Walmart Fish of the Month Fire Belly Toads

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eugenet

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Oct 30, 2006
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We all know how bettas are sold in those small little cups, personally I think of it as pity merchandising. The customer feels sorry for the animal and buys it to give it a better home. Recently there was a thread about angelfish being sold in those small cups and how different that was considering bettas can breathe from the air and angelfish cannot. Here at the Walmart I work for the new fish order comes in on Wednesday, last night I walked over to have a look and did a double-take. :eek: Thought there were lil aliens sitting there on the shelf for a minute until I realized what they were. Yep firebelly toads sitting on the shelf in those little betta cups. Each with a small strand of some plant inside maybe an inch of water but probably less. Attached to the shelf is a printout telling how to care for them. At the very least it does say the little cups are only a temporary home and they need to be moved to a bigger container. It says a 10 gallon would make a good home, with a water area and dry land area, also says a reptile basking light can be placed over the dry area. I don't know much about them at all, so I'm wondering. How bad a situation would you say this is? Of course I have enough sense to know it's not good for the toads, but how bad is it? Is a 10 gallon the right size to house one in? How about 2? And do you really need a special light for them? I thought that was more for lizards and snakes but as I said I have hardly no experience, basically just what I've read on here. Finally, how hard is it to sex them? If I can figure out a plan and placement I would like to get a pair if its possible for the size I will have. I know some would say to not buy them because it only makes a demand, but I look at it as if i can come up with a way to get 1 or 2 and give them a good home at least thats 1 or 2 less that sit on that shelf until they die from being in their own waste. So what are your thoughts? :confused:
 

Firebelly__girl

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Apr 29, 2007
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thats CRAZY. A 10 gallon can fit 2-3 depending on your set up. I have 3 but I have mostly all water and they do fine. They don't need a special light, or heater. Its not very easy to sex them until their older and mating age, theres something about their feet but its not that easy to notice, you would just have to buy 2 and hope its a pair. I'm actually against DONT BUY THEM, ITS JUST GIVING THE STORE MONEY! whatever...other people are going to buy them so instead you can buy them and give them the right home, either way they will continue to buy them for the store but I would do SOMETHING about it...... ive never had any real animal cruelty around here enough to call somebody, but that is pretty bad....do you see a cricket cage around? My walmart doesnt sell crickets...their probably giving them fish food knowing those people
 

darkcirca

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Feb 28, 2007
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Psssst!.... Wal-Mart ::waves::

FB Toads are *not* a fish species.
I was just thinking that. Do they even have crickets to feed them?! At least when I worked at Petsmart we were able to feed ours. Oh well. I still don't like them, and a 10 gallon is fine, just have more requirements then some thing. I'll stick to non-water reptiles
 

legendaryfrog

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Nov 25, 2006
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wow, i never knew walmart sold FBT's. Even so, they at least gave some decent info about them.
 

eugenet

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In October I'll have been there 4 years and this is the first time we have ever carried them. And no they don't carry crickets to feed them, truthfully I don't think they do any more feeding than they absolutely have to because it would be more water to change and actual effort to put into caring for them. I'm really wanting 2 or 3 but I can't decide how to do the set up. Mainly I've been thinking about how much of a splashing noise there would be having the water come out of a HOB and fall 4 to 5 inches at least before it hit the surface. I just don't want to jump into it and not be able to care for them properly.
 

Firebelly__girl

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In October I'll have been there 4 years and this is the first time we have ever carried them. And no they don't carry crickets to feed them, truthfully I don't think they do any more feeding than they absolutely have to because it would be more water to change and actual effort to put into caring for them. I'm really wanting 2 or 3 but I can't decide how to do the set up. Mainly I've been thinking about how much of a splashing noise there would be having the water come out of a HOB and fall 4 to 5 inches at least before it hit the surface. I just don't want to jump into it and not be able to care for them properly.
So does somebody actually go out to a petstore and buy crickets for them...i doubt it. But you dont use a HOB filter, you get a filter made for viv's :]
I have a fluval one plus and it works fine and I only do 100% water changes 1/2 times a month by using a gravel vac to get it out and go through the gravel for waste.
heres the tank, it will give you an idea to set it up for 2-3 of them, the filter is behind the ornament on the left, the water just flows onto the fake plants connected to it and i barely here the flow --









heres my old 20 gallon -- same idea, just bigger tank.
 

eugenet

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Just couldn't resist after thinking about it almost all day yesterday.

So I went out this morning and got a 20H and 3 lil FBT :headbang2:

Running a HOB that came with the setup right now, but I just put in an order at Foster and Smith and I'm getting one of the Duetto filters and a turtle dock to give them more land. I'm going to add more plants and do the half coconut caves with java moss growing on them for more hiding spaces.

Went to LFS after I got it all set up and got couple dozen crickets. If I'm using this (calcium fortified one) am I going to still need to dust the crickets? If so can somebody give me a link to a good product? :)

Already been sitting in there laughing at them as they sit on each others heads and using the duckweed and the floating java moss thing as little boats to go around on. :grinyes:

Just one last question, even though I know they are toads, will I get in trouble for callin them froggies? :grinyes:

PICT0244.JPG PICT0246.JPG PICT0247.JPG
 

Firebelly__girl

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Their cute :] why so much water though, are you getting minnows/guppies or something? or do you have it high because you have a regular hob filter. They might not get in the water as much as they would if they could reach the bottom with their feet. You need some type of plastic plants floating because they need something to hold onto or you will barely see them out in the main water part
 

eugenet

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Water is so high partially because of the HOB, I had to add pieces to the intake just to get it long enough to keep suction. Although I will be adding excess fry to the tank for the frogs to eat every now and then. They actually seem to like the water as it is, they have been spending some time just swimming around. I read at another place they spend more time in the water if its deeper but I don't know if that is accurate or not. They do have floating plants, truthfully I'm not much on fake ones. Right now they have duckweed and butterfly fern to hold on to, plus a thing I originally made to be the roof of a rock cave. Its 2 circular cross stitch pieces threaded together with fishing line with java moss in between them. They like to float around on it even though it sinks a little with their weight on it. There is 1 guppy fry not even an inch long in there now, I want to see how long it will last before I add too many. 2 of them ate a cricket each earlier, the 3rd didn't seem too interested yet. Really enjoying them so far I can't wait to hear them call. :grinyes:
 
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