newbie looking for suggestions

[msjinkzd]

I have an empty 10g all glass aquarium in my basement and am looking to build a half-land/half-water set-up. I have three fish tanks and am looking to branch out to a good starter amphibian, no idea what really. My goals are lots of natural rock, lots of aquatic and terrestrial plants, and an interactive and safe amphibian for me and my young children to enjoy. Any and all suggestions are welcome as well as links for specific research. I am excited to try a different kind of project.

[ChromeLibrarian]

There is no such thing as an interactive amphibian, if you mean one that you can handle. Amphibians are all fairly delicate. Handling is not recommended. However, if you can deal with look and no touch, take a look at fire-bellied toads. You can put a couple of fire bellies in a 10-gallon (Fire-bellied toads are social creatures, so two or more). A 20-gallon for 3 or 4 toads would be better, though.

[msjinkzd]

Gotcha, I meant more interactive as fun to feed Not for my kids to handle, but nothing aggressive. I was looking at newts too....fire bellied toads seem like a good idea. Time to research, research, research! Any suggestions on good sites for basic set-up and quality of care info?

[ChromeLibrarian]

Here's a a good place to start...

Amphibiancare.com

Here's a pic of my set-up. It's a 20 long that houses 4 fbt.

From the front...



From the top...



Its split down the middle by a plexi wall I glued in place with aquarium sealer. The land is a layer of gravel covered with plastic mesh topped off by coconut fiber. The plants are live. The water is about 4" deep and filtered by a Tetra Whisper 10i filter. I use a low-watt basking lamp when needed to keep tank temp between 70 and 78. I use a standard florescent grow light for the live plants (the toads don't really need it, though it won't hurt). I mist when necessary to keep the plants healthy. The tank humidity stays between 70 and 85 percent.

Any other questions I can answer, just ask.

[Rainfrog]

Fire bellied toads would be a good choice. also you could consider Yellow and black walking toads Amphibiancare.com >> Yellow and Black Walking Toad (Melanophryniscus stelzneri) Care

[Dmac]

Whites tree frogs are Great, they dont really mind being handled gently once in a while and are very cute, but require a large cage on the switch side, a red and black walking frog would be great.