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Pacman frog filtered setup?


JayWho
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I have recently become quite interested in green horned frogs (pacman frogs) and have acquired 2 of them, with plans to get a couple more at the upcoming reptile show next month, if available. I know this is an aquatic forum, but amphibians are half aquatic, and there's knowledge here so I figured I'd ask away.

I have a pretty simple setup: 10 gallon tank, with just coconut fibre substrate, a water dish, a half coconut shell to hide under and a pothos plant in a pot.

My DIY mind got the wheels turning and I was thinking of ways to complicate my setup unnecessarily to "make it better" (that's what DIY'ers do, right? lol)...more out of curiosity than anything really. But, has anyone ever tried a setup where the substrate was raised up so that there was a water volume underneath it, then filter the water with say a sponge filter run off an airline or small pump, to run back up to the top of the substrate and cycle through? I mean, you generally only change the coconut fibre once a month or so, so I wouldn't expect it to be saving me tons of money that way or anything. But, theoretically it would make the environment healthier for the frog...no? Better than an unfiltered system where the waste just builds up until cleaning everything? Frogs partially breathe through their skin, so water health would contribute to their overall health. Or do you think frog waste is too much for this, especially once they reach adult size and can eat small mice?

This would probably be a lot of work for a small enclosure, and a 10 gallon tank might be too short for such an idea. But in theory, if you say, had some egg crate (or a plastic "tray" of some kind with holes drilled in it for drainage), lined it with some screen to help keep the coconut fibre from draining into the water reservoir, and raised it up (to act as the "floor" for the frog) by supporting it with some pieces of pvc pipe cut to length and standing on end. Then put a sponge filter in the space underneath, on one end of the tank, with the output rising slightly above the level of the substrate, and the drainage holes on the opposite side of the tank, so the water is forced to cycle... Would it work? Haha. Or am I just crazy?

If nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about, I'll sketch up a picture for reference. :)

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I've seen false bottoms built underneath substrate to create reservoirs before using some kind of plastic grate tied together with zip ties and covered with mesh screen. might need to be quite deep so some kind of gravel of clay balls would need to be under the substrate to stop it from rotting in assuming.

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