Safe to use sand as substrate?

[DazzleDiscus]

Hey guys.

I've found that the "vivarium" I'm making has somehow turned into a plaudarium
I've changed the plan to have a false-bottom, and just have a small pond area instead. This way I can still house frogs if I want to later on. *dances*

So, I have strategically placed some nice looking river rocks, but I'm wanting a bigger contrast than aquarium gravel. I was thinking that river sand would look great with the larger river rocks, but then yellow flags started going off in my head...

Is it safe to use sand underwater if I want to house grey tree frogs or spring peepers? Both are extremely common around here, and are even becoming pests to one of my friends (she has a very big pool). haha I can help releave her of some of her frogs and have a "free" pet.

I will have a few mosquito fish or other cheep "native" fish in the water area, as well as snails and maybe shrimp. isopods (pillbugs/rollie-pollies) will also be in the tank for munchies. Their main diet would consist of pin-head crickets and maybe wingless fruit flies (for the spring peepers).

Will having a sand bed under the water harm cause harm for these two species of frog? The spring peepers hang around ponds, while the tree frogs live ... well in the trees. The last thing I want is to have them suffer from eating sand with their meals

Also, if you don't suggest using sand, what else would you recommend?
**oh- and I know I cannot/shouldnot use calcium sand. no worries there- I have kept fish before

[DazzleDiscus]

oh, and I won't be housing frogs for at least until late spring. For right now I will be housing an anole. I'd like to keep my options open though

[Spazizz]

Having sand under the water shouldn't pose a problem. I'm not sure how the greys go about with eating but id watch them to make sure they don't eat the spring peepers. And if you worrying about sand clogging a pump or any thing you can just use a normal gravel for aquarium use. Spring peepers are awesome btw mine have adapted very well to captive life, they are bold(don't hide at all) and eat fruit flies and small crickets like champs.

[DazzleDiscus]

oh fantastic! ^^ I wasn't aware that anyone here kept spring peepers. I often go down to the local ponds and transplant frog eggs that are drying up along the sides of the pond and put them in my garden pond. A lot of the tadpoles become food for the dragonfly larvae, but I've had a couple dozen or so survive to adulthood and stay around the place. At least they don't go to waste while they're still eggs. ...That may sound kind of cruel- I don't mean it to be!

I hadn't thought about the trees eating the springs (haha-- that's funny lol )
but I wasn't thinking about housing them together, although I suppose that could work if the trees won't eat the smaller peeps.

Do the spring peepers make a lot of noise? They are deafening at the ponds... and if they would sing like that in the house... O.o I don't think I could handle it.

As for the sand clogging the filter/pump, I have a recessed cave of GS that the pump sits into. I can easily make a barrier with silicone II and river rock, then put aquarium gravel in the cave with the pump. ... Would I even need to put gravel in the cave part? I have blocked it off from the larger pool area with a bio sponge so that fish/tadpoles couldn't swim into the cave and get stuck on the pump.

Thankyou so much for your help! ^^
-Dazz

[boabab95]

do you have any pictures of your tank??? how big is the tank???

[DazzleDiscus]

Yes, I have pictures of the tank. It is not complete yet, and I am taking pictures as I build it. Actually I have a thread started in the viv forum, but I havn't updated it in a week or two. I have about a dozen pics to load... I'll see about uploading them either today or tomorrow.

The tank is a 29gal long breeder aquarium. ...and it looks like a bomb of foam exploded in the tank lol. It is landscaped with greatstuff and I've been working on it today a lot.

[Spazizz]

My peeper is starting to make more noise now but i haven't heard any thing since last spring. It not exactly chirping but making weird little sounds.