HELP!! my fire bellied toad's tank is really smelly???

[johnnyada1]

hello,

I have had two oriental fire bellied toads now for 4 months and there has not been a problem however now there is a really bad smell you smell it as soon as you enter my bedroom (where the toads tank is). It is asort of fishy smell I took a cup full of the water and I think that was the source of smell but I have a working filter and heater and I clean out the tank every 2 weeks.

There are some crickets (4) floating around but I normally get rid of them, there is also some white moss growing on the log infact it could even be the fish food from the crickets tub?

please.... please help I cant take it. thanks in advance.

P.s: if you know anyone I can email about the problem can you let me know

[Lizgirl]

According to about.com fire bellied toads produce a lot of waste and require frequent water changes. I would say clean the tank thoroughly and then change your water more frequently. These guys are fairly hearty, but they do require a fair amount of maintanace.

To alleviate the smell, I reccomend the above and also lighting candles or getting air fresheners.

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/frogs...talfbtoads.htm

[elfomatic]

Well, if you are getting a mold/fungal buildup then it is likely that your humidity is too high. I would recommend that you clean your habitat entirely -- change the substrate, change the water ... everything. This should be done every two weeks anyway. At least twice a week you should spot clean ... never let old food stay in the cage after your toads have stopped eating.

That should take care of the smell ... regular maintenence should keep it from coming back.

It is probable that you have a dead fish or something buried in the water somewhere ... lord knows that would explain the smell!

You also mentioned something about a cricket tub. If you keep crickets then it is also necessary to provide regular maintenence for them, too. Cricket enclosures should be cleaned out entirely every week ... otherwise they stink BAD. This is also necessary for the health of your frogs ... remember that they have to ingest that stuff!!

[Toadie78]

Um changing your substrate varys by the type that you are using. For most mulch you can get away with a change every 4 to 6 months. Gravel is ok but make sure its big enough that the toads cant swallow it.

If you dont already have one buy a humdity gauge, one other thing you may wanna try is change the cartridge or what ever in the filter. A partial water change is recommended about every 2 weeks.

[PurplePuddleNut]

I had that issue for a while. You need to clean the tank for sure. I put in a water filter into my tank, one made for heavy toxic frogs. Smell has gone WAY down and cleaning is way easy.