[The3rdMan]

Well that sucked big time. Apparently last Friday during the heat wave my central AC was overworked and only pumped hot air. Unfortunately I was at work and when I came home it was over 100 degrees inside and probably over 120 in my tanks. Found one little guy already dead on the the moss covered floor of the tank....and was hoping to maybe see the others in the next few days. I am pretty sure I just have one, an Ancon Hill, left.

Freaking thing sucks....just ranting.

 

[frogface]

Oh no! Poor little guys.

This heat has been something else. I've been turning off the tank lights, when I'm not there, just to give them a fighting chance if my AC goes out.

 

[hypostatic]

If only society had listened to Al Gore and the scientists about global warming

 

[The3rdMan]

I've been turning off the tank lights, when I'm not there, just to give them a fighting chance if my AC goes out.

You have no idea how much I wish I did this....

 

[momkris]

This time of year my lights wont even be on. Ill go up to 2 or 3 months without my lights. The frogs dont have to have all that light. Its more for the plants anyways. Good luck to you. Sorry to hear this.

 

[ZookeeperDoug]

If only society had listened to Al Gore and the scientists about global warming

Scientists are right. The planet is warming up, the reason as to why, be it man made or cyclical, is the point of debate. BTW - The proper buzzword is "Climate Change, you're not supposed to say "global warming."

Al Gore on the other hand, is a freaking idiot. The world could not have a WORSE spokesperson on the subject. His multitude of blunders make him a laughing stock. How can you take seriously a man who claims that the temperature of the earth's mantle is MILLIONS yes MILLIONS of degrees. Thats hotter than the surface of the son. I know the buffoon means well but he is an ignoramus. His movies and speaches are full of lies and sensationalism. It is not nessesary to lie or sensationalize. If you honestly inform people of the very real problems we face, you are far more likely to connect with them than if you lie to them and they find out. His credibility is completely destroyed.

On topic, wow man, so sorry to hear about your temps getting so high. I think anyone with a large investment in frogs would be wise to invest in some form of temperature monitoring system with real time notification. I know such systems exist for aquariums that will page/text/email you if temperatures go out of range.

 

[amnesia]

I think anyone with a large investment in frogs would be wise to invest in some form of temperature monitoring system with real time notification. I know such systems exist for aquariums that will page/text/email you if temperatures go out of range.

Digital Aquatics




The3rdMan, sorry for your losses

 

[jbherpin]

This time of year my lights wont even be on. Ill go up to 2 or 3 months without my lights. The frogs dont have to have all that light. Its more for the plants anyways. Good luck to you. Sorry to hear this.

I adopt the same strategy, and the frogs and plants are doing fine 2 months with no lighting beyond daytime light. My temps can get a bit high when real Heat Waves hit, but my frog vivs have a lot of stone retreats to help maintain a place for the frogs to go(That is cooler) if absolutely needed. IMO, it helps!

I am so sorry to hear about the losses, it happened to me last year, but with my caudate collection. I had a lot of great stuff(17 tanks), in the end I had to give away some of my favs in order to save them... At least they are in good hands still... Keep your head up, use it as a learning experience and don't get the way I did(I felt like I had embarrassed myself, and completely got out of that hobby)! I regret the fact I so hastily got away, and wish I had many things still...

JBear

 

[The3rdMan]

Problem is, with the AC on - which i need for my dogs - they still need the heat from the lights because the temp in the apt is consistent -- usually. It was just one of those things....

 

[jbherpin]

Problem is, with the AC on - which i need for my dogs - they still need the heat from the lights because the temp in the apt is consistent -- usually. It was just one of those things....

Unless the AC was set for less then 60 F, the frogs would be fine without extra lighting/heating. I am not trying at all to bag on you, I just want to say that unless you like arctic conditions for the dogs they(frogs) would have been fine. Not that the 100-120 F would have not done the trick, just something to consider for the future... Again sorry for the losses...

JBear

 

[The3rdMan]

So whats the point of having lights on ever? I keep my lighting and heat/ac at a consistent temp...if I could have predicted that it would be north of 120 in my apt I would have them off. Actually in that case I would have brought them outside and put fans on them.

It wouldnt have mattered cause they would have died anyway...you really think the heat from my lamp was the deciding factor? You know that? Who knows how hot it got in my place.

Rule of the internet....somebody, someplace always has the answer...in hindsight.

 

[jbherpin]

During the cold months lights can be run for 14 hrs, if you like and plants/mosses will actually probably benefit from a simulated dormancy. I truly get it that you had no way of predicting the AC crash, I really tried to be as nonoffensive as possible. I am sorry if I came across insulting at all, not my intent!

JBear

 

[The3rdMan]

no offense taken....just correcting the record.

If you dont have direct sunlight during the summer what is the minimum hours per day you would use your light? I mainly use it to maintain a consistent temp and for the plants....

 

[jbherpin]

no offense taken....just correcting the record.

If you dont have direct sunlight during the summer what is the minimum hours per day you would use your light? I mainly use it to maintain a consistent temp and for the plants....

I use sealed tanks with fresh air entering daily through feedings/mistings/both. The temps in the winter stay about 72-74 with lights running 12-14 hrs a day, and about 70 during the night. In summer I do not dare to run extra lighting. It gets way to hot here(in spells) to trust it. I actually have to create a means for airflow in order to "save" the frogs.

JBear

 

[The3rdMan]

I always found that the fluorescents were just powerful enough to get the heat to around 78 -80 with the AC on and a bit of a drop at night to mimic nature...I never had to use heating pads or rocks, even during the winter, to maintain consistency. Sad thing is that I was so freaked out about one of my dogs (she has a terminal disease) being in that heat that it took me a bit to realize the ramifications for the frogs.

 

[MrFusion]

Ouch! Sorry for your loss, man. I keep my frogs at my shop and I've had a/c problems several times over the last few months. Fortunately, I'm usually there when it happens so I can take action. Makes me wonder if a few fans can be rigged to turn on when the room temperature reaches a certain temp.

 

[Ed]

I use sealed tanks with fresh air entering daily through feedings/mistings/both. The temps in the winter stay about 72-74 with lights running 12-14 hrs a day, and about 70 during the night. In summer I do not dare to run extra lighting. It gets way to hot here(in spells) to trust it. I actually have to create a means for airflow in order to "save" the frogs.

JBear

Sealed tanks can be a good part of the problem with frogs under those conditions as these not only trap heat but the levels of humidity in them prevent the frogs from being able to use evaporative cooling as a coping mechanism. I've used a temperature gun to track temperatures of different frogs in enclosures over the last decase and some of the results are often surprising.. for example, I've gunned D. ebracattus perching close to the power compact lights where the temperatures were running well over 100 F (there was a temperature gradient in the tank that ran from a high of 120 directly under the lights, to a low of 74 F. It is always interesting to see the temperatures the animals will operate in when given a wide gradient..
I've even temperature gunned some dendrobatids over the years foraging in those temperatures as well with no issues.. (including one (truncatus) with a surface body temperature of over 90 F).
There is a wide variation in what the frogs can tolerate as it depends on many conditions, but they often are much tougher than we give them credit...

Ed

 

[The3rdMan]

Holy sweet jesus! Two of my Leucs just randomly showed up! And I don't have a very large collection so this is huge for me. The tank is pretty large with lots of places to hide and Ive been leaving my lights off out of paranoia that the AC will fail again....I was totally stunned when they were sitting there this morning...and now their happily hunting for the flies I just dropped in. What a shock.

 

[Blocker Institute]

If only society had listened to Al Gore and the scientists about global warming

Really? The globe heats and cools always. What other wisdom of gore should be followed?

Sorry to hear about your frog loss.

 

[eos]

Holy sweet jesus! Two of my Leucs just randomly showed up! And I don't have a very large collection so this is huge for me. The tank is pretty large with lots of places to hide and Ive been leaving my lights off out of paranoia that the AC will fail again....I was totally stunned when they were sitting there this morning...and now their happily hunting for the flies I just dropped in. What a shock.

NICE! That's awesome news.