Where.to.start..?

[froglover27]

So I use these to top all my Dart Frog enclosures. Aqueon® Versa-Top™ Hinged Glass Top - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart . They work pretty good. It would be cheaper to buy and have the glass cut at Lowes but you will have to buy a hinge for the lid to make feedings easier, I have only found the hinges online. That is why I buy the aqueon lids. They are a little more expensive but they can be dropped on top og the enclosure right out of the box. I have no ventelation in the top of my Dart enclosures. The more plants you have the more oxygen you will get. Another thing to consider is also the more plants you have the more your Darts will be out because they will feel safer if they can hide easier. I would recommend the ABG soil mix as well as a springtail culture.

The spring tails are great. They serve a few purposes, they can be a food sorce for the darts as well as they are janitors in the tank because they love to eat any mold that maybe developing in the tank. Another good note is after you have the enclosure setup let the eco system run for about 2-3 weeks before adding any Darts. This will give you time to make sure that all the plants will work and get a good root before your little guys get added. It can be really stressful to them if you are replacing half of the plants in the tank right after you put them in. I have been there!

Hope this helps. Buyer beware, Dart frogs are highly addicting!!!!!!

Okay! So I will plan on buying the top And do i have to culture my own springtails out of the tank as well?? Thanks!!

[DonLisk]

Any good fish shop should have canopy tops available and I agree that buying is much less expensive then making one.

I have creeping fig in with my Leus along with lemon button ferns. Your design is nice and just keep in mind that you want to not take up a ton of the back wall so you have room for the Bromeliads.

As for Springtails, I buy a starter culture from Joshsfrogs and watch his video on using the culture. Its a starter culture so you have to get the culture going and then add them to the tank. You will want to culture your own fruit flies though. It is so easy and once you have done it a few times in only takes a few minutes to mix up a new set of cultures.

I buy Joshsfrogs and black Jungle fly media and excelsior since both are easy to use and both produce a ton of flies.

Not sure if I gave you this link but here is the build for my Leus in a 20 long tank.
http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...pic-heavy.html

[helm96]

Thanks Don for answering the spring tail question. Joshsfrogs is a great resource and seems to always have what I need in stock. I used to drive around town to try and find what I needed to avoid paying for shipping but then I found that I was spending twice as much as shipping in gas. Joshsfrogs also has some of the fairest prices that I have found on the net. Make sure you keep up on a schedule with your fruit flys. If you miss making a culture you will find yourself frantically driving around trying to find someplace that sells them. This one I speak from experience. Trust me, after you pay overnight or 2nd day shipping on flys once and then you learn real quick!

[froglover27]

Thanks soo much for the link!! GREAT INFO and can't I just stock up on cultures from petco??? Thanks guys

[helm96]

You do not want to stock up. A fruitfly culture will generally last about 30 days. Around 30 days the media in the bottom will be almost depleated and the culture in a lot of cases will start to develope mites at this point. I have 4 darts and soon to be 6 and I do a culture every 10 days, but with the new ones I am looking at getting I maybe doing 1 every week.

Also if you buy them from Petco they are $10 a culture and you will go through at least 2 a month which will be $20. For $20 you can get 10 containers, enough media for 10 cultures and an actual culture to start the process. When you have the needed items trust me, it is easier then driving to Petco to get the fruitflys.

[froglover27]

okay...I guess I won't be doing that So I can just buy the 'stuff' necessary for a culture from like josh's frogs or something?? Thanks I'm glad I didnt do that

[helm96]

This is what I would get! Melanogaster Culture Kit WITH Flies (SMALL KIT) - Culturing Kits | Josh's Frogs They are out of them at the moment, but this is a good start.

After you have cultures going you can then get this Melanogaster Culture Kit WITHOUT Flies (SMALL KIT) - Culturing Kits | Josh's Frogs it is the same kit but without the flies since you will be able to use the flies from your cultures to keep the new ones going.


Watch this video How to Culture Fruit Fly Cultures - YouTube, it will give you a really good start on doing fruitfly cultures from Joshs Frogs.