# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  Mixed Terrarium

## Peeps

Hey guys, I know this is a frog forum and not much of you know much about lizards, but what would be an easy way to make a half and half vivarium without using a spacer to block the water from the substrate. I have a green anole and green tree frog, and they do fine togethor. I wan to make it so my anole still has lots of room to climb around in, but also so my frog is happy. Btw, I'm new here. I live in America, my frogs name is Peeps, and my lizards name is Zilla. Great to be here! Please help!

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## CrazyAirborne

which of your two pets do you assume needs that much water? tree frogs need trees more than some large body of water imo.

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## Peeps

I want to keep the humidity up for both my frog and my lizard. Yes Green Tree Frogs like trees, but they do still sit in the water to soak it up. I wanted to give my terrarium a more natural look in stead of a little water bowl sitting in a corner.

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## CrazyAirborne

well I guess i read it like you want 50% of your enclosure to be water, which sounds like a lot to me.

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## Deku

I know you said they do fine together. But I thought Id give you some of my opinion. You shouldnt imo put a frog and a lizard together. Anoles are known for some aggression(males), and frogs contain mild toxins which can harm the anole. Both contain different bacteria and parasites which will harm each other(all animals have some parasites). I would keep the anole in a 20high imo, and same with the treefrog. To answer your question you don't  need a pool of water for either of them unless you want to breed the frog. Just mist them daily. Anoles should have some plants in the tank which are leafy so the anoles could lap the water from the plants. Thats the only way they drink. You mist the plants twice a day. They drink "Dew" water. I used to live in their natural range. I found that out when I was going to my backyard(I was 9) and saw them drink from leaves. Both species are arboreal. Male anoles are territorial. To figure out if your anole is a male or not it will have a neck flap. Sometimes if you pick them up.... Before biting you they will flare that flap at you as a warning(let me go). Normally they use that flap to attract females and tell males(this is my turf!). Btw both have different care requirements and need different heat levels.  IMO an anole needs a higher heat than the tree frog(which if your room is around 72degrees thats good for the frog). The anole IMO needs to be put in a tank with 79degrees-83degrees. Because thats the temps in their natural range(its higher but thats where they go into)

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## Deku

> well I guess i read it like you want 50% of your enclosure to be water, which sounds like a lot to me.


Chances are the anole wont use it. The treefrog only needs a water bowl. For increased humidity all that needs to be done is severe misting daily or twice a day. Misting the ground also helps. Making the tank 50% water is going to be a waste of good space for the anole. Anoles NEED room to roam. They are often thought to be good that they can do well in a 10gallon with like 5 or so. No in reality is they need larger enclosures because if you look at them they have high energy as opposed to other reptiles and amphibians. They are constantly moving and only sit still for say like 2-3 hours a day? Anoles are the gerbils of the lizard world. 
Hopes this help.

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## Peeps

Thnx for the help, not to be rude, but many people have kept Anoles with frogs and have done very well. Also, my tank is gigantic for 2 animals. Its a 60 gallon aquarium. More than anough space for both. My Anole isnt showing any aggression at all. They dont seem bothered by eachother, but also, I will be keeping the advice in mind.

Anyways, my bad, I should have been more specific about what I mean. I see Green Tree Frogs all the time in ponds and stuff. I want to give my frog a natural place to live in, but also leaving my Anole with enough land to be happy. So not 50 land 50 water. More like 25% water 75% land.

BTW, I do have another tank for my green tree frog if anything goes wrong. So again, i'm watching them both closely. 

Thnx for the tips and help. But can someone please help me out with my question?  :Smile:

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## Deku

> Thnx for the help, not to be rude, but many people have kept Anoles with frogs and have done very well. Also, my tank is gigantic for 2 animals. Its a 60 gallon aquarium. More than anough space for both. My Anole isnt showing any aggression at all. They dont seem bothered by eachother, but also, I will be keeping the advice in mind.
> 
> Anyways, my bad, I should have been more specific about what I mean. I see Green Tree Frogs all the time in ponds and stuff. I want to give my frog a natural place to live in, but also leaving my Anole with enough land to be happy. So not 50 land 50 water. More like 25% water 75% land.
> 
> BTW, I do have another tank for my green tree frog if anything goes wrong. So again, i'm watching them both closely. 
> 
> Thnx for the tips and help. But can someone please help me out with my question?


Okay well in that case do what I do. Get a rubbermaid tub the size of the water space you want it to be and just put it in the tank. You can make it so the pool is at ground level. Like dont put it on top of the soil. Take out some of the soil in that part(meaning that area will be bare glass) and put the rubbermaid in there. Put soil around the rubbermaid to fill in the gaps(you can use some linen to seperate dirt from tub). Get some live moss and put it on the borders so its like a mat. Whenever the anole or treefrog goes in itd wipe the dirt out of the legs and body when they get out itll help keep the plant moist. If you dont want to use the plant you can line it with large flat rocks. :] Hopes this help! There are many other things you can do. I did this with my old terrarium. But what I did was I put the tank with water and then put the rubbermaid with soil. So I can put a filter in the water for the ranids to use. You know?  :Smile:  Works either way! Make sure y ou have enough vines/plants on the tank and drift wood for climbing. Anoles are extremely active species.

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## Kurt

I have attempted to keep green anoles, _Anolis carolinensis_ in a set-up you describe, it didn't go well at all. Somehow the anoles ended up drowning.

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## Peeps

> I have attempted to keep green anoles, _Anolis carolinensis_ in a set-up you describe, it didn't go well at all. Somehow the anoles ended up drowning.



Hmmmmm, that brings some caution to my mind. But my Anole never comes down to ground level, never once have I seen him come down from his "hangout place." I feed him food from up high. So he never comes to ground level.

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## Peeps

> Okay well in that case do what I do. Get a rubbermaid tub the size of the water space you want it to be and just put it in the tank. You can make it so the pool is at ground level. Like dont put it on top of the soil. Take out some of the soil in that part(meaning that area will be bare glass) and put the rubbermaid in there. Put soil around the rubbermaid to fill in the gaps(you can use some linen to seperate dirt from tub). Get some live moss and put it on the borders so its like a mat. Whenever the anole or treefrog goes in itd wipe the dirt out of the legs and body when they get out itll help keep the plant moist. If you dont want to use the plant you can line it with large flat rocks. :] Hopes this help! There are many other things you can do. I did this with my old terrarium. But what I did was I put the tank with water and then put the rubbermaid with soil. So I can put a filter in the water for the ranids to use. You know?  Works either way! Make sure y ou have enough vines/plants on the tank and drift wood for climbing. Anoles are extremely active species.


Thnx for the help, I will be using your idea. Now about Kurt's comment, maybe I could put some sticks and plants hanging down from up high into the water. So that way, if my Anole falls in or even gets in the water he can hopefully get out. Also, haha, the water is only meant for my frog, I don't want my Anole in it. Again, thanks for the help!

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## 1beataway

I don't know if this helps, but when I made a water area for my Whites', I put large rocks in the bottom. Even though the water level was quite a few inches, for the frogs it was shallow water because of the rocks.

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## Deku

> Thnx for the help, I will be using your idea. Now about Kurt's comment, maybe I could put some sticks and plants hanging down from up high into the water. So that way, if my Anole falls in or even gets in the water he can hopefully get out. Also, haha, the water is only meant for my frog, I don't want my Anole in it. Again, thanks for the help!


You know those "turtle docks"? That would be better off in that so should your anole accidentally goes in than he can get out. I would also put sticks like you said. But good luck. Just remember to keep a close eye on it. I guess if you feed them both they may not bother each other? Iam more worried about parasites and bacteria. Plus the fact that all frogs are mildly toxic. If i were you id put a small whisper filter in the lil tub. Itll help remove waste. Still you do waterchanges and itll be like a fishtank(just dont add fish).

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## Peeps

I'm no expert, but don't frogs only unleash their toxins when threatened? Just Wondering.

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## Deku

> I'm no expert, but don't frogs only unleash their toxins when threatened? Just Wondering.


In generall its in their skin. when they go in the water, the toxins get into the water. All frogs have poisons.

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## snakeboy7167

I would think that if the anole had plenty of escape options from the water bowl that it should be fine, however the toxicity of the frog is an area of concern.  I'm not sure how toxic your treefrog would be to your anole, and how quickly the water could be tainted with the toxins from the frogs skin.  However, if you do the rubbermaid idea, you can set it up so that you can remove it daily and replenish it with fresh dechlorinated water, thereby effectively removing any toxin buildup that may occur.  It is a gamble, though, keeping two completely different species together, even though both the green treefrog and the green anole share much of the same natural range.  I have kept anoles in the past, and have noticed definite aggression in males, however a 60 gal terrarium is a lot of space for both animals to find their own territories.  The biggest issue I can see being a problem is the possibility of the anole mistaking the frog for food when it moves, and even though the frog is probably too big for the anole to eat (let's face it, anoles are not the biggest of lizards), it still can cause some damage to the frog's delicate skin should it happen to mistakenly grab it.  Also keep in mind that frogs are very opportunistic feeders, and I have witnessed mine try to steal food from each other's mouths.  If the frog tries to steal a cricket or something else from the anole, it could wind up getting accidentally bitten.  Not to say that this will definitely happen, but something to watch out for.  Good idea having a second cage on hand for the frog if need be, and good luck!  I think interspecies tanks are cool, just not always the easiest to do.

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## Judy S

After having read these posts, I want to run my idea past you all about setting up a tank for just firebellies...Set up to have glass partitions siliconed to bottom and sides for fresh water area about 5" deep with filter sectioned off in one back corner...and pump for small waterfall area in opposite back corner..glass to be slightly lower for better water movement...and a return from one corner to the other as a small siliconed, rock stream on rubber pond liner material...the water area for guppies which firebellies can eat, and water for them to do their thing..with tinted glass against the planted area...36 G L tank..live plants, screen top.  Any suggestions, comments, etc.? I want to plan carefully to have it work the FIRST time...One of my other tanks is set up as a paladarium and has Endlers in the water portion...no filter so I just do small water changes every week...the female had babies last week..

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## Deku

> After having read these posts, I want to run my idea past you all about setting up a tank for just firebellies...Set up to have glass partitions siliconed to bottom and sides for fresh water area about 5" deep with filter sectioned off in one back corner...and pump for small waterfall area in opposite back corner..glass to be slightly lower for better water movement...and a return from one corner to the other as a small siliconed, rock stream on rubber pond liner material...the water area for guppies which firebellies can eat, and water for them to do their thing..with tinted glass against the planted area...36 G L tank..live plants, screen top.  Any suggestions, comments, etc.? I want to plan carefully to have it work the FIRST time...One of my other tanks is set up as a paladarium and has Endlers in the water portion...no filter so I just do small water changes every week...the female had babies last week..


Well first off firebellies arent going to eat the guppies as they prey on land(from what i noticed). As for mixing guppies with fbt's as long as your tank is big enough. YOu know female guppies produce alot of hormones that apparently can kill other fish if they are overloaded like (20guppies in a 10g or even a 15g with good filtration). Personally I wouldnt waste my time setting up a part for guppies as guppies are somewhat sensitive they also need higher salinity than a frog does. If you wanna set up a tank with small fish with your fbt's try neons or even minnows. Just make sure you quarantine them for atleast a couple of weeks(3) to make sure they dont contain anything(you treat them for parasites and illness so it doesnt pass on to the toads). You will need a good filter and you will need to cycle the water area before you put in fish in there. As well as you need to get aquaintanced with the laws of fishkeeping(like obvious rules). If you plan keeping the fbts in a 20g and you only have half land and its filled with water half way(so its half filled from the top of the tank and its also half of the tank because the other half is land) you would have like 3-4gallons of water which isnt enough room to keep fish in appropriately. For guppies to be happy they need room, these are fish that are extremely active and breed like roaches(I used to breed them in the past). I mean it doesnt matter how big the tank you have, you gotta take accordance to the water area. Its dimmensions like how much ACTUAL water is in the water area? Sometimes itll look like 10gs and its actually 3-5gs. So just so you know should you want to put fish in be ready to use good filters and get a nice large tank. Sure sure fire bellies dont need a HUGE tank, but if you're adding fish to the tank and you're only filling it half way and half the tank is a land area that only gives 2-4gallons of use in a 10-20gs. So like even  say a 30g isnt enough to keep the fish in happy unless you plan on keeping a few(2-3) and thats not going to make them happy since smaller fish almost always are schooling fish. Theres also the rule of 1 INCH of SCALE OF FISH Per 2 gallons. So you would be over doing it. People have done it before and have put in fish in there, but just because they are alive does it really mean they are happy in there? Take that fact into consideration. Not only that but they need hide outs. If you use ornaments and plants which are needed for fish you are taking more space in the water area. Thus reducing the gallons of water being used. Not only that but you need a heater for the fish, how are you going to make sure the fish dont end up boiled? 

You should join a fish forum for more details on fish keeping. But again, it CAN be done but only if you actually have the room. 
Just my opinion and out of information I have researched over the years

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## Judy S

Thanks for your suggestions and observations...I've had many fresh fish tanks and the only problems I ever had was with the plants...Since I enjoy gardening so much was looking for a way to have a visually attractive, practical, live element next to me and my computer...and have a group of visually attractive, practical, live animal to enjoy the same setting...and since I've had experience with the Endlers Live Bearers in my present visually attractive, practical mixed tank...thought I'd take it a step further...and create a definate demarcation for just the few fish...and have a herp that does well in a small group that is somewhat terrestrial and won't drown.  I had read that they will eat fish so was prepared to sacrifice some, to me, rather inexpensive fish...guppies are usually attractive and will breed quickly...hence, they were my choice of the day.  Please consider this a learning experience for me and hopefully it will be the setup I'm trying to achieve...thanks again for your imput...

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## Deku

> Thanks for your suggestions and observations...I've had many fresh fish tanks and the only problems I ever had was with the plants...Since I enjoy gardening so much was looking for a way to have a visually attractive, practical, live element next to me and my computer...and have a group of visually attractive, practical, live animal to enjoy the same setting...and since I've had experience with the Endlers Live Bearers in my present visually attractive, practical mixed tank...thought I'd take it a step further...and create a definate demarcation for just the few fish...and have a herp that does well in a small group that is somewhat terrestrial and won't drown.  I had read that they will eat fish so was prepared to sacrifice some, to me, rather inexpensive fish...guppies are usually attractive and will breed quickly...hence, they were my choice of the day.  Please consider this a learning experience for me and hopefully it will be the setup I'm trying to achieve...thanks again for your imput...


Atleast heavily plant the water area since they love plants and use good filtration. Make sure to give a large water area atleast 10gallons of water in the water arwa. 


Good luck.

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## bshmerlie

When I first got my first firebelly I had him in a tank with five gallons of water and three fish. By the end of the week all three fish were dead. Is anyone currently keeping a live fish with their firebellies? If so exactly what type of fish, maybe a particular kind can handle it. I know the guppies I had couldn't and they were around way before the toad.

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## Judy S

to be honest with you,,,that was one of the concerns I had...if the FBTs are in the water will their toxicity poison the water for the fish.  Currently I do have one FB in a paladarium and it has been in the water but not as an everyday thing...and the fish have been okay...I'll have to ask my "fish guy." unless there is someone on the forum who would have an  answer!!  Thanks for your input..

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## bshmerlie

My toads sit in the water most of the time. The are not swimming all the time but they do sit on rocks that are submerged a little bit in the water.  Maybe if I took away the rock option and they had to just float they wouldn't spend so much time in the water and fish would be okay. Or maybe with your paludarium your plants are helping to filter the toxins....hmm.  How long have you had the toad in there with the fish and what kind a fish are you keeping? Like I said I had five gallons of water in my tank but I didn't have any live plants and the guppies croaked quickly with just one toad introduced.  How many gallons of water do you have in your tank and are you using a large biological filter?  Maybe with more water and a lager filter that would help.

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## Judy S

An earlier post in this thread by Kevin may be helpful to you because of his experience with guppies...my set up is a complete aquarium gravel substrate, and a pump that is in a sectioned off area so it can be pulled easily and the critters cannot get sucked to it.  I only have the one FB and the fish are Endler Live Bearers.  Look them up...they are really colorful and there are websites devoted solely to them.The live plants I have have been a matter of testing which ones can stand their feet in the water...and the tank has a waterfall that plays over the mopani and java moss...there is no filter but I do small water changes every week and the waterfall adds oxygen.  It was not intended for critters but I am delighted to have had this door open by the sheer gift of a stowaway on some plants that arrived at Lowes to the plant department...have searched the internet over and over but cannot identify it.  So I got hooked...

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## Deku

> An earlier post in this thread by Kevin may be helpful to you because of his experience with guppies...my set up is a complete aquarium gravel substrate, and a pump that is in a sectioned off area so it can be pulled easily and the critters cannot get sucked to it.  I only have the one FB and the fish are Endler Live Bearers.  Look them up...they are really colorful and there are websites devoted solely to them.The live plants I have have been a matter of testing which ones can stand their feet in the water...and the tank has a waterfall that plays over the mopani and java moss...there is no filter but I do small water changes every week and the waterfall adds oxygen.  It was not intended for critters but I am delighted to have had this door open by the sheer gift of a stowaway on some plants that arrived at Lowes to the plant department...have searched the internet over and over but cannot identify it.  So I got hooked...


She said it was a 5gallon tank with 3 guppies let me just say thats not alot of water for guppies. Also guppies only live to 2 years at most. Sometimes 3years but thats rarely. Guppies need some salt in their tanks. They should be in groups no less than 6guppies(1male per 2females). Also it probably was the bioload that killed the guppies, when the toads poop in the water it produces alot of ammonia. That ammonia then goes into the bioload, if there is not enough bacteria there still will be some of that ammonia in the water and eventually kill the fish. Sometimes if you mix in something that produces high ammonia so quickly itll make the tank go into a mini cycle which the fish will not be able to handle. 

Ived had fish with fbts. I had em once in a 40breeder(2-3toads, 12minnows). The tank was mainly aquatic, so it had atleast 10-20gs of water in it. The land area was made from driftwood, and this large floating basking area made for turtles. It was atleast 6-12inches long and wide. The tank also had floating plants(I made sure they didnt cover the WHOLE tank because that would kill the fish). The minnows also live up to 2years so after a year they died, they were already fully grown. To keep em alived I fed the fish mixed foods, I left in live plants(anachris are my favs), and changed their water constantly(weekly). I didnt do a fully water change just a 10percent change. I kept a small canister(it was for turtles but it sucked so i used it for this.) I used seperate charcoal bags in the water so if any medicine, or toxins or whatever would get absorbed by  it. Thats what charcoal is for, it absorbs stuff in the water(bad or good). So I only did a bag of it once a couple of weeks. 
So you CAN keep fish with fbts as long as the fish have the gallonage they require and as long as the fbts have land. Also make sure to keep the water atleast 72. Plants will help the fish cope with any stress it may have. Just make sure to cycle the water first. This is done by putting a frozen shrimp(whole jumbo cocktail shrimp) per 20gallons(1 shrimp per 20gs) and leave it there till the water cycles, make sure you get a water testing kit. The master kits will save you alot of cash and grief. Remember just cause the water looks crystal clear doesnt mean its  appropriate. Also when the cycling starts itll turn murky for the first week only do small water changes(5% at most) per week. When the ammonia is down test for nitrates and nitrites, you want the nitrates to be down. Or was it the nitrites? In any case just look up "Cycling a tank", you will need to wait in total of 3-4weeks for a succesfful cycle. so even then you still need to wait. Also make sure you do water changes weekly after the cycle is done a 10% water change will do or even a 15% depending on how many you have. Make sure you have a vaccuum for tanks(go to a petstore) you will need to vaccuum the solid waste every week when doing water change.
Dont add the frogs when cycling the tank, the ammonia may also kill the frogs just saying. As for these frogs eating fish, no way jose. Ived never seen any of these frogs eat fish or attempt to, I had em for 2-3 years and then gave em to a friend who now has em in a 75g with 10-12more fbts, in a palidirium style with tons of tiny fish in there, no fish as ever been eaten byany of his fbts or mine. 

Endler live bearers and pretty much any rype of killifish or livebearer may be somewhat delicate in ammnoia, so go with danios. Danios are THE best fish to have with other animals, they are hardy, cheap and nice to look at. They live 5-10years.

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## Judy S

Have to give you props...very well described...and would love to have more input along the way...I had danios in the paladarium setup but they did not do well...they aren't as colorful as these Endlers either.The area which will be the "land" area will have egg carton/substrate' etc. so there will, I hope, be a good area for terrarium live plants...and of course the usual elevated areas for the frogs to cruise...I do plan to let the tank cycle and for the plants to get a start...in the meantime want to set up my ExoTerra for some darts that I hope to get this weekend at the Maryland show...and when my new guys , RETF and a Lutino RETF get a little larger, I have a home set up for them too.  Its a disease...a really serious disease...

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## Deku

> Have to give you props...very well described...and would love to have more input along the way...I had danios in the paladarium setup but they did not do well...they aren't as colorful as these Endlers either.The area which will be the "land" area will have egg carton/substrate' etc. so there will, I hope, be a good area for terrarium live plants...and of course the usual elevated areas for the frogs to cruise...I do plan to let the tank cycle and for the plants to get a start...in the meantime want to set up my ExoTerra for some darts that I hope to get this weekend at the Maryland show...and when my new guys , Red-Eyed Leaf Frog and a Lutino Red-Eyed Leaf Frog get a little larger, I have a home set up for them too.  Its a disease...a really serious disease...


Ahhh. Well I will input on fish questions. As for some fish not doing well. First off, theres alot of things to consider why a fish may not be doing well. 

In all honesty, not all fish are compatable. But here is a list of what maybe wrong:
-The fishtank may not have the correct PH desired by the fish(angels I think like a high PH).
-The tank may not have appropriate heat, some fish like it cool(65-72), while some like it warm(73-82).
-The tank water may either be too hard or too soft. Hardness and softness is read by GH and KH, which is also measured by how much minerals are in the water. Normally a "hard" water is very hard to change. Not impossible but normally a pain, liquids dont work on this. Pretty much to make water softer you may divide up the water to half RO water(no minerals so itd be soft, but you dont want the water anything below 6.0 NO MATTER WHAT at this rate itd burn the gills.), or you could use stuff like driftwood to produce blackwater. Or so Ived heard. In general, you should call the water company to see what water quality you have first before you try to put fish in. PH is easy to change and will constantly change so that you have to test for every so often(weekly) but GH and KH is pretty much a set thing. Its not going to change unless you purposely change it. Salt also makes the water hard. Mainly hard water from the water company I think it contains stuff like I THINK limestone, I know it defenitely has calcium. Maybe magnesium? I was reading something earlier on this. Also hard water contains I think something called chloramine which you still have to take it away manually since unlike chlorine it wont evaporate and this will ultimately kill your fish/frogs. My friend doesnt use tapwater conditioner for his frogs. But they never look as bright as healthy when he got em(my other friend). Thus you see his pacman frog which was once a  brightlush green is now a deep dark brown and it looks like a pickle(literary). 
-Food is also important, flakes and pellets are okay but dont contain the exact nutrients the exact species of fish may require. In any case you need a varied diet consisting of proteins and veggies. 
-Substrate some fish require stuff like sand(cichlids, catfish. and another type of fish which I forget). While others prefer types of gravel, and others large river rocks. 
-Is the water oxygenated and kept cleaned? Some fish require pristine water conditions, while others dont. Most fish need a highly oxygenated tank. Cold waterfish obviously require this more than warmer water fish. Coldwater=higher oxygen is produced. Warm water=oxygen gets depleated. 
-Some fish like calm, and quiet tanks without any strong currents. While some THRIVE in very strong currents. You wouldnt put a betta fish in a tank with a strong current, as you wouldnt put something like say a corydora in a low current tank(cories like currents). Some fish require currents. I cant think of some right off my head, but I know some NEED strong currents to live. Iam assumming minnows like strong currents, species of tetras, and that sort of stuff. Columbian sharks like strong currents. Hillstream loach NEED strong currents, since they come from a place that has very strong currents that is very cold. Their body is MADE for currents, its how they get their oxygens. They being from china. 
-Plants, and coverage. All fish need some type of coverage but some need it more than others. African cichlids require them to have lots of rockwork, else they fight for any hide out and will ultimately die out of stress. Stuff like tetras prefer to be in planted  tank, they're small bodied fish and they generally love to hide in plants. That obviously being said you put some plants in they will be alot happier, more colorful, and overall healthier. Stuff like livebearers thrive in liveplants. Theres also hatchet fish. They like floating plants. Stuff like african butterfly fish also require floating plants. Even some frogs like floating plants. I definetly know you give an african clawed or an african dwarf frog some  floating plants and itll be less stressed. Since itll give them that sensation of being undercover.

That being said there is alot of things why I fish could die. 
Also you could have gotten a bad batch, it could have been loaded heavily with parasites and the stress of transporting them may have triggered something hidden to pop up. This is why when you buy fish you bring paper bags or even a cooler and store them in there. Putting them in a dark place in the ride home will pretty much lessen the stress. Them seeing someone look at them all the wayhome will ultimmately stress them out and kill them. So yeah. Also some fish maybe more tolerant than others. I know kilifish are delicate, stuff like neons are delicate. Glass fish are also delicate. South american cichlids are delicate. You may wish to go with more hardier stuff. I know barbs are hardy. Theres also cories(one of my favorites). Minnows are hardy although feeder minnows are a whole different story. Iam talking about stuff like white mountan clouds(they like cold water), or stuff like danios which are a type of minnow. I worked in a petstore. In this petstore there has been many dead fish(30a day). Ived rarely seen the danios die. These fish are survivalist. That store uses sump units. So 40fish tanks share 3 large sumps. All of which if one sump gets sick all the fish gets sick from that same sump. Ived seen tons of fish get popeye, bloating, ick, velvet, etc. You name it and only a few cassualties from the danios. Danios are often overlooked. But if you get them frm a good source they should last you atleast half a decade. Give or take. 
Good luck in cycling your tank. Word of advice. Measure the gallons of water and use one whole frozen jumbo cocktail shrimp per 20gallons. So 1 shrimp per 20gallons. Leave the shrimp in a small bag with holes. Use a ziplock bag and poke alot of holes in there then stick the shrimp in there and tie a string to the bag and keep it weighted in one area(middle of the tank) and leave it in there for atleast 4weeks. This will give the tank the ammonia it needs. Id recommend on changingthe shrimp every week though(just in case). This will keep the tank healthy and clean. If you cycle it with fish, you may end up introducing parasites and bad bacteria to the tank. Only do a 5% of water change PER week. If it looks cloudy and the tank stinks it means its cycling. dont touch it. Once after the 4weeks are done. Get your water test kit ready and test for the ph, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. I dont know if it was nitrate or nitrite that was bad. But one of them you want at 0. You also want 0 ammonia. Ammonia burns gills. You should do more research on the tank cycling process.

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## tearsmith

> Well first off firebellies arent going to eat the guppies as they prey on land(from what i noticed).


Hello. I am new to this forum, but I wanted to let you know that this statement about FBT not eating guppies is not so.  I have two FBT and they eat mostly guppies and crickets.  They sit on the edge of the rocks, up out of the water, and lean over.  When the guppie swims in range, the FBT dives in and swallows them up.  I buy them small, like half inch or less and put in about 8 at a time.  It takes two days for the 8 to be eaten.  Then I wait a day and feed gut loaded crickets.  Then wait another day and put in guppies.  The variety keeps them more active and greener than FBT I have had in the past.  I would suggest try it.  Makes them interesting to watch too.   BTW, my toads are in a primarily aquatic setup (3.5" water) with rocks and plants to climb out on.  They prey on the crickets on land and guppies under water.  Hope this helps.

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