make sure the temp stays pretty constant, it can even turn it off if it starts getting too hot. This would make sure you have a heating option going if the temp were to drop and you werent home to turn on the house's thermostat(unless it turns on automatically if it gets too hot or too cold.) during the occasional high 40's you mentioned.

[synikalspinstress]

Thank you! That's what I've heard, that it's more dangerous to overheat them than anything, but with how cold it can get, well, I thought'd ask. I'm not worried once winter actually hits, since at -30* the heat'll have to be on. XD It's just this weird period between summer and fall (and spring and summer, really) that's sorta a bear to work with.

How would you recommend placing the heat mat? Underneath probably wouldn't work, because of the false bottom. I've heard about attaching it to the side, but also that it could get too hot for the frogs to be near. Perhaps a smaller heat mat, placed on the side and "beneath" the substrate, so that none, or a minimal amount of the mat itself is visible from the front. And I'm not sure how to make a heat mat stay on the side? Electrical tape, perhaps?

[daybr4ke]

Heating pads usually stay okay on the sides(well, some of mine haven't, one small one peeled off.), but I've only used them on plastic(which technically you aren't supposed to.). I'm actually not sure exactly where to put it. I think they adhere better to glass. I don't know if the false bottom would necessarily be a problem for using a heat pad, but the thin glass creates a problem since heating pads usually come with little rubber "legs" with adhesive backing to create space between the heat pad and the area below the tank to avoid heat buildup, which can increase the risk of fire. I feel like placing the weight of the fully constructed tank on 4 small points could go bad, so your idea if placing the heat pad low on the side may be the best option, but side-mounting doesn't produce a lot of heat compared to putting it on the bottom. I have heard it works better with glass, however. I'd wait until some other members weigh in on It.

[monster]

Hey, IMO I would use a dome with a heat bulb attached to a thermostat to heat you tank. With the drainage layer placing it on the bottom probably wont work to well, the air will be 75f and the ground is going to be a lot higher. And if the ground gets to hot it may warm up the water because the dish is sunken into the ground making the water an uncomfortable temp for the frogs. I heated mine with a bulb and had it suspended over the middle of the tank right over top of a nice flat rock or over my turtle bridge, which ever one I picked to have in the middle. This way they could sit on the rock and warm up under the light but also have the option to be cooler off to the sides in the water and on land. UTH's don't work all that well on the side of the tank. In order for it to actually make a big difference in the enclosure you have to build a wall around 3 sides of the tank with the UTH in the middle, this way it traps the heat against the glass so it doesn't just go up into the air. Its pretty much the same idea of being under the tank were the matt is stuck to the bottom in between the tank and table it is set on. And when on the side like this you leave a gap on each side so the air flow can get around the whole 3 sides. I have this down to a science because this is how I keep my pacman frogs because they burrow to cool so I don't like having it on the bottom, but for firebellies or treefrogs I would just use a bulb because its the easiest method.

[daybr4ke]

You're probably right, I've found heating pads to be pretty annoying and when side mounted ineffectual as well. I worried a heat lamp would be too hot, but with a thermostat to keep it from getting too warm it'd be fine, especially with a mid-range or low wattage bulb.

[monster]

Here's a diagram if you were having a hard time trying to picture what I meant about the 3 sided wall. And ya I think a 40 or 50 watt bulb would do the trick, Just don't get a a basking bulb like you would use in reptile cage. Or even a ceramic would work if you already have a light. Ceramics last way longer then bulbs I find.