20 Gallon "tall", What animals?

I have a cracked 20G tall that can only hold about 7 G's of water but I wanted some animals...because unlike a 1G, 20Gs is a lot to go to waste...Im thinking about either:

--1 RES--I'd build a 100G pond later as he grows...but might just add one to my new 100G pond that Ill be getting soon.

or

--2 Green anoles \\\\\\\\
--Crickets --------------- I like this combo the best.
--5 Hermit crabs ////////

or

--3 firebellied toads (They'd have water dishes)
or other kinds of frogs.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Since it's cracked, I would stick with reptiles or amphibians. I guess you got the idea to mix green anoles, crickets, and hermit crabs in a 20 gallon from me?! It's not an ideal thing to do. My mother came home with that first crab, and I didn't want to set up another tank. My Crabby is still alive; I dug him out of the mulch today, and he walked around for 3 minutes before burying again.

I wouldn't put a RES in there since it's cracked, plus they grow so fast.

I'd pick some tree frogs or firebelly toads since I haven't had those before. But, if you like my setup, you could do something similar. I wouldn't put 5 hermit crabs in there though, maybe two or three at most.

Yes I actually do like your setup. Im going to keep it very clean, maybe keep the crickets into the kritter keeper I have,etc. Robyn I wanted to ask this but didnt want to create another post....how did you clean out your 120G from Einy when you had crickets and animals like that...Im assuming my 20G will get hard to clean because I'll have to be sure 1)No crickets get out and 2)None get thrown away! I think Im going to put the RES in a pond Im building soon. If I get frogs (Except for ACFS, ADFs, firebellied,etc.) they are all going outside. Your anole is very cute...So that's why Im kinda undecided about that..I think Im going to get 3-4 hermies and depending on if I REALLY want the anole, Ill either get 2 anoles are a few more hermie...If I dont have the anole, that will make things easier...but I Really dont care how much work I give myself, as I REALLY want those anoles! LOL!

Cleaning the 120 gallon took an hour every two weeks. I took out the lizard. I drained the water by gravity. I removed everything. I got up on a chair and used wet paper towels to remove everything. I wet brushed the reptile carpet (no messy substrate). I used reptile cage cleaner, dried it all out, and set it back up.

When I clean the 20 gallon, I first have to catch the anole. I don't worry about the crickets so much; there are loose crickets all over the house! I use a dixie cup and my hands to catch crickets. I have to hand root through the entire substate, both the Repti-Bark and the sand because of the baby roaches and mealworms who are too small to easily spot. It takes about 90 minutes but I only do it every 8 weeks.

I don't have any decent photos of my anole, Fourmi, so I'm not sure how you know he's cute!

Do the crickets chrip, are they annoying?

I only put small crickets in the 20 gallon tank although some do grow up. I remove them to the cricket cage with the cleanings. The turtle eats the adult crickets. Since the tank and 2 gallon cricket container are both in the basement, they're not annoying. Until my lizard died earlier this year, I was used to all the chirping from her tank in the family room.

I know this is an older topic, but I wanted to add to it since it's a common question among pet keepers.

I would never mix two different types of animals in the same enclosure in a captive environment, such as anoles and hermit crabs, or anoles and turtles, especially if the two species are from different geographic areas, such as a sulcata tortoise and bearded dragon (even though both are desert animals) or a sulcata and redfooted tortoise, or even eastern box turtle and western box turtle.
It may work in the wild (tree frogs and anoles for example), but a captive environment doesn't have the same filter/cleaning mechanisms that happens in the wild. Even the massive exhibits used in some zoos and aquariums (such as the National Aquarium) have problems when mixing different types of species.

I would worry about a hermit crab nipping at an anole, and I would worry about diseases traveling between the two. Different types of animals often have parasites, intestinal bacteria, and viruses that can cause problems for other animals. This article explains it pretty well.
http://www.matts-turtles.org/docs/e_invadens.pdf

As for releasing frogs outside, that's a big no-no ecologically and probably legally. Frogs and tadpoles can carry diseases, including the rana virus, and lung and liver flukes. If you buy a tadpole raised commercially or picked up from another location (even if from the other end of your state), and release it in your area, you could potentially be releasing a disease which your native wildlife cannot tolerate. Box turtles in particular have been hit hard by the rana virus, and box turtles do inhabit the same habitats that frogs do. The only way I'd release a pet frog is if I knew for certain it wouldn't get out of the yard (and it's very hard to contain a frog outside) or if the tadpole/frog was originally found in a near-by water way before becoming a pet AND it had not been kept with non-local animals. In most states it's illegal to release a pet that came from out-of-state.

Katrina

Katrina
we are totally in agreement with you over never releasing frogs etc into the wild.
We coaght a documentary the other day aabout the fact that most of the frogs and toads in South america where now facing extiction due to toads used in Lab experiments getting free and infecting the native species with a fungus that is now plowing a deathly furrow through every one it comes across including the Golden tree Frog
Here in thhe UK we have a virus burning it's way through our own native species I belive Robyn and I touched on this very subject some time ago so Robyn may still have tha link but as to the fungal infection slow burning through South America
you'll have to do some home work on
rgrds
broxandval

Dave, you're talking about the Chytrid fungus.

I still have the hermit crab and roaches together and all are fine. Both species (or at least these individuals) are harmless to each other. The reptiles I've had are all gone (and no, the roaches and crab had nothing to do with it). I do not recommend mixing terrestrial animals either; this is the only time I've done that.