Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Looking to set up my first frog vivarium. I've been doing the research but one thing still confuses me. The lighting. Some people say to use an all glass top while others suggest a partial glass top. Do the frogs or plants need the UVB from the lighting? It's to my understanding that glass filters out UVB. So my question is do they even need UVB or will a regular florescent light work?

Also, has anyone used the regular aquarium hoods that people use with fish tanks? To the inexperienced keeper they seem suitable. They trap in humidity and it gives the light direct contact with the plants/frogs with out being filtered thru glass. I've not heard anyone mention them so I figured there was a reason.

Thanks for the help

"Times fun when you're having flies."
Kermit T. Frog

i see no reason why you can't use an aquarium hood. Just make sure you use a UVB light b/c the plants need it more than the frogs. good luck

I would suggest not using an aquqrium hood because they are very easy to escape through, many even have pre-cut holes for filters ect... also the lid is easy to open, trust me on this one! i had a firebelly toad escape from an aquarium lid that had no holes but did have an easy to open lid. i hear that darts can be very sneaky, plus they are much smaller, so i would sugest Not using an aquarium hood. justmake sure the glass you get is not polarised (or something like that?) or you could get plastic, its cheaper anyways. another option it to buy an all glass aquarium lid, its difficult to explane, but petsmart sells tham for about $20 (CDN) they are 2 peices of glass hinged togther by plastic in between, with another plastic piece you can cut into on the bact to make filter space (but you dont need to do this!) it fits much more snugly, and the glass is too heavy to escape from, plus you can easily put ANY size of light on top, which can be a plus if you are using compacts or lighting form a larger tank. anyways, i hope i helped somewhat! i'll try to find a link to what i was talking about tomorow!
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0.1.0. Leo
1.1.0. WTF
0.1.0. Irish Setter
2.2.0. Holland Lop Bunnies
1.1.0. House Cats
Too Many Fish!

Thanks for pointing out the pre cut holes devious_froggy i completly forgot about them, and how easily the lid opens.

FYI,
Unless the glass or plastic specifies that it is UV transparent it will absorb the UVB making the bulb useless (this includes window glass). This means that you will be buying expensive bulbs that do not do any good.
You can cover the screen lid with glass or plexiglass everywhere but directly under the light.
If you are not comfortable with your supplementation schedule, then a UVB bulb is a good back up plan as the frogs will not synthesize any UVB is there is sufficient UVB in their diet.

Here is an online article on "MBD" that may help.
http://www.tracyhicks.com/MBD.htm

Ed