Setting up a terrarium

1226 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by dufus, Jan 9, 2007

Shadow

Discussion Starter · Jan 4, 2007

I have a empty 55gallon and these have always sounded nice. I use to keep Anoles for 4 years. And was wondering what type ~~of frogs would be best to start with? Also some safe plants. Also what makes the best type of subtrate?~~

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fish_lover0591

· #2 · Jan 4, 2007

dart frogs are easier to keep and there is a great place to learn about them. Dendroboard - Your source for dart frog information. they should be able to answer all your questions

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So what type of setup would you like ? ex: will it be a tropical setup with a water section or just wet land ? there are many things you need to keep in mind before starting with a terrarium and i can help you out with some of your questions

There are lots of safe plants you can start with check out Black Jungle Terrarium Supply . usually people use a mix of substrates. Also will you have a false bottom ? (raised land to allows excess water to collect at bottom) also you will need to setup a drain system to get the water out of the bottom of the tank.

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mbrant

· #3 · Jan 4, 2007

Hi Shadow,

Do you have a particular setup in mind? Frog habitats can range from aquatic to very dry. You will need to either pick your frogs and design a setup that way or pick your setup and find frogs that work in it.

Next is the issue of budget. Frogs can get pricey. I think the last time I checked Red Eyed Tree frogs were about $60 apiece in my local pet shop. At the same time, 'regular' green tree frogs were under $10. Not as cool looking but still cool in my mind.

Many of the tree frogs are nocturnal. Setting up moon lighting can help viewing.

Also, be aware of the humidity. Even frogs that are from humid environments would benefit from some air movement. I built a plexiglass top over a 60 gallon palludarium and I use a couple of pc fans on a timer to exhaust the air at regular intervals throughout the day.

If you get the environment right, I've found maintenance after that to be nearly zero. All I do on my palludarium is trim the plants about once a month, replace evaporated water, and drop in crickets once a week. I have anoles, newts, frogs tree frogs, toads, and guppies in there an they've done great for years.

-Mike

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Shadow

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 5, 2007

I was thinking of a rainforest type setup with live plants, maybe some moss. Heavily planted with a few different types of frogs or lizards. Along with a small water pool, maybe with a Small waterfall type thing. So a very green 55gallon with a few different species living in it.

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fish_lover0591

· #5 · Jan 5, 2007

cool just pick one thing though its either frogs or lizards lol . did you check out dendroboard.com ? they have some pictures of members tanks and you can get some ideas there

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dufus

· #6 · Jan 9, 2007

seriously,it is not easy nor good to put more than one type of critter in the same tank. Fish aren't as bad, but if you put say anoles and dart frogs in the same tank, both ewould die.

You can do a community terrarium, but hours of research is needed. I know some have kept green treefrogs, anoles, fire belly newts, and fire belly toads in the same tank, can you post a pic of your tank? If it has enough ground, water, and tree areas, it COULD be done.
Another issue is food. if you just throw crickets in, something beside the crickets is garunteed to get chomped at feeding time. instead, feed each species seperately. put some moths and flies in for GTF And anoles, feed the fb toads and anoles crickets and mealies, and feed the newt crickets and turtle foods.'It is a ton of work, but i can be done
One last thing
RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!

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