The Frog Lady

Thank you everyone!  The blog hit 10,000 views last night.  It seems crazy to me that anyone would even come back and read the next day seeing how crazy I must seem, but anyways onto the post!

Some days I wish I would have started a financial blog, because I have so many great ideas to share on how we are planning on eliminating our very large private college student loan debt way ahead of schedule.  But then again, I am glad that it is about frogs instead because talking about frogs is way more fun.  This series will be a combination of the two! Best of both worlds!

It seems so long ago that a friend of mine from good ole’ Student Union Board (SUB) was getting rid of his poison dart frogs & tank and I was finding out how cool they were.  I didn’t end up getting his tank, however I did fall in love with them.  After I had gotten out of college and just started my first job, we moved into an apartment and had the perfect spot on top of our bookshelf for a tank.  I set up my first tank on my poor college student budget and now almost 4 years later have some tips to share!

Here are two throwback photos to show what my first tank looked like:

Now for some tips to save some money while creating an awesome tank:

Tank

-Research a good tank size for the frog you are looking at – when in doubt go bigger.  The extra cost of more materials & larger tank are minimal when just starting the tank.  Finding out after its all created that you want it bigger is never a good thing.

-Petco’s dollar per gallon sale is a good way to buy a tank

-Craigslist can also help to grab some good deals on used tanks.  Make sure the tank holds water & is in good condition.  Ask about previous inhabitants to see what you are in for & make sure to clean the tank very well prior to using it!  I found a 55 gallon tank for $20 on the Milwaukee Craigslist recently.  It is kinda sad that the only thing stopping me from buying it (besides my husband) was that it was in Franklin

-Local aquarium shops – The local  aquarium shop near me always has an aisle of used tanks that they have for sale at a decent price.  They are all tested and labeled on why they are getting rid of them ( leak, donated, spare, upgraded, etc.)

Materials

-Research different construction methods for backgrounds to see what type you would like

-Research material costs so that you can easily compare between stores

-Look at Menards.  I have had great luck with silicone at Menards.  They go on sale 2 for $5 which is a steal compared to Home Depot or Lowes.  Also for items that don’t usually go on sale, you can always take advantage of their 11% rebate on everything!  The rebate will get mailed to you and can be used on later purchases!

Plants

Most of the plants in my original tank were on clearance at lowes and home depot due to them being almost dead – Always be extra careful when buying plants from these big box stores & 5% bleach soak/ wash & remove all dirt before using in tank.   My mom has a green thumb and literally any plant she has will flourish so she must have taught me something seeing these plants lasted forever and ended up outgrowing the tank.

Otherwise I have had good luck at Stein’s with hardy little plants that will flourish in the tank.

The timing on this post isn’t that great seeing both the Petco $/ gallon sale & Menards 11% off everything just ended, but I figure this will give you time to plan your next tank!

Edit: It was brought to my attention by Charles Schurman that I have added anything about expos!  I have never been to an expo so I cannot share any first hand experience, but I have heard of lots of people talking about the great deals they got at expos.  I would definitely see if there are any expos in your area and check them out for plants & other stuff!  The plants that they have at these expos would be used to high humidity terrariums.  Thanks Charles for pointing that out!

Stay tuned for Frogging on a Budget (Part 2) where I will focus on lights, woods & leaves & other essentials!

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