Coconut fiber substrate

Question
I have a terrarium that is half water and half land. I am using the coconut fiber substrate that you can get anywhere. It looks really good on the land, but it has tured the water a deep red-brown. I have a high powered pump trying to filter it out, but it appears to be seeping color out of the coconut. Does the color hurt my firebelly toads? Will the color go away? Do I need to get a different substrate?
Thanks for your time!
Nate

Answer
Dear Nate,
thank you for your question.
Can you construct a barrier between the water and the substrate, for example with some pebbles? That will stop the bedding from turning the water brown and it wil prevent the water from soaking the bedding, it just wicks water up and turns into a swamp from my experience (when my hermit crabs shovel coconut fibre into their water bowl).
The colour is normal, but probably won't go away by itself. I'd say that it's harmless, but I know that firebellied toads are very sensitive, so if the barrier doesn't work, I recommend changing the substrate.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer