# Keep your grow outs clean!



## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Juvenile amphibians do not avoid potentially lethal levels of urea on soil substrate - Hatch - 2001 - Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - Wiley Online Library


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## Ravage (Feb 5, 2016)

Yeah, I agree but after reading it, the dosage (100 kilograms/ha Nitrogen equivalent) makes me think you'd notice it long before it ever reached this toxicity. Urea stinks. By keeping grow outs as little terrariums: with soil and a drainage layer will give habitat for nitrosomonas and nitrobacter, which will breakdown ammonia quite efficiently. Then live plants will use the nitrates and nitrites, just like in mom and dads' tank.
Still, something to be aware of if growing out in a shoebox, steri-lite, etc.
Good Find.


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

Aside from what's mentioned above, has it been noted that urea levels are abnormally high in grow out enclosures? While I'm not saying we shouldn't be careful, I would think as long as people aren't dosing the bins with urea, this isn't that big of a worry. Plus growouts are temporary anyways.

Of course, I could be completely wrong.


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## evolvstll77 (Feb 17, 2007)

Good read. Before getting out of the hobby about 5 years ago I kept my grow outs in the plastic shoe boxes with sphagnum moss. Usually put a slice or two of cucumber near a coner for springs and flies to attract to. Moved to a bigger box with sphagnum when they needed it. Never had any issues. Plus those plastic boxes can stack easily for space.


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## alfred1 (Jan 23, 2017)

Thank you for sharing with us, I am way too concerned about amphibians and their human-induced direct/indirect decline worldwide to keep any caged (signed up here for plants), but I guess this could be useful for the ones who still do.


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

Rotation modality in identical baby vivs is a good way to minimize stress and maximize hygiene situ.

Making them identical is easy if you follow an plan of successful principles. For froglets simplistic in that cover and resources are not over applied. As is often tempting for newer ppl. Especially moisture. Usually problems dont happen because people are drying out their frogs, if one notices. By products wastes and pathogens spread effectively on wet surfaces. Waste gases are heavier than oxygen and i believe thru my humble urate, stool, and stinking water specked toil observations that drilled holes are not ideal for encouraging passive exchange. Dampered smoke bomb investigations. Physics guy and i teamed up on testing different herp environments when lab utility style containment for snakes started to become popular

Edit to add that if a person isnt dealing with numbers of froglets at a time, an actual vivaria of sharp size and strategy like Ravage said, to enable some monitoring & prevent tiny dumbells from mishap is the best way. This would include lighting, as a well defined photoperiod is fun for all ages.


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