Choosing a frog for my arboreal tank (edited)

[mlwdrt]

Hi,
I've got an empty Reptile One terrarium that is 45(w)x45(b)x55(h)cm. I'm thinking of doing it up as a vivarium with just plants for now and adding an animal to it later on (yes, I know the work involved). I can set up the tank with or without an aquatic section. What animal can people recommend?

I've kept red-eyed tree frogs (Litoria chloris) before and also have a reptile licence (NSW). I was thinking Dainty tree frogs (Litoria gracilenta), or maybe a gecko, eg spiny tail? Although I'm open to suggestion. I'm planning on setting up humidity and heat controls but would prefer something with similar temperature needs to Newcastle area.

 

[Moreliavridis]

You could keep some leaftails or forrest dragons they do well in a planted tanks. Both have low temperature requirements and like humidity.

 

[Bluetongue1]

If you are going to have a planted vivarium then you can expect the humidity to be maintained at an above average level due to transpiration from the plants and evaporation from the moisture added to plants roots to maintain them, as indicated in the above post. The enclosure size & humidity excludes snakes, monitors and pygopods, leaving only skinks of appropriate size and geckoes that both tolerate consistently humid conditions.

In addition to the geckos suggested already are…

Chameleon gecko Carphodactylus laevis
Cyrtodactylus species such as C. tuberculatus
Eastern spiny-tailed gecko Strophurus williamsi
Northern spiny-tailed gecko Strophurus ciliaris
Ocellated velvet gecko Oedura monilis
Southern spotted velvet gecko Oedura tryoni​

Potential skink species:

Pink-tongued skink Cyclodomorphus gerrardii
Water Skinks Eulamprus spp such as the Eastern Water Skink.​

With C. gerrardii if you maintain a temperature gradient of 15-25oC they will be active during the day. Water skinks are not arboreal as such but will actively climb steep planted or ‘rock’ backgrounds when foraging for food. They also enjoy a pool of water poresent if you intend to include some frogs (large enough not to be food for the water skinks).

 

[mlwdrt]

Thank you for the replies!
Is the tank big enough for all of those? (Not together obviously )

 

[Bluetongue1]

All but the Pink-tongued Skink meet the NSW criteria by floor size, but as a climber it would (just) meet the required back wall area. Irrespective of that, your size enclosure is really only suitable for a small one and a full grown adult is better given about twice that area to roam.

 

[mlwdrt]

When you say "your size enclosure is really only suitable for a small one and a full grown adult is better given about twice that area to roam" are you just talking about the Pink-tongues, or all the geckos? If that's the case, I'll probably get frogs instead.

 

[sp.michael]

i'd say one adult pink tongue would be fine in there given plenty to climb on and hide in. Especially if you could get some kind of back ground in there. If not a tropical setup, could keep a couple mountain dragons

 

[mlwdrt]

It might not be tropical, but will be humid. I live on the coast with fairly high humidity already and I really want to put live plants in.

I'm leaning towards frogs at this point with maybe even some small fish depending on the size of the aquatic section.

 

[Bluetongue1]

@mlwdrt It was only the Pink-tongued I was referring to about having a small one. As suggested, you could put lots of branches in there for an adult pink-tongued to climb on and hide in. However, I reckon the number required might spoil the view of your plants – just my opinion. I also suspect that a full grown pink-tongued may dislodge smaller plants used in a smaller terrarium. However, it is too many years ago since I was involved in keeping one and it wasn’t in a planted cage, so I don’t really know.

There are quite a few suitable frog species. Smaller ones will do less damage to plants. Local frogs do not actually require a substantial body of water, other than when breeding, and can rehydrate in a water bowl, moist substrate or with regular misting.

If you have not kept fish (other than gold fish) then I would not recommend adding them. One needs to establish and maintain biological filtration (denitrifying bacteria) for them to survive.

 

[mlwdrt]

Thanks Bluetongue!

I have very fond memories of our families Pink tongues when I was little One used to sit on my chest all the time.

I used to keep a big tank of tropical fish and I've been missing them, which is why I was thinking of fish (I will only put a few in ). I also have found that keeping a small pot of water is actually more irritating than looking after a large body of water.

I'm fairly certain I'm going to go with frogs for this tank now. Trying to decide between Dainty and Blue Mountain Tree Frogs. I know that the Blue's are good at swimming, what about the Dainty's? Anyone have experience with these?

Also, any idea what's a good number for a tank of my size? (Roughly 110L, probably 80 - 90L of space once substrate and water are in).

Changed thread title from animal to frog

 

[Bluetongue1]

I assume you are hoping to get input from experienced keepers of the mentioned species. You would likely have a much better chance of that on an amphibian forum or discussion group. What I do strongly recommend is that if you intend to keep frogs, then first buy a copy of Scott Eipper’s “A Guide to Australian Frogs in Captivity” (» $55). I believe you will find it an invaluable investment.

In terms of numbers you can maintain in that enclosure, I would suggest two L. citropa or three L. gracilenta. You need to allow for maximum adult size. I have not kept either, so this is only an educated guess/opinion. If you were to keep L. fallax, which I have kept, then you could house 5 or 6.

If you don’t have air-con, one thing you really do need to consider is keeping the temps down on those very hot periods in summer. If you run fish in the bottom, then the stabilising effect of the mass of water and the evaporative cooling from the water surface will make a difference. I leave the covers of my aquaria in summer and that makes a significant difference. For a prolonged extreme heat wave, I float a sealed plastic bottle or two of frozen water and keep an eye on the water temp until it gets to where I want it.

 

[mlwdrt]

If I could find a good Australian one I would!

Thanks for the tips on cooling!

 

[Bluetongue1]

@mlwdrt. Happened across the following thread in this forum: https://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/threads/blue-mountains-tree-frogs.219558/. Worth a look...

 

[Imported_tuatara]

blue mountains are beautiful, at one point i was thinking of getting a few, this thread will help for sure, if i start on the project again. (was planning to do a similar thing as mlwdrt)

 

[mlwdrt]

Thanks @Bluetongue1! Good thing I've started early from the sounds of it

They are beautiful aren't they @Imported_tuatara

So thanks to all who responded, I've decided to try and get some Blue Mountains Tree frogs, as I grew up in that area so apart from being beautiful, there's a special significance for me too. Now to try to find some!