# What lighting for frog enclosure?



## Jaide03 (May 3, 2006)

Can someone please let me know what lighting will I need to use for a frog enclosure?


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## AntaresiaLady (May 4, 2006)

We have Litoria Caerulea, Northern Green Tree Frogs. 

We use a UV light over their tank (it shines through a mesh top). I can't think of the name of the batten and globe at the moment, will post them when I can find it. 

What frogs are you getting/have you got?


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## Jaide03 (May 4, 2006)

Northern or western green tree frog


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## Reptilegirl (May 4, 2006)

i've got a couple of caresheets at home... i'll put them up for you when i get home 
Megz


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## aussiesnakelover (May 4, 2006)

i dont use lightin at all


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## Jaide03 (May 4, 2006)

Do you have any problems from not using any lighting and does anyone else use a heater to heat the water in the enclosure?


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## aussiesnakelover (May 4, 2006)

i live in the NT so i have no need for a heater and ive had no problems keeping them without lighting


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## AntaresiaLady (May 4, 2006)

I have a heater in our water.

All the caresheets I have read say you should have at least light. 

AussieSnakeLover- does a lot of sun penetrate your frog enclosure?


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## Jaide03 (May 4, 2006)

What type of heater are perple using?


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## grandma (May 4, 2006)

biorhhythms of frogs are affected by daily duration of light, so it is important for terrarium to receive light during the day. frogs rest during the day and know to become active as the sun goes down.make sure u have lots of ventilation and use the best quality artificial light ucan afford. good luck


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## aussiesnakelover (May 4, 2006)

they were in a spot for 2 years with no light at all really and now they get arvo sun where they are now, i know a few people that dont give frogs any light at all, mine are doing fine!!


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## grandma (May 4, 2006)

i also have kept fat healthy frogs in a tank for 6 yesrs without artificial light .these ones ,however are in my lounge room which has an abundanceof light from large windows and skylights. if you dont have enough natural light where your frogs are kept i think it is best to have a u v light.


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## Scale_Addiction (May 4, 2006)

a LITTLE uv is all they need, they don't need heaps of UV, and just leave them at room temp year round. preferably sit them under a window that gets a little of the morning sun, i can't stress enough how quickly frogs die when exposed to too much heat. 

if you cant give them a little exposure to the morning sun, use a 60 watt spot no closer than one foot from the tank, just to give off some gentle heat, for up to 4 hours of a morning. use a uv fluro (not a mercury vapour lamp) at a foot from the encloure also, as too much UVB discolours the animals, and damages their eyes.


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## Jaide03 (May 4, 2006)

How would you heat the water, if say, I use a large reptile water dish, which is quite shallow? How are people setting up their tanks and with what product?


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## Scale_Addiction (May 4, 2006)

apart from breeding season, i dont even give them water, we use paper towl in the bottom of their tank, and saturate the tank with a mister twice to three times daily, the paper towl in usually a mm or two underwater, that way, the frogs drink the droplets of water througout the tank, and the crix don't drown. the paper is changed and tank cleaned twice a week. we use a plastic broad leafed aquarium plant in the enclosures so the frogs have platforms to chill on, and the beads of water of sit in the folage. this keeps the humidity up, frogs moist and everyones happy.


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## Jaide03 (May 4, 2006)

Do you use fake or real plant?


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## Scale_Addiction (May 4, 2006)

fake. easy to clean and no dirt. 

everyone has a different way to run their frogs, i just get the best ease and success for me this way.


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

Does any one use a uv bulb instead of the fluro tube?


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## JasonL (May 5, 2006)

I have green tree frogs ( one I have had for 15 years) have never heated them or given them UV, Also have and bred, red eyes, they will need a little warmth but still no UV but do need regular misting. I have green tree frogs from Nothern Australia, east coast and western NSW. They do quite well in very cold condtions, they wont eat but loose no condition, In warmth they will eat heaps of course and be fine but be carefull of in between temp ( around 18-20 Deg.) as this can cause them to stop eating and loose weight. But in general I have found Green Tree Frogs to be bullet proof as adults, raising small ones is a little different, you need to feed them as much as possible, otherwise they callcium problems and deformities.


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## AntaresiaLady (May 5, 2006)

So you're saying we could have gotten away without paying $100+ for the batten and fluoro? 
GGRRRRR. 

We have water in the tank, and keep it warm with an aquarium heater.


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

I live in perth, so very rare that inside my house it drops below 18 degrees. Do you think that will be warm enough to keep then warm? Do your frogs every get sunlight JasonL?


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## AntaresiaLady (May 5, 2006)

We were under the impression that light was imperative to the frogs health.


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

AntaresiaLady how have you got your tank set up?


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## AntaresiaLady (May 5, 2006)

We have a 'Lee's Herp Habitat' with our two frogs in it at the moment. 

We want to get a new tank for them, as there is no where near enough space for them. I'm a bit annoyed about it really- if we'd been given better information, I wouldn't have bought it for them. I know more about snakes than frogs- so unfortunately we got burned. $85 or so for a useless tank. The top is buggered already- we've only had it three months. Its had no weight on it, its just warped and come out of the frame. Shoddy build design.

I'm tempted to call the people we got it from and tell them. Its very frustrating. 

Once we have a better enclosure, we'll post pics of it.


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

I have just ordered a custom made glass tank (I also bought my reptile tank off them) which cost me $55 with no lid because I make the rest myself, but now I am unsure about the lighting and heating. I was looking into buying a zoo-med lamp stand but it looks like that is going to be too expensive. I was not going to bother heating the water as I figured the water will warm any way it you keep the tank at a certain temp with the UV lighting. Do you switch off all your lighting during the night. What type of fluros do you use and were do you get them from?


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## JasonL (May 5, 2006)

My frogs get no sunlight, they are inside in a glass tank. I did put them outside last year to try to breed them (Red eyes are easy, Greens not so. they spawned but infertile) but that was the first time in their lives, the key to them is they love food, once they have a nice fat reserve you can back the food off and just monitor their dody weight, But of course if you go to a pet shop they will tell you you need a UV light!


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

What type of food do you feed them JasonL?


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## JasonL (May 5, 2006)

Any insect that moves. but they will eat anything from smaller frogs (that was a hard lessen) to pinky and fuzzy mice (not to many of these as the amount of protein in them isn't to good for them long term) I have fed them harsher meals such as spiders and wood crickets, they will try to eat anything!


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

Have you got any pictures of your tank set up?


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## JasonL (May 5, 2006)

No, but it is just a glass tank, a fake rock backing, a few vines and sticks, a hollow log to hide in and a bowl of water. It has a glass floor with a couple of large riverstones. This way it is easy to clean once a week. I used to have them set in a four foot tank with filtered water and live plants, but I am trying to breed them now and you have to treat them a bit differently to do that.


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## Jaide03 (May 5, 2006)

What is the fake rock backing made out of?


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## JasonL (May 5, 2006)

latex. get them from any aquarium.


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## aussiesnakelover (May 5, 2006)

hi ive attatched some pics of my frog cage, its a 45cm2 exo-terra, it has large pebble's and slate on the bottom with water about 15cm high, i have a peice of drifwood in the back that they can climb, and a lucky bamboo tree, they are really good to put in there because on need to be held upright and have plenty of water DONT NEED DIRT, i have a $15 dollar pump from Big W in there and it works really well and has heaps of different ways it can be set-up, 
im looking to get fake vines to cover half the back wall because it a bit plain, i took the fake exo-terra backing out because the roaches etc kept hiding behind it and eating it and when you clean the paint come off, so thats gone

below ive attetched pic of 2 of the 6 frogs kept in it, the brightest and darkess at the time, to show you, they all change between these 2 colours all the time
















ImgFree.net - Hosting Images

HOPE THAT HELPS


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## Jaide03 (May 6, 2006)

Can any one recommend a uv globe and where did you get it from?


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## olivehydra (May 6, 2006)

Jaide03 said:


> Can any one recommend a uv globe and where did you get it from?



Most aquarium shops stock uv tubes. Brands such as repti-glow (or repti-star?) come in different strengths of uv output. They are usually numbered 2, 5, 8 and 10 (10 being the strongest in regard to uv). I use NEC blacklights for my turtles as they are better than the above mentioned. Having said that Frogs dont require the uv levels of turts so If it is indeed required, I would be going for the lower grade tubes. UV tubes should be replaced every 6 months as well. 
I havent kept frogs for many years but I never had uv lights when I did.


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## Jaide03 (May 6, 2006)

bunnings is starting to stock tubes for aquariums, has anyone used them and to they supply enough uv for frogs? The guy at bunnings said they are fine to use in reptile etc enclosures but I have my doubts.


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## Jaide03 (May 6, 2006)

do you leave the UV light on during the day and switch it off at night?


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## AntaresiaLady (May 6, 2006)

You switch your light off at night. 

AussieSnakelover- you've given me some ideas with your enclosure....awesome. 

Anyone have any suggestions on suitable silicone in a frog enclosure? I want to put in a glass partition, and it needs to be siliconed in.


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## nigmax (May 7, 2006)

For silicone make sure it has aquarium safe written on the tube not many do, also make sure it cures properly.


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## AntaresiaLady (May 7, 2006)

I knew it had to be aquarium safe, but I wondered if anyone had any they recommend especially.


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## Moreliaman (May 7, 2006)

I've always used Hodgson Sealants "silfix HM" acetoxy cure silicone sealant iso 11600-G-25HM type B

www.hodgson-sealants.co.uk

on the website go to the menu on the left, its under silicone sealants :wink:


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## AntaresiaLady (May 7, 2006)

Ta MM...should give me an idea what kind of thing to look for. 

Anyone on Frog substrate? Are Smooth pebbles the best?


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## nigmax (May 7, 2006)

The guy from the aquarium i used to frequent put me onto some, but told me not to buy it from them too exspensive, get it from a hardware lol,
can't remember the name was a while ago but you could ask your local aquarium what they use.


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## Jaide03 (May 7, 2006)

Does any body know the name of a good waterproof sealer that I can safely use to seal fake background that I made for a frog enclosure?


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