Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone. It's been a while since I’ve posted on this site, and when i did it was in respect to my iguanas.
Many questions.. sorry (to the point) I am going to surprise my girlfriend with 2 red-eyed tree frogs for her birthday in 2 weeks.(she loves them) I need to pick all your brains if I may and use your experiences to guide me in putting together this terrarium.
I bought a book called “Popular tree frogs” and some of what it says is different from posts I’ve read on this site.
I’m planning to buy a 12x12x18 exo-terra terrarium and a fogger. I am going to put some live plants (pathos) and some sticks etc.in it.
I need some tips on lighting heating and the difficult first few weeks of keeping the captive bread babies. (haven’t sourced the frogs yet. Captive bread is hard to come by here) I heard that a heating pad promotes mould growth in the substrate. Is lighting a better source of heat? If so then what to do at night? Wattages would help too. Do they need UV like my iguanas? If so at what level? Are the exo-terra foggers adding too much humidity? Should I worry about bugs and parasites in my potting soil for the plants? What is the easiest to manage substrate? Do I need to dust the crickets or worry about vitamin needs?.
I know I’m asking a lot but the deadline is coming soon and I need everything to be perfect.
Thanks. Charlie

Hey I don't have time tonight to answer all of those, but check the link for good answers to some of your questions.
Unless your house is very cold, I would imagine that regular lights would heat a tank that size easily. For humidity rather than getting a fogger get an air stone and a air pump. Place the air stone in fairly deep water dish and presto you have humidity and control over humidity if you put a flow regulator on the air pump.
Gav
Best red eye care sheet

ok, lots of questions is a good thing that size tank might work, but it is small for two frogs. i wouldn't suggest buying a humidifier/mister IMO they are a waste of money. u can acheive the same results by hand misting 1-3 times a day plus they are a pain in the butt to work. if you don't get the mister you could just buy the size up of the exo-terra tank and that would even it out. pothos are good plants to use, so are: bromeliads, snake plants, spider plants, birds nest fern, staghorn fern, and ivy. these are all hardy and your frogs should't wreck them. i'm not sure about the under tank heaters promoting mold, but if you have more than 3 in. of substrate it wouldn't heat the tank that much. plus they are usually up high, not on the ground. for substrate i would use an inch or so of gravel, an inch or so of dirt and an inch or so of sheet moss. all that should be less than 10$. this way when you mist the water will collect in the gravel not the dirt so it doesn't get too wet, you want it to be moist, not wet. it also increases humidity. for heating i would suggest buying a spot lamp or a regular baskin bulb. i have found that the blue bulbs do not burn the plants like the spot lamps do. if the air temp gets below 70F then i would suggest getting a red bulb to keep temps up. still use the basking bulb during the day though. wash the plants off and get as much of the dirt off as possible without harming the roots because the fertilizer isn't good for the frogs. i cover the showing dirt with moss so the frogs don't have access to it. for the crix, dust them with a calcium supplement 2-3 times a week and a vitiman/mineral supplement aobut 2 times a week. herptivite and repcal are good supplements to use in a combo. good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions!