Re: Ventilation, Heat and humidity

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Posted by divegod on September 29, 2002 at 19:09:16:

In Reply to: Ventilation, Heat and humidity posted by Andrew Christman on September 29, 2002 at 18:17:02:

:Hello again. Well after all that discussion over peltier coolers and my Mom decides that she is going to let me keep the frogs downstairs hehe. I have a few more questions. I have a 10 gallon upstairs setup that I may still play around with a peltier cooler on but for now it is just there to keep some moss I collected from around my area alive (it looks very nice I hope it lives). I covered the whole top with that plastic wrap stuff to keep humidity in but it has gotten to 108+ degrees inside there. With a glass top will it get as hot? Are darts real good at escaping, because I know I never thought my Fire Bellied toads could push a screen lid up! Basicly I'm asking how secure does the lid have to be, does it just have to set on top or does it have to push down real tight. Im planning on using a 46 Gallon bow front tank and the pet store had a glass lid that came with it that looked very nice. I have no clue if I could find a place to cut glass to fit that kind of tank. What kind of Ventilation do darts need? I've read some sites that say that they dont need much at all, if any other then just opening the tank for daily feeding and maintainence(SP). I'll probably need ventilation in the summer because it can get a bit warm in my house but for now I dont have to worry about that, compared to my second floor down here is a freezer! Sorry about the long post, I would rather post one message with a lot of questions then 10 posts with a lot of short questions. :D

1. Yes, it probably will get that hot, or near to it with a glass lid. Too hot, by far, for frogs. Punch a few holes in the top of the plastic wrap just to see how much it cools. If it gets to 80 max, youre okay.
2. Darts dont need a lot of ventilation, but they need some. As do the plants that most likely will be in the tank too. Rule of thumb is 80% of the top sealed.
3. Ive found that fluorescent light covers work very well. I cut mine (use a knife to score the plastic deeply, then break it off. Its going to take you a few tries to get the hang of it, so buy yourself a couple of pieces, its cheap. Check www.azdr.com for info on this).
4. Direct sunlight it bad for your tank. It will get it too hot. Make sure that its not sitting in direct sunlight.
5. Cool water sprays help, but wont solve the heat problem. Make certain that your tank max and min temps are well within the tolerance of species before you buy. This is one of the most sure ways to kill frogs. They wont tolerate heat at all well.
David Doyle has about the most comprehensive site on info for tanks and frog requirements. Read it. Learn it. Live it. =)

Best of luck.
C

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