Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Its been a while since I have posted thing are a little crazy here. I am still getting ready to move to the new house. I will be going before the rest of the family will be. Anyhow I have a question about the water. I use only distilled water in my tank. The water stays brown even though I have siphoned off the water several times, it looks like ice tea. The problem is that I have what looks like an oily sheen on top of the water in the pool area where the cork bark roll rests in the water. I don't know what could be causing the film. I have some plants in the water area, although I did remove one of them because it looked too degrated to stay there...even though it was a water plant. I pitched that. There are two others still in the water. Everything else is plants and the soil mix of the coco fiber, ground tree fiber and some jungle mix I got at the pet store, but the soil is mostly coco fiber and tree fiber. I used the foam,coco fiber and silicone method for the background...which does go below the water line in the pool area. The only changes I have made sice the first week was to add an additional plant and two coco huts. Nothing seems to be molding as far as I can see. I still didn't add the spring tails...been too busy running back and forth to the new place 6hrs away, interveiws, my job and packing to order them. Do any of you know what it could be or what could be causing this problem? The tank is pretty sterile, I haven't added anything from the outside although I didn't sterlize the cork bark or the soil before adding it in the tank. This is the first problem I have had with it. ANother question I have been meaning to post is how do I cool the tank off? I don't have any frogs in it yet but as soon as it is moved to the new house I plan on getting the fruit flys going and ordering the frogs. The inside temp can reach the mid 80's range somewhere's around 85. I would appreciate any help you can give me!!! Sorry so long and drawn out!!

Consider the tan coloration "good," as this is mostly leached tannins from your cork and substrate. I deliberately add "black water extract to my paludariums and tad pole water. It helps prevent bacterial skin diseases.

As for the film you are seeing, it will appear if the water is not circulating well. You could try adding a bubbler under the gravel and it will dissipate. I have actually just done this in my new 180 paludarium which has the water and plants in it now, but the canister filter is awaiting a part before I can begin to circulate it. The entire top was scummy even after a few water changes, but the air bubbler wand just putting up some bubbles from under the gravel has solved the problem.

As for the heat--that's a major problem with nearly everyone who doesn't have AC to keep the room temperatures below 80. It's one of my own major concerns, and other than temporary fixes in extra hot weather, such as ice in the waterways, fans over damp towels on the top, turning off all the lights, etc., I haven't found an easy answer yet.

One of the things I've tried in the past, which works only so-so is a Tropic-Aire humidifier with ice in the water. This is a simple system run by an aquarium air pump, but it doesn't put out a lot of air over-all, but perhaps enough to make just enough difference for the frogs to be useful. Take the end-cap off the wand that fits in the tank for faster air flow. You can build one yourself with a large plastic bottle and a rubber stopper pierced in two places. (Laboratory supply houses carry these, but it's probably cheaper to just buy the Tropic Air from PetCo. (About $15.00.)
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

D. auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, galactonotus orange, galactonotus yellow, fantasticus, reticulatus, imitator, castaneoticus, azureus, pumilio Bastimentos. P. lugubris, vittatus, terribilis mint green, terribilis orange.

Thank you for answering my post I really appreciate it a lot! You are always the first person to take time out to answer questions and I personally want to Thank You for that!!

I don't have a lot of gravel in the tank. There isn't any under the false bottom except where some might have fallen do to me trying to fill in a little gap between the land part and the pool... but it didn't work to well. I might have to fix that with some great stuff or seal it off with egg create and some silicone, I am a little afraid of frogs getting stuck undr the fasle bottom and not being able to find there way back out.The gravel sits in the the pool and is a thin layer I can see the bottom glass in some of it. Should I add some kind of filter to my water area? I didn't do that because I was afraid that it would constantly clog up from the dirt that falls in the bottom from the top.... it isn't a lot but I think it is enough to clog a filter up. Where should I add the bubble wand? Should I add it to the section under the egg crate or put it in the pool area? Do the wands clog up? I guess I could add more stones and water to the pool area.....but I will have to find a way to make the false bottom sit higher in the tank. I guess I could cut out the old pvc and just put in longer pieces to accomplish this. What do you think?

I guess I won't worry about the color of the water then if it is a good thing . When I move we will be on a well system. It has been tested for drinking and is fine as far as I know. IT comes out of the faucet so cold that it will turn your hands to ice no joke! If I decided to switch when I move from distilled to well water how would I test the water to make sure it wouldn't hurt the frogs?

I am hoping that once we move the heat wont be such a problem. We are going to be up on the mountain on a ten acre farm. When I was up there this past weekend it was cool and not very hot. There is always a breeze coming through. It gets hot durning the day but is really cool at night and in the morning. I have seen the product you are talking about and if I have to I will pick one of those up and see what happens. Would adding ice to the resivor for the misting system be a good idea? The only thing I am wondering is if that would be enough to keep the tank cool. I was also thinking about cutting a section of glass out of the side of the tank and placing one of those computer fans in the hole and run that on and off on different cycles. But I am not sure if that would be a good idea or not. The lights are compact flourecents and don't put off that much heat. Thank you very much!!

Yes, you really do need to build the false bottom like an inverted box so the frogs can't get under it and drown.

Re: Filtering. Do you have a circulating stream, drip wall or waterfall from the false bottom? If so, running it over some Java moss makes a great living filter. Otherwise, you will probably be wise to do occasional partial water changes by simply siphoning out about half of the water and replacing it occasionally. How deep is the water? I always try to make the pump easily accessible, perhaps just hidden with some smooth rocks that can be removed easily, because they can get clogged up fairly regularly. Boxing the pump in with some fine mesh might help. I don't worry too much about dirt falling in a water feature with aquatic plants in it. You could maybe try some Ricca if you can find it, or there's a small 4 leaf clover type plant that's really cool. I'll try to get back to you about where this is available and what its scientific name is.

I'd put the bubble wand where it is accessible in the pool area and just cover it with more gravel. The wands do last quite a long time, but eventually need replacing. There is one type that is sort of like a flexible soaker hose, with weights on it. I have one of these in my 180, left over from when the 180 was a fish tank, and it has lasted for years.

Ice in the misting reservoir would help on hot days. I've never resorted to the computer fans, although some people do use them for more ventilation. It seems to me that blowing the same temperature air into the tank wouldn't improve things much.

If your well water has been tested for drinking and is O.K., it will be fine for the tank. You might check for hardness and pH, but in the long run, this doesn't matter much with your frogs. I have very hard water from my otherwise great well, and the only problem with it is that it leaves deposits when it splashes, and also tends to crud up the pumps over time so I have to soak them in straight vinegar once in a while, as well as wipe the deposits off the glass with vinegar and paper towels. You can buy a test kit at a pet store, or just guess. If the faucets in your new house don't have lime deposits on them, you're probably home free. If your area has a lot of oak, dogwood, Madrone, redwood, etc., the water is probably soft and neutral, or possibly very slightly acidic. Icy cold well water is also a good sign. Perfect!
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

D. auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, galactonotus orange, galactonotus yellow, fantasticus, reticulatus, imitator, castaneoticus, azureus, pumilio Bastimentos. P. lugubris, vittatus, terribilis mint green, terribilis orange.

I should be able to fix the hole without too much of a problem I hope. I have the false bottom sitting on top of the pvc pipe but instead of using egg crate for the box off part I bought a decorative border from the pet store they use for turtles to make a dry area. That sits in front of the egg crate...the problem was it was too long so I cut it with my jigsaw and trimmed it a little to short so that is how the gap happened. I will fix that when I move before I add frogs.
I built the waterfall myself out of appoxie its a product that is safe to use for fish ornaments. I made it so the pump sits right underneath it in the water pool. The only circulation in the water is the water pump I use for the water fall. To get to the water pump all I have to do is lift up the waterfall. I find that when the water flow slows down all I have to do is unplugg the pump and plug it back in and the water starts to flow normally.
I siphon off the water ever 4-5 days. It starts getting high and I don't want the water to saturate the land. I end up taking about 1 and a half gallons out of it at a time. I think it leaves half an inch to an inch of water in the bottom of the tank for the water pump and fall to function. I don't add any water to it after that. The water from the misting system seems to fill it back up in 4-5 days. I think it might be two inches deep. The only way I could make the water deeper would be to make the false bottom sit higher. Other wise the water level will hit the false bottom and the dirt the plants are in. I only have two water plants in the water section they are growing but the bottom of the plants are the only part that is in the water. I also have some lucky bamboo growing in the water section (I forgot about them) There is one that I stuck in back of the waterfall and the other two are in the front on the side of the tank also next to the waterfall. Is that enough plants for the water to be kept filtered? The plant you are talking about to naturally filter and flow the water over on the waterfall sounds great. Right now the waterfall is getting alge growth on it. Is alge a problem? It looks a little bad but I can live with it as long as its a good thing not a bad one.
I will ditch cutting the glass and adding a fan. You are probably right about that not being much of a help, I was worried about the frogs getting caught in it anyway.
The plants are growing great and all of the broms have pups on them. Or at least I think that is what they are, they look like miniture plants of the parent. I am very excited about this as the tank has only been up and running about two maybe three months tops. And all three have them.
I will be on the look out for the plants you where talking about for the filtration. I will also see about getting and using the bubble wand. Thank you for the great advice and tips . Hopefully by the end of July or mid August I will have my frogs ordered and in there new home.

I think everything sounds like it's going to be great. The algae you are seeing is also a good thing, as this will utilize some of the wastes, as well.

I don't have any pumps that will work in less than about 2 1/2 inches of water, so my false bottoms are deeper, but I don't think this is particularly superior to a very shallow one.

I'm hoping you can put some pictures up. It sounds like a nice tank.
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

D. auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, galactonotus orange, galactonotus yellow, fantasticus, reticulatus, imitator, castaneoticus, azureus, pumilio Bastimentos. P. lugubris, vittatus, terribilis mint green, terribilis orange.

I will leave the algea on the fountain then. Anything to help keep wastes at bay. Besides it looks more natural anyway.
The pump I am using in the water section for the waterfall is a repti pump that I picked up at the pet store. I had bought a different one but that wasn't working the way I needed it too, so I just put it in a box for use with something else in the future. I wanted the water to be a bit deeper but I cut the posts to short and figured I would give it a try. I might raise it up not sure yet.
I posted pictures a while back of the tank. I don't have any new ones and can't take any new ones at the present time because the camera got stolen. Thank you for all of your help!

I thought I had seen some pictures of it, but couldn't remember just which ones they were. I found them again on your photo gallery. That tank looks good, and I think it will work just fine for you. My frogs seem to like the monkey pods for hides.
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

D. auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, galactonotus orange, galactonotus yellow, fantasticus, reticulatus, imitator, castaneoticus, azureus, pumilio Bastimentos. P. lugubris, vittatus, terribilis mint green, terribilis orange.