# Wierd disease



## Benedicta (Jan 5, 2013)

Hi guys...

I've been keeping my batch of tinctorius for over 8 months now. All were from froglets. Eats well and very friendly livin in a 2 ft tank with live plants.
The last 3 months took a bad turn for my frogs. 2 died of a mysterious disease i guess.
The frog just start acting funny. Jumping in uncoordinated fashion. and the butt is always on the floor. Later a day or two, half the body was like it was paralysed and dragging its body around. Shortly after, it died.

Was told to feed it calcium and vitamins for supplements so i did and thought problem solved.
Then last week, it happened to another one 
Same symptom and died shortly after that.
They eat well and hop around like nobody's business everyday...

Can anyone help me out before my population drops to zero ?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Sorry to hear 

I think we need some more information. How many tincs are in the 2 foot tank? When you say you use calcium and vitamins to supplement, exactly which ones do you use?

Can we get a picture of the tank and the remaining frogs? Any pics of the deceased frogs?

Tank temperature and humidity?

Any possibility of chemical exposure?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Does that mean that for 8 months they did not get ANY calcium or vitamins?


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## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

When you got them months ago did you have any fecals or PCR tests done?


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

All the previous questions are important to answer. Without knowing any information, the symptoms you described could easily be heat stroke or calcium/vitamin deficiency.

As a preventative measure, I'd move the remaining frogs into individual QT containers in case it IS some sort or transmittable disease


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## srrrio (May 12, 2007)

I think what Kris and Doug were getting at, is that it sounds like symptoms that arise when frogs are not getting enough calcium. Perhaps what you are using is not the right kind I see that you are from Malaysia. What is the brand name of the supplement you are dusting with? What bugs are you feeding? What is the temperature of the tank?


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## Benedicta (Jan 5, 2013)

frogface said:


> Sorry to hear
> 
> I think we need some more information. How many tincs are in the 2 foot tank? When you say you use calcium and vitamins to supplement, exactly which ones do you use?
> 
> ...


Well originally i have 4 of them...seller told me that no need any supplements.

Here's the tank that its been livin in.

Well i started using supplements from Repashy Supervite and Sepercal MeD
since 2 months ago.

No chemical exposure that i can see...

I heard that DF have some problems with calcium deficiency only lately :/


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Do you have any idea the what the temperature INSIDE the viv is? It's usually higher than the surrounding temperature, and you should take measurements and keep some sort of thermometer or temperature probe in there.

The seller gave you bad information. Frogs DEFINITELY need supplements. Most people on the forums use this all-in-one supplement:

Repashy Superfoods :: RETAIL SALES :: By Product Name :: Calcium Plus :: Calcium Plus 4 oz BAG - Repashy Ventures - Distributor Center

Maybe the ratios that you're using with your current supplements is causing some sort of problem.

I'd wager it might be temperature related. It's summer now after all, and it's an issue that pops up this time of year


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

WHAT ARE TEMPS IN THE TANK!? Sorry for yelling but this is crucial, has been asked a couple times and ignored.


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## Benedicta (Jan 5, 2013)

Haha...i forgot that part.
Usually around 30C.
Its our tropical weather all year round. Its impossible to get below 30C unless its with air conditioner on.


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## GTFX (Jul 21, 2013)

Benedicta said:


> Haha...i forgot that part.
> Usually around 30C.
> Its our tropical weather all year round. Its impossible to get below 30C unless its with air conditioner on.


30c is 86F and you said this is the lowest it gets which means that chances are your tank is always 90+ which is unlivable for most PDFs ..im not an expert in anything but the way you described it, their brains may of literally cooked..:S


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## punctata (Jan 31, 2011)

Sounds way to hot. You may have to run the AC if you want them.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

As others mentioned the probably cause of your frog deaths is that the temperature is too high.

I believe around 32C frogs start having seizures due to heat stroke, which is probably what you saw when you described that your frogs were "hopping weird". The temperature in the viv is probably reaching above 34C due to the heat given off by the lights, which makes it very dangerous for most dart frogs.

If you don't have a temperature probe or thermometer *INSIDE THE VIV* you HAVE to get one.


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## Benedicta (Jan 5, 2013)

Aye aye mate...i will pop one in tomorrow to get the accurate temp inside the tank.

It rarely reach 34 though.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

So I think you're not quite understanding. If the temperature reaches 34C your frogs are going to die. If you want to prevent your frogs from dieing you need to make sure the temperature always stays below 30C.

Otherwise you're inadvertently killing your frogs. Which is either a waste of a good frog, and/or a waste of money that you invested into them...


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## Benedicta (Jan 5, 2013)

Im trying to get the temps down 

Will misting session help alot ?

i have another tank though...a 3ft tall version
the temp down at the bottom where its dark is 28C

I will try movin them there


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

You could always raise the light fixture a few inches, and then put bags of ice on top of/or in the tank until you find a more permanent solution.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

28C is better... I'd try aiming for 26C if I were you.

You are encountering the "greenhouse effect" in your tank. Your room is already hot, and your lights are making it even hotter. Your tanks walls trap in the heat like a greenhouse.

Does your viv have a glass/solid lid? If it had a screen top it would help get rid of some of the heat. If you had a screen top, however, you'd have to mist a lot more to keep the humidity up.

Adding a fan to blow across the screen top would lower the temperature even further, but again you'd have to watch the humidity (although this might not even be an issue with your water feature)


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

An easy fix also when in a pinch, this applies to everyone, is get a baggie and fill it with ice. Then place it on the side or on top of the tank and then cover with a rag. This will direct the cool air into the tank and help cool it down. I doubt this is a long term way of cooling the tank but it can work.

You can always always get a fan and point it towards the tank and blow cool air towards it constantly. You will need to mist a few more times a day but this should cool the tank substantially.


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## MELLOWROO421 (Feb 21, 2007)

Isn't the humidity in Malaysia constantly high? If that's the case, then a screen top may work for you. That would be an easy way to ventilate heat.


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## Benedicta (Jan 5, 2013)

Hey guys...sorry for the late reply...
Blady weather here went crazy...it was rainy season...for a week...
Its a freakish weather here rather than a tropical rainforest setting.
Now the tank is back up to 30 

Its sealed with a thin glass at the top with a ventilator fan on the chimney.

I'm looking into a thing called Peltier device and trying to mod it to cool down the tank.
Anyone tried this ? Does it suck alot of electricity ?


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