# Frog Setup - need advice



## BigWillieStyles (Jul 1, 2010)

Hello all,

im am trying to set up a frog enclosure. The only problem I am finding is the large number of brands of accessories confusing and dont really have a clue which to pick. So far, most shop owners havent been really unhelpful. I already have an enclosure. Its a zoo med tank which came recommended over the exo terra. It looks great, the only problem is that it lacks a 3d background. I plan on having a heater in the bottom that heats some water to heat the tank. I also want to have some sort of small waterfall and lots of real plants.

I know I will need an aquarium heater, a filter, an air pump (for small waterfall). Can anyone recommend decent items that you use?
Do I need two pumps or one for running a filter and waterfall?

I priced a silicon background today that was going to cost me 55 dollars per foot, 100 dollars seems a bit rich for a piece of silicon.

William


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## Chris1 (Jul 1, 2010)

what kind of frog are u setting it up for?
and how big is the enclosure?


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 1, 2010)

Setting up for Green tree frogs. Its 2ft tall enclosure.


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 1, 2010)

Hey
Just get an ordinary fish filter then use the outake pipe for the waterfall.
I'm pretty sure since your so far down south that you will need to heat the water but not to high.

As for the back ground, make your own. Its cheap probably will look better, you could even encorporate the waterfall into it so its one whole piece.


What are you going to use for substrate???
And how are you going to separate the water area from the land?


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## syeph8 (Jul 1, 2010)

exo-terra are coming out with new enclosures soon, and i have one and love it. used to have green tree frogs, now it has a beardie, coped fine with water and held it great and more importantly costs less than zoo-med stuff for the same functionality. but zoo-med do have fantastic products and i havnt been able to fault them with anything either. Jannico's suggestion is good, but im unsure as to how much water you are planning on having in this enclosure? a very small pump and a very small heater would do quite easily. if the pump has a filter on it then all the better. fish filter may be too big if you are getting a 45x45x60 enclosure and planning on having areas of ground. if the bottom is to be all water then it shoudl be fine


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 1, 2010)

Jannico said:


> Hey
> Just get an ordinary fish filter then use the outake pipe for the waterfall.
> I'm pretty sure since your so far down south that you will need to heat the water but not to high.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the help. I was thinking of making a background with some expanda foam like some other members have done, but figured that it might not look as good, and could potentially cost me quite a bit.

Im planning on only using large river stones as I have heard smaller ones can be eaten by the frogs and also dont want to use soil as I would imagine it would be much harder to maintain. Im hoping to just arrange the rocks in a manner where they get higher towards the rear of the tank. And I might attempt to get some Riccia (moss like plant) to attach to some of the rocks and log.



> Jannico's suggestion is good, but im unsure as to how much water you are planning on having in this enclosure? a very small pump and a very small heater would do quite easily. if the pump has a filter on it then all the better. fish filter may be too big if you are getting a 45x45x60 enclosure and planning on having areas of ground. if the bottom is to be all water then it shoudl be fine



Probably not that much water, up to the doors I guess. Ive seen some similar setups at pet stores that look quite good. I too was wondering if a filter was absolutely necessary to have a filter in as well as the waterfall.


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 1, 2010)

This is my set up for my red eyes.
Its about the same size as yours.


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## Profanicus (Jul 1, 2010)

syeph8 said:


> exo-terra are coming out with new enclosures soon, and i have one and love it


 
What are these new enclosures? And when are they coming? I have recently ordered a larger home for my frogs from exo-terra, but it's not too late to change if something better is coming soon...


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## syeph8 (Jul 1, 2010)

they are apparently releasing larger cage sizes, i can find out tomorrow and PM you in the arvo if you would like as to what new is coming out, but i am looking forward to seeing them also.


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## Profanicus (Jul 1, 2010)

I have the PT2612 (60x45x60cm) ordered, which is big enough - but I am interested in whether the new ones will be a different style so if that is the case yeah PM would be great ta!


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## syeph8 (Jul 1, 2010)

Profanicus said:


> I have the PT2612 (60x45x60cm) ordered, which is big enough - but I am interested in whether the new ones will be a different style so if that is the case yeah PM would be great ta!


 
not quite sure if they will be in a different style, i have heard new range, specifically size, but will let you know when i ask my mate who knows much more about it than i do. Will let you know


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## Lovemydragons (Jul 2, 2010)

This is my frog set up. I recently posted a new thread about it (my upgraded frog resort), but if you haven't seen it here it is again.

I too use large river pebbles on the land area as apposed to small gravel for the same reasons. It is also a lot easier to clean a dozen pebbles than a bucket of gravel. Although I use peat under the gravel as I find its a better source to build up the flooring height and it absorbs any nasty smells or liquids. If you're going to have large water section I suggest putting large rocks or something similar in it so the frogs can climb out. It also helps with the food, woodies and crickets etc can't swim and are quite stupid when it comes to water!

I use a small fish water filter and have a fish water heater which work great. The filter has a small adjustable output hole which I can increase or decrease the speed of the water flow. Frogs don't like huge water flow, probably just enough to circulate the warm water around. 

I hope this has been of some help.


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 2, 2010)

Lovemydragons said:


> This is my frog set up. I recently posted a new thread about it (my upgraded frog resort), but if you haven't seen it here it is again.
> 
> I too use large river pebbles on the land area as apposed to small gravel for the same reasons. It is also a lot easier to clean a dozen pebbles than a bucket of gravel. Although I use peat under the gravel as I find its a better source to build up the flooring height and it absorbs any nasty smells or liquids. If you're going to have large water section I suggest putting large rocks or something similar in it so the frogs can climb out. It also helps with the food, woodies and crickets etc can't swim and are quite stupid when it comes to water!
> 
> ...



Very helpful. Your tank looks great.

What brand is the water heater and pump?


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 3, 2010)

Would this ebay filter/water pump be strong enough to pump water to a small waterfall?

Aquarium Fish Tank Mini Submerse Water Pump Filter Set - eBay Air Pumps, Fish, Pet Supplies, Home. (end time 04-Jul-10 20:14:20 AEST)


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## Lovemydragons (Jul 5, 2010)

Um...not sure what brand it is, but it wasn't too expensive. Just make sure you get a plastic guard for any water heaters so the frogs don't burn themselves. They will sit on it to get warm!


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## syeph8 (Jul 5, 2010)

Lovemydragons said:


> Um...not sure what brand it is, but it wasn't too expensive. Just make sure you get a plastic guard for any water heaters so the frogs don't burn themselves. They will sit on it to get warm!


 
very good advice!


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 5, 2010)

yeah, I am on a budget, but I figured I would get a decent heater because of the safety.

I took a trip to Bunnings yesterday and sussed out the materials for making a background. Found everything cheaper than I thought. Am planning on making it on a removable piece of either mdf, foam or perspex. I was wondering how to hide the wiring and thought maybe I could incorporate a PVC pipe into the side which the cords could hide in.

Also took a quick trip to the local aquarium/reptile shop and was shocked at the prices of driftwood!:shock:


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## Jimbobulan (Jul 6, 2010)

I've just finished making a fake background and put a large hose in the foam by laying the hose first then spraying the expando foam over the top. I would recomend using one that has less expanding voluume as it would make it easyer to cover with the silicone and stuff. If your going to try and mount it on foam, make sure its a tight fit because foam floats and you may have trouble keeping it in place. I live in geelong and i use a water heater and a pump/filter and my GTFs are happy and healthy, they even bred last year.


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## Lovemydragons (Jul 7, 2010)

Jimbobulan said:


> I've just finished making a fake background and put a large hose in the foam by laying the hose first then spraying the expando foam over the top. I would recomend using one that has less expanding voluume as it would make it easyer to cover with the silicone and stuff. If your going to try and mount it on foam, make sure its a tight fit because foam floats and you may have trouble keeping it in place. I live in geelong and i use a water heater and a pump/filter and my GTFs are happy and healthy, they even bred last year.



A quick question, when your frogs bred did you turn your water filter flow down? I've heard they don't like laying eggs in moving water. How was your set up going at that time?


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## ingie (Jul 7, 2010)

BigWillieStyles said:


> I took a trip to Bunnings yesterday and sussed out the materials for making a background. Found everything cheaper than I thought. Am planning on making it on a removable piece of either mdf, foam or perspex.:shock:



If you used MDF it might rot in the constant dampness.... Foam or perspex would be better I think...

Also if you are looking for some great live plant to use - I use Bromeliads - They sell them at Bunnings and you can take them out of their dirt and they will survive without a substrate at all - you can sit them anywhere you like in your tank - All they require is to have their centers filled with water occasionally... My frogs love to sit on and in them - I just make sure that when I fill them with water that the water is treated like I would treat the frog's pond water because they will sit in it... They look amazing and tropical!


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## Lovemydragons (Jul 7, 2010)

Ingie, do you have any pics of those plants??


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## ingie (Jul 7, 2010)

Lovemydragons said:


> Ingie, do you have any pics of those plants??



I actually don't have any photos right now sorry without taking some new ones.... But if you google them - Bromeliad - There are many different types, some big some small.. some with cool striped leaves and different flowers... Bunnings will have several types available so if you ask them they will show you!


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## Lovemydragons (Jul 7, 2010)

Cool thanks!


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 7, 2010)

ingie said:


> If you used MDF it might rot in the constant dampness.... Foam or perspex would be better I think...
> 
> Also if you are looking for some great live plant to use - I use Bromeliads - They sell them at Bunnings and you can take them out of their dirt and they will survive without a substrate at all - you can sit them anywhere you like in your tank - All they require is to have their centers filled with water occasionally... My frogs love to sit on and in them - I just make sure that when I fill them with water that the water is treated like I would treat the frog's pond water because they will sit in it... They look amazing and tropical!



Yeah I keep changing my mind. I was thinking perspex but have now changed my mind and am thinking of doing it all ontop of polystyrene sheet. Im planning on getting the exo terra background which should fit my tank as it has handy access for the heater/pump cords. Then sticking a sheet of polystyrene either side on my enclosure, so that the frogs will only be able to be viewed from the front. Then carve some rocks into the sides and put some small plastic pots in the wall for orchids with some expanda foam. Then planning on painting it with grought/sand and some acrylic paint. And will try and get a waterfall or drip in there somehow. 



Jimbobulan said:


> I've just finished making a fake background and put a large hose in the foam by laying the hose first then spraying the expando foam over the top. I would recomend using one that has less expanding voluume as it would make it easyer to cover with the silicone and stuff. If your going to try and mount it on foam, make sure its a tight fit because foam floats and you may have trouble keeping it in place. I live in geelong and i use a water heater and a pump/filter and my GTFs are happy and healthy, they even bred last year.



Im looking forward to using the expanda foam. Hope it all works like how im thinking. Im just curious, how did you get your frogs to breed? How deep is you enclosure water?


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## Cypher (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks for all the info too guys. I'm keen to set up my first frog enclosure & have been following this thread everyday.

My only question, like BigWillie's is...how much water is ideal, litre-wise & depth, to get the frogs interested in breeding?


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 8, 2010)

The frogs i keep (red eyes and dainty) wont breed till there about 2-3 years old (really depends on how much you feed them and get them up to size)
Water isnt really a big factor you can have as much or as little as you want just as long as its 
A) Humid
B) Has a place to be out of the water.

To get frogs to breed you will probably need a rain chamber, they cant be stimulated into breeding with just water alone, they need to be showerd and theres a whole cycle. 

So you could even go with no water as long as you spray them down ever day.


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 8, 2010)

Hey that pump you posted should be fine for the water fall as long as the water fall isnt higher than about 60cm.
So i would put it at MAX 40cm


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 8, 2010)

Jannico said:


> Hey that pump you posted should be fine for the water fall as long as the water fall isnt higher than about 60cm.
> So i would put it at MAX 40cm



thanks mate. 

Just curious, what substrate do you use?


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## BigWillieStyles (Sep 10, 2010)

hey thanks to all the people who offered lots of helpful suggestions. Heres what I have so far. I had so much fun making it that I actually wouldnt mind starting another build. I think an arid styled one will be next, perhaps for either some Smooth Knob Tailed Geckos or a Bearded dragon.

I found some broken polystryene pieces at a local shop and managed to get them for only a few dollars. I cut polystyrene pieces and stuck them on the back. I also cut out grooves for the power cords to hide behind (like exo terra background have).







I also wanted to have a little waterfall, so I cut a tunnel and put in a piece of pipe in the corner. The pipe connects to a cheap ebay filter/pump. 






I used plastic planters to make my enclosure design and then sprayed over them with expanda foam. 






I also stuck some rocks down one corner, to make a drip for my waterfall.






I then painted black silicone over the top and then placed peatmoss on while the silicone was still drying.






I dusted the excess peatmoss off, then started planting some plants in. They are all different types of ferns. Unfortunately, the top plants have started to look a bit unhealthy. So I moved the enclosure from my living room, which I thought may have been drying the plants out with the heater which is in the room (its really cold in Albury now). Im spraying heaps of water in and Im attempting to heat the tank to around 18 - 25 degrees. Using a water heater to heat the tank.

Instead of having a soil substrate bottom, I have used river stones ontop of finer gravel. Im hoping that will be sufficient for the frogs im looking at getting.
These pictures dont do it any justice, and im sorry that they are so dark. You can see the waterfall in the background which is connected to a small filter under the water. I only turn the pump/filter on for an hour a day just to increase humidity. The pump was actually more powerful than I expected, I was kind of expecting a slight dribble but it still a really cool feature. The tank will hopefully soon house some Red Eyed Tree frogs. Im having a few troubles getting the plants to take off, I think the humdity was too high so I only spray every few days now instead of everyday. Im hoping the plants will take over and grow really quickly.


















Let me know what you think?
William


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## AnimalCollector6 (Sep 10, 2010)

Beautiful mate, really good lookin!


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## Snakeluvver2 (Sep 11, 2010)

Great stuff dude!
As soon as I get home from thailand I'm making one of these for my Red Eyes and then one for my Tree Snakes


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## BigWillieStyles (Sep 13, 2010)

thanks guys!

Cost was heaps cheaper than the pre-made background from the pet store too.



> Great stuff dude!
> As soon as I get home from thailand I'm making one of these for my Red Eyes and then one for my Tree Snakes


 
I want to make another one. Im thinking of making a desert themed one for some Smooth knob tailed Geckos.


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