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Hi and welcome to FnF!

Cycling can seem overwhelming at first but we can help you every step of the way. Through respiration and waste products, fish and frogs create ammonia which is toxic to them. Nature has a way to convert this ammonia to nitrites using bacteria that eat up the ammonia. Then these nitrites (which are also toxic) are then eaten up by another bacteria and then you have nitrates. These nitrates although the least toxic of the trio, are then removed through weekly water changes. The testing equipment will tell you where you are in the cycling process. In a well maintained,cycled tank there should be no ammonia or nitrites and less than 10ppm of nitrates.

Frogs are very sensitive to the cycling process and therefore no frog should be exposed to a cycling tank. There are a couple ways to cycle a tank without using fish or frogs. A fishless cycle will take about 4 to 6 weeks and is the process of you adding a pure source of ammonia (like the cleaning product) but MUST be pure, no additives or perfumes. BioSpira is another option. BioSpira is the only product we are aware of that will cycle a tank. It contains the nitrifying bacteria to convert the ammonia and nitrites. It can be difficult to find and is a bit expensive but is worth its cost. If you do the BioSpira, then you add the BioSpira and the frogs at the same time. So if you are itching to get the frogs then this is the way to go. The last way is to get some seeded filter material from an established tank. If you have someone you know with a healthy cycled tank then you can take some of the filter media from that tank and put it in your tank. This will provide the necessary bacteria as well.

If you don't have any fish or frogs at this time, then quarantining isn't an issue. If you decided to get more frogs or fish once you have an aquarium then quarantining new fish or frogs is needed to ensure that you don't pass along unwanted illness.

A heater in a tank is really the way to go. They cannot regulate their body temp like we can and need a higher temp to thrive. Depending on the size of the tank, most heaters are fairly inexpensive. Not all heaters are created equal and I would recommend getting a brand that is known to be reliable.

For frogs, live blackworms or frozen bloodworms are a great source of nutrition for them. Feeding frog and tadpole bites is also acceptable but I would include a frozen or live food for them as well.

I think it is so great that you are doing your research. Your future frogs will thank you for it!

Do you have a tank yet?

-Shelly