How many d. tincs?!

[joshuaseidman94]

So I have been setting up my tank for a few weeks and it will be done tomorrow. Just need to install the filter. It's a 3 gallon tall measuring 24" tall by 24" high by 12" deep. Most people told me I can fit 3 tincs. However, one person got me nervous and said I can't hold anything but 3 thumbnails. Can you please chime in and let me know if I can fit 2-3 tincs? Please note I will be removing the pond area and making it more floor space.

[joshuaseidman94]

Link to my tank pic

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8920&p=61772&e=61772

[joshuaseidman94]

Photo

[joneill809]

Welcome! First, the hardscape looks really nice. Unfortunately I'd agree with the advice you received (from Phil I believe) cautioning you on the suitability for tincs. Perhaps there was confusion with a description of the tank as a 30 gallon. Most froggers think of a 24x18x18 or an 18x18x24 as ~30 gallons. Most will use a rule of thumb of ~10 gallons per frog, but that ROT goes pear shaped with odd size enclosures.

I'll apologize in advance for this long tangent, but I have been thinking about this quite a bit and I think the hobby needs to consider moving toward using square inches per frog instead of gallons per frog to help with these kinds of discussions. Gallonage works for fish tanks, but we need to think floor space with frogs.

The problem here is the lack of depth which reduces the square inches of floor space which is further reduced by a lack of vertical ledges that can accommodate roosting tincs. This tank has 288 square inches of potential floor space. It looks like half (?) is going to be consumed by the steep hardscaping of which maybe 1/3 is usable for roosting? The steep walls are difficult for a tinc to use comfortably, so they are really reducing the usable square inches. Say that knocks about 100 usable square inches out, so you end up with roughly 200 square inches, or close to the footprint of a 10 gallon tank. That would roughly be 70 (3) to 100 (2) square inches per tinc.

Typically I try to put 2 to 3 tincs in an 18x18x24 that has heavy ledge work creating tiers of space in the viv. The floor space of the 18x18 is 324 square inches, and I can typically get at least another 50% by planning out good use of the upper portion of the viv. That comes in at roughly 500 square inches, or 160 (3) to 250 (2) square inches of usable floor space per tinc in the 18x18x24 layout with upper ledges (assuming you like the vertical layout). If you went with a 24x18x18 then you would have 432 square inches of floor space to work with...so even though you have a 30 gallon tank, with the dimensions you have and the hardscaping in use, it's half of what you would get from a 24x18x18 or a well planned 18x18x24.

I like vert tanks too, and they can work for tincs. Is there any way you can modify the hardscaping that would tier the vivarium more to recapture lost floor space or add it with overhanging ledges? Perhaps you can get the square inches up and consider two dwarf tincs (e.g. Bakhuis, Oyapok, Nominant, Lorenzo) that run in the 30 to 35 mm SVL range rather than 40 to 60 mm for larger tincs.

I hope I'm not discouraging you. I like the look of what you did, but I think you might consider modifying it if you want to house tincs. Otherwise roll with Phil's advice and go with thumbnails. Good luck!