# Acclimating to new tank



## Martinja527 (Aug 6, 2020)

Hi guys! So I currently have an exoterra 20gallon that I did an inside custom job on, but I’m working on a 120 gallon from scratch. In the middle of my project I had the concern about acclimating the habitants to the gigantic (to them) new enclosure once it’s done. Anyone had trouble doing this? Would it stress them out? The whole reason I started this project was because I wanted them to have a more natural life (Well that and it’s so fun to do!) but now I’m worried they’ve been living in their environment so long it would stress them. Thanks in advance!
Jen


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## minorhero (Apr 24, 2020)

Martinja527 said:


> Hi guys! So I currently have an exoterra 20gallon that I did an inside custom job on, but I’m working on a 120 gallon from scratch. In the middle of my project I had the concern about acclimating the habitants to the gigantic (to them) new enclosure once it’s done. Anyone had trouble doing this? Would it stress them out? The whole reason I started this project was because I wanted them to have a more natural life (Well that and it’s so fun to do!) but now I’m worried they’ve been living in their environment so long it would stress them. Thanks in advance!
> Jen


I don't think I've seen anyone say frogs getting a larger enclosure causes stress. In the wild frogs like tincs might roam over hundreds of yards in their territories. So going to a 120 gallon is big for hobbyist tank but is still pretty small compared to what the frogs would experience in the wild.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

What species of animal are we talking about here?


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## Martinja527 (Aug 6, 2020)

Ok, thanks! I guess maybe it’s because I had a green iguana once and my dad is a hobbyist who built this huge floor to ceiling corner enclosure.. i went to move her and she was about 7 foot long and just did not enjoy it. Ended up moving her back. These are painted mantella and there’s 3 of them right now. And I do know that of course it’s not a lot of space at all compared to being outdoors but they’re captive bred so being in their smaller tank just wasn’t sure if they’d *appreciate it like I hoped they would or it would cause problems.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Yes, different species react completely differently, regardless of the size of their natural wild range. Thanks for clarifying.

I have only limited experience upsizing frogs (and no bad experiences), but hopefully others will chime in here. You could also search DB for 'viv too large', 'moving into new viv', and like terms and get a range of experiences reported.


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

If the externals are right - temp, tactility, lighting and moisture for a species, and Security is also right + accessible and abundant, there are minimal acclimation issues in moving larger.


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

I realize the above reads like a theory, but really poikilotherms, ie; "lower taxa" 
are observably rather robotic to that regard.

Things dont have to be necessarily "familiar" as correctly strategized.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

I've recently rehoused 3 sets of frogs into bigger tanks.

3 Adelphobates galactonatus from an 18x18x24" to a 39x18x18". They've happily explored the new enclosure and the extra space.

3 Ranitomeya amazonica from a 12x12x18" to an 18x18x24" , they've also seemed to adapt well into their new house

3 Ranitomeya uakarii film a 12x12x18" to a 18x18x24" , they're also seeming to have adapted will to the extra space. 

Personal opinion: there's basically no such thing as too much space for a group of adult or subadult dart frogs, provided the space is well designed.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Kmc said:


> Security is also right + accessible and abundant


IME, this is the most important aspect of predicting whether a move to new or larger quarters will go well, regardless of species.


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## Fahad (Aug 25, 2019)

One thing: when actually capturing and moving the frogs — even just across the room — be mindful of capture and release methods and sites within the tanks. Try to be quick and efficient and release them carefully into large piles of leaf litter or whatever.

What I mean is that sometimes (especially in group tanks) they figure out they’re being ‘pursued’ and can get really hyper as they evade you.

I had a frog sprain its wrist because it was bolting. The wrist healed fine but even so...this is a good opportunity for frogs to injure themselves during evasive maneuvers and nobody wants that.

This has only happened once but that’s more than enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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