8 Great Tank Mates for Fire-Bellied Toads (Compatibility Guide 2023)

If you have a fire-bellied toad, you might be interested to know if you can add other creatures into its enclosure. Luckily, fire-bellied toads are very peaceful, which means there are plenty of tank mates you can select.

That being said, the toad produces toxins that can be dangerous for super sensitive creatures. For this reason, you want to select hardy reptiles, amphibians, and fish that will withstand the toxic environment.

Below, we are going to learn about the eight best tank mates for fire-bellied toads. Keep reading for more.

The 8 Tank Mates for Fire-Bellied Toads Are:

1. White Cloud Mountain Minnows (Tanichthys albonubes)

One of the best tank mates for a fire-bellied toad is the White Cloud Mountain Minnow. White Cloud Mountain Minnows come in interesting colors, can withstand the toxins released from the toad, and are very peaceful. So, White Cloud Mountain Minnows are hardy enough to live with the toad without disrupting it in any way.

If you decide to go with White Cloud Mountain Minnows, know it is a community fish. It needs to be kept in groups of six for a stress-free and happy existence.

2. Mystery Snails (Pomacea bridgesii)

If you have a small tank, mystery snails make some of the best tank mates. Mystery snails are very peaceful, and they will eat any remaining algae, debris, or decaying plants inside the tank. They won’t bother the toad, either.

Toxins from the toad should not bother the snail unless it reaches high levels. If you keep the tank clean, you should not worry about this happening. If you notice that the snail is responding to the toxins, you need to clean out the water to dilute the toxins.

3. Common Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

One of the easiest tank mates for a fire-bellied toad is a goldfish. Goldfish are incredibly hardy and can tolerate up to mild levels of toxins from the toad. They are also very playful, but it’s best if you have a large enclosure and have two goldfish.

Before placing the goldfish in the enclosure, make sure it is treated for parasites and dewormed. This isn’t particularly difficult, but it is an extra step that you might not need to take with some of the other fish on this list.

4. Chinese Fire-Bellied Newt (Cynops)

If you have a large tank and don’t just want fish in your fire-bellied toad enclosure, you need the fire-bellied newt. As its name suggests, this newt looks similar to the toad, and it requires similar habitats.

The only difficulty of keeping a Chinese fire-bellied newt with a toad is that they have different diets. As a result, you will need to feed the creatures separately. This is the main difficulty of keeping Chinese fire-bellied newts as tank mates for your toad.

5. Fancy Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

The fancy guppy is another small fish that makes a great tank mate for a fire-bellied toad. These fish are known for being colorful and playful, which makes them fun to watch, especially in a toad enclosure.

Even though these fish are beginner-friendly, they are a bit more difficult to care for than some other fish on this list. Caring for the water chemistry of the enclosure is imperative to keeping these guppies clean and healthy. They also need to be kept in community enclosures of groups of five.

6. Diurnal Geckos (Phelsuma)

This gecko is sometimes called the giant day gecko. It is from Madagascar and has a bright green body with an orange stripe on its head. These geckos are active during the day and make good companions for fire-bellied toads.

As with just about every other gecko, this creature requires intermediate care. It isn’t exactly difficult to care for, but it isn’t as easy as a goldfish or some of the other tank mates on our list.

7.  Tree Frogs (Hylidae)

One of the most fun tank mates for a fire-bellied toad is a tree frog. Tree frogs require the exact same care and setup as the fire-bellied toad, but they are very inquisitive, making them a fun tank mate to watch.

Like most of the other amphibians on our list, tree frogs are a bit more difficult to care for than fish, but they are far from being difficult.

8. Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis)

The last tank made on our list is the green anoles. The green anoles make fantastic tank mates for fire-bellied toads because they withstand toxins and are peaceful. Often, green anoles and fire-bellied toads make good friends.

The only reason why we placed this creature at the bottom of our list is that it is the most difficult to care for. It requires very specific temperature requirements, making it only suitable for experienced owners.

What Makes a Good Tank Mate for Fire-Bellied Toads?

If you have a fire-bellied toad, you want to select a creature that is peaceful and hardy. Like any other toad, fire-bellied toads release toxins that can kill other animals that are not well adjusted. Consequently, you want to pick hardy animals that resist the toxins.

More so, you want the tank mate to be peaceful and get along fine with the fire-bellied toad. Most amphibians get along with the toad fine, but many fish and reptiles get along with the toad as well.

Where Do Fire-Bellied Toads Prefer to Live in the Tank?

Fire-bellied toads like to hang out at the bottom of their tank. This allows them to hide underneath substrate, leaves, and other items in the tank. Plus, the bottom of the enclosure holds the most moisture, which is essential for the toad’s health.

When it comes time to eat, fire-bellied toads may change their location. Many fire-bellied toads are known to go into the middle of the enclosure whenever they are eating, but this depends on the individual personality of the toad.

Water Parameters

Fire-bellied toads are semi-aquatic, which means they live on both land and in water. Whenever the toad is a tadpole, it lives exclusively in the water, but it adapts to living on land. Still, a full-grown toad would like to hang out in pools of water.

The water needs to be healthy so that the toad can remain healthy. Ammonia and nitrate levels should be ideally 0 PPM, but they might be as high as 0.25 PPM. The nitrate levels should be below 30 PPM.

Before placing your fire-bellied toad in the enclosure, make sure to dechlorinate the water. Additionally, clean the water out frequently so that the toad and tank mates are healthy.

Size

The fire-bellied toad can grow to be 2 inches long, making the fire-bellied toad very small. At the very minimum, get the fire-bellied toad a 20-gallon enclosure. If you add tank mates, increase the size so that all creatures have adequate space.

Aggressive Behaviors

Despite their name, fire-bellied toads are not very aggressive. Although they can be feisty when it’s time to eat, they aren’t aggressive. Often, they sit around and just wait. When it comes time to eat, the toad will hop up fast to get the food, but this is only a problem if the tank mate is aggressive and tries to steal food.

Because the fire-bellied toad is not aggressive, you want to pair it with non-aggressive tank mates that won’t be too aggressive about food. If both creatures are non-aggressive, you won’t have any issues.

Top 3 Benefits of Having Tank Mates for Fire-Bellied Toads

1.  Increased Comfort

Just like humans, fire-bellied toads want other creatures around. With tank mates, your fire-bellied toad can have additional comfort and participate in social behaviors just like they would in the wild.

2. More Natural

As mentioned above, fire-bellied toads interact with other creatures in the wild. Adding tank mates in with your fire-bellied toad will make the enclosure more natural.

3. More Beautiful and Fun

Adding a tank mate or two to your fire-bellied toad tank is also beneficial for you. These tank mates will make the enclosure much more fun and interesting to watch.

Conclusion

Because fire-bellied toads are so peaceful, finding a good tank mate for these creatures is not very difficult. The most important thing to consider is that these toads produce toxins, which require hardy tank mates and thorough cleaning on your part.

As long as you select non-aggressive tank mates, it should be good. We recommend the White Cloud Mountain Minnow, but any one of the other seven animals on our list would get along great with the fire-bellied toad.

After selecting the tank mate species, just make sure to properly care for the animals and keep the enclosure clean. If you notice that either of the animals seem to be sickly, make sure that the toad’s toxins are not at a dangerous level.

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