Description
Frog’s mouth as a cave or hiding place
The frog’s mouth pod is the wooden fruit capsule of the Jacaranda tree (Jacaranda brasiliana) and comes from Brazil.
The often bizarre shape of the pods offers the observer a decorative eye-catcher and the aquarium inhabitants such as small catfish, shrimps or juvenile fish an unusual hiding place.
The frog’s mouth pods open to different widths and tend to close when wet. They are supplied with a small stone which can be inserted into the gap to prevent this. Wedge the stone or another hard object into the gap. You can also try to sensitively widen it a little while the wood soaks in, but be careful, because due to the woody structure, this can also damage the pod and break it at the “joint”. Once the pod is completely soaked, the object can be removed after some time. If it still wants to close again, leave the stone in between for a little longer.
If snails with larger shells are also in the aquarium, we rather advise against using such pods because of the structure (narrow gap), as they can get stuck there as in any narrow gap that does not give way.
Like many other natural products, the woody frogmouth pod can also colour the aquarium water. If you do not want this to happen, water the pods externally for a while before adding them to the tank.
