# Heat wave decimated my frog population



## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

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.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

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.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

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


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

frogface said:


> 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....


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## momkris (Jul 27, 2011)

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.


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

hypostatic said:


> 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.


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## amnesia (Jan 23, 2011)

ZookeeperDoug said:


> 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


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## jbherpin (Oct 16, 2009)

momkris said:


> 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


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

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....


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## jbherpin (Oct 16, 2009)

The3rdMan said:


> 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


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

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.


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## jbherpin (Oct 16, 2009)

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


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

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....


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## jbherpin (Oct 16, 2009)

The3rdMan said:


> 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


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

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.


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## MrFusion (Jul 18, 2011)

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.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

jbherpin said:


> 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


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

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.


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## Blocker Institute (Apr 19, 2010)

hypostatic said:


> 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.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

The3rdMan said:


> 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.


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## stu&shaz (Nov 19, 2009)

also sorry for your loss but wondeful to hear your last post
regards
Stu


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## The3rdMan (Sep 11, 2008)

The3rdMan said:


> and now their happily hunting for the flies I just dropped in. What a shock.


...And they're not their....just a pet peeve.


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## MrFusion (Jul 18, 2011)

Blocker Institute said:


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


 How about scientific fact? Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and we dump millions of tons of it into the atmosphere daily. Millions of tons in a gaseous form... Think about that. No effect? Doubt it.


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## Chunky (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh my god! 120? That's scary! I can see how they would easily die. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. I hope everything will be alright now. Good luck and again, sorry to hear that!


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Really sorry to hear about your loss. I had a similar situation happen to me once. Oddly, it happened in the winter!! I was in highschool at the time and when I woke up to get ready, the house was a bit too cold so I turned the heat on. Well, I was in a hurry and instead of putting the switch to "Auto" I put it to "On" so it just blew pure heat ALL DAY LONG. My bedroom was well over 100F. I lost all but one Red Eyed tree frog and I had a LOT of frogs back in HS. :/

I will say that I'm really happy to have a basement now. No matter what, a basement will always be cooler than the rest of the house. Even in super hot weather, my basement is in the 70s. Too bad thats not an option for you.

Glad to hear bout the 2 leucs tho!! That probably made your day!


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Good post Antone.
I gave up on worrying about my frogs every damn summer. They all go ( I don`t have alot) in temp. containers and in the basement where it`s a good 10-15 degrees cooler.
Of coarse, this only works for people who have basements and not 100`s of frogs.

John


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## Blocker Institute (Apr 19, 2010)

MrFusion said:


> How about scientific fact? Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and we dump millions of tons of it into the atmosphere daily. Millions of tons in a gaseous form... Think about that. No effect? Doubt it.



It's comforting to know that the same scientists that can't predict the weather from week to week have confidently created the proper devices to know all the previous cycles of this planet. Nobody knows what's going truly going on and very narcissistic to think the planet doesn't have the ability to "deal with" the bi-products of the human race. Latch onto whatever key phrases and buzz words and fear the worst or do nothing, it's amusing all the same. 

Still sad to hear about frog deaths


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## edwardsatc (Feb 17, 2004)

Blocker Institute said:


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


When someone attempts to relate global climate change to Al Gore it really shows the ignorance of that individual. Al Gore didn't invent global warming, he was simply the messenger. That's like trying to blame Walter Cronkite for the Vietnam War. Climate change had been seen and defined well before Gore ever arrived on the scene. Attaching Gores name to the topic is simply an attempt to discredit by association ...



Blocker Institute said:


> It's comforting to know that the same scientists that can't predict the weather from week to week have confidently created the proper devices to know all the previous cycles of this planet. Nobody knows what's going truly going on and very narcissistic to think the planet doesn't have the ability to "deal with" the bi-products of the human race. (



Pure ignorance. One should educate themselves on the topic before spouting off nonsense.

There is a HUGE difference between predicting future events and observing past events. The two aren't even comparable. I can't predict, with accuracy, the next time I'll cut down a tree, but I can assure you that when I do the evidence will be there to determine when and how I chopped that tree down, with great accuracy.

Funny how people love science until it's news they don't want to hear ... Especially those who don't understand it. All those cool and lifesaving medical advances, nifty gadgets, pharmaceuticals, ... but as soon as it's something they don't want to hear, suddenly scientists don't know what they're talking about.

Narcissistic? No. It's naive and ignorant to think that humans can just continue to produce and pollute with contaminants with no effect. 

Bi-products? Funny, call it what it is - pollution!

Rebuttal? Anything else ignorant to say? Bring it on ... I'm an environmental scientist and toxicologist, and I love a good debate.

Get a clue ...


Hijack over


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## edwardsatc (Feb 17, 2004)

Blocker Institute said:


> Really? The globe heats and cools always.


Really? How do you know since you claim that scientists can't know all the previous cycles of the planet? Seems as though you are relying on those very scientists to make your claim of "heats and cools as always" ... how very convenient.

At what RATE has it always heated and cooled? Care to elaborate? 

What is the current rate of warming and how does that compare to past warming events?

What consequences have past warming events had on organisms on earth? What are the predicted consequences for this warming event? How do they compare?

If you need to look the answers up, then you really don't have any clue what you're talking about, do you?


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## randa4 (Jul 29, 2010)

So very sorry to hear of your loss. I live in south Texas, and if my A/C quits, my thumbnails are toast. I also turn off lights during the really hot days, and have an overhead fan going as well. It has been 102-105F all week where I live, and I pay more attention to my A/C unit than my frogs. I am investigating a generator option that might prevent froggie heat kill. Am sure there must be a thread or two in the archives about this, since a bunch of us live in areas that have hot summer temps. Hang in there.

Mike in Helotes



The3rdMan said:


> 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.


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## Blocker Institute (Apr 19, 2010)

Hey there keyboard cowboy Donn. It was actually hypostatic that brought Al Gore into this first btw. Not sure how this rubbed you the wrong way, but after reading this a couple times, you said nothing. You just bashed and bashed , but didn't give anything to back up your insolence. 
There's hardly a debate to be had. 

I didn't feel I discredited all scientists whatsoever. What I am saying is that as a planet humans know so very little about this planets cycles, period. It's highly egotistical for you or any group of individuals like you to believe humans will be the end of this rock. 

I have no inclination to give you a science experiment to justify my stance on anything. However, I will share this one article that shows how the planet finds a way. 

Oil-eating bacteria have started to clean the Deepwater Horizon spill | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine

You may be a toxicologist and environmental scientist, but clearly a narrow minded as well and genuinely a person I don't believe would be cool to hang out with. . 

Happy frogging

Jason


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