Amphibian plus fish plus ? terrarium; help?

[luvinbluegills]

I'm considering setting up a 30 gallon terrarium (maybe 55) and I'd like to have frogs (probably Dart frogs), fish, and maybe other creatures that could co-exist. I'm not stuck on the combination, but I would definitely like to have land and water dwellers.

I've been looking for good advice on how to set up the tank plus creature coexistence, but haven't been able to find much. Anybody here got good advice for me?

 

[Chub_by]

I'm not sure about dart frogs and such, but you could do fire-belly newts or any native newt you have(only if legal) +whatever small fish you find locally. No heater needed and they should cohabit well.

 

[Shenanigans]

In fist-time planning stages it can seem more of a challenge than it really is. Think first about the land/water ratio that you would prefer. If you put alot of forethought into it, every aspect can improve the ecosystem. With the size you are thinking about, a DIY build can allow you to be quite flexible with consctruction and design. If your set on using a tank, you still have lots of creative options. A straight-forward option for filtration would be to simply use a small canister filter. A more creative method would be to use a small pump to push water up the land portion and create a waterfall, the waterfall is pleasing to the eye and depending on how you set it up, can be a DIY "canister like" filtration system.

IMO, the best option is to set up a sump system below your tank. It allows for easier maintenance and takes all other gear(heaters, etc.) out of the tank itself.

The toughest part for me is considering filtration of the water while still having an eye-pleasing design, which is why I suggest all those different options.

A common method for creating land- use a layer of hydroballs up to the water level. Lay down a screen to seperate the hydro-balls from the terrarium substrate.

Really that is the basics all summed up. Decor can easily be incorprated to hide any mechanical parts and the water portion will provide humidity for the amphibians. Think about different options, look around for different pictures of ones already set-up and get your heart set on livestock. There are lots of great "nano" fish species for cold, cool, and warm water tanks, so I would really select your amphibian life and arrange the tank around them. In many cases its hard to mix various amphibians in one enclosure, especially if your going to use only a 30. One thing to consider is how they change throughout their lives. Axolotls, for example, can be cannibals when babies, but tend to ignore anything that wont fit in their mouths once they have grown.The fun is designing and setting up the decor, so dont let us steal the fun from you!

If your really thinking about dart frogs, look up black jungle terrarium supply. They specialize in dart frogs and terrarium design. Very helpful, knowledgable and a good line of products. Ive been to their facility multiple times, they breed their frogs and all of the adults are set-up in customized terrariums

 

[snakefin]

A good combination if you would like a species with fairly interesting colouration and behaviour IMO, is the mossy frog. They are arboreal and semi aquatic.

Newts are temperate to sub-tropical. Do not tropical fish them. Native cold water stuff could do fine though, but don't forget size differences.

 

[luvinbluegills]

Thanks y'all, this is very helpful stuff! I don't have my heart set on any particular species at this point...the idea of the land/water ecosystem is what most appeals to me at the moment. Though I must confess a soft spot not only for Dart Frogs, but Tree frogs as well. Yep, I know not to keep them together!

In fact, I'm a plant person too, so the challenge of keeping all those living things thriving in balance is the real attraction for me. I like the waterfall idea very much, and I imagine I'd want to start with at least a 30 long tank? (Unless I'm successful enough to be inspired to a DIY)

 

[luvinbluegills]

Thanks y'all, this is very helpful stuff! I don't have my heart set on any particular species at this point...the idea of the land/water ecosystem is what most appeals to me at the moment. Though I must confess a soft spot not only for Dart Frogs, but Tree frogs as well. Yep, I know not to keep them together!

In fact, I'm a plant person too, so the challenge of keeping all those living things thriving in balance is the real attraction for me. I like the waterfall idea very much, and I imagine I'd want to start with at least a 30 long tank? (Unless I'm successful enough to be inspired to a DIY)

 

[Oddballfanatic]

I would sketch out how you want the setup to be. You can get a good idea as to how much work you need to do and what some of your species options would be.

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

Go 40b. Give ya plenty of options.

 

[luvinbluegills]

I've got a couple of empty 40 breeders too! I think I'm at least getting closer to using the proper term to describe what I want; Paludarium!

 

[fishfreak2009]

Mossy frogs will eat any smaller fish they can get ahold of (which they are surprisingly adept at). Darts don't do well with a lot of deeper water (although I do keep a small pond in my bigger dart enclosure). I used to have a 40 gallon paludarium with a green tree frog in the canopy and some neon tetras in the water. It looked really good and the neons loved the acidity and tannins from all the wood and the peat moss substrate.