# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  New here....put together a cool tree frog set up.

## throttlejunkie1

Hello all!  New to here but not to forums.  Came across this site and thought it had alot of great info, so I registered.  Heres what my daughter and I ended up with:

Picked up a ratty looking aquarium the other day.  It was free.  Spent alot of time cleaning the glass.  Sanded down the cabinet and painted it.  Also painted the upper and lower trim of the glass.





Didn't get any "during the process" pictures but here it is after the tank/stand got a little TLC



When we lived up in Maryland, I cut off this big piece of drift wood with a chain saw and kept it.  Finally found a use for it!  Took all week to clean and dry.  I used 1:9 ratio bleach/water.  Did the fresh water soak 3 times, then let it dry in the hot Florida sun:....btw, this big 50lbs piece fit inside the tank perfect



After it was ready, we made a trip to Hobby Lobby and got some fake stuff to add into the mix.  Give the little guys a bunch of places to hide.  Everything was soaked in fresh water and dried first.  I used the exhisting top glass trim and some screen to make a secure cover.  I really don't know exactly what size tank this is (50-60 gal??) and I couldn't find a top for it at any pet store.







Our latest addition...a baby Whites tree frog



So, all in all, we have 3 green tree frogs, 1 whites tree frog, and 2 green anoles.  I apologize for the not so quality pics, they were from my cell.  Any comments, critics, suggestions are all welcome.

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## BG

Perfect ,I would use jungle burk and get a bigger shallow water bowl

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## Brit

Hey, wonderful tank! I love the fact that you went out and cut that piece of wood off wth a chainsaw, great stuff. XD

I do have one small question though. Are you keeping all of your animals together in the same tank?

I ask because it's generally not recommended to mix species, even ones that live in similar climates as it can lead to sickness and even death. Just wondering...

But truly wonderful tank.  :Smile:

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## BG

I second that  also when the frog gets big they will eat the anole

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## John Clare

Oh, they're not all in the same terrarium are they?  :Frown:   You're playing with fire if you're putting a white's in with the rest.  Aside from the fact that it's from the other side of the world, and will be vulnerable to any diseases the American frogs have (and vice versa), the White's will be quite capable of eating the other terrarium occupants when it gets big enough.

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## Brian

Nice find and very nice job cleaning it up!

I agree with the above about mixing being a bad idea.




> After it was ready, we made a trip to Hobby Lobby and got some fake stuff to add into the mix.


I vote for real plants, even if it's just the simple to keep Pothos. They look nicer (imo), help with humidity, and are closer to the critters natural environment.




> I really don't know exactly what size tank this is (50-60 gal??) and I couldn't find a top for it at any pet store.


To save you from having to recall that high school geometry:

Hexagon Aquarium Calculation Tools

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## throttlejunkie1

> Perfect ,I would use jungle burk and get a bigger shallow water bowl


Thanks, 'll look into the jungle burk.  I do have a bigger bowl I could put in there.  I'll prolly put it in today.




> Hey, wonderful tank! I love the fact that you went out and cut that piece of wood off wth a chainsaw, great stuff. XD
> 
> I do have one small question though. Are you keeping all of your animals together in the same tank?
> 
> I ask because it's generally not recommended to mix species, even ones that live in similar climates as it can lead to sickness and even death. Just wondering...
> 
> But truly wonderful tank.


Thanks for the comments!  When you say species, are you referring to both  typs of frogs....or the anoles being in there too???  I was told it was ok but I'm ready to take action if need be.




> Oh, they're not all in the same terrarium are they?  You're playing with fire if you're putting a white's in with the rest. Aside from the fact that it's from the other side of the world, and will be vulnerable to any diseases the American frogs have (and vice versa), the White's will be quite capable of eating the other terrarium occupants when it gets big enough.


Thanks for the info...in work on making this right.




> Nice find and very nice job cleaning it up!
> 
> I agree with the above about mixing being a bad idea.
> 
> 
> 
> I vote for real plants, even if it's just the simple to keep Pothos. They look nicer (imo), help with humidity, and are closer to the critters natural environment.
> 
> 
> ...


LOL thanks for the calculator!  Show's that its 66 gallons (seems a little much).  I found some real plants at the pet store that I want to start buying to help with the humidity.

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## Rae

She meant the Frogs too. Frogs release toxins and have different needs than others and shouldnt be mixed. They also will eat each or try to depending on size. By mixing you increase stress and endanger the health of each frog!

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## throttlejunkie1

Ok I added a bigger water bowl in addition to the other one.  One in the front and one in the back.  I was @ Home Depot picking up some patio furniture and I browsed throught garden center.  Anybody have anything to recommend because I want to add some live plants.  Also, I'm going to assume that commercial grown plants have chemicals to keep the bugs away...if so, whats to be done about that?

Also, the anoles have been put back where I got them, but the green tree frogs are really hard to find in there.  I see one but I can't reach it so it'll have to stay for now.

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## Brit

> Ok I added a bigger water bowl in addition to the other one.  One in the front and one in the back.  I was @ Home Depot picking up some patio furniture and I browsed throught garden center.  Anybody have anything to recommend because I want to add some live plants.  Also, I'm going to assume that commercial grown plants have chemicals to keep the bugs away...if so, whats to be done about that?
> 
> Also, the anoles have been put back where I got them, but the green tree frogs are really hard to find in there.  I see one but I can't reach it so it'll have to stay for now.


Well as soon as you find the other frog I recommend you take them out. The White's will probably eat them when it gets big enough. Also the anoles will probably stress the frogs out. Glad you're separating them.  :Smile:

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## Brian

> I was @ Home Depot picking up some patio furniture and I browsed throught garden center.  Anybody have anything to recommend because I want to add some live plants.  Also, I'm going to assume that commercial grown plants have chemicals to keep the bugs away...if so, whats to be done about that?


Remove the plant from the pot and wash it clean of potting soil under the tap and rinse off the foliage. Plant in your viv or repot in a safe substrate and put it in your viv if you prefer.

As for plants, Pothos (aka Devil's Ivy), is a standard choice and it comes in a couple of different foliage colours ranging from green, marbled, to golden (rarer). It's easy to grow, propagates readily from cuttings in water, and can withstand some abuse. Can be positioned high in the tank to trail or will climb up stuff if it's rooted in a lower position. I've found the leaves tend to get larger when allowed to climb instead of trail.

Sansevieria, aka snake plants, are good tough choices as well. Robust enough to handle a White's and comes in various shapes and colours. Most varieties will eventually get too tall for your tank, but they do grow rather slow and by this point will usually have shot up many smaller leaves so you can just take it out, divide it, and put back in the shorter bits.

My American Green enjoys his Maranta, aka prayer plant, from Home Depot, but the thinner delicate leaves might get trashed by a full grown Whites.

Various Peperomia's, Draecena's, Philodendron's, Orchid's, and Bromeliad's are usually available at Home Depot as well.

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## throttlejunkie1

Well, the Whites tree frog is taking to its new home quite well.  At first it just sat in the same spot for about a day.  Now it's wondering around, climbing on the glass and soaking in the 2nd bowl of water I put in there this morning...





I'll work on my photo skills.  I need to just charge the battery for my wifes camera and use it lol.

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## Treefrognewbie

Okay, so ; a friend on facebook, is a friend with a world famous herptologist. And my friend told me, that the herptologist said, you can mix species, as long as they aren't from different continents. I don't know if this is true, but he is a herptologist. And a famous one at that! 

This was not intended to start any forum drama  :Smile:  ; just spreading some info i heard

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## Don

Your frogs are from different parts of the world.  All frogs have toxins at the skin level and every frog has somewhat different toxins.  As they soak in water dishes, and toxins from their skins bleed off into the water, they slowly poison each other and although no immediate signs will show, they will eventually become ill.

Your Whites will also eat the smaller frogs once the size difference is right.

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## Brian

> Okay, so ; a friend on facebook, is a friend with a world famous herptologist. And my friend told me, that the herptologist said, you can mix species, as long as they aren't from different continents. I don't know if this is true, but he is a herptologist. And a famous one at that! 
> 
> This was not intended to start any forum drama <img src="http://www.frogforum.net/images/smilies/smile.png" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" smilieid="1" class="inlineimg"> ; just spreading some info i heard


As a general statement, that's a load of rubbish. Maybe it was purple-monkey-dish-washered from "Never mix frogs form different continents" into what you've said here (the one does _not_ imply the other). That would be common advice on the grounds of no natural resistance to foreign diseases (think smallpox and Native Americans).

Common example cited in books on species in my area (Ontario) is the Pickerel Frog. It will do in other species that could have been collected from the same pond if you put them in a confined space together (like a terrarium, or a bucket) by its toxins. Forget same continent, this is the same pond. (edit- and a prime example of why you should NEVER EVER mix species if you don't know what you are doing)

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## Treefrognewbie

I'm glad you guys know your stuff. he obviously doesnt.

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## Don

I don't think a point of doesn't, but more miss informed or informed on a level not taking into consideration amount of area provided the animals.  IE: land mass over confined space.   Sharing small amounts of water over a large mass of water able to dilute and filter toxins.

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## Treefrognewbie

i'm going to make my own thread for this, so i don't ask any questions on this one.

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## Don

Hey Matt.
    One thought here would be to split that viv right down the middle with a piece of plexi.... split the beautiful piece of wood to use one piece on each side.  Two separate homes in one beautiful enclosure.

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## Amy

> Hey Matt.
>     One thought here would be to split that viv right down the middle with a piece of plexi.... split the beautiful piece of wood to use one piece on each side.  Two separate homes in one beautiful enclosure.


That is a fantastic idea!!

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## throttlejunkie1

> Hey Matt.
> One thought here would be to split that viv right down the middle with a piece of plexi.... split the beautiful piece of wood to use one piece on each side. Two separate homes in one beautiful enclosure.


Sounds like a great plan to me....but I'm just going to let the greens go (back in the yard where we found them).  I now have the current population broken down better.  2 greens and the whites.  I'm just going to have to keep my eye out tonight when they get active to finish seperating them.

I'm just going to let the greens go back into the back yard and continue the bug assault lol.  Another question:  Once I get the whites all by itself, how many more whites can I put in this 60 gallon terrarium?

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## Don

Oh you can fit a few for sure. 

These frogs will eventually get to 4 - 5 inches and have some weight behind them so keep an eye on any delicate plants.  Pothos, snake plants, and Bromeliads work great for Whites.
   I would say 4 since the climbing area is centralized.  They say one per every ten gallons but 4 should keep you busy.

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## throttlejunkie1

> Oh you can fit a few for sure. 
> 
> These frogs will eventually get to 4 - 5 inches and have some weight behind them so keep an eye on any delicate plants.  Pothos, snake plants, and Bromeliads work great for Whites.
>    I would say 4 since the climbing area is centralized.  They say one per every ten gallons but 4 should keep you busy.


Ok good good!  I found a local on CL thats "rehoming" one.  I bought the last one at the pet store and I called around the other pet stores and everyone is out.  Btw, how would I eventually be able to tell if I have a male or female?

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## Don

If they are vocal then you have a male.  It is very hard to determine male from female with Whites.

Here is an article worth reading about them.......Frog Forum - White's Tree Frog Care - Litoria caerulea

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## throttlejunkie1

Ok its official...everybody other than the Whites has been removed.  I changed out the water as well.  Looks like i'm picking up another whites later this week too!

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## Frog Mom

What a great setup. It looks wonderful! Everyone has given you great advice. Can't wait to see all your new frogs in there!

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## throttlejunkie1

Thanks ^^^Frogmom^^^  I'll be sure to post up more (better) pics later this week.  The seller has 1 whites, 2 african tree frogs, a 20 gallon tank, a light, and someother stuff for a real low price so I'm going to buy it all.  I just don't want to overwhelm myself with the African tree frogs....what shoud I do with them???

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## robertsonx2

wow looks great! im new as well(starting a dart tank) and i have a tank very similar to yours. mine is a 65 gallon hex which is also getting a makeover. great job and welcome to the forum

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## Don

> Thanks ^^^Frogmom^^^  I'll be sure to post up more (better) pics later this week.  The seller has 1 whites, 2 african tree frogs, a 20 gallon tank, a light, and someother stuff for a real low price so I'm going to buy it all.  I just don't want to overwhelm myself with the African tree frogs....what shoud I do with them???


Oh the addiction comes quickly and without warning.    :Big Grin: 
     Well, you do have options for the newly acquired frogs.....
          A.  Keep them and build them a wonderful home as you have done for the Whites
          B.  Keep them and build them a wonderful home as you have done for the Whites
          C.  Find someone caring and guilt them into the building them a wonderful home as you have done for the Whites
          D.  Not release them in the back yard and build them a wonderful home as you have done for the Whites
          E.  Tell a neighbor they are from some famous movie star and are going to be worth a lot of money some day and see if they try to steal them.

Thats all I got!

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## JimO

Since green anoles and green treefrogs co-exist in nature, the risks of keeping them together are less IMO, than mixing frog species from different ecosystems, but the dynamic changes in the confines of a viv. When I was a kid (back in the day when aquariums had stainless steel frames - HA) I used to toss treefrogs in with anoles and even a toad or two. One or more usually went missing after a time. Now that I know better, I have my youngest son keep his critters in separate vivs.

Regarding mixing species of frogs, that is a big can of worms, but there are a lot of good, scientifically sound reasons not to keep them together.

If you are still having trouble finding the green treefrogs, check the viv with a flashlight a couple of hours after dark.

Good luck and welcome to FrogForum.

Edit - Oh and the viv looks fantastic!  That is one of the coolest pieces of driftwood I've ever seen.




> Okay, so ; a friend on facebook, is a friend with a world famous herptologist. And my friend told me, that the herptologist said, you can mix species, as long as they aren't from different continents. I don't know if this is true, but he is a herptologist. And a famous one at that! 
> 
> This was not intended to start any forum drama  ; just spreading some info i heard

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## throttlejunkie1

> Edit - Oh and the viv looks fantastic! That is one of the coolest pieces of driftwood I've ever seen.


Thanks!  I wish I would have took pics of the other GIANT piece we found at our local beach up in MD over a year ago.  I started to retrieve it.  30 min of digging it out of the sand with a shovel, and scheduled boat drag 2 miles off the base, and found out that someone had already claimed it..(and dugg it up prior to me)   :Frown:

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## throttlejunkie1

> wow looks great! im new as well(starting a dart tank) and i have a tank very similar to yours. mine is a 65 gallon hex which is also getting a makeover. great job and welcome to the forum


Thanks for the compliment!  I'll keep my eye out for pics of your makeover

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## throttlejunkie1

DON, I like your sense of humor but you got a point!  I'm going to ask around @ work and see if I have any takers.....I'll even add the "But your kid will love'em" line lol!

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## JimO

I second Don's suggestion (or would I third, fourth or fifth it?)

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## throttlejunkie1

Hey JimO, just noticed your location.  I'm just above you in Middleburg...We were down that way last weekend at the World Golf Village to grab a bite to eat at the Caddy Shack

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## throttlejunkie1

My humidity has been low everyday when I get home from work.  The tank is actually outside in our sunroom.  We have blinds all the way around and the temp reaches 85-90 degrees in the room.  Common sense is telling me a few things here.  The top of my tank is all screen (I need to cover most of that to keep the humidity up??)  And I need some ideas for the temp....ie ice bags and such

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## Amy

You can cover it with glad press and seal, that has worked for me, it's not pretty, but as a temporary fix, it's fine.  

As for the temps, I don't know, I have the a/c on when it gets 85-90 LOL

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