Tree frogs and toads? large tank

[kittiekuddles]

Your going to have problems with bromeliads with those two frogs. The toads will dig plants like that up when burrowing and the whites will crush them with its weight. You will need tough hardy plants that can take a lot of abuse. As far as substrate play sand mixed 50-50 with natural loamy earth collected from a wooded area is a good choice. Pine bark is definitely not a good choice for two reasons, one, both pine and cedar bark leach things that can harm a amphibian, if you need to use a bark in your soil mix cypress bark is the best. For another any type of bark is not the best idea with the types of frogs your talking about because both of them are quite likely to ingest substrate while chasing down prey. You need something that can pass through their system without issues should they eat it and for that it is hard to beat dirt.

ok, no pine bark
if sand is ok to mix in then i will buy sand
i can understand the toads digging, but dang how heavy are the whites? lol
ahh its all making sense now, thats why people with bromeliads have those tiny little dart frogs, they dont do any damage i guess lol
well dang this is a whole new ball game then, now what kind of plants am i going to get?
but on the other hand...the whites that i see sold are all small babies, will the bromeliads have time to root strong by the time the whites get big? how fast do whites grow anyway?
I take it most plants will suffer with the toad? if stuff im planting will be uprooted then forget about an american toad for sure

[SethD]

ok, no pine bark
if sand is ok to mix in then i will buy sand
i can understand the toads digging, but dang how heavy are the whites? lol
ahh its all making sense now, thats why people with bromeliads have those tiny little dart frogs, they dont do any damage i guess lol
well dang this is a whole new ball game then, now what kind of plants am i going to get?
but on the other hand...the whites that i see sold are all small babies, will the bromeliads have time to root strong by the time the whites get big? how fast do whites grow anyway?
I take it most plants will suffer with the toad? if stuff im planting will be uprooted then forget about an american toad for sure

The whites can get pretty heavy, they are a good size tree frog and rather plump as adults. There is a reason why most peoples setups for whites include thick branches and not a lot of delicate plants. The plants would suffer both from the toad and the whites. The toad isn't intentionally going to uproot anything but they do like to bury themselves at the bases of plants and plants without a extensive root system can easily become tilted or dug up all together. Brom's would be unlikely to do well with either type of frog. Yes there is indeed a reason why the most heavily planted setups with the nicest plants usually contain tiny little frogs like darts. Larger frogs can be a little more challenging when it comes to finding plants that are strong enough but can still grow in a terrarium.

[kittiekuddles]

ahh ok
so now im opting out of the whites and the toads
i want the plants to be the main attraction more than anything
guess those little fire bellied toads would be a better option?
darts are out because they are too complicated to feed

[Tony]

In a tank that size you would have room for some of the big sturdy bromeliads like Aechmea fasciata, large leaved Philodendron and Monstera species and other large tropicals. I wouldn't give up on a planted White's viv quite yet.

[kittiekuddles]

In a tank that size you would have room for some of the big sturdy bromeliads like Aechmea fasciata, large leaved Philodendron and Monstera species and other large tropicals. I wouldn't give up on a planted White's viv quite yet.

ooo ok
and yeah one of the broms i was looking at was a aechmea kind, i think it was called silver vase or something, it was very large
the small ones i had in mind were the ones i would fasten to the tree limbs
this is good to hear because i was going through other frog species and nothing really thrills me, the whites are about the cutest
those fire bellies are ok...but they just look annoying lol, like their too hyper or something lol

[Tony]

and yeah one of the broms i was looking at was a aechmea kind, i think it was called silver vase or something, it was very large

That is Aechmea fasciata. Make sure you get the spineless variety and remove the flower spike, tree frogs can be clumsy at times and may lose an eye to the spined varieties.

[kittiekuddles]

That is Aechmea fasciata. Make sure you get the spineless variety and remove the flower spike, tree frogs can be clumsy at times and may lose an eye to the spined varieties.

will do
thanks so much