Turning the spare room into a frog haven sounded like a brilliant idea. No more tanks crammed on bookshelves. No more trying to sneak misting sessions while my other half’s watching telly. A whole space, just for the frogs.
How hard could it be?
Turns out: slightly harder than I’d imagined — but absolutely worth it.
The Setup
I started with a mix of Exo Terra 45x45x45s and a couple of taller 60cm tanks. Stacked on heavy-duty racking (thank you, B&Q garage shelving), I could fit 8 tanks with enough clearance for misting and maintenance.
Ran everything on digital timers, with LED strip lighting daisy-chained across the racks. Cheap and cheerful. Lighting cost me under £60 for the lot.
What Went Well
🔌 1. Centralising Power
I installed a dedicated fuse spur and a bank of surge-protected sockets. Everything’s labelled. Frogs have their own ring.
That one change probably saved me from burning the house down when a dodgy heat mat started tripping the RCD.
🌧️ 2. Misting Made Easy
Manual spraying was fine… until I got to tank #5.
I caved and built a DIY misting system using:
- A pressure pump from Amazon
- ¼” RO tubing
- MistKing nozzles (splurge item!)
- A big 25L water container
It cost me less than £100 all in, and it mists the whole rack evenly. Game changer.
🌿 3. Making It Bioactive From the Start
Every tank had springtails, isopods, and live substrate from day one. Plants established quickly, humidity stayed stable, and I’ve not had mould or fungus gnat problems since.
Plus, it just looks better.
What I Completely Buggered Up
💧 1. Humidity, Mould & Wall Damage
Despite all my planning, I forgot the most basic thing: frog rooms are wet.
Condensation built up on the walls, especially behind tanks. I ended up having to:
- Strip one wall and repaint with anti-mould paint
- Add an inline extractor fan
- Run a desiccant dehumidifier overnight
That lot cost me more than the frog rack.
🔥 2. Heating Drama
I figured the room would stay warm enough. It didn’t.
Winter hit, and temps dropped to 17°C at night. Frogs weren’t happy. I added heat mats on thermostats, but the ambient temp still lagged.
Eventually got a ceramic heater with a fan set to 21°C – that stabilised things without roasting one side of the room.
🧪 3. Mixing Species Too Early
Yep. I tried to cohabit two froglets that were “raised together.” They weren’t aggressive, but the bigger one hogged all the food. The smaller stopped gaining weight.
Separated them, and now I don’t mix anything under 6 months.
What I’d Do Differently Next Time
- Insulate walls before setting anything up
- Plan airflow before humidity issues show up
- Keep spare thermostat probes on hand (trust me)
- Use filter foam in every drainage layer
- Don’t mix froglets, no matter how chill they seem
