What's everybody's thoughts on ventilation for terrariums?
I've heard you don't need it from some and others say it's a must. Right now I have glass tops that offer very little ventilation. Frogs are doing great, but not breeding.
Thanks,
Jason
Jason,
what kind of frogs are you keeping in the tank?
I have tincs, leucs, and auratus in mutiple tanks
If you are not having any problems with plants rotting, I wouldn't worry about it.
some breeders use a screen lid and when they want some breeding activity they mist and then cover them for about 3 days
but this is not nessacary.
I use glass with great success.
~Mark
the main question too, is how old are the frogs?
some may take longer then others to breed.
Would using a screen top keep enough humidity in? I was thinking of trying an exo-terra but there tops are all screen
I use glass tops with no problems
Do you find that glass tops increase condensation on the front glass, how can I reduce this?
I have sealed tanks and partially ventilated ones. My experience has been that the plants grow much better in the partially ventilated tanks, however they also dry out quicker and require more frequent misting. Plants in unventilated tanks will grow but more slowly and some will just not grow at all and rot away. As someone noted, some species of frogs like to have the tank a bit wetter and some frogs will dry out and die if kept in a ventilated tank that does not get sprayed regularly, in particular the smaller thumbnail species. Some species can be induced to breed by manipulating humidity which is harder to do in an unventilated tank. So it is a matter of the type of frogs, if plants are present, what your goals are, ability to mist regularly, etc.
Thanks Dan, well my priority is to be able to see the little blighters! Whicever breed I choose I just dont want the fron t glass to be covered the whole time so perhaps I will need to put a small screen on the front of the hood...
Yeah, AFAIK there's really no way to avoid condensation without putting some kind of ventilation "port" at the front top of the tank
is there ever a need to have a small computer fan to blow new air in?
psychedelicwonders Wrote:is there ever a need to have a small computer fan to blow new air in?
There is not a "need" to blow new air into the tank. Some will place a fan inside the tank to recirculate the air. I'm trying this now in new tanks I set up. So far so good. I have the small fan mounted in the back of the tank at the top and pointed towards the front glass and it is keeping my front glass clear.
What I did was have two 2" holes drilled in the front piece of my glass lid. That helps keep the front so that I can see in, but doesn't give too much ventilation. When I want to hold the moisture in more, I cover the screen holes with plastic wrap. That was a suggestion given to me by Pat Nabors. It did cost $10 each to have the holes drilled. Fran