Fire Belly Toad Tank

[charles-n-charge]

Just thought I'd share some photos of the FBT set up I'm building.
It's a standard 20 gallon tank that I have divided into three sections.

Section 1: A 6" deep, 2 gallon pool with live floating plants and some pieces of driftwood for the toads to lounge on and get in and out of the water with. Plus, it just looks nice.
Section 2: "The Lawn" as I like to call it. It's roughly a half square foot of live moss, making a beautiful lawn. I'm watering almost daily to promote growth and get it growing a little stronger. It's completely flush with the water and placed only 1/8 inch above the water level, giving it a nice seamless look and making it extremely easy on the toads.
Section 3: Another triangular shaped platform, about half a square foot, placed approximately 5 inches above "The Lawn". I'm not entirely sure that the toads will be able to jump up there, but it's fine. This area is where I'm growing some more live plants that will someday droop and dangle over the barrier and down to the lawn area, creating hiding places for the toads and more structure, definition, and dimension to the tank.

It's a pretty simple lay out. So far I've only spent like $5 on it and just put it together with stuff I already had or could find.
Right now I'm holding off on the toads for a little bit to get the plants growing a little, considering it is a completely living terrarium.

Here's some pics, be sure to let me know what you think




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[Fat Homer]

Thats pretty sweet setup you... but i take it that you are not going to run any sort of filtration for the water since there looks to be only a little bit there? So i'm guessing you'll be doing quite a few water changes each week for the toads?

 

[fishfanatic80]

Yeah im assuming the water will also stagnate in areas. I would run a small internal filter.

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[charles-n-charge]

I did some research on the toads and it said that they live near stagnate pools and ponds in Asia. I figure the plants may provide a small amount of oxygen, but other than that I'm trying to replicate their natural environment as much as I can.
And yes, I plan on doing a few water changes a week to keep the water clear, as it turns brown pretty quickly with all the driftwood (and two gallons isn't much water at all anyways).
I just pull a couple gallons out of my holding tank from my R/O system for my large marine system, and I'm set.


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[Fat Homer]

Sounds interesting, cant wait to see some toads in there...


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[paul112]

Great little setup, should look great with the toads in it.

Might be worth putting a small airstone in the water area to keep it oxygenated and circulated, and prevent it getting nasty from anaerobic bacteria.

Best,
Paul

 

[Chub_by]

Looking great Charles!

 

[charles-n-charge]

Couple updates.
I added a small pump and another acrylic wall to create a small waterfall. It's a 150GPH pump, but it doesn't seem to do near that much. It's providing the perfect amount of circulation in the tank.
And, I build an acrylic ramp to make it easier for the toads to get in and out of the water, as well as repositioning one of the pieces of driftwood to create more dimension to the tank and to allow the frogs to climb and get to the top level of the tank.



Also, quick question about the lighting.
I'm using a cheap plant light from Walmart on the tank, and am noticing that the moss isn't doing too well. Does anyone have any suggestions for lighting? Or know of any other reason why the moss isn't doing well? I'd appreciate the help.




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[charles-n-charge]

Bought the toads today.


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