Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok-I've had 3 Red Eyes since last November, all doing well.
2 weeks ago, the smallest died. This morning, I found another dead! I thought my tank was good! Temp is in the 70's on the bottom, 81 on top,(tall hexagonal tank). Humidity ranges from 50% - 80%, depending on the time of day. Under Tank Heater and a daylight bulb that only goes on for approx. 4 hours just to bring up the temp a bit. Bottom of tank has gravel, then some of that reptile soil, then Spaghum Moss. The only new thing in the aquarium is a plant I put in there about 1 month ago which I wonder if that is the cause. Its a low light Angel Plant, called a Calathea. I used to have a Bromeliad(sp?) in there but it died from the heat, even though one is thriving nicely in my WTF tank.
I'm going to clean up the tank later, maybe change the plant, and look for a missing frog in there! Hopefully, he's okay.
Please, any suggestions? I'd like to get more RETF's but not until I find the problem.

I had this problem and finally figured out my water was the culprit. I was getting it out of a machine and it was distilled which is very acidic. Most frog books don't discuss the water which is a big thing to leave out. Now I find that my regular city water treated with Reptisafe water treatment has worked the best for me. Other than that just making sure you have a well ventilated lid. My Red Eyes are doing great (over a year and a half old now) with a screen lid even in an air conditioed house but I lost three of them before I figured out it was the water.
Another thing to check is I wash the plants and keep them out of the tank for a while to make sure they are free of pesticides before using them in my tank.
Hope I helped.

Well, I took out the old plant, just in case that was the culprit. And my water is well water.

Well water should be OK unless its somehow contaminated. You could get a fish tank test kit and check the PH to make sure it's not acidic. Is your tank lid well ventilated (screen) works best. Also My RETF's like a slight drop in Temp at night to low seventies. They do not do well if temps are kept higher all the time. Does it get too hot when the second bulb comes on?

Screen top.
Low 80's in the morning, (more on the top of the tank),
and 68-69 at night. I was checking all parts of the tank last night!

Hmmmmm. Mine does not dip below 72 in the summer but that is the only difference I can see. Maybe its bacterial I would try cleaning and set it up again. Do you have a water feature in there for the frogs to soak in? Mine hang out in a waterfall and it lets them hydrate when they want to. Make sure its not too deep though a shallow bowl will do just change the water often.

where did you get the plant?
You must be very careful, as a lot of store bought plants contain fertilizer. RETF absord moisture through their skin and fertilizer will definitely kill them.

Home Depot and Lowes home stores have advised me on several occasions they do not use any chemicals on their plants.

As a safe guard I always change the soil in the pot and run water over the plant and pot for several minutes to "flush" it out. If it is the only thing you have changed, chances are it is the culprit.

GOOD LUCK!