Help with Green Tree Frog Enclosure

[jaclyndaniel]

Good afternoon all

Can anyone help me with heating a 60 x 60 x 90cm tank.

It has venelation at the top and is glass, it sits in a 76cm cabinet.

I want water in the bottom on one side becuase I want my frogs to have the opportunity to breed.

What is the best was to heat it? Any ideas?

I have seen one similar to mine, it had a UV globe up the top in a cage, and water down the bottom that had a heat cord amongst pebbles.

I liked the look but im not sure about the heat cord or the enough heat being put out.

I know its common to habe a thermostat but do I really need one for the heat cord if its good?

Any help would be great!

Cheers

Jaclyn

 

[IgotFrogs]

hello,
with green tree frogs they dont need alot of heating just as long as they are above 9degrees they stay pretty happy and unless you live where it gets super cold of a winter i would just go with a fishtank heater in the water set to around 26 degrees if they get cold then they will warm in the water .....

 

[Jimbobulan]

+1 Yeah i agree water heaters are easy, they self regulate so theres no need for a thermostat and they create heat and humidity.

 

[Dannyboi]

Don't use a fish tank heater you will get problems 1. The water will evaporate and go into the light fittings 2. the water needs to be topped up daily because its open and 3. the heater might break like mine and electrocute your frogs thankfully none of mine died

 

[Dannyboi]

Just go with a low wattage heat globe or a heat mat from herptrader thats what I recommend

 

[giggle]

Hey Dannyboi... this could happen with a heat globe as well... there is the potential for anything to go wrong.

If you buy a high quality fully submersible water heater, this is by far the best option for frogs. The evaporating water will create your humidity and doesnt require topping up that often... its something you should do anyway, along with a good filter for the water. Lights and heat globes will dry out what ever is underneath them. Its not that hard to have your UV lights positioned so they aren't directly affected by the water evaporation. Water does not evaporate that quickly from 26degC water, if yours was evaporating quickly then perhaps you had your heater temp set far too high which would explain why it died as well!

We have a tropical tank and we find the heater is rarely used... they have their own thermostat and ours is set to 26degC... most of the time the water temp is at 26degC without the heater being on. People use submersible heaters in aquariums all over the world so when used and maintained properly they are clearly a safe option for frogs. I personally would stay well away from heating lamps that may cause burns or drying to the frogs skin. If you still feel you need additional heat, heat cords can be used to heat your substrate depending on your set up. Maybe post some pics

 

[giggle]

A 50W fully submersible aquarium heater should do the space required nicely. They range in price from $25-$40 at my local pet stores. The water wont feel warm to your hand, so dont be tempted to turn the heater up more. You should also consider a filtration system I made my own out of a small water pump and some filter sponge and some bio balls. I enclosed it in a waterfall design This way you wont have to physically clean the water yourself as a tank that big would have a reasonable amount of water to have to clean constantly.

 

[Dannyboi]

It was high quality and the UV lights need to be close enough to the frogs in order for them to gain the effect. As i said a heat mat would be best but a low wattage heat globe would do. Even so Green Tree Frogs don't need the heat.

 

[Dannyboi]

And the heat mat is on recommendation from many frog keepers I know

 

[jaclyndaniel]

Cheers and Thanks so much for all the help.
The idea of the filter inside the water fall is really cool, i think i might have a go at installing one of them. what did you make the waterfall design out of?
Im going to try the UV globe and a heat mat first I reckon.

Whats the best way to install the heat mat?
On the inside/outside of the tank? the side/bottom?

Also- whats the difference between UVB/UVA?

 

[ozziepythons]

I install the heat mats on the outside, underneath the cage. If you do, it is recommended that you have small legs raising the cage slightly and sliding the heat mat in the gap created. Obviously don't plonk a heavy tank onto a heat mat, crushing it.

UVA stimulates metabolism, whereas UVB assists in calcium absorption and uptake. These days you can purchase high quality, reptile and frog specific calcium which when coated onto live food like crickets, does the same job without extra UV lighting. If you go with this option check that vitamin D3 and calcium gluconate are in the ingredients, as other forms of calcium available (D2) will need UVB light to metabolise the calcium. The added bonus of using lights is that they stimulate green tree frogs to stay bright green, whereas lightless, dark cages often results in brown or olive green coloured frogs.

 

[Dannyboi]

But you must be careful about over doing it Dr. Mark Hill recently told me that the globes will cause cancer so its best not to expose them to it constantly

 

[jaclyndaniel]

Cheers for all the help, helped me out heaps.
Ill put up another post if something else comes up

 

[rockstar_jones]

The lowest watt submersible aquarium heater is your best bet.

Can also get plastic protectors for these to stop them from breaking.

Have been using them for my vast collection of frogs for a good 6-7 years now and never had one broken under normal conditions (cracked one after accidentally turning it as soon as it went in the water. Should let them adjust for 10 minutes before powering up. Even still didn't electricute me or anyone else.

Shouldn't have any issues with humidity and the lights.

I wouldn't reccomend heat lamps, even low wattage ones, especially for your size of enclosure. It will dry it out way to much. Frogs are amphibians and a bit of moisture in the air is good for them.

However, I live in SA and do not heat any of my frogs once they are 6-8 months of age and all are healthy and fine.

Regards, michael