# Fire bellied toads Tank help.



## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

Alright guys its me again, 

Over the weekend i became the owner of 2 new firebelly toads. I have my tank set up 60/40 and they seem happy in there, The issue i have is with the water, Its only been like 24-36 hours and the water they r is absolutly rammy, Is this normal?.. or is ther something not right?.. also there seems to be like a brownish yellow substance around the edges of my tank? could some please tell me what this is?. thanks guys!..


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

BTW there names are Jager + Miester  :whistling2:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

A new tank takes a while to settle down, just like a fish tank- although to be honest, I don't go through the whole cycling malarky with 'phib tanks, usually.

Did you thoroughly rinse all the elements introduced to the tank? Are you using bog wood or ecoearth- either can colour the water. Any details may help.


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

Hey Ron,

Erm yeah i rinsed the gravel out pretty well before i put it in the tank!. 
yeah i am using some bog wood half is in the water and half is on land, Is this what could be making the water murky/dirty?. Ron how often do u change the water in your FBT enclosure ,


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## kirsty-kay (Nov 19, 2011)

Yip gravel is a pain when it's new but it ll settle down, bog wood to discolours the water, it ll settle, if you don't have a filter you ll need weekly half cleans and prob every 2-3 full cleans depending on how mucky your toadys are


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

kirsty-kay said:


> Yip gravel is a pain when it's new but it ll settle down, bog wood to discolours the water, it ll settle, *if you don't have a filter you ll need weekly half cleans and prob every 2-3 full cleans depending on how mucky your toadys are*


I don't really agree, Kirsty. I do 25% water changes every fortnight or so, flushing water through the (gravel) land area to flush out the gunk. I don't ever strip the tank down completely- the plants help to remove the wastes.


EDIIT: @Keano; yes, bogwood will give the water a 'tanny' shade- I actually quite like it, and it doesn't bother the toads.


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

yeah its a little bit tanny but its settled down a lot plus i have done a full water change as i have redone the full tank and added some things to it . i have made a different thread if ya wanna have a little look . so ron you fell that i could get away with changing the water every week and not even stripping the tank down? .. thanks for the replys BTW guys really helps !


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Yes- but I wouldn't change all the water, just partial water changes.


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

Aww right so just change a little bit of it then? Just use one of them fish tank sucker thinks? I have been fully stripping down the tank that's all?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Yes. Even without a filter, beneficial bacteria gather on the rocks and gravel and help process the wastes. If you remove the water and scrub everything, you remove them too- plus even if the water is dechlorinated, it disturbs the toads to have all new every time.


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Chuck some Marimo balls and maybe some malaysian trumpet snails in the water area. We did, and the snails clean up any bug corpses that end up in the water, whilst the Marimo helps to keep the water quality good. Oh and our toads like to sit on them. lol

Ade


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Wouldn't know about the marimo balls, but I can definitely second on the burrowing snails. I have them both in my FBT tank and my clawed frog one; they are very useful cleaners. Not many places have them for sale, but they are a common 'pest' species in aquatics shops- you can often get them for free.


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

cheers ron. 

Erm i have been looking for some nice plants ron but cant seem to find any that r pleasing to the eye. can ya help me out please?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Here's what I use: Acorus rush, Anubias and Java moss, with a bit of ordinary weed in the deeper part of the water area. Acorus and Anubias are both bog plants, growing happily into the air with their roots reaching down into the water through the gravel, and Java moss will grow anywhere wet with enough light.

Acorus, Carex, Liriope and Ophiopogon: grass-like groundcovers Perennial Plant Nursery
Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Anubias nana Plants
Java Moss - Vesicularia dubyana


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

Aww well ade i plan to do that then .. And the frog dont mind the little snails then?.. when it comes to putting the plants in ron i am definatly going to do the java moss as the moss i have got is just a terrible brown colout in there at the minuite not nice at all.. it the was stuff that ya soak in water, exo terra stuff.. with the plants Ron can i use any type of aquarium plant.. wil it grow if they aint totally sum merged in water?.. thanks guys by the way i would be lost without this place : victory::2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Keano said:


> Aww well ade i plan to do that then .. And the frog dont mind the little snails then?.. when it comes to putting the plants in ron i am definatly going to do the java moss as the moss i have got is just a terrible brown colout in there at the minuite not nice at all.. it the was stuff that ya soak in water, exo terra stuff.. with the plants Ron can i use any type of aquarium plant.. wil it grow if they aint totally sum merged in water?.. thanks guys by the way i would be lost without this place : victory::2thumb:


It depends on the plants- but a lot of plants sold for aquaria are actually bog plants- including Amazon swords. They survive under water when flooded, but grow well up into the air, if their roots are kept wet. Those that *will* grow into the air tend to develop thicker and tougher leaves.


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## Keano (Jul 16, 2012)

rightio then mate. so then java moss and maybe one of the amazon swords or 2 in a 2 ft tank and one of the other ones u mentioned?. woud the grass like plant cover over the moss?. Ron how do u tacle the steam on the inside of the glass of tank m8? 

Also so mate sorry is there any think out there that will flower or has a bight colour threw them?


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

If it's a big tank, try an echindorus, they have lovely flowers on them when they flower, and often attractive leaves too.










Ade


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Deffo- actually, Ade is the one to ask about aquarium plants- he keeps a lot of aquaria.

The condensation thing is down to ventilation, ideally- the tank I use is an adapted rodent one with a vent on the side and a mesh top. One thing I do in some other tanks is to use one of the magnetic algae cleaners; they are pants at actually getting rid of algae, but it is easy to sweep condensation away with them.


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## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

I've currently have an issue with algae. Nasty dark green stuff over everything both inside and outside the water area (suspect it's over my frogs too). I've assumed this is down to lack of ventilation as I only have a standard aquarium lid and had to cover the holes with masking tape to stop escapes (3 times in 3 days!). At its worse the algae covered some new white decor in the water within a day. 

Assuming the ventilation sorts the dry area what can I do about the aquatic section to stop the algae? Do I have an issue with my filter and if so how do fbts cope with moving water?


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## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

Forgot the sentence, I've updated the masking tape with wire mesh..............

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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

lungz said:


> I've currently have an issue with algae. Nasty dark green stuff over everything both inside and outside the water area (suspect it's over my frogs too). I've assumed this is down to lack of ventilation as I only have a standard aquarium lid and had to cover the holes with masking tape to stop escapes (3 times in 3 days!). At its worse the algae covered some new white decor in the water within a day.
> 
> Assuming the ventilation sorts the dry area what can I do about the aquatic section to stop the algae? Do I have an issue with my filter and if so how do fbts cope with moving water?


You *will* get algae- it's pretty inevitable; given the combination of water and light. The more other plants that are taking up the nutrients, though, the less are available for the algae to use. A filter in itself won't stop algae- unless you have a huge UV unit as designed for koi ponds. Think about changing your lid- a mesh top will allow much more air circulation, if you can do it. That, and more plants, is probably your way forward. You probably don't have to worry about it 'attacking' your frogs, though.


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Heh, Ron, Marimo balls. lol

Fight fire with fire. 

Ade


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Wolfenrook said:


> Heh, Ron, Marimo balls. lol
> 
> Fight fire with fire.
> 
> Ade


 I get the point- in that as algae, they take the nutrients other algae do- but I've always thought of them as a bit of a fancy, rather than for serious use. Explain more?


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## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

Thank you. That makes me feel a bit better. 
I'll order some plants from my lps and chuck them in. (I went to by some today but the shop is surprisingly poor, I might have a quiet word when the boss is in, they don't even do sphagnum moss among many other standard peripherals). 

The mesh lid is out of the question for a few years until my cat passes away unfortunately. He's already destroyed my millipede and whites frog lids over the past few years. No amount of spraying deters him and it can be quite nerve wracking watching him fall through a lid.


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## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

What are marimo balls? This is a new term for me! 

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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

One of my cats used to sleep on top of a lizard viv :devil:

All plants help- I use Anubias, Acorus rush ,ordinary 'water weed' and Java moss- they all hoik nutrients out of the water, so depriving the algae.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

lungz said:


> What are marimo balls? This is a new term for me!
> 
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


Moss ball community thingies. They (apparently) show some 'animal' characturistics by moving about as a colony. Never tried them, though.


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## s6t6nic6l (May 15, 2010)

Keano said:


> rightio then mate. so then java moss and maybe one of the amazon swords or 2 in a 2 ft tank and one of the other ones u mentioned?. woud the grass like plant cover over the moss?. Ron how do u tacle the steam on the inside of the glass of tank m8?
> 
> Also so mate sorry is there any think out there that will flower or has a bight colour threw them?


he keeps the pool water less than 37.78c probably :lol2:


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

They're balls of cladophora algae. A type of algae that is very very hardy and easy to grow, but is more attractive than nuisance algae types. I have a couple in with my FBTs.

As you say Ron, they outcompete the nuisance algae for nutrients, basically filtering your water to a degree.

Even if it spreads to your wood and ornaments it looks nice, like a green verdant fluff.

They wont help above the water though. For that you should look to your lighting and air movement (eg. circulation fans, and possibly reducing the lighting period).

Marimo balls make Java moss look hard to grow. 

Ade


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## lungz (Dec 30, 2009)

A bit late but thanks people. The already improved airflow made a difference. 

I've spent this week upgrading their quarters which I might post pics of on a new thread for feedback. 

Marimo balls seems to be one to consider for the future for me. I've had a google and don't like the idea of how they look but if I cant sort the algae long term certainly worth a look. 

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